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Dad would have loved to be a farmer — Prof. Isaac Adewole’s son

Adewole

Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole

Adedayo, a son of the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO about his father’s career

Please tell us about yourself.

I am a farmer and a son of the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole. I attended Command Children’s School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State, for primary education and Kings International College, Ibadan, for my secondary school education. I earned a first degree from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. I also have a bachelor’s degree from the University of Warwick, UK. I did a master’s degree at the University of Nottingham and I got a scholarship to do research at the Harvard School of Public Health, United States.

How was it growing up with your father?

It was nice. I wouldn’t call him famous at the time. But he was was always busy at work. I remember when we were growing up, sometimes before we woke up in the morning, he would have gone to work, and by the time he came back at night, we were already in bed. He had a private hospital, so when he came back home from work at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, he went to the hospital. By the next morning, he was back to work at UCH. He is a disciplinarian.

How did he discipline you and your siblings when you did something wrong?

Talking about discipline, he helped to put us on the right path. But he never raised his hands to beat us or used the cane. Caning was up to our mum. Yet, he had a tone of voice that when he told one to sit down, one had to do so. He was usually playful with all of us but once we heard that change of tone, we knew he was serious about an issue.

Being a busy man, how did he create time for his family?

I remember when we were younger and I was in primary school, every Friday, he would come to pick us up from school and take us to places like Leventis to buy suya. At Leventis, he would ask us to pick whatever we wanted. He also spent Sundays with us. He spent more time with us on weekends, but on weekdays, he was usually very busy. Now that he is minister of health, we hardly get to see him. When we get to see him, his attention is sometimes divided. For instance, he would invite one to visit him in his office, and when one sits down, he would be busy going through his files while you are seated watching him. When it is about 2am or 3am, and you say, “Daddy, I’m tired, I’d like to go.” He would say, “Please, spend like three more minutes with me.”

What are the values you learnt from your father?

He taught us the importance of honesty. Also, growing up, he never allowed us eat in a friend’s house (when we visited). He did this because he believed that if one was well fed (at home), there was no point going to other people’s houses to eat. It was not about not socialising, but it was more about stopping one from being greedy.

How would you describe your dad’s social life?

He is not a social person. I also took after him in that aspect. I don’t know about my other siblings, but I hardly go out. I only go to the farm and come back home. He is like that too. He goes to work. I can count the number of persons who visit him at home. They are mostly his colleagues from work. He is not someone who parties or does things like that. He is a very busy man and he doesn’t believe in wasting time. I think, because of his position, he is learning to be more social; but growing up, his schedule was always UCH, back home and to his private hospital.

How did he influence your choice of course of study and that of your siblings?

He wanted me to study medicine at some point, he tried his best to make me choose it, and one day we got into a fight on the issue. I told him, “Listen dad, if I study medicine and fail, I will not forgive you. Let me do what I want to do. Let me make my mistakes.” I decided to study virology because I love the course. When I came back to Nigeria for my National Youth Service Corps, I was in University of Ibadan. Prof. Odunola, a very brilliant man, he tried to talk me into going for my PhD in Canada or the US, but then I got into farming and fell in love with it.

Did any of your siblings study medicine like your father?

Yes, the eldest is a medical doctor.

Did your father support you when you decided you were going into farming despite your degrees?

Yes he did. He has been supportive 150 per cent since I started. My academic knowledge helps me in farming as well. I have learnt that it is not about what one studied, but how one can apply what one has learnt in whatever field one is in. During my NYSC, I helped raise money to build a library for a village, and I helped the bricklayers in their work. While I wouldn’t call myself a professional builder, I learnt a thing or two. My dad would have loved to go into farming too, that was one of his dreams, but because he does not have the time and has been very busy, he hasn’t been able to do that.

Your mum was said to have given birth to your dad inside a car that was conveying her to the hospital. Is this true?

Yes, it is. My grandmother told us the story. I can only tell you about what I heard. It is the same thing that you heard that I heard too (laughs).

Did your dad ever talk about it?

Not really. But I think he mentioned it during his 60th birthday.

Your dad is a professor of gynaecology and obstetrics. Could that incident be a reason why he decided to study medicine and champion causes in public health?

I think that is a question he would be able to answer personally. For him, it is more about helping people, not just because he studied it.

What are his hobbies?

He plays table tennis sometimes. He is always studying. He studies at night. He reads till 3am almost every day, except when he comes back and he is really tired. Sometimes, if he came back from work at about 9pm or 10pm, he would go to sleep and wake up later to study.

Does your dad like football?

Yes he does, but he is not an avid football fan. However, he likes to watch the matches played by the Nigerian football team. But he is a big boxing fan.

What kind of books does he read aside from medical books?

I have seen some of Malcolm Gladwell’s books in his collections, but his library is mostly filled with medical journals.

What are his likes and dislikes?

He likes honesty. He doesn’t like people telling lies. He believes in hard work, that is one of his main qualities. He always says there is nothing one cannot do if one puts his mind to it.

The outbreak of meningitis in some states in Nigeria was a major issue for months earlier this year. How challenging was it for him as the country’s minister of health?

We try not to discuss his work as much as possible; all I did was to encourage him. They say in life, there would always be problems, but one has to always find solutions to them and then put things in place to prevent that problem from reoccurring. The meningitis outbreak was one.

Does he keep his work separate from family?

Yeah. But, to be honest, he is never away from work; he is always working. I have never seen someone that works like that. Like I told him, since he became minister, he has lost so much weight and has started growing more grey hairs.

How has his name opened doors for you?

That is a very interesting question. When I came back to Nigeria, he was the vice-chancellor at the University of Ibadan. During my NYSC year, when I was building a library in a village, I was able to raise some money, and some persons said that it was maybe because of him that people donated. I don’t know whether that was the case, I think Nigerians just wanted to help and support the project. But his name does bring a lot of goodwill.

What is your dad’s favourite outfit?

He loves suits. But when he is going to church or special events, he wears traditional outfits. But at work, it is mostly suits.

How does he react when he is angry?

When he gets angry, don’t just go near him (laughs). But he is a very friendly person; on the other hand, you don’t want to get him crossed.

What are some other things Nigerians don’t know about your father?

He doesn’t drink. May be when he is on a flight, he could take a sip of bailey or so.

How would you describe his relationship with your mum?

They have a great relationship as husband and wife. My mum is also into the medical field.

Your dad was a former vice-chancellor of UI, until he was appointed minister of health in 2015. What would you say is his drive towards improving the country’s health sector?

I left Nigeria in 2003, I think, at the time, he was a provost or Head of Department in the College of Medicine, UI. And for one to move from being the HOD to provost in the College of Medicine; and then from becoming a VC, to a federal minister of health in that short period, that shows that there is no doubt that people appreciate his contributions. If one wasn’t dedicated to his work, and did not make contributions (to society), people would say, this man does not deserve it.

Who would you say are some of his closest friends?

I have known Prof. Okunmadewa since I was young. I wouldn’t even call them just friends, but brothers.

Your dad’s decision as minister of health to suspend the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Yusuf Usman, recently has generated a debate. What is his view on the issue?

Like I mentioned before, I try not to get too involved in his business or work issues. We have not discussed it. I am sure he knows how to handle it. He is a professional.

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