Patience Ogolo-Dickson, founder, Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI) in this interview with YetundeOladeinde, speaks on her organisation’s effort towards advancing the course of people living with disability as well as  the experience and impact so far.

How would you describe the experience of people living with Disability in Nigeria at the moment?

People with disabilities have faced and are still facing long time barriers in the area of access to infrastructural facilities and services based on their disabilities in their different communities. These barriers have affected the way of life of this targeted community and also affected  the way  society sees them, especially from the standpoint of Sustainable Development and their contribution to the society.

What is your assessment ad expectations from the Disability Bill ?

This may depend on how it is viewed. My assessment may be on the way I look at it from what the government has been able to do to impact the lives of persons with disabilities and this may include the recently signed into law “Disability Bill,” which is the legal document recently being used as guide to promote and project issues of this targeted community. We will not forget all the other social, economic, political and other interventions and initiatives. The question is how are these initiatives and interventions accessible to persons with disabilities? Do they also capture their special needs or is disability or special needs mainstreamed into such programmes?

What inspired the founding of Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI)?

Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI) was born out of livid experiences and challenges. As a girl child and through adult life, living with disability has never been easy, and coping with all the barriers that associates with the impairment has been so tasking. At some point; I could see through all the disadvantages faced by women like myself and this was actually what prompted the idea of forming an organisation of women and girls with disabilities to advance and promote issues around them, considering their limitations

What are the opportunities and challenges?

AWWDI is a great opportunity to get the issues of this marginalised community in the space and connect with other organisations and stakeholders to gain a wider voice. Unfortunately, there are a lot of challenges like lack of access particularly in physical infrastructure and care, inaccessible policies and interventions, negative attitude and perceptions, the women not believing in themselves because many have low self-esteem. These are some of the opportunities and challenges.

Tell us some of your memorable experiences in the course of helping these women get a better future?

These include but not limited to: working with these great women to promote their rights, aspirations and bringing in the space our shared experiences, which is one of our strong weapons to change the narrative and situations around women and girls with disabilities. Some of our memorable events in almost fifteen years of working with AWWDI women and other organisations of women with disabilities has been in the form of training, advocacy and sensitisation; setting up of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across the country, vocational skill acquisition and others.

What advise do you have for disabled women who are not part of your organisation?

They should try as much as possible to associate themselves with an organisation and align themselves with the mandate of ‘Leave No One Behind’, which relates to inclusion and mainstreaming, particularly of persons with disabilities.

What is your assessment of government support?

There is the need to make more accessible all government support, using some international and national guidelines which include the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Disability Bill.

What are some of the changes that you would like to see?

I will like to see a better future for the overall Disability Community, especially women and girls with disabilities. These can happen if we can change the way society thinks about people with disabilities; like changing mindsets, reducing stereotypes and myths which have continued to influence and shape the thinking of the communities, resulting in barriers faced by the group.

What are the other things that occupy your time?

Apart from my involvement with AWWDI, I also try as much as possible to relax with family and friends as a form of socialisation.

Let’s compare when you started and now, what are your memories and what was the driving force at the beginning?

I think things are better than they were before we started, considering that many people are now more aware and speaking to the issue. Hopefully, this will change the narrative and perceptions, translating into improved better living condition for the Disability Community.

What would you consider as the turning point for you?

The turning point for me was having the interest ignited by passion of my long time dream. Then moving from my training profession of accounting to my passion of social work and counselling.

What are some of the things that guide and motivate you?

My solid rock has always been in Almighty God and the strength that he has bestowed upon me. Above all; I will not forget the motivations and aspirations of our members giving us the strength and opportunity to push forward the affairs of women and girls with disabilities.

What advice do you have for Nigerian women?

All women, including women with disabilities, must work together to have a voice and continue to advance the rights and issues of all women. We must be united to make a big difference in the space.

What are some of the principles that guide what you do?

My guiding principle has always been the strength and values drawn from the Almighty.

What dreams did you have while growing up?

The truth is that I am trying to live according to my dreams because I have always wanted to be a social worker, impacting lives and contributing in my own little way to make a difference.

What lessons has life taught you?

My life lesson will be to know your purpose in life and touch a life today, no matter how small. This is because tomorrow may be too late.

The National President, Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Dr. Iyke Odo, who is also the owner of Meridian Hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in this interview with Mike Odiegwu, reflects on the challenges of healthcare delivery in Nigeria and their solutions. Odo, whose association is marking 100 years of existence says the government has yet to play its expected role in repositioning the sector.

