The Girl Called BAMITALE Who Survived to Live Her Purpose – Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, Ph.D.
By Abdul Mohammed Lawal.
In the days when Nigeria was still under colonial rule and sovereignty was a distant dream, it was a rare privilege for an average Kogite to escape their rural farming communities and live outside the growing metropolis in search of greener pastures. Those fortunate enough to pursue formal education were celebrated greatly on and their path to the elite class was assured. This was the story of Pa Aliu Alaira Olorunfemi Obaro and Mrs. Kikelomo Victoria Aliu.
The ancient city of Ibadan, located in today’s Oyo State, was one of Africa’s biggest and fastest-growing cities in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It was a land of opportunities and a beautiful place to raise a family because if it’s modesty and development didn’t alter the African in its society. Although it took time for migrants from rural communities to adjust to urbanization, but when they settle in they eventually realized they were destined for their new homes. Their greatest joy was the anticipation of starting a family and providing their children with the amenities that their own childhoods lacked.
For Pa Aliu Alaira Olorunfemi Obaro, this dream took too long to realize due to the African ‘Abiku’ syndrome. In Yoruba culture, Abiku is a spirit child who comes to the world repeatedly to torment its mother by dying before puberty without prior notice. Abiku is said to render the medicine man’s competence to incompetence as it has no known remedy or cure.
Pa Aliu’s fortune changed when he married the young Mrs. Kikelomo Victoria Aliu. The spirits and ancestors foretold that the woman in his life would become a mother of greatness, though doubts persisted. On August 27th, 1965, the cry of a female child was heard in the Aliu household, marking one of the most joyous days in their union. Pa Aliu saw a light in his newborn’s eyes and prayed she would ‘stay with him till night’ and begin his esteemed lineage. He named her Afasatu BAMITALE Folashade Arike Aliu.
In Yoruba tradition, children’s names are determined by divination and can carry significant meanings, indicating the child’s destiny and spiritual entities that will assist in achieving it. This accounts for why a typical Yoruba child can bear as many as 16 different names. But in this case, the circumstances that surrounded the birth of the future Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, Ph.D. played a significant role to the naming of the child: BAMITALE (meaning “stay with me till night”). It reflected the hope that the child would live with them rather than being another transient spirit.
The formative years of the girl who would become Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, Ph.D., were a blessing to Pa Aliu and Mrs. Kikelomo Victoria Aliu. The future mother of “Modern Kogi State” was accompanied by uncommon grace and resilience synonymous with Kogi heritage. Her signature integrity and natural inclination to uplift those around her even as child made her parents super proud. She was beloved by everyone and showed early signs that she was destined for greatness, though her parents’ fears heightened as she approached puberty. They constantly prayed, “BAMITALE! BAMITALE!! BAMITALE!!!”
As a child, Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, Ph.D. did not share her family’s doubts about her survival. She knew she was born to break bounds and foresaw her future with her eventual husband when she was still a child, even though she anticipated challenges. She knew that she was the reason that the world will hear and celebrate the names ‘Pa Aliu Alaira Olorunfemi Obaro and Mrs. Kikelomo Victoria Aliu’ and nothing will compare to building them a paradise on earth in gratitude for the beautiful childhood in the ‘face me, I face you apartment’ that was luxury at that time.
The household’s fears were alleviated after BAMITALE crossed puberty, signaling they had a lasting heir. Her marriage to her true love did not change her central role in the family, and Mrs. Kikelomo Victoria Aliu continued to be protectively involved, and the young couple often laughed at that. The parents knew nothing could hinder her greatness and ensured she received the best of everything, but what they prized most was quality education. This dedication paid off when Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, Ph.D., became one of Nigeria’s renowned female Toxicologist.
When ‘The Girl Called BAMITALE’ began her career with the Federal Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Division as a Scientific Officer in 1990, she started living her purpose. This was no surprise to those who knew and watched her grew. Upon the establishment of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in 1994, she transitioned to the agency as one of pioneering staff, contributing her expertise until 2016 when she embraced another challenge in serving humanity. But this time, it was her motherland, Kogi State that called.
She often recounts that her greatest blessing was getting married to the most supportive husband in the world. Between 1996 and 1997, Mrs. Ayoade embarked on a professional venture with the Chemisches Untersuchungsant (Chemical Investigation Authority) in Germany, leaving her working-class husband with their 4-year and two-year old daughters. During this period, she also attended Carl Durlsberg Gesellschaft in Saarbrücken, Germany, and Fachhochschule in Trier, Germany, earning diplomas in German Language and Quality Assurance of Food, respectively. Thank you Mr. Omisade Ezekiel Ayoade, Ph.D. for being an uncommon loving husband that rose above orthodox African boundaries.
Thank you, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for facilitating the next phase of ‘The Girl Called BAMITALE’s’ evolution by appointing Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, Ph.D., as the Secretary to the Government of Kogi State. Under your leadership, she became the only female SSG in the nineteen northern states of Nigeria.
Thank you, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, for offering Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, Ph.D., the opportunity to continue making history as a third term and the current longest-serving Secretary to the Government of any state in Nigeria.
‘The Girl Called BAMITALE’ survived and continues to write an extraordinary story.
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