Q: Please tell us about yourself
Okay, who is Olumide? That's what I'm called, I'm called Olumide because my dad is also Mobolaji, so he didn't want a junior in the house, so I use my second name which is Olumide. I would say from a, I'll use the word humble background, both patients were, both, I say patients because I'm a doctor, both parents were professionals. My dad was in the Navy, my mother was in the Ministry of Education, and both retired at the peak of their career. So I was brought up in that environment where we had, we were exposed to, let me say, almost everything that a middle-class citizen would be exposed to. Growing up in Apapa, I love, should I say sports, that's one of the things that my parents engaged us in at a very early age. So apart from the education side, there's the sports side that I like, so I'm into sports, any racket games, squash, table tennis, long tennis. I also like watching movies, I like reading novels, and most of all, I like socializing, that's one of the key things I enjoy doing.
Q: What are your biggest strengths and what are your biggest weaknesses
I think strengths, if you use theory, yes, there are differences with my strengths, but I think it's relative because some strengths can also be weaknesses as well. But I think my, for me, I think it's patience, listening, being able to listen and be patient through, how can I put it, if you can give me the word, patience, you listen and you take your time before making decisions. The other thing, I don't take decisions alone, I like it to be a collective thing where everybody has an input and then we take a decision together, that way we either succeed together or we fail together, but I think it's a good thing. So I would say one of the strengths is I don't do things on my own, I like to always do things with people, and so it always comes out, should I say, there's some satisfaction at the end of the day, irrespective of the outcome. Weakness, sometimes being too accommodating can be weakness, and then you allow some excesses in certain areas when you allow yourself to allow people free access to you at any point in time, and then that's always wanting to help irrespective of if you can or not, and I think that will be my main weakness. Somebody calls and says I have this problem, I'm never able to say I can't, I always say I'll see what I can do, and then now becomes pressure on me to deliver, like you. Anyway, that aside. Any other strength, I think knowledge as well has helped me because of my background and my parents always made sure you always knew at least a bit about everything, a good idea about everything, so I believe right now there's that confidence that comes with anywhere I am, I think I can engage anybody because I have a fair understanding, a fair idea of almost everything and everything. I can pride myself with that I think, except when it comes to social media.
Q: What is your typical day like now
You've experienced it today, so a typical day can be, it's unpredictable. So since I assumed the position of should I say medical director in Lagos State, I've actually worked in, managed three state hospitals.

I started off with Agbowa General Hospital which is on the outskirts of Lagos, closer to Ogun State, and then from there, I was there for a year and a half before I was posted to Mushin General Hospital. I was there for three years before I was posted here to Randle General Hospital, Surulere. So with each hospital it's been a new set of challenges I'll put it. I always rather use the word also interesting times, rather than say they are negative. So interesting times because you can't predict what a day is going to be like. I learned not to plan and be able to make decisions on the spur of the moment because like health, you never know how you feel the following day. You can wake up, one person can wake up today feeling healthy and by evening, the person is in an intensive care unit or on admission on some medication they never plan to. So that's how a typical day in the hospital is. So being both an administrator and a clinician, you never know what to expect and working in a public hospital as well, be ready for anything and everything because you know you're dealing with the public now and you're dealing with all sorts, I don't want to use the word all sorts, you know, different people, different orientations, different ages as well. So whatever and they are ill people who are coming in looking for help. So whatever that burden is they're coming in with, they all react differently. So you should be able to adapt to that and see how to address those situations.

Next set of people you are dealing with are your staff as well, who are across different cadres, not just doctors. You have your clinical and non-clinical staff, different ages, different specialties and different egos as well that you're dealing with. So you honestly can't predict your day. You can plan but in terms of how the day will turn out, you can't predict. So every day is interesting and then for me, once it's 5 p.m and I shut down, there's that relief. But the thing is, as a clinician and also as the head of a hospital, we are on duty 24 hours because at any point in time we can't be called. A typical example, there's a cholera outbreak right now in Lagos. Yes and by 11 p.m last night we were notified that how many hospitals have seen and we now found that majority of our hospitals have seen cases. Some have even, we have mortalities as well as people have died and we've seen the numbers increasing just between 11 p.m yesterday and 8 a.m this morning across the state. So when things like that happen, you have to be alert and put it that way and know how to disseminate information to your facility, to the relevant people so that they are aware.

Q: How did you start your day when you first started at work
How did my career first start? I would say some part of it is time and chance and some I took the opportunity because it was something I wanted to do and then push myself to attain that particular position. Why did I study medicine? I always wanted to be a doctor because my father is a doctor and I always had that passion for wanting to interact with people and then generally there's this, I would say joy when somebody comes to you with a problem, you discuss it and then you can give the person options of management and then the following day they call and say thank you very much, I feel better and those are one of the things that pushed me to study medicine and then I used to follow my dad to the hospital and there was just this thing about being around people. I just like that carriage doctors has and respect they had. I decided at some point that yes, I would maintain that study and that was why even after biochemistry, I still went back to study medicine. I got employed at Lagos State in 2002 and that's where I'll talk about time and chance.

