Первая леди штата Осон Нгози Аделеке: от карьеры в банкинге к борьбе за права женщин и выплате пенсий

By Morenike Taire While tribal relations in Southern Nigeria have deteriorated of late, many marriages between Yorubas and Igbos continue to thrive in all strata of society. Notable of such unions is the one between the executive governor of the state of Osun, Prince Ademola Adeleke, and his Imo born wife, Ngozi. The Osun First lady lived in the South West for the first time as a youth corp member serving with the now defunct Societe Generale Bank, having schooled up to Masters level in the East. As fate would have it, she was retained at the bank’s Dugbe, Ibadan branch and went on to work almost 23 years in the banking industry leaving only in 2018 to support her husband’s political career. The transition for her, was not too difficult. “I miss banking, but what would you have me do? I like being up and doing, facing challenges. A lot was demanded of one, which is the situation I find myself in now. As wife of governor, every time it’s people’s requests, meetings here and there, traveling which I also like. I like meeting people and new things everyday so this situation ushers in a new opportunity. I love helping the downtrodden and being wife of governor has thrown me in the middle of it. Women, widows, people living with disability, so many people to take care of, think of. It gives me joy and happiness”. Her Foundation, Esther Adeleke Foundation, was born out of her challenge in having a child when she got married, drawing her into looking for motherless babies to seek the face of God. According to her, in fact it worked. “Before I touched my salary, I would first credit SOS’s account. From time to time I would gather my friends, go and visit them with materials, foodstuffs and so forth. When my baby clocked one year I told His Excellency that my spirit tells me to go and celebrate her birthday with the children there. A lot of friends refused to come. I had to call all the friends I met in the course of looking for a baby, going from one hospital to another. These children’s faces bring luck. Majority of them that came got their blessing. I recommended them to so many people. When you take up motherless babies, pray along with them they will pray for you”. She revealed to Vanguard that she coped the same way in the political terrain as she coped when working as a banker, adding that banking was even more demanding. “In banking, because then you would sometimes wake up at 4 to dress up and face the road at 6 and sometimes you come back late; but now, yes there are all kinds of back and forth, traveling, but not too much of what I cannot handle”. Like many Nigerians before now, her experience with intertribal marriage has been quite interesting as someone who loves challenges. “I don’t know for others but for me, it has been happy moments everyday. I open my mind to learning their own way of doing things. The only thing I have not learned is how to swallow amala. I cannot stand that one they call ewedu, even the one in my place not to talk of the one made with broom. As for pounded yam, I love it”. She has equally fallen in love with the owambe culture with parties on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. “The beautiful thing is that when you have a party to plan, even your enemy will buy souvenir. We will do the party, enjoy ourselves, then when we go back home we can continue. Everyone will forget their problems. When I used to work in Lagos Island, they would block the road”. “I so much love the culture generally and they embraced me even before my husband dreamed of becoming a governor. All the women would rush to the car before I come down and surround the car, sing for me, hug me. After becoming the governor’s wife you can imagine how it escalated. Even when I can’t understand, they would sing for me and I would dance. I would ask them what they are saying and they would tell me. I know they cannot say anything bad”. “I have a welcoming attitude. My father told my husband, “I’m allowing this my daughter to marry you because I know she has a good character”. I am enjoying every bit of it”. The question most people want to ask is, what is it about the Adelekes and women from the South East? The First Lady has a bird’s eye view. “Their mother, Esther Nnenna Adeleke is from Abia State. My husband and siblings were all born and bred in Enugu, their father used to work at the military hospital in Enugu. All the extended family were all in Enugu at one time. They all speak Igbo like Igbo people. You will definitely identify with the root of your mother. Their daughters are allowed to marry from anywhere. In Adeleke family, anywhere you find your happiness, go there. They don’t restrict their children wether boys or girls. For them, it’s a free world”. Her husband’s reputation as “the dancing governor”, far from being embarrassing, is something she embraces with pride. “I feel good. My husband did not start dancing today. I got to meet with him when he schooled in the US. They called him Jackson because of his dancing skills. When we went to my village for my traditional marriage, my husband danced from morning till the next morning. He brought Shina Peters himself and another musician. It was like a carnival. I don’t think my village people have ever seen that type of wedding up till today. They still talk about it. I didn’t marry him a politician. Then, his elder brother was the one involved in politics. When he came on board, people were thinking he just started dancing. When my village people now see him on video or television they say, “leave him for us, we appreciate him”. “In my house now, I can say I am the only one that doesn’t know how to dance. If you know my husband, you will not see him sick or angry because at any given time, if he’s not singing he is praising God or dancing. He’s a very strong man, loves people around him, merry making. With him, no dull moment. My husband was in the choir. He can beat the drum, sing very well”, she revealed. Her Foundation, named after her mother in law who passed 12 years ago was born out of a heart for charity, right from a home where the parents liked giving. “My parents would train poor people’s children. My father was a teacher and if he identified any brilliant student that had challenges, my father would bring such a child home and take up the training. My mother, most of the time,5 bought foodstuffs and shared anything shareable”. “Coming in to my husband’s family I discovered they liked to give. Almost half of students in Adeleke University are under the Adeleke scholarship scheme. Same in secondary and primary. The grace of God abounds and they will still take care of their workers. I so much cherish it”. The First Lady is particularly interested in the care of women that deliver triplets in her state, as the birth of triplets seems to be more common amongst couples who are already struggling economically. “God has a way of doing his own things. They cannot even pay their hospital bills not to talk of buying pampers, food and everything. I take them up, pay their bills and keep helping them. Even a woman that delivers just one child needs enough food to produce enough milk, talk less of the one that delivered 3. Sometimes they go into depression which, if not properly managed, goes into mental issues. What I am doing is giving them something for start-up. Even when I am not there I will know the children are okay. The first triplets we had in 2023 are about to start school now and I ask myself, when they want to buy bags and so on, will they be calling me? I will still be monitoring them and supporting them in my own little way too”. The Foundation also does SME and technical training in partnership with pan-African University; as well as train the trainers scheme in Osun University and polytechnics. In addition, she collaborates with Fidelity Food Bank and Adewole Foundation in the US. “We sensitise girls on menstrual hygiene and share pad while educating them on how to navigate goings on in the world”. The First Lady wishes she could wave a magic wand, as finance has been a problem. “It breaks my heart when I don’t have to give. The money which was meant for civil servants is not released. If this government was not prudent enough, you and I know there will be protests and eruptions in the state but he is using his security vote plus y support to pay all the pensioners. They were dying in their dozens. These are people that have served their state. There’s something they used to call afsa (half salary) but the backlog has been cleared and minimum wage is now 75k. What they planned was for my husband to have problems with civil servants. They are happy with Imole’s government. You will miss your way in Osogbo and you will sleep with your two eyes closed. It’s the Grace of God”. “I want to encourage all women to keep mentoring our young girls. You must not bring a child to your home before you can help”, she said.