Taiwo Solagbade ABIOLA
Her ambition in life seemed to have aligned with her divine destiny. The environment in which she found herself, her love for taking care of people who were sick or in needs.
Also, the intervention of destiny helpers at every appropriate junction in her life also helped to strengthen her resolve and propelled her towards the achievement of her prime goal of becoming a nurse in life.
Hajia Monsurat Abeke Olori knew what she wanted in life and had invested her time, focus and resources into it, rising from the rank of a Staff Nurse to the exalted position of Chief Health Educator in the Local Government Service Commission of Ogun State.
Her life story depicts Almighty God’s faithfulness in fulfilling an upright and obedient personality. Aside being a thorough-bred professional in the field of Public Health and Psychiatric Nursing, Hajia Olori is a delight to be with as time spent in her company could never be boring as she takes you through every facet of her sojourn in life.
Born into the very humble but upright family of Alhaji Tijani Adio and Madam Halimat Titilayo Adio six decades ago, Hajia Olori lived with her parents who had migrated from the Abese Compound in Ijaye, Abeokuta to settle down in Ado-Odo.
Not many of the family’s acquaintances knew that they were just there in search of greener pasture away from their homestead. Nevertheless, they lived happily and peacefully with their neighbours.
The father, Alhaji Tijani Adio was a butcher, while her mother, Madam Halimat Titilayo Adio, engaged in petty trading to keep the family going.
The little Monsurat was attending the African Church Primary School, Ado-Odo while living with her parents until one of her maternal cousins got married and she was offered to the newly wedded couple, the Quadris, as "omo iyawo" (a little bride's-maid who will be assisting in house chores and running errands for the couple).
The Quadris were members of the extended arm of the Sonekan family of Ago-Oba, Abeokuta. In 1967, she went to live with the newly married couple who had settled down on the Tom-Jones Street, Lagos Island where she completed her primary school education at the popular St. Paul’s Primary School, Aroloya. The foundation of this accomplished nursing career of Hajia Olori was laid at the Aroloya where “she intends to be a nurse in future” was written in her primary school testimonial.
Sometimes later, because a dog does not move and leaves its bell behind, when the Quadris relocated to Agege, a suburb part of Lagos State, young Monsurat also went with them.
Moreover, as brilliant as the little Monsurat was, she could not promptly proceeded to the secondary school after First School Leaving Certificate Examination.
Reason?. Her foster mother, the new wife with whom she was living refused to obtain admission forms into secondary school for her.
That was a bad experience for her, but she was not discouraged. She was resolute and optimistic that she would get admission into secondary school when it was God’s time.
That was the situation until her mother came visiting one day and asked about her education, but the mother was disappointed when her younger sister, Monsurat’s foster mother said that she did not obtain the admission forms for her because her performance was not encouraging, meaning that she was not brilliant enough to secure admission into any of the secondary schools then.
On the contrary, Monsurat’s mother who believed so much in her child, obtained admission forms for her from four different secondary schools in Ado-Odo.
Young Monsurat sat for the common entrance examinations, passed and secured admission into all the four secondary schools, including the famous Iganmode Secondary School, Ota.
However, she chose to attend the Local Government Secondary Commercial School, Atan-Ota. Her choice of that school was informed by the blue and white colour uniform which according to Hajia Olori made the students looked like nurses.
Between 1979 and 1984, at that school, Monsurat was one of the best students. She graduated in the A list category, passing all her papers in higher grades thus setting a very good footing for her tertiary education.
She obtained admission form into the Ogun State School of Nursing promptly, in 1985, sat for the examinations and passed, thereby qualifying for the second round of the admission process which was the oral interview.
Her joy over the examination success was, however, short-lived as her names which she had checked and confirmed as one of the successful candidates shortlisted for the second stage were conspicuously missing on the day of the interview. That was how she missed the admission that year.