Then most of my colleagues wanted to leave the country, a lot had left. I attempted and didn't enjoy the environment in the UK and decided to come back and settle down in Lagos. I applied to Lagos State in January, by February I was given an appointment, which was very rare at that point in time and everybody said I was lucky because of how my CV got to the head of service and he approved my employment.

I worked in Ebute Metta General Hospital first and then I just enjoyed the management side of medicine as well. What I'm trying to get is how I got to this position now. I enjoy the clinical part but being able to organise a hospital, I just seem to like that part of it. So very early in my career, I was already handling things some heads of departments were doing and then I had fantastic mentors as well. The medical director then, Dr. Tusheso and then Dr Williams were very approachable people. So when I had to learn certain things that had to do with the administrative side of running a hospital, they were very open to sharing with me. Then I had senior colleagues who also were, should I say, they like to teach so they helped me learn that clinical part as well. From there, funny story, after a few years in Ebute Metta, I was aspiring for something more and the commissioner then, Dr Leke Pitan had just commissioned the Ibeju Lekki General Hospital, if I'm right, that was about 2006 and there was a circular that went around any doctor who wants to go there. So I saw the Lekki part, I didn't see the Ibeju Lekki part.

And I was one of those who went and said yes, I'm willing to go. Everybody was surprised because they knew where Ibeju Lekki was, I didn't know. I thought it was Lekki. So my mind was, oh, Lekki roundabout, I'll be on the island and within 48 hours, I got my letter of posting. Got to and then it was on a Friday, Saturday, I said let me drive down to see the place and drove to Admiralty roundabout and they were like, no, this is Lekki, Ibeju is further down. I drove another two hours and then finally got there.
I just said, oh my God, what have I put myself into? But the good thing, it was another challenge again. New hospital, with the experience I had from my other mentors who I learned a bit on how to run the administrative side of medicine, gave me, should I say, some comfort. The only issue was the distance.
But got there and with the medical director there, he also was just appointed medical director.

We were able to work together to fashion out a way to kickstart that hospital and within two, three months, we had a large number of patients patronizing the place, and that's when, time and chance again, we had a visit by the Honorable Commissioner then and he was like, oh, we heard they had set up this place very well. Who was the doctor? Okay, and another hospital, you know, have been commissioned in Shomolu. Can you do, repeat the same thing there? We need an experienced medical officer to be there, and I opted for that and so I was now moved to Shomolu, and there, same thing, but it was closer to home. So set up that place again. Also had a fantastic mentor as well who was medical director, Dr. Awonuga, and she put me through so many things in terms of that administrative side as well, and she encouraged me to go for my masters in public health because administrative medicine is one of the modules that you tend to learn there. So she encouraged me to do that, which is what I did, and from then on, it had been one, should I say, blessing after the other and that was where I was identified by the director of medical services then, who now poached me from there and asked her, well, who's this officer that works with you and helps you tidy up things, helps you put things together in Shomolu General Hospital, where you tend to, you seem to have some, I'll use the word degree of calm when it comes to running the hospital, and when she mentioned my name, the director of medical services then, Dr. Onayiga, somehow I was watching, I was like, you know what, this person will be a good administrator and by then I had done my public health as well.

So I think it was 2010, I went for an interview and then I was now made the assistant director of medical services of the health service commission, which was not something I wanted, but it came based on, I would say, hard work and just being out there. That's another thing that I would say was work to my advantage. When you are visible, people tend to see. It's not like I was the hardest working person, but to be seen, you have to be visible and you have to be seen to be doing something positive, and I guess it worked for me. I was appointed in 2010 as the assistant director of medical services.

I think it was the first in the state, I might be wrong, but where a level 14 officer, I wouldn't get director level, acting at that, in that capacity and that was when I got a very, should I say, wider exposure of the runnings of public service, especially in the health sector, the opportunity to interact with people across the state and even nationally, different agencies as well and then that exposure was a blessing, I would say. I was able to market myself as an economist and make sure that I was always delivering when it came to the task I was given as the assistant director. I also was the kind of person that anybody could walk into my office and I learned from everybody. So I don't believe I knew everything. As we sit down now, I could ask you questions and the responses you give me, I'm actually learning from you. I'll go outside and give an example. I get new staff that came in here in Randle. What I tell them is on your orientation, use your outside eye to look at processes in the hospital, and then when you're done, come back and give me a write-up as to how I can do things better, and with what they give me, I see where there's a, should I say, repeated, where different people give you the same things. In this way, you can make a change, you can implement that. Sometimes, as you said, I should tell you about myself. I tell people to tell me about themselves, and in their story, I tend to learn things about other people and things I can even do better. So that was what that exposure at the commission did for me, and then the opportunity to become a medical director now came up, and that was where I said, it's time to move to the next level in public service, which is run by an agency or an institution yourself. I applied for that, and based on my experiences and the opportunity to interact with people across both private and public sector, which is what working at the commission, the opportunity you get working there offers you, I was one of the few who were chosen to move into the medical director position of a secondary health care facility, and since then, that is where I've been, and I told you earlier on, Agbowa first, Mushin, and then Randle.

