A retired Assistant Director at the Kwara State Ministry of Health who also doubles as former Principal, Kwara State School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ilorin, Mrs. Sarah Ebunola Adeyinka has described her period at the School as monumental, saying she left the institution better than how she met it.
Adeyinka, in this interview with our editor, Mike Adeyemi, affirmed that her stewardship account as principal was exceptionally great and impressive, as her period heralded many Infrastructural projects to the school.
She said; “Yes! I am excited to leave the school better than I met it, and everybody knows this. I have no regret.“
Adeyinka however, lauded the Kwara State Government’s efforts on education since assumption of office of Mall. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, describing it as laudable and unprecedented in the history of Kwara State.
Excerpt;
Tell us about yourself
Growing up wasn’t bad as such, because we were born into a Christian home. Our parents brought us up with the fear of God in us, and that has been helping in modeling our behaviors.
My Dad brought Christianity to Olayinka community, in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. He is by name late Samuel Salawu Ayanda. He was one of the early believers that were converted by the missionaries at Agunjin in those days.
They were picked by missionaries after seen they have special training, so they can go back to their villages to hold younger churches. He was the one that brought ECWA Church to Olayinka. Like I said, we were brought up with the fear of God and we were eight children and all of us were educated.
Although, our parents were farmers, but they struggled to give us sound education. I attended ECWA primary school, Olayinka. Then we normally stopped classes in primary four, because there was no class five and seven. I had to move to Igbaja to stay with my uncle where I had primary five and seven.
After then, I went to Crowther Memorial College , Lokoja. It was also a mission school before I moved to LUTH School of Nursing. In those days we usually sat for common entrance before you could go to nursing school. I had earlier got admitted to study Yoruba in University of Lagos, but, I declined it because my interest was nursing.
I did nursing at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and I did my midwifery after. It was marriage that brought me back to Kwara State.
At what time was it occurred to you that you would be a nurse? Any role model?
Yes, I had a role model. The first born of our parents in person of late Mrs. Esther was a nurse. She schooled at Ogbomoso Baptist School of Nursing. As I child, I always admired her neatness and she always dressed decently. Hence, before my secondary education, I made up my mind to become a nurse.
Although my late brother , David Ayanda objected to my decision to study nursing, saying we had a nurse in the family already that I should go for teaching. That prompted me to apply to Lagos State University to study Yoruba earlier. But I insisted for nursing and he allowed me.
How did you receive the news of your appointment as Principal of Kwara State School of Nursing and Midwifery?
I was in Lagos when the news was broken. I went for a ceremony in Lagos and there, a friend to my husband phoned me that this is what he heard , that we should quickly round off and come down to Ilorin..
Well, I wouldn’t say I was not expecting it to come, but I wasn’t expecting it so soon like that, simply because it was in order of hierarchy. You would know when it is going to be your turn. It was in order of promotion. We don’t jump queue on like what is in vogue now.
When it was announced, I knew that I was the next person on the radar. I wasn’t shocked or perturbed about it as such. I knew God’s time had come, because you could only get there by promotion and God’s grace. My husband was with me when the news of my appointment was broken.
The only thing was that as soon as we got home, we informed our children and the following Monday, I went to the school and my letter was already waiting for me there.
What were some of your achievements in the school during your time?
I thank God Almighty. As far as am concerned, I don’t struggle so much for anything in this life and I knew God has always been on my side even if I don’t talk. God has always raised people to talk on my behalf. That has been the luck I have been enjoying.
When I assumed office, the school was not properly fixed and it was at a time that we were preparing for accreditation. So I had to run around to put many things in place. The Ministry of Health was our parent, I had to write a proposal to the authority at the ministry on what our needs were.
One, the hostel at the School’ of Midwifery was built by the missionaries, it getting obsolete. It was a good hostel but was neglected. At that time, the students population was increasing and there were no enough hostels for them. I asked for the refurbishment of the neglected hostel by writing a letter to the then Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaonipekun. He was from Offa. He listened to me and he mobilized for the renovation of the hostel.
That was the first project executed during my time. I had been in the school since 1978, I understood what its needs were. I was able to call on the authority to build a befiting library for us and it was awarded and built. Too, prior to my assumption of office, we didn’t have a befiting Exam Hall. The one on ground was refurbished during my time.
I equally wrote a proposal to the authority to give us a computer section and the proposal was granted. They gave us a section of the maternity and stocked it with computers for the students. So many things were rightly put in place during my time as the principal of the school. The Kwara State School of Nursing and Midwifery got its first and second accreditation during my time. The national board came from Abuja and Lagos for assessment and we passed their tests.
Invariably, would you say you left the school better than how you met it?
