Dr. Christiana Mojisola Kolade: Pursuit of Candidacy for Governor of Ekiti State

Declaration of Candidacy for Governor of Ekiti State by Dr. Mojisola Christiana Kolade

My dear great people of Ekitiland:

Mo ki yin t’owo t’owo, mo ki yin t’eye t’eye; mo fi ayo mu iroyin igba otun wa fun ilu Ekiti. I greet you with all sense of reverence and honour; with joy, I bring you news of a new dawn for Ekitiland on this Thursday 15th February 2018.

It gives me great pleasure to stand before you today to present myself and my intention to you, after discussing this with leaders of the APC Political Party under which I wish to serve.

It is with great humility and a deep sense of responsibility that I come to you as a daughter of Ekitiland with the desire to partner with you to revive and reposition our state for the betterment of Ekiti people.

I am proud to announce publicly and declare my desire to be the Action Progressive Congress candidate for Governor in our great state - Ekitiland.

We are a great people blessed with fertile land, rich mineral deposits and enviable cultural heritage. I am optimistic that together, we can use the industriousness and resourcefulness of the Ekiti people to overcome the challenges facing us.

Today, our state is besieged by high rate of unemployment, low family income, falling standard of education and inadequate healthcare. But I am encouraged to seek your support because I know that the resilience in the people of Ekiti is one on which the foundation of a formidable society can be built. As a community, we can restore the glory of our state through land reform, re-engineering of our educational system, rebuiding of healthcare services and the revitalisation of our agricultural industry.

Perhaps you have questions about who I am and why I am qualified for the role I seek...

I am NOT new to leadership and I have always enjoyed the love and support of my husband and life mate since 1984 - Prof. Ebenezer Adekunle Kolade, a Clinical Professor of Medicine. I owe my accomplishments to God Almighty, to my family and many who have remained encouragers.

To the glory of God, have worked in leadership positions in Nigeria and the USA. I have managed a multi-million dollar behavioural health facility in the USA and contributed immensely to Nigeria's growing economy as well as participated in uplifting the less privileged and defenceless. My unparalleled record in leadership, business and philanthropy precedes me.

Previously, I served as the woman leader of PDP in North America. In 2011, I joined the Action Congress of Nigeria and, subsequently, the Action Progressive Congress (APC). Outside of my political antecedents, I champion the cause and advancement of underprivileged children and women, especially widows and survivors of abuse.

I am motivated by a great sense of responsibility to serve the people of Nigeria beginning with Ekiti State. With your undivided support, we will enter a new dawn. It is time for politics centered on the people by people who care about the people and have the integrity it takes to govern rightly.

It is time for an end to the lack of opportunities and infrastructure in our state. I have chosen to seek your support for my candidacy to the Office of Governor. I want to work with the people of Ekiti State to position our state as an agricultural and industrial powerhouse, and to build programmes that support the most vulnerable among us especially the widowed, the orphaned, the elderly and the challenged. Together, we can transform our state by focusing on four key pillars of development:

Economy

Ekiti is uniquely positioned to lead the nation forward as Nigeria begins to diversify its economy from oil as the primary source of our nation’s income. Through supporting industrial farming efforts and developing a robust mineral harvesting industry, I aim to attract both local and foreign investment to Ekiti State. Investment will create jobs, increase commercial activities, and increase the circulation of money in the Ekiti economy. Igba otun ola a de; a new dawn of wealth will be birthed.

 Thank you! We need the overwhelming support of women, men and youth to win the mandate to lead Ekiti to a new dawn; a season of development, peace, abundance and real #positivechange. #TimeIsNow #LetWomenLead #ElectWomen #WomenParticipate #PressForProgress #GetYourPVC #Ekiti2018

Healthcare

The poor healthcare in Nigeria is harming its citizens, and Ekiti is no exception. Investment in the healthcare system and services will improve our existing hospitals and primary health care by providing them with modern equipment and experienced staff. Additionally, I plan to implement programmes that will focus on mental health, preventative healthcare and widely disseminate information on the steps our people can take to prevent the development of illness. Igba otun alafia a de; a new dawn of wellness will be birthed.