WHAT are the roles of private medical practitioners in the country’s healthcare?

The role of private medical practitioners in any health economy is to partner, to collaborate, to support and to augment the efforts of government to provide adequate, effective, functional, accessible, qualitative and affordable healthcare delivery system to the country; so that every citizen or resident has access as at when due.

What is your impression about healthcare delivery in Nigeria?

The system is sub-optimal. It is not performing effectively. It is not adequate or comprehensive in its performance and to a very large extent, the system is weak, unable to meet the needs of the average Nigerian; and it is compromised and struggling. We can do far better.

Most people also blame doctors, who work in public hospitals but own private hospitals for the rot. Does your association allow such doctors as members?

It is not about my association. It is about the law. It is about the provisions of the law and the demands of the regulatory body. In the country like anywhere else, we have two categories of healthcare workers. The public healthcare workers are the employees of the government and they don’t own hospitals; and then you have the private sector doctors  who are private hospital owners. However, there is this group in the middle you can call the amphibious doctors. They are partly private and partly public.

Nobody works in government hospitals and goes there to sleep for 24 hours. Every doctor has a schedule. After your schedule, you are at liberty what to do with your time. That is why some of them work genuinely and legitimately for government and also do what we call part time in private hospitals. It is allowed. It is legal and it is legitimate. But the law is also careful to say that if you are a government employee, you should also not at the same time own your hospital. You can own your hospital by proxy.

It is wrong and unethical, improper and unprofessional for you to take undue advantage of your position in a public hospital to exploit and undermine the system. If your patient walks up to you in a public hospital, you should understand that the patient saw private hospital before coming to the public place. So, for you to refer him to the private hospital is wrong and unethical and the law and our association frown at it.

What is the relationship between private doctors in Nigeria and the government?

The relationship is not very progressive. It is not very supportive and it is not very rewarding. The government in other climes provides a very conducive economic, social and political environment for private hospitals like other economic investors to survive. The government takes  very deliberate and special interest in supporting and encouraging private medical and health sector participation because of the significance, relevance and exclusivity of healthcare to life. In developed climes, healthcare is taken as special and government invests very heavily in it. The government provides basic and simple loans, reduced taxation, import duty waivers and reduced utility tariff. The efforts are aimed at reducing the cost at which healthcare facilities provide their services.

But that is not the case in our country. The very ugly and very pathetic experience of the Nigerian private doctor is that the government appears to have looked away and sees us like any other investor. But it is not exactly so. Healthcare is categorised as social service. We are social workers because sometimes we get paid and sometimes we are not paid. So, the government comes in to buffer, to augment, to assist and take part of this shock from the system by the efforts they make to subsidise, give waivers and grants. Currently, the private health is struggling to save to buy all needed equipment and materials. That is why the system is weak and unable to meet international and global competitiveness.

How functional is the health insurance in Nigeria?

Our health insurance experience can only be described as a distraction. It is an apology and a story in reversed gear. After more than 16 years of introducing it, Nigerians are still suffering because more than 90 per cent still do not have a health insurance cover. And those that have it are not enjoying the full benefit because it is about a different unique healthcare financing system that makes people no longer pay for their medical treatment out of pocket. People are meant to pay in advance minimal, basic regular frequent contribution called premium into a consolidated account whether they are sick or not.

But less than 10 per cent of Nigerians are contributing, and so the money being contributed is very little to sustain the system. And that is why many are outside that net. Those inside the net appear trapped because they are not getting the best that they should have. But for a country like Nigeria, great and mighty, we should have no reason why our health system should not work except for the old reason of lack of good leadership, lack of transparency, lack of coordination and lack of unity because if health insurance works, it is the game changer. It is the solution, the cure and the gateway and the greatest opportunity to promote quality, affordable and equitable healthcare where everybody is happy.

What are the major challenges of private medical practitioners in the country?

I run a private facility. Eighty percent of the time, my hospital is powered by generators. Over 40 per cent of our earnings goes into power supply. We spend over N4million every month on power. It is a major headache. The cost of fund is too high. Normally because we are a social welfare industry, we are supposed to be given a rebate, concession, subsidy, waivers. If as a hospital, I need a bank loan, I should get the lowest interest rate. But in Nigeria, there is no difference.