Q: How was your early life growing up, your days as a teenager
I'll start from my pre-teenage days. It was fun. I say I miss those days. I grew up in Apapa. As I said, my dad was in the Navy. My mom was in the Ministry of Education. They were both public servants, and then it was, I would say life was easy. Life was reasonably safe. We would go to school. There was a common school bus that would take us to school. Most of us living in Apapa were children of public servants, and we attended almost the same school. So it was always fun. Every family knew each other.
You didn't feel threatened. You always walked in groups where the weakest was always protected and the strongest was always in front, but we kind of like supported each other as a family.

We were members of Ikoyi club then. So as I said, sports was one of the things that we were encouraged to do while growing up. Playing sports, going to swim. There were movie theaters as well in Apapa then. There were shops, Kingsway, Leventis, UTC that you could walk to. Everywhere was walking distance then. Teenage years was also fun. I was in the Ijanikin then, and I won't say I missed out on anything because my parents were the type that, as you got older, they gave you some level of, I'll use the word freedom, but still controlled. So that it's not like you are allowed to do anything and everything, and it's one of the things I'm grateful for now. Because you look back at some reasons why they were strict on certain things and you now realize, oh, if I hadn't been restricted, I'm sure I probably would have gone overboard on certain things or I wouldn't have known this could have been the possible outcome. Did I attend parties? Yes, parties was a normal thing for everybody, but I was quite shy. I was quite shy then too. But because of that opportunity we always had in moving in groups, there was always a way of covering up that shyness and then being able to build on your confidence gradually over time and learn from people around you. Yes, that was a good thing. We learned from each other.

Q: What was your first job
A: First job? As a teenager or after I graduated? First job. First job was working with, as a casual staff in NNPC during the strikes for while we were in University. So in order to keep busy during the long strikes, I had an uncle who worked in NNPC and he took us, myself and my older brother, into his department here were we helped them do some bookkeeping, if I remember right. We had to fill in ledgers, do some bookkeeping for them and then filing the documents. That was one of my first experiences of working in an office. There was a bit of, I'll use the word, laborer work done because when I tell people about it, where in Apapa there was a, you were given cash for loading cement on and off ships. So myself and my brother were, and it was a good way of understanding that you have to work hard to make money. It's not easy. So to carry, the bags of us were smaller than that. We definitely could not carry one bag of cement each. So we would both share, carry one bag and I kid you not, it was five Naira per bag.

So a lot of people used to come there and they would pay you. So in the morning, you go to the wharf there, they recruit you, and they would tell you, okay, the number of bags you can carry at the end of the day, because there was someone ticking. So we would both stand, carry, pick parent bags and we had to load them off the ship into the yard, and if we could do about 10 bags, that was 50 Naira, and that was our mark for the day. So we would do 10 bags and then go home, and then massage ourselves. But it was always fun seeing people and that just tells you how safe and how the society was there. You just walk in there and they will laugh at you. These children want to, okay, and they were, the thing is, I still remember some of the faces, but when I think back, and they protected us, and then when they finish, the man would count the money and give us and say, well done, and when we see us again, we say, I know in two days time, and we did that for a while as well. But it also taught us how to earn, taught us how to save and taught us that money had value. Because you could now sit back and count and say, yes, I worked for this and there was some satisfaction in that.


Q: What was it like getting your first salary pay cheque
A: It was, that was my, those ones were cash. We got, that one was exciting because I was still in secondary school and we were getting cash but first paycheck was my house job in 2000 after I medicine, and they had just increased salaries from, I think it was 18,000 Naira then. They increased it to 40,000 Naira and I was in Ibadan. So I got the first cheque, and the usual thing as a tradition, our tradition, you take it home to your parents to tell them, this is my first cheque. My dad and my mom blessed it, and then I cashed everything out, 40,000 Naira, and they both took, I won't forget, they both took five Naira each and said they will keep it, and the rest was mine. I had that money in the boot of my car for four months. I couldn't finish spending it. That was how good things were then, and it wasn't like I wasn't spending it. I had a car. There was, I was still enjoying life as a fresh graduate, new job. I was in Ibadan then. I had to choose that Ibadan. It was a reasonably inexpensive place to be. I actually thought I would settle there because it was calm. It was safe. You could go anywhere at any time, and it was a nice place to be. So maybe because I made my first plenty money there, I thought it was, it's still easy. I still go back, and that was when I started, and because of, because I had experience with earning, I knew that there was, you have to save, but you still have to spoil yourself once in a while as well.