Thank you! Through investors, we will create jobs, increase commercial activities, and increase the circulation of money in the Ekiti economy. #TimeIsNow #NewDawn #LetWomenLead #ElectWomen #WomenParticipate #PressForProgress #GetYourPVC #RealPositiveChange #Ekiti2018

Thank you! As a medical practitioner, I will draw investment in the healthcare system to improve services in our existing hospitals and primary health care and empower them with modern  equipment and experienced staff. Additionally, I plan to implement programmes that will focus on mental health, preventative healthcare and widely disseminate information on the steps our people can take to prevent the development of illness. Igba otun alafia a de; a new dawn of wellness will be birthed.

Thank you! Through investors, we will create jobs, increase commercial activities, and increase the circulation of money in the Ekiti economy. #TimeIsNow #NewDawn #LetWomenLead #ElectWomen #WomenParticipate #PressForProgress #GetYourPVC #RealPositiveChange #Ekiti2018

Education

Understaffed and under-equipped schools are lowering the quality of education in our state. The effect is that our children are disadvantaged and struggle for advancement. Improving learning experience for all concerned would be prioritised through provision of modern learning facilities, access to technological resources and updating learning materials. We will carry out a broad student-centred reform to ensure that qualified teachers are hired, retained, and paid well as promised. Frequent strikes that disrupt and hinder our students from progressive learning will become a thing of the past.

Women

Research has shown that women’s empowerment is the single most important step a nation can take to improve its economy. Prioritising women’s education and access to opportunities will increase the state and ultimately the national economic output. Empowering and educating our women will lower child mortality, postpartum depression and increase organisational effectiveness in the business world. Programmes that focus on providing women with access to resources, mentorship, and professional training are key to the betterment of Ekiti and Nigeria beginning within the family unit and extending beyond. Additionally, we have an obligation to end the abuse of our girls which has become endemic through the widespread practice of female genital mutilation. I will put a stop to exploitative employment of minors in our state. I come to you today to declare my intention to serve with the aim of strengthening the illustrious Ekiti brand as the education powerhouse of the nation.

Dear Great People of Ekitiland, Mojisola Christiana Kolade, a daughter of Ekitiland, is asking that you put your weight behind me to enable me open doors of immense opportunities to our people. I come to you with the goal of working with you to bring real positive change which will include protecting the defenceless in our community.

I thank you in anticipation of your approval to work with you to make our state a force to reckon with in Nigeria. I ask you to join and support me wholeheartedly on this journey to do the work that needs to be done so the light of God's glory can shine in and through Ekiti to the rest of the nation. Imole de si Ekiti. A new dawn in here.

God bless the founding fathers and mothers of Ekitiland, the land of honour and integrity. God bless the people of Ekitiland, the fountain of knowledge. God Bless our great nation, Nigeria.

Profile:  Dr. Christina Mojisola Kolade

Dr. Christina Mojisola Kolade was born to Julius Adebayo-Yaya and Agnes Ebunoluwa Adebayo-Yaya in the Araromi Quarters in Oye-Ekiti Local Government Area of Ekiti State. She thereafter attended St. Anne’s Primary School and Egba High School in Abeokuta. As a teenager, she was passionate about caring for others.  Her heart of care saw her attending University College Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital where she received diplomas in nursing and midwifery respectively. With an opportunity to study abroad, she attended St. John’s University in New York, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. (FACP)                       

In 1984 young Mojisola found love in the caring heart and arms of Ebenezer Adekunle Kolade from Erin-Ijesha, Osun State. The journey of marriage with her heartthrob has been a blissful one. Prof. Ebenezer Kolade who began his study at the University of Ibadan in 1981 is today a renowned Clinical Professor of Medicine. Among other noteworthy accomplishments, he is a Fellow of AmericanCollegeofPhysicians (FACP).

After a brief career as a pharmacist, Dr. Mojisola Kolade enrolled in the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, ultimately graduating as a medical doctor. She went further to complete a  post-doctoral training in family medicine and became a board certified consultant physician. Over the course of a thirty-four year career in healthcare and business, Dr. Mojisola Kolade has worked as a staff physician and vice president at New Era Rehabilitation Center, of which she is a cofounder. She has continued to dedicate her time to various philanthropic causes. She is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Irede Farms.