‘I don’t allow anything come between me and my home ’
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Mrs Olukemi Mimiko,wife of the Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, is not a woman of many words, but she’s one characterised with sheer humility and great poise. She speaks with RONKE SANYA on how she manages her home front and combines this with her duties as the governor’s wife. Excerpts:
What does being a governor’s wife entail?
First and foremost, I am a wife. I am married to Dr Olusegun Mimiko and that’s my primary assignment and this entails being his helper, adviser, motivator and lover. It is all-encompassing. As the wife of the governor of Ondo State, I have the opportunity of interacting with many people—men and women, young and old across the divides—party affiliation, religious affiliation and professionals. The people of Ondo State are loving and kind; they have shown huge support for the government of Dr Mimiko and I can’t but say thank you for that.
How do you combine your role as wife and mother with the duties of your office?
Like I said earlier, being a wife is my primary assignment and I do not allow anything to come between me and my home; that is, my duties to my husband and children. My children are still young. Therefore, I try to be close to them so as to know where they are, what they are doing and to encourage them. We have a synergy at home and it helps. The children understand their roles and we work together as a team.
Do you encourage women to go into politics?
Definitely. The man has got just one head and so is the woman. All you need is to get your priorities right. If you have what it takes to go into politics, do not hesitate. All you need do is to seek your husband’s consent if married, make sure your home is in order and then come out and join the party of your choice.
Let’s talk about your pet projects.
I am the founder of Maternal Pulse Foundation and we seek the total well-being of the woman. When you talk about the woman, it also includes the man and the child. We provide support for families with multiple births—triplets, quadruplets, etc. As a woman, I know that taking care of just one baby can be onerous, let alone three or four. Today, there are over 50 of these babies whom we have extended our kindness to, while some have already clocked five years of age. Just last month, we went to attend to the newest among them and they are all doing well. We also provide awareness in the area of breast, ovarian and cervical cancers, among others. We give support to cancer patients, but basically, Maternal Pulse Foundation creates awareness and educates our people to be conversant with their bodies. I always tell people that it is not enough to think about the latest lace material or ankara fabric or even jeans to put on, you need to take proper care of your body need to give it the necessary attention for a healthy living. If you have attained the age of 30-35 or you are in the childbearing age, you have to go for regular medical checkup. If you notice anything strange, don’t hide it, seek support and medical attention. The first step to addressing cancer for example is early detection. I know of an 80-year-old woman who detected that she had cancer early enough and it was addressed promptly and she is still living. Meanwhile, we have young, unmarried ladies in their 20s succumbing to cancer. We lost them because they did not seek support early enough. We should no longer blame our predicaments on juju or on somebody somewhere. People around them should not also stigmatise them, but rise to their help. One other activity of mine is empowering indigent families, especially students and women.
What’s your opinion on the huge turnout of women at the just concluded presidential election?
It is an established fact that women, because of our emotions, take things more seriously. You see us more at the polling booths. Even at campaigns, you see more women and this is because we are more concerned. Governance is about the people and the people we are talking about are our children, husbands and daughters. I commend the women for coming out en masse to exercise their voting rights and for exhibiting patience while queuing under the sun. They were all out carrying with them their bottles of water and snacks. They were just wonderful. I also commend the men too.