Yes! I can proudly say that I left the school better than I met it, and everybody knows this. I have no regret.
Nursing profession of your time and nursing practice of today, are they the same?
It is incomparable. During our own time, you hardly go into nursing without having passion and interest for the job. There was full passion for it during our own time. Whoever would be a nurse then must be kind, must be compassionate and be able to keep the secret of their patients. All these are missing in nurses of today. They are not bothered about all these qualities that I mentioned and they count a lot.
In those days when I was in LUTH as a student, because of our interest to the job, we did morning shifting and afternoon shifting without anybody compelling us to do so. Occasionally they would call us each time there were more patients in the emergencies unit.
Nurses of today can’t do that anymore and the reason is that most of them do not have strong passion for the job. Many of them were forced to take up the job because of the monetary attachment to it.
During our time, nurse would not approach patients rudely as we can see today. Each time I pay visit to our hospitals today and I see how patients are being treated, I became disturbed.
How did you meet your husband, Engr. Adeyinka?
Laugh! We were school mate at ECWA primary school, Igbaja, though he was my Senior. My uncle’s house was very close to the teacher’s quarters. He was living with a teacher. So we normally met occasionally whenever we were fletching water at the well in our house.
That is just by the way. We knew we were school mates and saw ourselves from afar not close. He later went to Titcomb College, Egbe, while I left for Crowther in Lokoja. Luckily enough, one day during the holiday, we were coming back home and normally we would l drop at Ajase for those of us going to Igbaja, Oke-Ode axis to join another vehicle to our side.
I can’t vividly recollect whether it was their vehicle that first dropped students at Ajase, but eventually we both entered the same vehicle going to Igbaja area. That was where we started talking. He asked me where I am and I asked him too. We greeted each other and exchanged address. So that was how the journey started. We courted for eight years. He was in form five then.
Did your parents accept him when you took him home?
Yes, and this is because our parents in those axis knew each other as a result of the spread of SIM/ECWA then. They attended many meetings and were able to know each other. My husband used to pay me a visit in my village at Olayinka and one day my Dad saw him and enquired from me; ‘This boy that is coming to see you- where is he from’?
I told my Dad that he is from Atiran. He asked who is his parents to which I told him and he was able to recognize his father’s name. My parents were very happy with him the day I brought him home moment that knew I brought home. He was accepted right from the beginning.
When did you now tight knot and where?
We got married in September 1977 here in Ilorin. He has just finished his National Youth Service Corp(NYSC) then. After the introduction at home and we took the engagement things, we had our white wedding conducted by late Rev. Onijala at First ECWA Church, Ilorin.
At a point, your husband joined Kwara politics, did you support him?
I didn’t support him initially. But I was pressurized later that I should give him a bit of support and my refusal was that I detected any thing lousy. That is my nature. I took that from my dad. I don’t relate with people as such. I hardly talk, but my husband is of other side. He talks a lot. He is the one that changes my life.
So, politics is alien to me and I told him, but his senior brother compelled me to support him since he was chosen by his village people to represent them in politics. Each time they were holding political meetings here in our house, I did go hide myself inside the room. But I later joined him in my own little way.
My prayer then was that anything that would not allow us to serve God, should not happen to us because you and I know that Nigerian politics is worldly.
He was a Deputy Governorship candidate to Dele Belgore in the 2011 elections. How did you feel when the results of that election was announced?
Laugh! I was not bothered in anyway because we were not desperate about it. He was invited into politics and as you know many people like Dele Belgore. They won the election but the outcome said another thing.
As a Christian we are thought to accept whatever comes to our way and after all it is not do or die. He is a professional and he has his job doing.
What is your advice to nurses of today on the need to be deligent to their callings?
We should just pray God to touch their hearts. The only thing is that many things are wrong compared to our time. Politics have sploit many things. My advice is that God will touch their hearts and they will have the fear of God.
There are always consequences for everything we do in life. I want them to take care of their patients very well.
How is life after 16 years of retirement?
I thank God for everything. Just like I told you earlier, I am not the type that hustle. I am always contempted with the little I have. That is my nature. My mother was a trader and all of us the children took this from her.
I am into business and I don’t have much problem. We thank God the children are doing well.
How would you rate Kwara State Government in the area of education?
I think this administration has been doing well so far for education generally. I have some of my old students that we used to discuss occasionally and the report I do receive is excellent. They said the Kwara State College of Nursing Science has not been lacking since assumption of office of this present government in Kwara State.
Like Oliver Twist, I will just appeal to the governor to help the school more so that these students will have enough training. They are still lacking in the area of materials for their practicals. I know Mall. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as a listening governor. He has been doing a lot in the area of education. I am always proud of the Governor, having seeing what the government is doing across our schools in Kwara State.