So save, spoil yourself, and I had that culture of putting some aside for emergency as well. But it was, how should I say? I can't describe it, because you're earning, your money, your earning power now goes from 18,000 to 45,000. That's what, four times or three times. It was a lot and it was exciting. Although after a while. It was a, it was fun and it made me feel, it gives you some sense of independence as well, and independence, comfort, knowing that you have an earning out there that you can, when you are in, out of your society, you also are at par with people who you want to be at par with in terms of, I'm trying to think the right word to use. Financially? Yes, financially. So there's the financial part and then there's that part where, you know, it's okay. I can be with somebody who I don't think, let me use the word pedigree.
That's the only word that keeps coming. Because there are some people that they have money and you still don't want to associate with them because of the source of their money. So you could sit down with people who also, for the work aside, and they might be earning more than you, but the fact that you're earning a living and you work for it, so you feel confident sitting down with people who also earn money and work hard for a living.

Q: Did you have a mentor in your early days at work
A: Yes, I did. I have already mentioned my parents that part of and then in, at each place I have worked all the hospitals earlier and even up till now. Yes, I have had mentors, the medical directors of the different hospitals who had that open door policy and maybe that's why I have that as well with my mentors. I can mention their names? Should I? Yes, please. Okay, so I would say from Ebute Metta, I had Dr. Williams, who later became a permanent secretary. In Ibeju Lekki, I had Dr. Aromire. In Shomolu, I had Dr. Mrs. Awonuga, who later became a permanent secretary as well and we're still very good friends till now. She was the one who gave me that stepping stone to become the Assistant Director of Medical Services with another special, should I say, mentor of mine, Dr. Onanuga, sorry, Dr., let me not mix up names Dr.Onayiga, sorry, because there's an Awonuga, too, who's also a mentor. Dr. Onayiga, she's the current Chairman of the Legal State Health Service Commission. She was the one who now took me under her wings and opened my eyes to that, to opportunities outside being a doctor. You don't just have, but there are opportunities everywhere around you. She gave me that opportunity to even grow and that freedom to do things and up till now, she says that she had grown me to a level that she was confident enough to say whatever Olumide says is as I will say it and honestly, it was like that because I learned everything from her.

Another person who played a very, very important role in my growth and understanding how to deal with things, especially when it comes to people and people generally, Dr. Mrs. Olatunji, she was the Permanent Secretary then as well, and she's still a very good friend. Advises me on most things and everything. They were, as you can see, they were mostly women. So they were like mothers to me and then I have my current Permanent Secretary now, Dr. Onayiwu, he's a man. He's one of those go-getters. He doesn't believe anything. Everything is possible. Don't let anything slow you down. If you meet an obstacle, just go around it. Life is full of bumps, but if you show your vulnerability, you will not. He has taken, I would say he has taken the role of Medical Director to a different level when it comes to the Lagos State Healthcare Delivery System at the secondary facility. Who else? I would say even my staff here. Everywhere I've worked, different levels from, I don't undervalue anybody. So from the gate man, cleaner, to my colleagues, and should I say my superiors. In a way, they've all been mentors to me and I will not take it from them. Because sometimes I look at people in certain areas and just watching them alone, I see that there's a lot to learn from everybody. Nobody is irrelevant. One woman, I won’t mention her name.
Before I hear her name, she's a cleaner, but she's been here for over 20 years and the day I sat with her and we talked, I just realized I could learn so much from this woman. So some days when I have some free time, I just call her. I eventually told her and we talk and she's just saying things, advising me. I just pick those things andI found out that has made me understand my function here better and how to deal with certain people that I get to interact with in this community.


Q: How do your balance your work and your life
A: That's very important to I make sure that I do have that work-life balance. It's something that, as I said, I learned earlier in life that there has to be that thing that you enjoy doing and that gives you that space to unwind, to de-stress. Take your mind off whatever it is, the pressures are, and prepare yourself for the next day. So what I do is I give myself a time when it's no more phone calls. I only deal with, no, no messages. I only deal with phone calls because messages will keep coming and I tell her, if it's important, please call. But I take time to listen to music. It's really when I'm on my way home and that time I say, okay, no phone calls. Music helps calm me down. I still play sports three, four times a week. Three,four times a week and it actually does take up a lot of my time. Usually I play from six till about 8:30, nine and then I just stay within the recreation facility I go to to interact with people outside of work.

I also love watching movies. I love watching movies and not just, there's no special, anything, as long as it has a lovely storyline, I will watch. So that can engage me one and a half hours and I'm the type of person that listens. So I don't like being disturbed. I don't talk. I can be in that quiet zone. I love cooking as well.
Yes, I love cooking. So that's another thing that takes my time. Weekends, Saturday afternoon, that's what I do. I enjoy going to the market. People think it's weird. But it's just another opportunity to interact.
So because growing up there was that always being around people and all that, I like going. So what I do is say, oh, MD, why are you going to the market? I'm like, don't worry. So I will park somewhere and walk in and just being around people, talking, interacting, bargaining, and at the end of the day, getting some things, get home.

Well, you can be disappointed sometimes but there's just that joy that comes from going out there and coming back andthen there's that quiet time. You can't leave, should I say, religion or God out of it. As you get older, you tend to have to look for something that you believe in and hold on to it. So quiet time, be grateful. You say talk to yourself, but talk to God as well. Listen to see whether there are any words coming and be grateful for your family and people you have around you.