Earlier, in 1983, while in class four at the Local Government Secondary Commercial School, Atan-Ota, Monsurat wrote the admission examination into the Oyo State School of Nursing, Eleyele, Ibadan and fortunately she passed the examination.
However, fate played a very fast game on her as her principal who received her admission letter from the nursing school thought it was a love letter from one of the unfocused boys in another school around. As a result of this, he did not release the letter to her until it was too late to process admission into the school that academic year.
Despite all the challenges confronting her in her efforts to actualize her dream of becoming a nurse, the young Monsurat was resolute.
According to her: “My love for taking care of people, especially the sick and the neat appearance of nurses influenced my passion for the profession. Again, living with the Quadri family was also a blessing because it opened my eyes to the efficacy of the orthodox medicine practice.
"The Quadris believed so much in the treatment a sick person would receive in the hospital than relying on herbal concoctions which could have adverse effect on the health of such person.
"That was the behavioral pattern of the inhabitants of Ado-Odo then. Therefore, I was not discouraged by those challenges, instead, I became resolute to pursue my goal and by the grace of Almighty Allah, here I am today”,.she disclosed.
"In order not to waste my time doing nothing after I completed my secondary school education, I worked as an attendant at the Mobil Filling Station on Obasanjo way, owned by Mr. Adediran Kawe.
"I also worked as clerk in the variety store and as petrol attendant at different times while I served at that petrol station. I was placed on a monthly salary of N200.00 (Two hundred naira only) and N10.00 weekend stipends which made my total monthly earning to N240.00 (Two hundred and forty naira only).
Her uprightness and good manners coupled with her excellent human relations endeared the young Monsurat the Kawe family such that they maintained cordial relationship even until several years after she got married. As a matter of fact, her former boss, Mr. Kawe released his personal car for her use on her wedding day.
Again, in 1986, the determined Monsurat took another short at the admission into the Ogun State School of Nursing, and as usual passed very well. That time, she was among the shortlisted candidate for the oral interview which was the second stage of the admission process.
At the interview, members of the panel were surprised when Monsurat, though petite in appearance but bold and masculine in thoughts and deeds, confronted them and particularly pointed at a member who was also on the panel in the year before accusing them of manipulating examination results of the previous year to favour children of the highly placed people in the society at the detriment of the underprivileged but brilliant ones in the society for which she fell victim.
The panel which commended her resolute poise, congratulated her exemplary performance and promised that her admission that year would be successful. She later received her admission letter into the Ogun State School of Nursing, Ijebu-Ode in 1986/1987 academic session and throughout her studentship was outstanding among her colleagues, as she was always chosen as class representative or governor for all the courses.
Promptly after graduation, she got an offer for employment at the Ota Specialist Hospital, a privately owned health service organisation which offered her the sum of N150.00 (One hundred and fifty naira only) as monthly salary which was considered a great demotion when compared with what she was earning even as an O’Level holder at that Mobil Filling Station where she was paid N240.00 (Two hundred and forty naira only) monthly.
Nevertheless, because money was not her target, but to be where her interest was; nursing, after several failed attempts to persuade the medical director to review the salary, Monsurat agreed to stay and offer her services at the fixed salary by her employer.
”I was surprised when after the interview, the medical director congratulated me on my performance, saying I got 85% but he deducted ten marks because I failed to write my names at the top of my script.
" I defended my action by stating that as the only candidate for the interview, I never thought it was necessary. However, the man did not accept my defence.
"The big surprise was when he said he would be paying me N150.00 as monthly salary, I felt it was a great demotion because even as a secondary school leaver, I was earning N240.00 monthly why would I be offered N150.00 monthly after graduating from the nursing school.
"Anyway, I began working, that was in 1989, but at the end of my first month, I was surprisingly paid N275.00 (Two hundred and seventy five naira only) which was about N125.00 more than the fixed salary because of my performance.
" Still, I only worked there for three months because of an offer I got at the Sacred Heart Hospital, Lantoro, Abeokuta”.