We are clamouring that the government should establish a health bank like we have the Bank of Industry, be dedicated to developing the health sector. Government business is not business. The business of government is taxation and before the government can embark on taxation, it has to provide the enabling environment for businessmen to do their business. We have come to a point where we feel that government sees us as competitors. They are suspicious of their private sector players rather than treat them as collaborators and partners.

The truth is that the private sector of Nigeria is the highest employer of labour, the highest owner of infrastructures. In medical, we are the highest providers of healthcare in Nigeria. We provide over 70 per cent of the healthcare services to Nigeria by extension over 70 per cent of employees in the health sector are in the private sector. So, the government ought to encourage us.

We also have security challenges. Hospitals today are raided by people. In the hospital, our business is about birth and death. So, when people die in a hospital, it shouldn’t be seen as unusual. It should be perceived as unusual if somebody dies in a mosque, a church and supermarket and not in a hospital. So, if somebody dies in a hospital, they should not descend on the doctors, the hospital and the workers. The question should be, ‘did they do their work well?’ If you are not satisfied, there are processes and procedures in the system through which you can obtain your justice.

How bad is the brain drain in the medical sector?

Medical brain drain is the next cancer that is going to run down this country. Nigerian doctors, optometric and radiographers; everybody is leaving. In my own facility alone, last year, seven nurses left my facility for London; five radiographers left my facility last year. This year alone, two radiographers have left, three doctors have left and four nurses have left. Three are about to leave. They are all moving into Europe. Those, who have not left are at various degrees of preparing their documents. The media must do more to raise the awareness on this. It is far more than people know. A time will come when there will be no nurses to employ in this country and no doctors to do the job. Already we are saying that if you keep all the doctors we have in Nigeria, the population you will have is not up to 30 percent of what we need; and yet more than half have left, reducing our capacity. Why are they leaving? We have a catalogue of problems. One is poor remuneration. The Nigerian doctor is about the poorest paid in Africa.

The conditions of living are uncomfortable. We are not secured. People want to live anywhere else outside this country to save their heads. Most hospitals don’t have the infrastructures. Technology has taken over the industry and the equipment is very expensive, especially at the  current exchange rate. Many hospitals are folding up. Nigerians are in for a raw time. Government should stop politicising issues of the doctors condition of service. Anywhere in the world, the doctor is the highest paid individual. They are most respected and the most protected. Brain drain is real and a time bomb waiting to explode if nothing is done.

Is there any hope for the Nigerian health system?

There is always hope. But we need to understand how such hope can be converted to reality. Hope is fantasy but it can be translated to reality by looking inwards. The number one component is to stand the health system on the shoulder of the private sector. The future of the Nigerian healthcare system is the private sector of Nigeria. Only the private sector can deliver the system as they have done in America, in UK and India. The government should provide affordable loan, good taxation system, healthy environment, power supply and infrastructures. Nigerian doctors are the best anywhere you find them. We are waiting for that day when the government will call the private doctors and ask them, ‘what shall we do to make Nigeria, the global medical tourism destination? If government calls for such partnership transparently and is willing to advance it, it will not take two years Nigerian doctor abroad will all begin to buy their ticket to return back home.

Your association is 100 years. What does it mean to you and all the private doctors in the country?

It means a lot. I feel excited as a person and as president that my association is celebrating its centenary. It is the same way my colleagues feel. It is remarkable and a landmark. It is historic and a great milestone. We know that 100 years is not a common experience and looking inwards, we have asked ourselves, ‘At 100 years, what have we been able to achieve for our country?’ We have decided that our celebration will not go unnoticed. We have chosen to reflect within this session the healthcare delivery system of Nigeria. Remember that my association is everywhere in this country and we take care of everybody; and because we are everywhere, we understand more than any other group the challenges of the healthcare sector. Nigerians are not living well. Nigerians are living a stressed and compromised life. We are also aware that maternal and child health in Nigeria is very poor. So, as part of our activities, we have decided to engage the private sector in dialogue on health so that the private sector, which is the highest provider of health and the highest consumer of healthcare can come together from all the various discipline on the 12th of August at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, to have dialogue from which we will produce a blueprint to support the government’s efforts as to how best our healthcare delivery system can be run. We want to also launch a N10bn-intervention fund in health to support maternal and child care believing that over the next five years, we will save one million mothers and their children. The agenda is ‘Save One Million Nigerians Initiative’. We have also discovered that one of the reasons health insurance is not working is that most Nigerians are ignorant of what it is. We have accepted to take up the challenge of communicating to Nigerians starting from our consulting rooms to tell them what health insurance is.