Q: How do you manage stress
A: Sometimes it's so with the different, how should I say, reactions and when theoretically people will say, oh, you know, they give you ways to manage stress. Do this, breathe, and all that. But the thing is, we're human and we cannot predict how we are going to react in certain situations. But with time and experience, we tend to be able to adapt quicker and know how to manage certain situations. But I kid you not, there are times when you can explode and that explosion helps the, should I say, the medical people will say the hormones and things that help you at the reaction and then your body now calms down.
There are times you even have to cry and you feel better after. There are times when you need some peace and quiet but there's no, I would say there's actually no textbook or formula that will tell you. You have to individualize it with the different experiences you have. So, example, I come in and there's no light in the hospital, everywhere is dark, darkness and everybody's, at that point in time, there's a lot of tension, pressure. What you do is, okay, how do you identify the solution? Who do you? All that time, they tell you it's positive stress and then when it now becomes extended, that's when you now start feeling the impact or being able to delegate to people, allowing them to take decisions on certain things, being able to interact and engage people like, you just have to be patient. Listen, listen, it's a lot. But I've not really answered your question, I haven't. The thing is, you just have to find a model. Squash is one way I de-stress. Swimming, all those things I said I do during my, is a way of shutting down that. So the answer is more like those things I said, going to the market, engaging people outside the health sector, who are not going to be telling me if somebody is ill and all that. I'd rather talk to a child who wants to tell me about, oh, how I painted something and not have to think about what, because there are areas where I go to.


Q: What is your ideal vacation
A: Vacation? Where? Oh, where? Oh, where? Where, what would you like to do? Um, place, quiet, not necessarily quiet, because I like noise as well. I like, I won't call it, I like organized chaos. I like noise as well, that's the way I can describe it. So if you're looking at a, just imagine a show where, oh, what show would I go to now that, like a Burna Boy show, or a Wizkid show, or a Davido show where that's well-organized and there's noise, you're having fun listening to kind of music you like, and all that. That's what I'll call organized chaos. While, I like going clubbing, I enjoy that but vacation has to have everything. People who will make it fun. Ambience is also important and then, I think you need to have some peace and quiet, and being in a place where you don't know anybody. So I can only give, I'll give two examples, both local, regional, and then more international, because I'm not specific, it doesn't have to be outside Nigeria, it doesn't have to be outside Lagos. So there are times I just take off and go on the drive, and head towards Badagry, I've done that a number of times and there's a place where you can stay at. Just go across to the beach, I just enjoy every time there. Come back to the hotel, I don't know anybody there, but I can talk to anybody and everybody there and just have that, is it tranquility, you would call it, when nobody's disturbing you, and you don't care about anything, all you need is just a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. I've been in Abeokuta, I used to do that quite a lot. I haven't done in the last three months though.

Last weekend of the month, Friday, I just jump into my car, throw my sports kit in, and drive to Abeokuta. They have about three different places where they play sports, they know me now. So I go there, play on Friday evening, ask where the happening place is, I don't know, go there, hand out, Saturday, go through tomorrow. At some point I became like a tour guide there, because they would see me there every month. Climb, I go there, I said, you are going there every time, it's a different experience. But I'm not thinking about anything. Evening, look for a new place to eat, so that's where it's the best place to eat. Find amala, find ofada Rice, drive to some little village in the area, buy something that will just remind me of the place. Sunday, I'm back in Lagos in the afternoon. That's then, I've done Ghana, I've done Togo, I've done Ouidah, just like that. I drove down to Ouidah. Yeah and then Mexico, a number of beautiful places where it's just you and family and friends. Nothing, no shopping, basically just food, partying and resting. So that's what an ideal, easy vacation or getaway is to me.


Q: Your favorite food, dessert and Snack
A: Pasta, seafood pasta on this side. Then pounded yam and any kind of soup that has everything in it. Those are my two favorite things. Dessert is, what's it called again? Fruitcake with custard. Fruitcake or bread and butter pudding with custard. My mother used to bake them very well, so those two things are my best desserts. What else have I got? Drink? Yes. Oh, I drink beer and then whiskey has to be good whiskey. I don't like wine. If I'm drinking wine, it's palm wine. Palm wine has to be the thing. I do palm wine, beer, whiskey and plenty of water because I play sports too, so water is always my thing.


Q: Your favorite place in the world outside Nigeria
A: I have visited. It has to be Cancun. It has to be Cancun. Why do you like Cancun? Is that, in a place they don't speak your language. So we try and you have to learn how to communicate through that freedom that I don't know anybody there, so I can just be myself. So I can let go. There's nothing, except if there's a war going on or something bad happens, but I'm not under any pressure to go shopping. I'm not, because no, there's that way of traveling. I don't really, when you travel, I don't think shopping should be part of it. Window shopping, yes, I go to see, but somewhere new where you're just free. I would just be in that shorts and t-shirt thing and the pair of slippers or something. I just walk in and walk around. Those things I see in musical videos that you think, okay, this is fun. I'll just be somewhere different, yes.