“Let me state here without being immodest, that as a student nurse at the Ogun State School of Nursing, Ijebu-Ode, I was always chosen as class representative or governor for all courses and I managed 30 medical cases without any causality and that was a great feat” she added.
Moreover, her next point of call in her professional sojourn was the reputable Sacred Heart Hospital, Lantoro, Abeokuta that same year 1989. Monsurat was so loved by both the management staff, colleagues and the patients such that when she notified them, through a matron in 1991, of her intention to move on, the management of the hospital was very reluctant to let her go.
Despite the numerous advice against her leaving Lantoro, Monsurat’s mind was made up. She got an offer at the Local Government Service Commission, LGSC as well as the Ogun State Hospital Management Commission, but she chose to work with the former because of the avalanche of career development opportunities there.
“My choice of the LGSC was as a result of an advice by a classmate at the school of nursing who had been staff nurse at the commission and had been exposed to the opportunities abound unlike in the other commission where career development opportunities were rarely allowed.
Another factor was the fact that doctors are always rated above the nurses in remunerations and consideration for career progression”, she explained.
While expressing gratitude to Almighty Allah for providing a guardian through her classmate and giving her the strength to go this far in life, she said: ”I am happy that I followed through the advice because I was able to pursue and get certification Psychiatric Nursing, Public Health as well as a degree in Health Education from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State.
"All these gave me the opportunity to rise to the position of a Chief Health Educator on which I am retiring, Alhamdul Lilah”.
“Let me acknowledge the fact that Mr. Sobukola actually encouraged me to pursue a degree in Health Education and also used his money to purchase the admission form for me. May God Almighty perfect all that concerns him” she prayed.
Mrs. Olori's journey in the nursing profession has been so interesting. Her first posting saw the petite but brilliant Monsurat reporting at Oja-Odan and later Agbon Ojodu, as well as Asa all in the Yewa axis of the gateway state.
It was while offering services in those community that the residents who were marveled by her expertise in handling health issues despite her small stature nicknamed her: ‘Nurse Sekele’.
They always preferred to be attended by "Nurse Sekele". Even after her wedding, the residents of those communities still continued calling her "Nurse Sekele" as they did not know her name and did not bother to find out.
Her excellent human relations skill helped to make her loveable to not only patients but every person who has opportunity to meet Monsurat who is always ready to enlighten people on health maintenance, promote preventive health services and how to stay healthy.
“My experience, over the years has exposed me to the fact that lack of awareness is killing Nigerians, especially in the area of family planning and prevention of diseases.
She added: "they do not have adequate enlightenment on family planning; "an act of getting children by choice and not by chance" and also seeks to help unfertile couples until they get their own children.
Equally, most Nigerians lack knowledge on how to stay healthy and prevent falling sick now and then” she noted.
Explaining further, the experienced health educator maintained that there should be no need for antagonistic sentiments any time some vaccines are introduced to improve public health or when there is an epidemic disease outbreak or as a measure to sustain healthy society.
"For instance, vaccines for the infants, from zero-age to two years and more should be taken according to schedule to prevent unnecessary and preventable diseases in children
"They include Polio vaccine which prevents paralysis in infants; when vaccinated against measles, the child will not suffer paralysis; BCG (Tetanus) vaccine prevents convulsion and possibly untimely death in infants; equally, a child vaccinated against mumps, at 15th month age, (known in local herbal parlance as "Segede" - swelling on one or both cheeks) will ensure a secured fertility, especially in men, at adulthood"
According to her, mumps, if not properly treated can destroy the testes of a male child and prevent his ability to impregnate a woman in future.
Asked about her amiable husband, Engineer Tajudeen Adisa Olori and how they met, the beautiful health practitioner melted and smiled. “I met Alhaji Tajudeen Olori when I was at Oja-Odan through a friend and classmate, Mrs. Monsurat Lawal the current Head, Department of Public Health, Ogun State School of Health Technology, Ilese.
