......... As he speaks on his 18 years medical experiences
Dr.Thomas-Wilson Ikubese is a poet writer with several volumes of poetry to his credit, a public and motivational speaker, columnist, leadership consultant, an entrepreneur cum Politician. He is the convener of the YesWeFit Revolution. The Chief medical Director of Sckye hospital speaks on his over 18 years medical experience and his political career. Enjoy!
Can you briefly tell us about yourself?
Am Dr. Thomas- Williams Ikubese was born in Lagos to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ikubese on Sunday 22nd of November, 1970. My father is from Amai Local Government area while my mother hails from Ughelli both in Delta State, Nigeria. I attended Cherubim and Seraphim primary school, Ikorodu, Lagos state 1977-1983 and proceeded to Majidun Community Grammar School, Ikorodu 1983-1988. Upon the completion of my School Certificate in 1988, I proceed to the University of Benin School of Medicine where I studied Medicine and Surgery. During my University day's, I was a honourable congress man, later the Speaker of congress, and chairman caretaker committee of the University of Benin Medical Student Association (UBEMSA). Today am the Chairman/ CEO of Sckye group, a multidimensional business conglomerate. I presently run Sckye hospital and diagnostics limited as the Chief Medical Director. Am the President HEAVENLY MINISTRIES, a Christian evangelical outreach. Am also the founder THE THOMAS-WILSON FOUNDATION, a global mind-building organization which motto is Personal development and entrepreneurship. Am an active member of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). I once served has the Financial Secretary of the Ondo State branch of the association between 2008-2010. Also the Publicity secretary of the association and the chairman respectively and the publicity committee 2010-2012. Am an active member of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN. Also a distinguished member of Junior Chambers International (JCI), a leadership development organization, where I have held various leadership positions both at Collegiate (including LOM president) and City LOM levels among others. Aside from been a medical doctor, am into politics, I declared for the presidential seat during the last Presidential Election under the platform of National Conscience Party (NCP) in July 24th, 2017 I later dump the party and joined Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) on 14th May 2018.
Thank you very much, while growing up, I have this passion for taking care of people and putting smiles on their face and you will agree with me that medicine is basically about humanitarian service and saving life's. I needed a profession that will give me the opportunity to render help to the people and the society at large, it will interest you to know that, in my hospital we render free anti natal service and am proud to say we are the only private health sector that does that in ondo state, we do free ultra scan, free blood group, free genotype and you deliver your baby free of charge, we have been doing this since 2004. A lot of people who couldn’t afford there bills we discharged them without collecting a kobo from them and that had been part of my service to the community and which is one of the reason why I chose to study medicine.
Will you say you are fulfilled despite the challenges?
Yes I will say been a medical doctor is challenging because I could remember when we were at the medical school our professor's do tell us that if you want to be a multi billionaire in life, medicine is not the course to study. But what I know is that medicine will make you comfortable and super wealthy because you live for the people, you live sacrificing and you have no life of your own. And in terms of fulfillment I will say yes am fulfilled, I feel fulfilled because I have been able to assist the people, by helping them to become fulfilled. It will interest you that I don’t feel fulfilled until the people around me are fulfilled, so to that extent I have being a fulfilled medical practitioner.
It will interest you that I never like politics and even haven’t contested for Presidential race I can’t say that am a politician and when people refer to me as a politician I developed this instinct within me but what I believe and I will always believe is that Nigeria can be much better than this, we have everything it takes to make this nation be the pride of Africa, so in 2011, I wrote a book titled “My Prescription for Nigeria” and the book contain about 30 recommendation of things we must do to make Nigeria a great nation, It was sent to the then President Goodluck Jonathan but he didn’t nurture it. So I waited in 2015 when president Buhari came in, I sent the book again to him though he mention 2 or 3 observation and recommendation from the book but at the end much was not done and I came to conclusion that our political class are not likely to implement the content of recommendation in the book basically because it takes power away from them and put it in the hand's of the masses. It makes the governance to be purely service and not accumulation of wealth and that was while in July 24th, 2017 I declare to run for the post of the president using my book as my manifestos, I was the first young aspirants then to declare for the number 1 seat in Nigeria this was one of the reasons why I joined the race because many of those aspiring for the president seat where elderly people and they are not ready to make it happen. I didn’t join politics to make money, I didn’t go into it to gain popularity, I went into politics because I have the prescription that can make nigeria work which I believe. You see the government is old enough to implement those recommendation and make Nigeria work, since the bold and brave people can’t do it, I felt, let me go into the race, so I can implement the recommendation and make Nigeria work again. I will say politics is fun.
As a stakeholder in Ondo state, what had been your impact?
Yea, all glory to God almighty since 2004, we have been running free anti natal service in the state and we have won lots of award in this regard. Though it had not be easy without having government support and even the one the immediate past administration started, people are now paying because it is not easy to sustain it but as a private sector, we have been doing this since 2004 and this year makes it 16 years we at SCKYE had been able to sustain it. It will interest you to know that the then governor mimiko’s administration copied it from us. So that is just one of the little ways that we have been able to impact and render our service to the people of Ondo state. Aside that people with financial issues thst do come to our hospital, we treat people for free, we believe safety first and this had been our little way of contributing to the health sector in Ondo state.
It will interest you that Sckye is a conglomerate of acronym, the S stands for my middle name, the C represent the first letter of my mother’s name, the K stands for knowledge which means without knowledge you can’t do anything and then Y stands for the people that we believe should benefit from our services and the E stands for what I consider most important in life which is eternity. So when you combine everything together, it means my mother mean so much to me and combining the necessary knowledge to make you and I have eternity at the end of it all.
Within the period you decided to do politics, how were you able to balance your role as a medical doctor and at the same time a politician?
It was very tasking because most of the time I was on the road, on air and most of the time having meetings with different people at different location with different political interest. So it wasn’t easy, it was tasking for me to do that. Though I have capable group of health workers who are always on ground to take care of things whenever am not around and this makes my patient not to miss me a lot because the system is so balanced that it can be run whether an there or not. But I must say it was not easy balancing the two together.
Hmmmm, yes there are couple of time I feel like quitting my job because as a doctor you actually don’t have a life of your own, that is the truth of the matter, your life is based on how many life's you are able to save. Am always on red alert because of emergency, even if am in the bedroom with my wife my phone is always on 24 hours 7 days, I never switch it off, at worst when am in the church I put in vibration and I will be checking it every minutes, so I will say “it’s a life of sacrifice. There are some instances that I will say Oh God, not again why can’t I just have a time for myself” there was this time I took my wife out, having placed our order we were awaiting for our order to arrive, when I received a call from the hospital that a women had been in labour for hours, she couldn't progress and she was already in distress that I need to come urgently and carry out operation on her but thank God am married to a Nurse who understand the nature of my work, so I just told her politely that sweetheart am sorry I have to go now, I can’t wait for the pepper soup that we just have to go and we left the place immediately, so this are some of the sacrifice that one had to made. Being a medical practitioner one have to sacrifice, you don’t have a life except you deliberately sometimes break heart and say no, today let me enjoy myself and let someone else take charge while am not around.
How do you relax yourself?
Laugh….. that’s quite interesting, at my leisure time I love swimming, whenever am less busy especially on Sunday I take time out to swim with my family. I also play table tennis and once in a while I relax with cheese game even though cheese game make one think more than you playing a game but these are the ways I relax from time to time.
.png)
0 Comments