Q: How did you meet your Spouse
A: We were both in UI together and when I went back for medicine, I met her in 1993, yes, because I graduated from Berkeley in 1992, served until 1993, 94, yes. She was in UI as well, studying economics and we started dating then. She graduated, I was still there, both still maintained the relationship and we had, there was a lot in common we had in terms of family background. We value family, we value friends. She was also one of those people who was, I would say, people use that word go-getter, go-getter, but with her, I can't use it because she knew what she wanted in terms of her family, her life, her work and so that was one of the things that inspired me to do. So I said something about, I learned how to save and those kind of things. It was through her that a lot of the money was in my duty, was to spend. So she was one that advised me, look, you can't just have it and spend it. Put a standing order that once you get, this amount goes, this amount, and then you can, it gave me that, and then she was also apart from intelligent school at school and everything, she was also the kind of person that would interact with people, not shy and all that. So that was like the opposite of me then. She's not shy, she's more into engaging people so I could learn from her as well and she always wanted the best of everything, push, push, push, no, you can't just stay here. Do something different.
Yeah, so we started dating then and got married as soon as I graduated, we got married in 2001. No, 2002, but I started work. So as soon as I started work with Lagos State, at least then I could say, I think I have started something. So we got married in 2002.

Q: How many children do you have
A: One and two, sorry. Two. I started work in 2002, got married a year after that. 2003, because we celebrated 20 years in 2020. Celebrated 20 years, 2023. Thank you. So two children, a boy and a girl. The girl came in 2004, her name is Ademiti. The boy, 2005, that's Kitan. They're both in university now. Ademiti is studying accounting, I hope I get this right. Accounting and finance, so is it accounting and human resources, the combined thing. Ademiti is studying accounting, I think, that's. Kitan is civil engineer, and they're both doing quite well. I'm happy with how they've turned out so far.
Q: Did you want more
A: At some point, yes, but you know where you are. Okay, I'm not sure, maybe I'm not sure, maybe I'm not sure, maybe, and then we got used to just to being in the house.


Q: How does that make you feel
A: I actually don't have any issues with that, because even while growing up, my own parents allowed us to follow what we wanted. Nobody was pushed to study anything because they wanted it. I loved medicine from day one, and that's why I went to study medicine. My older brother is a lawyer, my middle younger brother studied computer science and stayed in the IT sector, and the last studied engineering. So everybody did what they wanted. I don't remember my dad or anybody pushing for me to do this, they more like encouraged you to go to where you had your strengths were in terms of your, should I say results from school.
Q: What do you think of people that force their children to do what they want
A: Sometimes, so I think times have changed now, and then people are more, children are more independent in deciding what they want. It's a, is it true? I don't use the English diagrams, but sometimes there's an advantage and there's a disadvantage. As a teenager, you can tend to be a rebel, and not just want to conform to society or everything. I say, no, but as a parent, sometimes you can see this strength in you. I say, look, I see this thing in you. You have a good need, so I'm going to make you, I'm going to ensure you go ahead, because some people will tell you stories, oh, I wouldn't have been busy with my family. Sometimes we don't market those stories. It's more marketable, say my father forced me and I left it, but some people were put in line to be in certain professions because of the potential that was seen by their parents. Sometimes you want to protect that person, because if you go into this, I think you might end up in, but nowadays, we have now grown up to more like, just be, is it, counselors to our children and allow them to take decisions with some kind of guidance to what they want to study. I don't know, I'm a 50-50 in that part when it comes to, because I believe at a certain age, looking back, there are some things I think I was sure about but now I realize, I'm glad I didn't take that decision because it was just a teen spirit thing. I thought I knew everything. There has to be a way to strike a balance. No two people are the same. That's the truth.


Q: What experiences have you had in your life that you’d say have shaped you to be the person you are today
A: I would talk about disappointment and failure. I mean, a lot of people don't know how to deal with it and I was happy I experienced some of it early in life so that there was that chance to bounce back and learn from that experience. I was one of those who primary school, I was first, second, first, second, first, second, but secondary school, when my eyes opened and I started playing a lot, at some point, I failed or I didn't meet that score I expected to and I'd seen people cry and feel like it wasn't. Yes, I was disappointed but I think it made me realize that, okay, you can do better. Okay, this is what failure feels like and it was a wow experience. So all those people I used to laugh at. So that's when I started realizing that some people feeling it's not actually their fault. I knew how, where my problem was and how it works but some people, they couldn't help it. So I started appreciating being able to get over certain challenges and then not feeling, what's that word? Feeling you're not, you're untouchable or feeling, there's a word that you use for it. Invisible, yes, that anything can happen and then you just have to be able to bounce back and you have to be able to deal with disappointment, deal with failure. So secondary school was one. Having a carryover too in university, that's when I then got used to not meeting certain things. I heard people will break down and have to seek medical care just because they failed. So being able to deal with failure was one of the things that helped me then. To being able to identify people who can, who can, what's the word, when you have, but who can uplift you, you can't do things alone. So identify people around you who, is it like you and you can, I forget the word. Then you, the question is, thing that's challenged me in life, how do you put it? Experiences that have shaped you. That have shaped you, yes. Oh, okay, that one goes for me. So failure, the other thing was, I'll go ahead, one of the most recent one was losing my mom when she passed on and it didn't make me numb, but it just made me realize that you're going to be there and you can only prepare so much for certain things. It's always what you can do today is by put in your best every day. So let me just say those two things, being able to deal with failure and being able to deal with the loss of a loved one. These are two major things that I will say.


