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Princess Omolola Olufunmilayo Oyinlola was born to the family of Late Chief John and Mrs. Julianah Majekodunmi of Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Pretty little Omolola started her education career at Ebenezer Primary School, Ibadan in 1959. For her secondary education, she attended Oke-Ona Grammar School, Abeokuta.
Having finished her secondary education and bubbling with life, she proceeded to the School of Medical Laboratory Technology, Lagos in 1970 after which she had a brief stint at St. Nicholas Hospital as a Medical Laboratory Assistant.
Still yearning for more knowledge, Omolola took interest in Secretarial Administration. She proceeded to the Lagoon Executive Secretarial College and Business Training Colleges and graduated with Diploma in Secretarial Studies and Business English in 1974.
She continued her working career with St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, as a Confidential Secretary until she got married in 1978 to Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, then a young military officer.
She worked as a Confidential Secretary with Ibadan Municipal Government, between 1978 and 1979, as well as the old Oyo State Property Development Corporation. She later worked as a Personal Assistant at Garden Foods Nigeria Limited, Jos.
Being married to a soldier, who had various postings to different stations, within and outside the country, her career life was later disrupted.
She settled down and took interest in poultry farming. She has a big and flourishing poultry farm at Okuku with customers from Northern and Eastern parts of the country.
A devout Christian, Mrs. Oyinlola is involved in various church activities as a result of which she was ordained a deaconess of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) in 1996.
A quiet philanthropist, Mrs. Oyinlola was until recently the Matron of the Spinal Cord Injury Association, Lagos.
She runs an NGO which takes care of the disabled at Okuku, named the Anointed Handicapped. She also runs a vocational centre for the handicapped where they can work and earn some income.
A submissive wife and good mother, Mrs. Oyinlola, as a result of her charitable character and friendly disposition to all and sundry, was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Iyalaje of Okuku.
Mrs. Oyinlola loves being in the midst of Christian brothers and sisters, listening to gospel music and cooking.
A reserved and quiet person, her union with prince Oyinlola is blessed with beautiful, brilliant and God-fearing children. Princess Oyinlola is currently the Chairperson of the Women and Children Development Initiative Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation put together to advance the course of women, children, the elderly and the less – privileged.
Princess Omolola Oyinlola, wife of the Governor of Osun State is an amiable and intelligent woman. A humanist, Princess Oyinlola swung into action almost immediately her husband assumed office as the Executive Governor of Osun State with programmes designed to touch the lives of the populace, particularly women and children. Largely, Princess Oyinlola’s programmes have complemented the efforts of the State Government in alleviating the problems of the less privileged in the society. The Women and Children Development Initiative Foundation (WOCDIF) as the name implies, takes care of needs of women, children, the handicapped, destitutes, the aged and the needy in general.
Within the brief spate of the tenure of the current Administration in Osun State, a lot of individuals, groups of people and corporate organizations have benefited from the goodwill of Princess Omolola Oyinlola.
As an evidence of her commitment to the welfare of the less-privileged in the society, Mrs. Oyinlola has visited all the disabled and charity homes in the State. She visited homes at Iwo, Ilesa and Osogbo to celebrate Independence Day with the inmates. This she said would give them a sense of belonging thereby making them happy.
Wheelchairs have been distributed to disabled people drawn from various Local Government Areas of the State. Princess Omolola Oyinlola has consistently pointed out that she has included the disabled in her pet project to ensure that they are not marginalized or neglected in the scheme of things. The intention is not to pamper them but to assist them to develop their talents and innate abilities.
She believes that the plight of the physically challenged persons in the society should be the concern of all and sundry, and has therefore appealed to philanthropic individuals, corporate bodies and government at all tiers, to accommodate the less-privileged in their budgets.
She is also of the opinion that this set of people do not need pity or sympathy from members of the society but encouragement to enable them attain enviable heights in their fields of endeavour.
Out of her love for children in the State, she has embarked on a mass de-worming exercise for primary school pupils in the State. The exercise which was flagged-off at the Township Stadium, Osogbo on the 4th of December, 2003, was carried out in all the Local Government Areas of the State. At the end of the tour of all the Local Government Areas and personal administration of the de-worming drugs by Her Excellency, the Wife of the Governor, not less than 45,000 primary pupils were known to have benefitted from the programme. At the end of the exercise which was personally administered by Her Excellency, the wife of the Governor, about 45,000 primary pupils were reportedly benefitted from the programme.
The essence of the programme which she said was borne out of her desire to show love and care for the children, is aimed at ensuring the children’s proper physical development, mental alertness and good health.