Adejumoke Odulaja is a wellness coach lawyer, past chairman, Inner Wheel District 911 and Chief Executive Officer, Goldcard Spa, Wellness and Fitness Centre. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she speaks on why women as caregivers need to take their health seriously among other issues.

Why do you think people need to take their health seriously?

We all know that health is very important, but is sad to note that the only time to think about our health is when something goes wrong. But now is the time to make a change. As a Wellness Coach of over 15 years, I have been educating people through our health talks, where we educate our clients on what to eat and how to manage their health; we also give advice on alternative medicine. Looking good is good business and a lot of ladies these days should know that keeping your home is to look good because once your man know that you are beautiful all round there is no need for him to look outside. So we advise them to take care of their skin, facials, as well as body massage and body scrub. As women it is important that you pamper yourself for a change, most times we neglect ourselves while we are busy taking care of our loved ones. Taking care of your self is rejuvenation on its own; I believe that prevention is better than cure.

I am doing all these through the Spa and Fitness Centre where we have different types of massage such as pain and stress relieving massage, tissue massage, stone massage, the sauna bath, body wax, foot spa, and the gym. It’s a beauty world depending on whichever one you want, here we treat everyone like a king or queen we also do beauty therapy, these are things that we need especially with the pandemic. We have the supplement section; there are so many vitamins that we need which our body cannot generate on its own, these supplement takes care of that, it also helps us to watch our weight. We are starting an Integrity Programme virtually with our members who are on weight loss and at the same time staying healthy.

I’ve been in this business for over 15 years, striving to make headway because I believe that we have to exercise our body, we discover that people die untimely because they don’t take their health seriously, some also die because they don’t know the type of exercise that they have to do. You need an instructor to manage you and in the absence of none, the best exercise to do is to just walk, I come from an obese family and I knew that for me to keep my man at that time is not to fall into that category  (an obese), that was how this gym came about then. Fashion is my passion, I just believe that a woman should be passionate about her looks, as an expert in this area, I can tell you that it’s been rewarding, I’m enjoying what I’m doing and it makes me feel good, I meet a lot of people and I get myself updated by enrolling for many courses so that I’m able to attend to my clients.

How expensive is it to keep fit?

I’ve travelled across the globe and I usually visit their Spa, one thing I can say is that Spa in Nigeria is about the cheapest, you must know the value of what you want to use before using it, it depends on the value you place on your health, Spa anywhere in the world is not cheap, but here it is affordable. N10,000 is affordable, a lot of people have this money and they are not taking care of their health, a stitch in time saves nine.

God forbid that should anything happens, N10,000 will not be enough to manage that sickness, you might end up spending millions, that is why you have to do all it takes to keep fit. That money that you spend on Aso-ebi can be used to keep fit. It is important to take care of your body well, so that it can serve you optimally and one of the best ways to do this is to visit the gym/spa often.

Most of my clients are older people in their sixties, seventies and eighties. So, the question is how busy are people in their forties and fifties that they can do so? Health is wealth, make your health your priority, love yourself and you have to be alive to take care of your loved ones. So many people have died out of carelessness.

Always know that whether you are there or not, life goes on, so take care of your health. Most of what we use here are natural, people should avail themselves of these opportunities, quality services at affordable prices. Do a lot of exercise, visit the spa, if you cannot run, walk, and if you cannot walk, crawl, just keep moving your body, don’t be stagnant, finally, eat healthy foods.

How have you been coping with the pandemic?

Here we observe the COVID-19 protocols and most of my clients come on appointments so that we don’t have too many clients here at the same time.

What are the challenges encountered so far in the hospitality industry?

One major challenge facing the industry is incessant power outage. Government can help to reduce this burden by providing constant power supply. We also want stability in the area of security.

What gives this centre an edge over other centres?

The ambience we have here cannot be compared to other places, the fact that our clients can come here and feel safe is one thing my clients are enjoying. Security and quietness give us an edge over others. I was in a place that was noisy before, but we had to relocate to Maryland where there is quietness to serve our clients better. That is why we have to do a re-branding and relocation to this area.

Mariam Ashley Yusuf is an actress, former beauty queen and initiator of a foundation for humanitarian services. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde she talks about her passion, helping to curb human trafficking, lessons learnt, future plans and other things that occupy her time.

Tell us your campaign against human trafficking. What inspired you to do this?