Q: What one thing do wish you could go back in time and do all over again
A: Nothing. Nothing, okay. Nothing.
Q: What are the best qualities you look for in people
A: It's about that. I can't think of the exact word now, but sometimes you meet somebody and then the aura is just what gets you and you can't explain all. I had this discussion with somebody when we were talking about doing a job interview and why do some people get jobs when all of you come in with all the same qualifications? For some people, it's just, you meet somebody and you just feel, I think this person will, let me use the word gel well with me in terms of being able to relate with each other. So there's aura, people don't use the word again, talk too much about it, but that's very important when somebody comes in and that feeling, it's never about, I've never been into, oh, this person looks, oh, this person, but that aura sometimes just gets me and then from then on, being able to communicate too is one of the things that can get my attention. Then if we have similar interests, if we have similar interests, and then if you even have some, what's that word again? Like when people come in and ask, okay, so, not that thing, oh, what do you see yourself in five years now? What are the things you enjoy doing and how have you been able to use it to make yourself a better person and just kind of try to articulate and tell me, oh, this is what I want, those kind of things I'm trying to do with people and I feel like if I can learn from this person and they start asking questions, oh, so what have you done so far? And the person starts to share. Okay. I don't know whether I've been able to, but honestly, if you say, well, I honestly have no idea, this specific thing and that's why people say they don't know, they can't understand why this person isn't my friend and this other person isn't my friend, because they seem too similar, or how are you in this circle of people when society says they are not of your standard? Those kind of things. You can find me in Mushin playing sometimes, I love those people. Its those kind of things. So they're just, life is interesting. So it's what you make of it at every point in time. Just be grateful that you have the opportunity to meet with anybody and everybody.
Q: How is your relationship with God
A: It's been up and down several times. It's been up and down. Right now, if you ask me, it's better. It's better. Then it was always, when you're in trouble, you beg God that please get me out of this and I'll worship you for the rest of my life and once you're okay, you forget about it. So, we're always closer when there are issues. With the way I was, my mother was one of those who, it was church, you had to be in church every Sunday. She taught us how to pray. Taught her grandchildren, myself and her grandchildren, how to pray as well. She was a good influence on all of them in terms of religion and being close to God and understanding the expectations of a Christian and how to live a Christian life. So, being brought up that way is part of it. It's in me. I know the difference between good and bad. I think, let me just say, I have an idea of what is the difference between good and bad and the two things I hold on to, which I always share with anybody of any religion, is do unto others as you want to be done unto you. And, what was the second one? I forgot to say the second one. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Yes, that's true. So, I just feel if you can harness those two, I don't think that any religion that will contest that ideology.

When I go to church every Sunday, I get the opportunity to. Do I listen all the time? Not all the time. But, I think I have a good relationship with God now. It was difficult when I always go back to when I lost my mother, because she would ask questions, but, she goes on to say, when it's time, it's time.

Q: If you could pick 3 people to have a conversation with either living or dead, who would they be
A: Who would they be? Oh, living. I think I would do with living. Because that question, sorry, I mean that question is for me. Even if I ask it, it doesn't mean they will answer me. Let's assume they would answer you. No, they would answer me. I'm one of those people who likes to watch all these things I have to, like Egyptian documentaries, Egyptian history and, I'm always curious about those particular times where there's no record of what happened and how they built those things. So, maybe, right now, off my head, I would think of the so-called King Tutankhamen. Yes, I would like to ask him questions. Definitely. Because there are things I want to, I'm curious about. So, let me do one dead, one alive. One alive person, Donald Trump. I think I want to ask him questions. Yes, he's really an interesting guy, as far as I'm concerned. Donald Trump is very interesting. I think he's just a regular guy who has plenty of money. He has plenty of money, and an ego problem. One more person. One more person. Three. Oh, three. So, I've said Tutankhamen, I've said Donald Trump. Let's see if somebody in Africa wants to comment on this. I'm always, I don't want to, I'm not going to give you, give me 10 seconds. If you don't answer in 10 seconds, just let me know. Okay. There's this newscaster that I've always been curious, Ruth Benamasia. Do you know her? Ruth Benamaisia, Opia. Ruth Benamasia Opia. Okay. I've always just wanted to ask, just, I would just, I don't know what question I'm going to ask her but she’s someone I would have just love to meet. Okay.
Q: What are your 3 greatest achievements thus far
A: Let me start with being able to attain this level in the public service. It's an achievement. There are many who get into public service and don't get to this level at a very early time. Number two, is my family.
Where everybody is right now. I can't believe it. I can't be more grateful for what God has done for us.
I'm really, I've been able to keep my family where they are. And, it's a blessing. The friends I've been able to keep throughout the years, all of them are still close friends.For the friends, family, and having a good job. Okay