Princess Oyinlola has never been too busy to remember the needy, either young or old. She has been to all the Charity and Motherless Babies' Homes in the State to donate clothings, food and cash to the homes for the upkeep of the children.
The love and generosity of Mrs. Omolola Oyinlola to other people know no bounds. She sees her responsibility as the wife of the Governor as a call to service. Her determination to touch the lives of others cannot be quantified. The wife of the Governor who views herself as a privileged child of destiny believes that the more one assists people, the happier one is. True to her words, she has touched the lives of many people positively and quietly.
As a means of ensuring a better place for all, Princess Omolola Oyinlola has embarked on various moves aimed at sensitizing and educating members of the public on their responsibilities to the society and government.
A tireless woman who is always desirous of a peaceful and conducive environment for all in the State, Princess Omolola Oyinlola has embarked on a weekly market sanitation campaign to all the market places in all the Federal Constituencies in the State. The aim of the exercise is to re-awaken market women to ensure cleanliness around the places where they sell food items to prevent diseases and epidemic in the State. This singular effort has been yielding tremendous positive results.
Princess Omolola Oyinlola holds the Chieftaincy title of Iyalaje of Okukuland. She was ordained a Deaconess of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) in 1996; Matron, Osun Leadership Forum; Grand Matron, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists; Osun State Chapter; Matron, Cassava Growers’ Association, Osun State Branch, to mention just a few. A submissive and dutiful wife with a charitable and friendly disposition to all and sundry, Princess Oyinlola loves listening to gospel music, golfing and cooking.
Women and Children Development Initiative Foundation (WOCDIF) is my pet project in Osun State. The pet project was borne out of the interest I have in both women and children. Similarly, some of the children are physically handicapped hence the need to include the concerned group in my pet project with a view to bringing smiles to the faces of all the vulnerable members of the society. The project is a non-governmental organization (NGO) aimed at co-ordinating and supplementing the activities of all the NGOs on women and children in the State. It also focusses on advocacy role for the vulnerable groups in the society, basically to assist children and women on their rights, survival, growth, development and empowerment.
The identified programmes/projects of my pet project is expected to assist the State Government in alleviating the problems of the people and improving their living conditions in the State. It is equally important to state that the concerted efforts of all women and children in Osun State will no doubt take the State to greater heights and bring succour on the down-trodden masses. The pet project which is a NGO is a non-profit and non-commercial venture which renders services to the people for their well-being and to improve on their economic base and standard of living.
As the Chairperson of WOCDIF, I strive to perform dual roles of advocacy for women and children in virtually all the ministries in the State and International Agencies and at the same time implementing programmes / projects that will accelerate the socio – economic and political development of all the concerned groups.
My pet project remains my baby, being the initiator. Some well-meaning dignitaries are appointed as Trustees. The conceived programmes / projects serve as catalyst to the socio-economic and political development of women and children and also ensure the rapid transformation of both the urban and rural areas in Osun State through proper guidance, visioning and leadership.
In general, all cadres of women in their various professions are participating and fully involved in the planning and implementation of programmes/projects in the State. Children are also given the opportunity to air their views on programmes/projects that concern them.
In line with the objectives and guidelines highlighted and fully discussed at a workshop organized by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Foundation as a pet programme of the wife of the Executive Governor of Osun State, Princess Omolola Oyinlola in Osun State has its major functions the following:-
The main objective of the Foundation is to provide a forum where women and children's programmes/projects could be implemented in Osun State. The foundation among others, works with government, other non-governmental organizations, individuals, corporate bodies, UN Agencies or groups working in areas directly concerned with the solutions of identified social problems. It also works together with others to evolve strategies that will promote the quality and quantity of services to women and children in Osun State.
To establish a viable and result oriented Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that will create enabling environment for the survival, growth and development of women and children.
- To mobilize, sensitize, syncronise and ensure the overall development of women and children. To undertake social researches, studies on various social problems affecting women and children and to design and implement programmes/projects that would solve the social problems.
- To collaborate with other relevant NGOs and UN Agencies to solve the problems affecting women and children in the state.
- To organize training workshops, hold seminars, conferences, originate draft bills, publish/print books, journals, bulletins, newsletters, pamphlets, public enlightenment, magazines, etc., for women and children.
- To encourage skills development among the target audience.
- To facilitate and encourage provision of infra-structure for the development and growth of women and children.
- To work towards the achievement of the ideals of International Year of the Child, IYC 1979: International Year of the Disabled Persons (IYDP) 1981 women’s decade, the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing China in September 1995.
- To assist in identifying paupers, destitutes and individuals in need of assistance in the society.
- To carry out programmes for schools' children such as holiday camping, essay composition, quiz, debates, Arts and crafts etc.
