•The Story Of SIJU ILUYOMADE, IBIJOKE SANWO OLU & PAULINE TALLEN
For the year 2021, 3 glamorous and prominent celebrities who are close friends will be celebrating their birthdays on same day and this will set the pace for the social shindigs that will take place for the rest of year 2021. They will be having their birthdays on same day, Tuesday, January 8th. These 3 prominent personalities are no small fries when it comes to staging events as many A-lists always gather together to celebrate with them. These trio have some things in common, for starters, they are birthday mates, and they are all prominent. They hold important positions in the society, they are married to great men, they are friends and also belong to a leading NGO, Arise Women founded by Dr Siju Iluyomade. Many people who know about their birthdays are already jostling to know what their plans are for the day. Celebrating it together might not be out of place because the 3 of them are known to always champion the good cause of women. Dr Siji Iluyomade is married to pastor Idowu Iluyomade of RCCG, City of David church while Dr Ibijoke Sanwoolu is the First Lady of Lagos and married to Governor Babajide Sanwoolu. Dame Pauline Tallen is the minister for Women Affairs and married to a great politician, John Tallen. Dr Siju Iluyomade will be turning 57, Dr Ibijoke Sanwoolu will age gracefully into 54 while Dame Pauline Tallen will clock 62 years. Despite the age difference between them coupled with their positions, they never see themselves as rivals, but associate together with love. For Dr. Siju Iluyomade, the founder of The Handmaidens women in leadership series, and Arise Women, building women is one of her major strength. She is unapologetically driven to see that women are economically empowered. This is why she has been running a platform for many years where women can have a voice and build lasting legacies for themselves in their lifetime. Dr Siju’s love for women not start few years ago, it all evolved as a result of her teenage years at Queens College. Her love to help and empower her fellow women charted a great course for her as she also uses this medium to win souls for Christ.
Dr Siju Iluyomade is a woman whom many love to be with, she always wants her private life to be kept within herself but her position, class and lifestyle are what bring her to the limelight. As a lover of fashion and good things, she stocks the most expensive luxury items in her wardrobe. She travels all around the world and has become a regular stocker of designers range which are limited editions from highbrow stores abroad. Blessed with a lovely figure, the tall, robust, ebony-skinned woman has a lovely skin to go with it. She is always a head stunner at any event she attends wearing designer outfits, shoes and bags, especially her hair fascinators and they are not in cheap naira. A lawyer by profession with over 35 years post-call experience, she has been in legal practice with her husband since 1987 and she is a founding partner in the law firm Iluyomade and Iluyomade and co. She is a member of International Bar Association, her formative years were spent at Queens College. She founded Handmaidens women in leadership series and Arise Women which is an NGO. She has also initiated the ‘’born to inspire award’’. She plays host to Tens of thousands of participants at the ARISE WALK FOR LIFE that is held annually. She co pastors RCCG city of David alongside her husband as wife of the special assistant to the General Overseer for CSR and Regional Pastor of region 20. Since 1999, she has tirelessly provided world class hospitality at the redemption camp during the Holy Ghost Congress. She is also an incurable romantic and accomplished author with a collection of poems and published works She is on the board of various organizations such as visible assets limited, Gods Children Great talent, Healing Stripes Hospital, River Bank School to mention a few.
Indeed, the story and trajectory of Ibijoke Sanwoolu who is the first Medical Practitioner to become the First Lady of Lagos State is that of exceptional combination of beauty and intellect. And more importantly, she has been passionately consistent with her abiding faith in the aphorism that the true essence of life is to make every effort for the world to be a better place.
Born on January 8, 1967 to the family of Paulinus Olusegun Carrena of Popoaguda, Brazilian descendant area of Lagos Island, Ibijoke holds Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S) from the prestigious University of Lagos, Akoka. She also has in her academic kitty a Post Graduate Diploma in Hospital and Health Management (PGDHM); Diploma in Anesthesia (DA); Masters of Public Health (MPH) and Masters in Business Administration (MBA). She is married to the number one man in Lagos, H.E Babajide Sanwoolu.
Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, Pauline Tallen is one of the most audacious and admired women in politics in Northern Nigeria.She blazed the trail to become the first female Deputy Governor in Northern Nigeria when she was appointed the Deputy Governor of Plateau State in 2007. Her political career started in 1976 at age 17 when she was the clerical officer at Shendam local government council, then later ministry of local government affairs..She continued active politics In 2011 when she joined Labour Party (Nigeria), then contested in the gubernatorial election of the state. By 1994, she was made a councillor in Plateau State. She was made commissioner in the state by the military government between 1994 and 1999.
In 1999, she was appointed Minister of State for science and technology, becoming the first woman to be appointed as a minister in that capacity by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. She is a successful woman not only in politics but her life has recorded many successes and she has a good marriage to show for it. The woman who has a passion for leading women is married to John Tallen, who was a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party.
-TAYO OYEDIJI