Q: Beef or Chicken or Fish
A: Fish.
Q: Hot or Cold weather
A: Cold
Q: Morning, Afternoon or Night
A: Night
Q: Sweet or spicy foods
A: Savory. Spicy, I do spicy. I love spicy.
Q: Read, Watch TV or Listen to music to relax
A: A, B, and C all together. Okay, to relax. I have to take one, right? Yes. I'll do movie. What's the second one? Read, watch TV, or listen to music? To relax. I watch TV. Okay.I use music to work. Screen, the house, everything. Okay.
Q: Iphone or Android
A: iPhone. I use my iPhone. Okay.
Q: Native, Formal or Casual clothes
A: I love casual. Am I failing? But the thing is that if I had the opportunity, I would wear casual all day. I'm tired now. The only time it was, so it's a phase thing. Yes, a the point in time, it was, I would wear suits all the time. Then, I think when I got to about 50, I started wearing more native, native and then now, even getting dressed, I just don't have to go in jeans and a T-shirt or shorts and everything.
So I'm eager to get out of this and get more comfortable.

Q: Window seat or aisle on a plane
A: Aisle. I will say aisle. Yes, because I like to stretch my legs, and then I get up a lot. Okay. I get up a lot.
Q: Europe, Asia or North America to visit
A: This is, I've never been to Asia, so I'm looking forward to Asia. North America, I've done that. Europe, I've done that. Asia for me now.
Q: Going out or staying home
A: What day of the week? If you had the opportunity, which one would you rather do? Stay home. Stay home. All right. Things have slowed down. Stay home. If any opportunity, stay home. As long as there's lights and TV is working and there's food.

Q: Please can you give us 3 people that we can interviews as well
A: What profession? Anyone. Dr. Onayiga, that woman will be an interesting person for you to interview. Dr. Onayiga, she's really interesting. She's had a very interesting life. She's always happy to share. She's always happy to share. It has to be a lady, too. I want to see who... outside my field as a doctor. Somebody who isn't a not private sector, but works on her own, and has an interesting... Shall we see? I can only switch. It doesn't have to be... Okay, not now. That's not the last question.

No, no, no. Okay, I can is the last question. You said three people, right? Or two? Three. Okay, I'll give you three people.
Q: Please can you give some advice to the young people coming behind you
A: Young people, they're... Okay. I'll... I'll talk, and then I'll try and give... I'll explain why it's tough giving people young advice now. Because they're a different generation. They're and I don't want to be... Is this cliche-ish? And say, work hard, respect people, and all those kinds of things. Their own world right now is tough. Far tougher. Very unsafe. Makes you... You need to be... You need to go quick. There's so much going on right now. The world is now a small village. Exposure is at the snap of a finger. A five-year-old who can go through a phone, can get exposed to something, anybody and everybody. So,What do I want to advise? Who? What age? Are we looking at now? Any age. Okay, let me see. What should I advise my child, my children? There are too many things going through my head. Let me just say that... life right now is, has always been unpredictable and comes with its challenges.

One, try and surround yourself with people who will look out for you. This is difficult. This is difficult because we all grew up in silos, so you don't even know how to identify people. So that's also... If you sit around yourself, you're on social media, you don't know who is around you, you just follow like that. So what advice do I want to give them? But that's their comfortable space. I don't know. Honestly, I'll tell you, I don't know what to say. I'm thinking right now, I don't know what to say. I'll just say be careful.
I just wish them the best. I just wish them the best. It's tough. It's tough. I know there's too much going on. Yes, there is. There's too much going on. I don't even know where... I can't say work hard because the... see people who are not working hard and I can't say be patient because there are people who are aggressive and you know, and competition is what do you say? It's everywhere. In terms of even looks, how you dress, where you go, then it wasn't a problem. Because I grew up in that generation, I thought I said I can go anywhere and people would say, oh, we're going to this place and I can sit down by the gutter there with the vulcanizer and I would sit down and say, I don't think I'm comfortable and I'd say, all right, I'm here, engage. But for some people, it's, I can't be seen or if I'm seen and at that age they are very cautious.

Is it cautious or what's that word? You are very aware. Aware and thinking about what you're seeing, how you're seen, what you do. I'll get there with that.

But they're very Is it cautious or I don't know. I say I should be careful but it's going to be the broken records. Advice, have faith. Find the a mentor who can guide you to be all you can. There will be challenges along the way. Where you have challenges that you feel are beyond your that thing where you can't cope with. Share with somebody because I realize bottling things up is what takes people over to that side where you say you have mental health challenges which is one of the things I wanted to mention in this generation. They have more of that because there’s less communal living. Communal living then you have support. But now they are alone and they are dealing with more than they should. So try and share whenever you can. You have access to information. Try and learn as much as you can and believe in yourself. Believe in yourself. I think that's the best I can say. Believe in yourself. Because if you don't that's where you start having doubts in everything you do. Believe in yourself. Thank you.