Popular Inspirational Fm OAP, Aunt Landa or Yolanda as she is fondly
called who anchors a counselling and empowerment radio talk show,
‘Sharing Life’s Issues with Yolanda’ has revealed she had 18
miscarriages before she finally took in. She also said she had up to 97
suitors before she finally agreed to marry one.
Yolanda also
spoke about her foundation, talks about how she cares for her husband
and child without the help of a nanny or cook even though she has to
sometimes wake up as early as 4.30am in the morning and how she is
gradually changing the world. Read all these and more in a chat she had
with Vera Wisdon Bassey after the cut.
You seem to be a workaholic, how do you derive your strength?There
are two kinds of people. The first, are those who wake up in the
morning to make a living, and another wake up because they must and
that is the way they are.
I live by helping people and so it
makes it easier to fix schedules. Even though it is hectic some days to
the point that I just feel like lying down, but when I remember the
people that need my attention, (as you saw the crowd here today), I’m
moved to leave the house to attend to their needs. Some of them are sick
but cannot afford their drugs, people who are molested and all of that,
you just have to get up and keep moving.
Considering your very tight schedule, do you have time for your husband?I
have a family time, and when people call at such times, I usually tell
them, no, this is a time I attend to my family. My husband, a
cardiologist, is the medical director of the foundation. We met when he
was also on a missionary job. So both of us do the same thing. Mine in a
crazier version to a certain level. However, he has been so supportive,
and is my biggest fan. I never take my family for granted.
First
of all, I am a child of God, a wife and don’t have a nanny. I don’t
have a cook; so, cook my husband’s meals everyday. When I’m leaving the
house, whether 4:30 or 6:00am, I must have prepared his breakfast,
while his launch and his dinner are in the microwave. So am changing the
world, first of all I make sure I have the backing of my family.
How do your male fans see you?Well,
before I got married, I had 97 men wanting my hands in marriage. He was
one of the 97 suitors. I never dated anybody, as I was so busy with my
missionary works and all of that. I appreciate and reverence the
person God has given me. Men are hunters, and they will always be
attracted to women.
Whenever people come to me I always draw the
demarcation, I care for them. I love everybody but there is certain
love that is reserved for my husband alone.
How do you source your funds, material and drugs?Last
week, my husband and I had to sell our property, because the company
that was helping us with some of the drugs stopped. Right now we don’t
have sponsors, because we are like Jesus center, if I may say so. We do
public service, and that is why, people are coming and going. We reach
out to people once in a while. And so at the end of the year, we are
planning a bazaar, where people will come and buy things from us, so
that we can put the money into the foundation. We raise funds we are
restricted to the good will of the people.
But the basic funds
are from my husband and I that is why sometimes we have to do jobs. For
me no matter how exhausted I might be I have to go for conferences. The
money I’m paid for speaking at the conferences is used to run the
foundation.
So, no corporate organisation has been assisting you?No,
the only partnership we have with any organisation is Inspiration Fm,
and they are our media partners. Whenever we have events they carry us
along, but for cheques none for now.
How did you meet your husband?Well,
as I said we were on a missionary job to Zamfara with some young
people. There was this strange man, as strange as he was, although we’ve
met earlier, one of my friends have introduced him to me. Both of them
were doctors. Funny enough, less than two minutes, I saw this young man
we started talking and I found out that we have the same passion. There
were so many suitors, and I said to him that I’ve worked with God for a
long time and I have to pray to be sure that he’s my right husband. I
thank God that I made the right choice; he’s the best. He is from Abia
State.
You have over 15 centres in Lagos, how do you manage them?I
have PA’s that are assigned to the centers. Most of our centers are
private; we have several cases we handle that are a bit sensitive, some
people come in for addiction issues. They don’t even want other people
to know what their problems are; some are molested and would not want
the public to know them. We have others who go for abortion, they come
and we give them some money every week to talk care of themselves. They
get between N1, 000 and N3, 000. Instead of aborting, we train them on
skill acquisition, and also give them reasons why they can be mothers.
In this way they can be useful to themselves after delivery, and some of
these girls are hiding away from their parents. So the centre cuts
across. I have a health plan and try not to do everything myself. My
husband is a medical director, so most Wednesday, my husband alongside
his friends who are medical doctors assist.
Although am a
gynecologist, I work mostly in places where am needed and I try as much
as possible to stick to my routine. There are some people that wait for
two years before they see me, and there are some counselors that the
foundation pays, and some volunteer also come to work with us. But the
problem I have is that most of the patients after seeing the other
counselors still want to see me, and so I have a backlog and overdue
cases. Right now, the vision is strange, people complain that my husband
and I are not being paid, but from our pocket we still have to pay the
people that we employed. They don’t understand, but eventually am going
to sell my property to help people without being paid.
How long have you been on this?Unofficially,
we’ve been doing this for the past six years; from 2008, we started by
gathering teenagers. In 2010, we started fully with three volunteers,
and we had a programme at Makoko, where more than 763 girls and children
came out and admitted that they had been sexually abused. Some of the
children didn’t want their parents to know that they were sexually
abused but somebody they can trust. So, some of them were bitter and
angry, and we had to rehabilitate them.
What is the lowest moment of your life?Life
has not been a bed of roses for me. The period I was waiting on God for
the fruit of the womb, was one of the worst moments. On the last
Saturday in 2012, to be precise, I was doing a show on miscarriage,
while I had miscarriage the weekend of the crossover into the New Year.
And I went on air and I said, “if you’ve just miscarried share it with
me.”
People were calling, saying, Aunt Landa; you don’t know
what it feels to miscarry. But they had no idea that I have just
miscarried. But from that period, God picked up that lowest moment. It
was low, but somehow, I found out in my valley, that the moment I was
able to speak to one person, I was able to pick myself up. To some
people, when they are at their lowest moment they buy dresses for
themselves, but for me, I look for people to help. I had 18 miscarriages
before I eventually took in.
With your miscarriage, you still went on air?Yes,
if I had not done so, I would have still reached out to someone. Some
people were made to serve, while some were made to worship. I believe
that in every ministry, there is a calling for everyone. I did not go to
Bible school because I wanted to be a pastor, but to know where God
needs me to work. Am not a great leader, but am happier when I help
people, it makes my day.
What inspires you?To see God
use me to help the helpless; find hope by the words of my mouth and
transform frowns into smiles. To love and know I am loved
unconditionally. That’s my inspiration.
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