"I was not aware that he had been nursing interest in me and had actually spoken with my friend about me. As a man, he later approached me, made his intensions known and by Almighty Allah and my parents’ approval we got married and have been together since then.
"I thank Allah for the rare privilege of marrying Alhaji Olori, Fellow Nigeria Society of Engineers (FNSE), a very simple man, highly compassionate, family man who abhors cheating in any form.
While paying a glowing attribute of her soul-mate, Alhaja Olori said: "he is also a silent philanthropist, who is always ready to help people whenever he has the opportunity to do so and he readily spends on the advancement of education.
"Not only that, my husband is highly principled and religious.
The now enviable marriage started on a very shaky note. Not because of money or lack of attention, but the couple had to wait for three years, praying night and day before the children started coming.
To Hajia Olori, that was a great challenge, professionally and religiously. It was a professional challenge for someone who is a nurse and has been attending to patients who had fertility issues and had successfully helped their situation to have children of their own.
Again, it was a religious headache for Monsurat who was still a virgin at 25, got married at 32 and faithfully worship Allah and was not wayward all along not to easily have children of her own when she eagerly wanted them.
“That was a challenge that shook my faith and challenged me professionally, especially as a nurse who had successfully through God Almighty helped others to have their own children.
"There was an herbalist whose first wife’s years of infertility was turned around and she had a child when I attended to her. Do you that the herbalist brought his second wife who had fertility issues, too, to the hospital where I was working then and particularly handed her over to me for treatment.
"To the glory of Allah, she became pregnant and delivered her child safely. That was when I challenged Allah,
begging Him not to fail me as a woman and that year I became pregnant and had my first child in 1999, while others subsequently followed in quick successions, Alhamdul Lih Lah” she stated.
When asked what her opinion is on some health workers who are intolerant at their duty post, especially to patients and their relations, Hajia Olori explained that it was unprofessional not to attend to patients with compassion, saying health workers should be friendly and their behaviour should always help to alleviate the pains of patients and not to aggravate the pains and psychological trauma of such patients.
She noted that the prevailing economic situation or the challenges at home front should not erode the delivery of quality healthcare services and trust of the patients in the health practitioners.
In her admonition to people whom may be facing one challenge or the other in life, Hajia Olori said that it was better for every individual to have the understanding and trust that at every twist and turn, at every setback and triumph, Almighty Allah’s faithfulness is consistent and enduring.
She emphasized that whatever comes our way in life should be taken easily while we look up to God for divine intervention from He, who knows when best to grant our requests to glorify His name and benefit humankind.
Full of appreciation for her inbuilt resilience, strong and undaunted will to succeed in life, coupled with the intervention of destiny helpers and ultimately, Almighty Allah’s benevolence which had seen this far in life, Mrs Olori maintained that to the glory of God, she has not had any life threatening medical situation all along.
Hajia Olori who will be having a two in one celebration ( 60th birthday and retirement) on May 18, 2024, when asked if any of her children is taking after her in the health profession, expressed gratitude to Allah
She intimated that she has one studying Medicine and another one, a graduate of Architecture and on the second Degree (Masters Level) of the same course.
The retiring but not tired chief health educator defines health as a complete state of physical, social, mental and spiritual wellbeing of an individual and not merely the absence of sickness.
She implored Nigerians to always seek knowledge about their health status and follow advice of health experts to stay healthy, maintain their health and prevent diseases which hamper their wellbeing or cause untimely termination of their lives.
“It’s important to have the understanding that with age, certain diseases would come such as diabetes, blood pressure (BP) etc but having adequate knowledge on them and knowing how to manage them will go a long way for one to live with such diseases and for a long time if one follows the related pieced of advice by health experts” the chief health educator stated.
The Management and editorial board of the Gateway Treasured People Magazine felicitate and congratulate Hajia Monsurat Abeke Olori on her retirement from public service with impeccable and unblemished records.
We also wish her peace, love, happiness, good health and further fulfillment in life. Congratulations, "Nurse Sekele".