By Eric Elezuo
Many women have done well in their chosen fields of endeavours, sustaining human capacity development, uplifting entrepreneurship and contributing immensely to growth of the nation’s GDP, but quite a few has exceeded the proverbial good, venturing into better while aiming at the ultimate best. Among such women of unquantifiable abilities in the midst of gross challenges is the well known global wellness and human capacity development expert, Dr. Adebisi Oluwatoyin Abiola.
Adorned with a hard earned doctorate degree, and in and out feminine beauty, Dr. Abiola is not just a force to reckon with in wellness development, but is also an authority in international diplomacy and development which has placed her in a good position to handle consultancy briefs on international relations and international development management.
Her exposure in diverse areas of life has given her particular role to play regarding international organisations in the social, economic, and political development in Africa. She is also versed in consultancy services in international marketing and developmental research. It is not by accident that she has a wide range of experiences in the areas of fitness and wellness, personal care, food, publishing, and sports industries, and believes passionately in a healthy lifestyle. This passion has driven her into authoring three books on healthy living, in addition to publication of Indulge™ Health and Fitness Magazine.
Highly educated, Dr. Oluwatoyin Abiola, was trained by the best of academic institutions the world can boasts of. She is a proud graduate of the prestigious Oxford University, the London School of Economics (University of London) as well as Aberdeen University in the United Kingdom. Her academic qualifications and experience are basically in the area of International Relations, International Development with specific regards to international, regional, or multi-national commissions.
Dr. Abiola began her high level academic tutelage in 1978 at the University of Aberdeen, where she studied Politics & International Relations, acquiring M.A. Hons in Political Studies in 1981. She was later admitted into the University of Oxford in 1982, and graduated in 1985 with M.Litt in International Relations in 1985, not before indulging in activities and societies including belonging to Female Rowing Team, St Antony College, and conducting successful research on Multinational/International Organisations.
In 1986, Dr. Abiola joined The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and graduated with a Ph.D in International Relations in 1990, excelling with a thesis titled ‘The process of internationalisation and the Africanisation of the British Colonial Administrative Service in the Gold Coast and British Togoland, 1919-1957: A study in international inducement of administrative reforms.
An independent woman, who had lived her life believing in, and working out her abilities, Bisi Abiola, as she is fondly called, took the world by storm with the establishment of Indulge™ Group of Companies, a healthy living focused and advocacy organization, positioned to ensure that Africans feel and look great for life. This she sits atop as the founder/Chief Executive Officer.
She said this of herself: “My academic qualifications and experience in the area of International Relations, International Development (specifically as regards international, regional, or multi-national commissions) and Diplomacy place me in a good position to handle consultancy briefs on international relations and international development management, with particular emphasis on the role of international organizations in the social, economic, and political development in Africa.”
Dr. Abiola is not a woman to be limited by the constraints of professionalism, she is a professional tiger in quite many other areas of interest including managerial/administrative duties in international marketing; personnel management, and developmental research in socio-economic and political studies. She also has a wide range of experience in the fitness and wellness, personal care, food, publishing, and sports industries. She is highly versatile, no doubt.
Before the establishment of her flagship company, Indulge, Dr. Abiola was privileged to indulge in other professional activities including working as Marketing Manager (Personal Care), Unilever, between and brand development, supervising growth in the market place, and profitability which sits at the bottom line.
Bisi Abiola may be missing the presence of her late husband, Chief MKO Abiola, with whom she was highly obsessed when he was still on this side. But one fact no one can deny is that Bisi, who runs the Indulge Group, is not missing her late husband’s generosity and pampering.
In 2004, she launched her Indulge company, located at 37 Joel Ogunnaike Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, and became the Managing Director/CEO. Her duties, which she performed with the transparency and integrity of an award winner, were, but not limited to Consultancy on wellness, brand development Indulge products – healthy snack, perfume, sports wear.
Her dexterity gave her the ability to also indulge in publication a bi-monthly health and fitness magazine, INDULGE, and two other books, Indulge in Healthy Living, Indulge Health & Fitness Handbook, and later, Waving in the Wind as a project. A true amazon, she also organises wellness workshop/seminars and an annual Indulge Wellness Award which appreciates companies and individuals that contribute to the promotion of healthy lifestyle of Africans in addition to a yearly Feel Good Festival.
She has been engaged in various volunteer experiences in a way to give back to the society. Some of them are Heathy Lifestyle empowerment programs at Churches, Government Institutions, Corporate Organisations and selected NGOs.
Speaking on her publications, she told The Boss:
Though she preferred to be described and presented in her own person, Dr. Abiola is the widow of the June 12, 1993 hero, Chief MKO Abiola, who died in detention in July 1998. She cuts the sight of gorgeous, independence and confidence.
It has been said that she is a rare breed of womanhood, who though was very young when her husband died, refused to remarry, but chose to run the race of matrimonial and motherhood on her own. She goes about with a high sense of contentment and confidence.
To as many that know her, Dr. Abiola is head over heels in love with keeping fit and helping others to keep others fit, as well as raising children that fit into the Abiola legacy.
She is a woman of a kind. She is an amazon. She is Dr. Adebisi Oluwatoyin Abiola.
For all that you have done to uphold humanity, and keep the Abiola hope alive, you are our Boss of the Week. Congratulations ma!