WOCDIF believes that when one educates a woman, one has trained a whole nation. Similarly, a Chinese proverb says, "do not give me a fish but teach me how to fish." All hands are on deck to ensure that Osun State women are economically, politically and socially empowered, so as to improve their status and harness their potentials fully, towards national development
Women Development is central to the total development of the state. The 1991 provisional census figures put the population of females in Osun State at 1,123,592 as against the total population of 2,203.016. This shows that females were 44,168 more than males. For example in Ilesha, one of the highly urbanized settlements and environs, females are 7,759 more than males.
In general, it is believed that women are more than men in the society. They are also more than half of the total population of most countries. Also in West Africa, women produce most of the food items, while men concentrate on cash crops. Women are poorly represented in the professions; they do not have equal opportunities in employment and are heavily concentrated in low-paid jobs, particularly in agriculture and the informal sector.
The marginalization of women is apparent in the public and political sphere. In addition, the increasing level of poverty in Nigeria is a major factor contributing to the growing number of young women who are involved in commercial sex work, resulting not only in their de-humanization but also in their exposure to the dangers of HIV/AIDS.
There are however, all forms of measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations. Unfortunately, there is no effective women machinery in place in Osun State yet. A lot of work was done during the women decades by United Nations declaration 1975 – 1984 and the spill-over of 1985 – 1994, so also the Beijing Conference in September 1995. There were also National Women’s programmes in Nigeria i.e. Better Life Programme (BPL) 1988 – 1994. Family Support Programme (F.S.P.) 1994 – 1999.
In order to achieve the desired goal on women development, WOCDIF intend taking all necessary steps that will ensure that appropriate laws on women’s rights are put in place in Osun State.
Furthermore, the new National Policy on Women, which affirms its support for the alleviation of the numerous constraints to women’s full participation in the development process, is being pursued vigorously. To achieve the desired goal, the need to have the two under-listed committees by my WOCDIF cannot be over emphasized.:
(a) WOCDIF State steering/implementation committee.
(b) WOCDIF ministerial committee.
- Women’s mobilization programmes.
- Women in Health - Reproductive
- HIV
- Family Planning
- Breast Lump tests.
- HBP test.
- Eye test.
- Day Care/Nursery/Primary School.
- Children recreational centres.
- Food storage, processing and packaging i.e. Gari, Lafun etc.
- Cottage Industries.
- Aso-Oke Weaving, Tie & Dye.
- Crafts, gift items shops for L.G. As.
- Erecting kiosk in towns for
- G.S.M. Operators.
- Fast Food Sellers.
- Roasters of plantain, yam, maize sellers etc.
- Establishment of
- Women Co-operative Farms in the 30 L.G. As.
- Community Farms / Society Farms – 9 Federal Constituencies.- 3 Senatorial districts.
- Women data bank project.
- News letter.
- Picture magazine/news cuttings.
- Directory of women achievers.
- Directory of major markets in Osun State.
- Documentation on traditional dialects, drinks, local snacks, herbs and spices to reflect food processing methods.
- WOCDIF Magazine
A pilot youth scheme programme for female senior secondary school leavers (9months) (16-21 age bracket).
- All aspects of family life.
- Computer training programme.
- Employment opportunity through work placement, short and casual services engagement.
Diabetes Test.
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Women in Agriculture/Home gardening.
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Women in Sports – Oyinlola Queens (Female Soccer Team).
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Women’s Special Programme for Widows.
- Single Parents.
- Destitutes / Beggars.
- Aged.
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Market and open spaces environmental exercise.
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Women Legal Aid Programme.
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Retreats/Workshops/Seminars/Conferences.
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Rallies for women groups.
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Women and drug abuse programme.
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Marriage guidance and counseling.
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Programme for divorcees.
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Matrimonial counseling.
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Special programme for widows/single parents.
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Skills acquisition programme.
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Job creation and sustainable livelihood.
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Women co-operative society.
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Relief to women: micro-credit scheme (soft loans)
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Women adult literacy programme.
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Women’s Day Celebration.
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Family life workshop.
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Marriage clinic.
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Women’s media programme – Obinrin rere Osun panel of discussants, once a month.
Establishment of markets at Local Governments and at Federal Constituencies or Senatorial Districts.
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Multi Purpose Hall.
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Hall of Fame.
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Training/Skills Acquisition Centre.
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Library.
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Administrative block.
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Guest House.
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Restaurant.
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Bukateria.
The introductions of many international, national and local programmes on women are encouraged to re-assess themselves to become more economically viable and to have a better and more fulfilled life.
