‘It’s been a mix of sweet, sour and bitter’

Moji Makanjuola is a grandmother. She is an indigene of Offa in Kwara State, but was born in Jos, schooled in Zaria, Kano and Kaduna. She lived most part of her life in northern Nigeria. Her father, James Afolabi Adeyemi, was a railway worker and her moth

Educational background would devote my life to public health and making the media relevant to health care delivery in Nigeria. The NTA helped with that when they carved out a health desk and made me its head. I held that position until I retired.

There’s also the challenge of working with people who play God. Initially, it was hard making health professionals speak in a language that everyone would understand. But thank God that public health has changed over the years. Many of the people I encountered believed in me and it helped me get a very long way. Then there are the men, who think they are better than you. But, at least, gender equity has come to play eventually and women have proven their worth and value. It’s been a mix of sweet, sour and bitter. Growing up I come from a very closely-knit family. My father was polygamous, but it didn’t matter to me and my siblings. Mother A and B were all the same. I’ve lost both parents. I’m the eldest in my family and I grew up knowing I had responsibilities, even as a girl. My father never segregated us in the family. From time, I’ve always lived in a world of equity from the family background. I grew up in a Nigeria that was united. I belong to the generation of true Nigerians. It didn’t matter where you came from