First and foremost my inspiration to campaign against human trafficking stems for the widespread neglect of the Nigerian girl child by society. Over the years, there has been an inconspicuous and gradual neglect of the Nigerian girl child. I have observed this in my immediate environment and Benue state where I hail from. In every aspect of society the girl child have been relegated to the background.

From education, to the home and even in the playground if we all take out time to observe we will see that girl’s face some sort of “abuse” and this has gradually snowballed into trafficking and its attendant violence. Regarding my project, it can best be described as a continuum. It has started with me but it won’t end with Queen Ashley Yusuf. This is something I initiated but I am well aware that I cannot bring an end to this menace singlehandedly, thus this project shall in turn be passed down to the younger generation in time. My major reason for focusing on the girl child is the fact that she is the major victim of this injustice especially in Nigeria and the developing countries.

What has been the achievement since you started?

My most significant achievement has been increased awareness. Recall that I stated earlier that the issue of relegating the female child did not begin today; therefore it has become almost a norm in our society which is absurd and very wrong. We therefore must work to bring back this pertinent issue to the eyes, hearts and minds of Nigerians and Africans as this menace is far-reaching and transcends our borders.

What were some of the lessons learnt and what can government do to help?

A major lesson learnt has been the painful fact that a lot of Nigerians have come to accept social injustice against female children as a norm and in most cases they don’t seem to see anything overly wrong with human trafficking. On a few instances we have encountered persons who are even comfortable with trafficking in persons and sometimes refer to it as a legitimate enterprise.

You were also a beauty queen. Tell us about your experience?

My experience has been a learning curve. Over the years as a beauty queen and even after my tenure in office I was opportune to interact with and travel across the country and the world. It was an experience that I cherished every day and one I sincerely wish a lot of young girls out there get to experience.  I wish to also state that every girl is a beauty queen in her own wise notwithstanding whether she was officially crowned as beauty queen or not. That’s because beauty is from within and not basically associated with the physical looks of an individual.

How did being a queen influence your personality?

I’ve always been a confident, strong-willed and outspoken lady. While growing up, my mother was one who worked towards ensuring I stood out amongst my peers and seniors. She was constantly supporting me and that contributed largely to further boosting my self-confidence and belief that I could achieve whatever I set my heart to achieve. As a queen, the office made me a lot more confident and self-assured.

What are the challenges you encountered?

As a woman in Africa you’re born disadvantaged, notwithstanding whether your family is rich or not. So for me and with my outspoken and outstanding persona I was a formidable opposition to wrongdoings in and around my immediate environment. This made me both loved and hated by all and sundry. I say this unapologetically because that is the truth and I am one who always stands for the truth. The challenges I have encountered vary from being viewed as being a woman and one who shouldn’t be out there to being urged to leave advocacy and so on. But these challenges are nothing compared to the goals I aim to achieve in the near future.

Tell us some of the memorable moments in your Foundation?

That would be our first project in 2019, the 3-Day Campaign against Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence.  We were on TV and radio and it culminated in our talk show where we hosted the erstwhile Director General of NAPTIP, Mrs. Regina Daniels and other notable celebrities and public figures.

What are the other things that occupy your time?

Basically business. I have other private establishments I manage and these take up my time and ensure that I am kept constantly busy while also making money. I also spend a lot of time at my mother’s restaurant as this environment has and continues to teach me so much about business management.

What do you consider as the turning point in your career?

That would be the year I won the Miss Ambassador for Peace beauty pageantry. That and the establishment of my foundation and our ongoing project were all significant points. These events form a domino effect of happenings that I regard as turning points all together.

Who or what do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

My parents. They have been a rock beside me and have always encouraged and supported me. Their love and support can be regarded as the backbone of my success and I cherish them so much.

What advice do you have for young people who want to go into the sector?

Have a support system, believe that you will reach that desired pinnacle and don’t stop working hard. Lastly trust the above stated process, it worked for me, it’s worked for others and will surely work for whoever tries it.

How would you assess Nigerian youths today?

Nigerian youths are God’s gift to humanity. They are hardworking, intelligent, strong-willed and able to impact the globe positively.

What plans do you have for the future?

I’ll state a few which include moving my project to the next level, expand my business and ultimately settle down.

How do you relax?

Movies, a good TV show, sitting out with friends and family and the occasional cinema time.

What is your definition of style?

Confidence. Clothes don’t define you; your confidence, class and carriage are your style.