By Ndubuisi Orji
Mrs Toyin Saraki is a woman of many parts. A lawyer of over three decades, her work as a philanthropist through her WellBeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) and her unwavering commitment to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality in Africa has made her a household name.
Mrs Saraki was born on September 6, 1964, into the aristocratic Ojora family of Lagos. Married to former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, she holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the London School of Oriental and African Studies and LLM in International Economic Law from King’s College, London; and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989.
The seed that has blossomed into her undying passion for health advocacy was sown in 1991, through an unpleasant experience. Mrs Saraki had challenges in her first pregnancy. In the process, she lost one of her twin babies. After that experience, she made a silent vow to support other pregnant women and help them deliver their babies safely. To drive this vision, she later founded WBFA in 2004, during the first tenure of her husband, Senator Bukola Saraki, as governor of Kwara State.
While it is common for wives of governors to abandon their pet projects once their husbands are out of office, the reverse is the case for this outstanding woman. For the former Kwara State first lady, the best life is one dedicated to the service of humanity, especially the less privileged members. Out of office as first lady, she has expanded the scope of her NGO to cater for many more women, children and adolescent in Africa.
In the last 18 years, Mrs Saraki, through her foundation, has remained an unrelenting advocate for women and children’s health and empowerment, with special interest in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, ending gender-based discrimination and violence.
Today, several women, infants, young adults and families in the country have benefitted immensely from WBFA. The foundation, through its Mamacare programme, has also trained thousands of midwives and provided basic health education to thousands of pregnant women in Africa.
An advocate of the United Nations’ Every Woman, Every Child campaign, the former first lady is on the board of the Global Foundation for the Elimination of Domestic Violence and the board of the Africa Justice Foundation. Recently, she was appointed as the first WHO Foundation Ambassador for Global Health.
Indeed, when it comes to issues of women, child and adolescent health advocacy and philanthropy, Mrs Saraki is a golden fish that has no hiding place. She is winner of The Sun Humanitarian Service Icon award 2021.