The women in Osun State are also benefitting from WOCDIF through its enlightenment and sensitization programmes on the twelve critical areas of concern to women in the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action which was adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China in September, 1995. The areas of concern are: Education, Armed and other conflicts, Environment and Development, Rights of the Child, Power Sharing and Decision making, Mass Media, Poverty, National and International Machinery, Human Rights Health, Economic Participation, Violence.
Children development is important in the third world countries because of the enviable position children occupy in the society. The need for WOCDIF to assist children in their growth, development and survival especially children in difficult circumstances cannot be over-emphasized. The health and the overall development of the child has been of great concern to the United Nations hence, the International declaration of the year 1979 as the International year of the child (IYC).
Further development were the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the OAU charter on the rights and welfare of the child and the ILO convention and recommendation on the worst forms of Child Labour (ILO Convention). The first legislation on children in Nigeria is the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) of 1943 (revised as chapter 32 of the Laws of the Federal and Lagos in 1958). The available data for the key indicators concerning the survival, development and protection of children shows that large numbers of Nigerian children are far from enjoying the right enshrined in the CRC and the OAU charter. The ideals of child welfare committee in Nigeria was a lip service as much was not achieved to improve on the living condition of children, particularly in the following areas: Education, Health, Child Abuse, as contained in CYPA Cap 26 etc.
WOCDIF will therefore do all within it powers to carry out programmes/projects that will benefit Children Welfare and Development in Osun State. Apart from the pet project's direct activities, it will play advocacy role for children through allied/relevant ministries and agencies.
The following programmes/projects are identified for implementation:
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Children’s day celebration.
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Research and data bank on children in the State.
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The day of the African child June 16th.
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Breast feeding programmes.
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Children holiday programme for Orphans.
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Camping, picnic, excursion, summit.
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Provision of vitamin A for deficient children.
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Rally, Carnival, Xmas Party.
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Children Summit.
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Father Xmas Carnival.
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Children Exchange Programme.
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Quiz, Debate, Essay Competition.
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Cultural Dance, Art and Crafts etc.
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Children Sports Development.
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Advocacy Role to Children – CYPB & Fostering / Adoption.
- Law to be passed in the House.
Homes, Motherless babies’homes.
Juvenile Courts.
Lay Assessors.
Juvenile Magistrates.
Day Care Centre Operational Law.
Children Recreational Centre.
Disabled persons actually do not need sympathy but encouragement and assistance to attain greater heights in their chosen careers. They are usually potential work-force that can be utilized if provided the enabling environment to operate like their able-bodied counterparts. WOCDIF addresses the issues of developing the disabled through organizing result-oriented programmes and projects in Osun State. The concern for this group of people in our society prompted the United Nations to declare the year 1981 as the International Year of the Disabled Persons (IYDP). In Nigeria, disabled committees were established at the Federal and States but much has not been achieved.
Efforts are being geared towards assisting this concerned group of people that are scattered all over the State. The following programmes and projects will be embarked upon
- Picnic.
- Concert Party.
- Sports.
- Rallies, Conferences, Seminars and Workshops.
- Symposium, debates.
- Disabled Week.
- Disabled Statistics Data Bank.
- Research on their problems.
- Crippled/Physically Handicapped, Deaf, Blind etc.
- Special Programmes.
- Provision of Wheel Chairs, Crutches, other mobility-aids and basic equipment to those physically disabled.
- Disabled Persons Act in Osun State.
- Subventions toward disabled programmes and projects.
- Public enlightenment programmes on the provision for the housing needs of the disabled in the housing schemes and all public buildings.
Attempts are made to carry out programmes/projects that will assist Youths of Osun State. The programmes/projects shall be through the relevant/allied Ministries or Agencies or Youth Council of Osun State. The major activities are as follows:
- Youth rallies and symposia, carnivals
- Workshops, seminars, conferences.
- Open spaces development.
- Beautification projects.
- Youth centres.
- Information / entertainment centres.
- Sports development.
- Leadership workshop.
- March 8th International Women’s Day March 21st International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
- March 22nd World Water Day.
- March 23rd World Meteorological Day.
- April 7th World Health Day,
- May 3rd World Press Freedom Day.
- May 17th World Communications Day.
- May 31st World No–Tobacco Day.
- June 5th World Environment Day.
- June 17th World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
- June 26th International Day against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking.
- July 11th First Saturday of July – International Day of Co-operatives World Population Day.
- August International Day of the World’s Indigenous people.
- September 8th International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
- Third Tuesday of September.
- International Day of Peace.
- Last Week in September – World Maritime Day.
- October 1st International Day of Old Persons.
- First Monday of October – World Habitat Day.
- October 9th World Post Day.
- Second Wednesday of October – International Day for National Disaster Reduction.
- October 16th World Food Day.
- October 17th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
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