MILESTONE
One of her dreams as a young girl is to see people free from the shackles of poverty. That dream is gradually becoming a reality through the launch of her foundation. Vanessa Obioha writes about Abimbola Yakubu, a pastor and public servant who recently turned 50 and is keen on making the world a better place
At 50, life has been fair to Mrs Abimbola Yakubu. She is happily married to the pastor of Prevailing Life Ministries (Prevailers’ Arena), and their union is blessed with children. More than that, Yakubu is grateful to the Supreme One for ordaining her steps right from childhood. Her closeness to God started from an early age.
“I have always loved God. I still do and will always do,” she said in a recent chat. “Looking back to where I am coming from and where God has brought me to, I can see the faithfulness of God.”
An indigene of Ise in Ekiti state, Yakubu grew up in Ado-Ekiti and loved playing volleyball. She is a Sociology graduate from the Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University EKSU). However, she is guided by the principles her disciplinarian father taught her. To date, one of her cherished memories is her father’s efforts to ensure that she and her siblings were educated.
“My father would drive us from Akure to Ado Ekiti and wait for us until we finished classes and would drive us back to Akure. During exam periods, my father would grind pepper with a grinding stone in order for us to have enough time to read our books,” she recounted passionately.
As much as she is reaping the fruits of her father’s discipline today, Yakubu recalled that growing up under him was not fun.
“He hardly allowed us to have friends, let alone visit them, but he was a very honest and contented man. I remember him writing at the back of our notebooks back then, ‘honesty is the best policy’. I didn’t just see him write that as it were, he also lived it.”
Her father was more than just a sire. He was her lesson teacher.
“All play ceases when he returns from work. He attended all the PTA meetings; he would take us to and from school. He was involved and so intentional in every aspect of our lives,” she recalled. “He ensured we attended church. I got confirmed in Anglican Church at the age of 13. I saw him fast often, and he prayed as well. He was a Christian model for us to emulate.”
His strictness came in handy in some areas of her life. As the third child with two older brothers and a younger sister, Yakubu said she nearly became a tomboy, but she stuck to the etiquettes expected of a girl because of her father’s iron hand.
Nevertheless, she would not have traded her father for anybody else. She described him as her hero and a soft-hearted man who wanted the best for his children. He passed on in 2011, and she still dearly missed him.
Her mother was the opposite of her father. She was a businesswoman and indulged them.
Yakubu unknowingly inherited her father’s tough stance. She is always amazed when her children tell her she is very disciplined.
Growing up in a family where injustice and abuse are not allowed in a way prepared her for the woman she is today. As a mother, wife and pastor, Yakubu has become adept at combining the roles she plays with excellence.
“It’s not easy having to combine motherhood, work and ministry,” she admits. “But having a clear understanding of each role and setting my mind on doing it and excelling has been my driving force. But most especially by the grace of Almighty God.”
Yakubu strongly believes that women make good leaders. She noted that “women, because of their nature and motherly instinct, love and know better how to put things together.”
She added, “The stuff a woman is made of is just simply unique. Because of their emotional disposition, they yearn for the well-being of their people rather than abuse their office. They love to see things put together and in order.”
Given the fact that “truly we have had bad and corrupt women in places of power and leadership in the past and there might still be some here and there, generally women are less corrupt when they assume leadership roles,” Yakubu stressed.
“I was listening to the radio the other day, and the topic for discussion was fraud in the health sector. The overall places where the male folks are leading had the worst cases, with minimal cases where we had women as heads,” she explained. “Where cases of misconduct were reported in the sectors headed by women, it was still the males that were the culprits.”
She is convinced that there “is more sanity and sanctity where women are in charge,” stressing that women are “more disciplined in leadership than their male counterparts.”
“I, therefore, urge that women be given more room to lead in our nation,” Yakubu stated.
Yakubu may have achieved many dreams in her five decades of existence, but none matters to her deeply as her dream of eradicating poverty in her community.
“It is my dream to see poverty totally eradicated in my community. I may not be able to reach the world or the nation as a whole, but my immediate community is a good place to start,” said Yakubu. “I know it is a wild dream and a fantasy, but I wish it were possible to put an end to the sufferings of the people I see from day to day. I hope to put in my best to see this happen or at least nearly happen at worse. My community is a good place to begin.”
Indeed, she has begun making that dream come true by launching her foundation, Bee & Bee Foundation, on July 10, 2022.
“The goal is to reach out to the needy,” she explained. “The Bible says in Deuteronomy 15:11, ‘For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land’. It is on the premise of this command that the foundation was launched.”
The foundation has its first outreach on the launch day, catering to hundreds of people. Divided into different services, Yakubu clarified that the first outreach was specifically designed to meet the welfare needs of the poor. Subsequent outreach would cover health, education, housing and travel. She is also looking at providing international and local scholarships and training.
Her ultimate desire, she said, is to see a Nigeria “where people from other nations would want to come and visit because of stability in all facets of life and boom in the economy.”
