Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola is one of the finest former 1st Ladies in the country. A pretty woman with an adorable smile, she is always modestly dressed with very little jewelry. Despite having the financial capability to adorn herself in the most expensive of jewelry and fashion accessories, this very private woman likes to keep things simple. She is also an extremely pleasant woman who carries herself with utmost simplicity.
Even when she was first lady of Osun State alongside her husband, His Excellency, ex-Governor Gboyega Oyetola, CON, Alhaja Kafayat was widely known for her humility and compassion for the people. She was particularly concerned about the well being of under privileged mothers and their children. She showed them empathy. She showed them love and gave them tremendous support. And she was able to do this through her various pet projects and foundation, Ilerioluwa Development Initiative. That is why, till today, over a year after she left office as first lady of Osun State, Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola is still talked about and regarded as possibly the most impactful first lady Osun State ever had.
Meeting Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola for the first time, you would only need to spend a few minutes talking with her to notice she is a very private person. She does not like undue attention. She detests praise singers around her. She would prefer to be left alone in her quiet space to do her things quietly and support as many women as she possibly can without making so much publicity of it. Another thing anyone would notice easily is the fact that she is undeniably beautiful in a very modest way. She is not loud. She is simple, yet she has a very strong personality that immediately tells you she is nobody’s fool. This amiable former First Lady whose husband, His Excellency, Gboyega Oyetola, is now the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, in this interview, spoke about her passion for humanitarian works, her experience while in office, her love and support for the women of Osun and the many lessons she learnt while in office as the former first lady of Osun State. Enjoy the brief but revealing conversation.
I was very surprised when I saw you here and I was wondering what the connection is, but when I looked through the brochure, I saw that you are the founder of Ileri Oluwa Development Initiative, your foundation set up to help the less privileged. Tell us, where did this passion for humanitarian works come from
I think it all started from my youthful days. I got it from my mother. When I was young, I used to observe how my mother loved assisting young people. While we were fortunate to be going to school, she cared for young ones who didn’t have parents or family to send them to school and care for them. Anything they lacked, in terms of educational materials, they got them from my mum. So, I think I got this part of me from my mum.
The Ileri Oluwa Development Initiative, when did you put it together? When was it established?
Actually, it came into existence when we got into the government of Osun State. I was looking for a pet programme that I know I would excel in. You know, I love children, especially the less privileged ones. And when you go to Osun today and find out, when you talk about a first lady that did so well for women and children, I am sure that if I am not given the first position, I will come second. But I am sure I will be commended as the first because I took great care of the less privileged children. I paid their school fees and visited them from time to time. Then, the women, you know women are the ones looking after these children. Some of these women were abused and I focused on some of these abused women.
You are one First Lady that was able to stay out of controversies during your time in Osun State when your husband, the current Minister for Marine and Blue Economy was Governor. People said positive things about you and there were testimonies of your humility and accessibility to the people. What part of your background shaped you and prepared you for that position?
I believe sincerely that it’s my upbringing. I knew from day one that power is transient. You are there today, tomorrow you’re out of the office. I always reminded myself of this fact. I was also always telling myself that, after leaving office, I want to walk freely in the town, I want to be able to go anywhere I choose to. I didn’t want a situation where people will say, sebi, you see now, you’re out of office, sebi you did this, sebi you did that, and now you’re no more there. I didn’t want that kind of narrative following me about. I believe I truly humbled myself while in office and it Is something I got from my upbringing. I was brought up in a very disciplined home.
You appear to be a very private person, someone who is not given to all the noise and exposure that came with your position as the First Lady of Osun State. How challenging was it for you, dealing with all the problems and pressure that came with your office, especially when people expect you to solve all their problems for them?
Honestly, it was very challenging, I won’t deceive you because people want you to carry their problems for them. A lot of people want you to solve whatever problems they bring to you. You see people coming to you, asking that you pay school fees for their child or children, if anyone is sick within their family, they want you to pay the medical bills of that person, not knowing that there is no fund coming to the First Lady’s office at the end of the month. But to the glory of God, with the little people give to me and the little I could get from my husband, I think I was able to make some impact. I made sure that anybody that comes with a request, I give something. It may not be enough but I make sure I give something to whoever that comes to me with one request or the other.
Tell us, what lessons did you learn while you were in office as the first lady of Osun? What did you learn from the people, what did you learn about governance?
The first thing I learnt is the issue of trust. You don’t trust anybody. Don’t say because they are praising you, eulogising you and saying you’re this or you’re that, some of them, not all of them, I won’t generalise, some of them are doing that because of what they want to get from you. It can be a bit difficult sometimes to know those who genuinely love you and those who don’t. So, the deceit can sometimes be frustrating. And then I learnt something of value too. Being in office gave me the opportunity to know people, especially their needs, you know I was talking about drugs. I have visited schools, so I know what they are going through, what they need. And again, working with women, you can see that a lot of women are suffering, carrying pregnancies and battling with maternal child birth and so on. I wanted to embark on a programme just before we left the government, it is called Gbebiro. It’s a programme designed to take care of pregnant women, monitoring them, ensuring they take all necessary medications, vaccinations, etc. The monitoring would start from the moment they get pregnant till they deliver. Then, we monitor these children and look after them, and this will enable us to know the number of children we have in the state at every particular point in time. And the Gbebiro NGO will be giving them food, particularly those that are registered at the health centers. We would also be providing them with medication throughout the pregnancy, but unfortunately, because of what happened, I wasn’t able to actualise this pet project and make it a reality. But it’s something I am still hoping to do, maybe in the near future.
What did the office change about you? You certainly must’ve struggled to cope with the pressures at the time but how did it affect you positively or negatively?
Ah! It took away my privacy. People were always in the house, people were always in the office to discuss one thing or the other. Thank God I have finally returned to being a private person. There were a lot of things going on at the time that I wasn’t comfortable with. I can’t go into details now. Right now, I am happy to have my freedom again. I can move around easily. I can go wherever I want to go and do whatever I want to do. I like the fact that I am able to walk alone without any aide always accompanying me. Really, I am enjoying my freedom now.
But if your husband, decides he wants to run again for governorship, would you advise him to go ahead despite all of these pressures and troubles you have spoken about?
(Laughs) Ah, I can’t decide what will happen, that is not for me to decide, that one is in the hands of God.
-Wale Lawal
