Ben Olowojebutu is a doctor and founder of the Benjamin Olowojebutu Foundation. He tells NAOMI CHIMA about his philanthropic activities, which include conducting over 10,000 free surgeries, and other issues
Tell us about your family background and how it influenced your career choice.
I grew up observing acts of love and service to humanity. My father taught us (children) a lot of things about love, and its impact on the community. My mother, who was a teacher, also taught me that if I studied Mathematics every day, I was going to become a mathematician. So, as a young boy, I knew I was going to do something that would affect humanity. That was why I chose to study Medicine and Surgery.
What schools did you attend?
I had my primary education at Sanya Primary School; and secondary school education at the popular Ansar-Ud-Deen High School; both in Surulere, Lagos. I bagged a MBBS degree in 2006 from the University of Lagos. I also have a diploma in Family Medicine from the Nigerian National Postgraduate Medical College, Ijanikin, Lagos. I hold a certificate in Leadership in International Health Management from the University of Washington, United States of America; and a certificate in Health Executive Leadership Program from the Health Leadership Academy, Lagos.
Can you share some of the challenges you faced while growing up and how they influenced your journey to becoming a medical doctor?
I have faced a lot of challenges, but I refused to allow them bring me down. I was about 11 years old and in SS1 when my dad lost his job, leaving my mother and me to fend for the family. As a young boy, who had to contribute to the upkeep of the family, I would gather junior students, collect N5 from each of them and teach them Mathematics after school. That taught me resilience and problem-solving skills; and as a doctor, one must be able to make decisions at critical moments. That taught me a lot as a child who went through hard times, and it contributed to who I have become.
What inspired your decision to establish the Benjamin Olowojebutu Foundation?
On November 4, 2016, I was on my way from work, when a drunk driver rammed into my car. My leg was broken in three places. I was rushed to a very big hospital in Lagos (name withheld), and I was left on the floor for four hours. Nobody attended to me. In that excruciating pain, I practically died, as nobody checked my blood pressure or gave me a pain killer. I just lay there bleeding and in that pain, I went into a trance. It felt like I was literarily talking to God, and I heard Him tell me to return. He said, “You have not finished your assignment. You must go back and help women in Africa”. Immediately I woke up from that trance, I knew something divine had happened to me. On August 1, 2018, only a few months after recovering from that ordeal, I put together resources and all my dad left behind before he died, and I launched the Benjamin Olowojebutu Foundation to be an answer to people’s problems in Nigeria and beyond.
By its first anniversary, the foundation had reached communities in Abia, Imo, Benue, Rivers, Lagos, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Akwa Ibom states, and had conducted well over 1,000 surgeries. What God has done in my life and foundation in the last six years is overwhelming.
What kind of surgeries do you carry out at BOF?
BOF is focused on using health intervention to help people in rural communities get universal healthcare. Our focus is on fibroid surgery and removal, lipoma surgery and removal, Hernia surgery and removal, breast lump surgery and removal, and hydrocele surgery and removal. These are things a lot of people in rural communities face but have no access to healthcare. We just help them get treatment. Our mission is to make love a universal language, because if we love one another, we would help ourselves.
How do you identify and prioritise patients who benefit from the free surgeries carried out by the foundation?
We have people who help us do the groundwork before we get there. They help to identify and categorise the people based on what they need. Then, we carry out the surgeries. Most times, the people that want to benefit exceed our budgets. In such cases, we usually have partners who support us. We have carried out over 10,000 free surgeries across 17 states in Nigeria.
How do you source funds for the surgeries?
I run a private hospital, and 80 per cent of what we make goes into the foundation. The surgeons and nurses we employ know about our culture.
What motivates you to continue doing this?
When women who had issues with having babies for 10 or 15 years come back to me to say, “Dr Ben, look at the baby you helped me give birth to,” that makes me excited, and I am inspired to do more.
What are the most memorable experiences you have had while conducting surgeries?
There was a certain lady, who we had to open up her vagina and practically save her life. The joy for me in that is that she has given birth to children. Her parents circumcised her, because they did not want her to have a boyfriend. So, her vagina was closed. It was a very painful surgery.
What do you envision as the future of BOF, and its impact on healthcare accessibility in Nigeria?
My desire is to have BOF in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country. I want people to have access to healthcare anywhere in the country and without going through numerous hurdles.
What role does partnerships, such as the one with the Arise Monalisa Foundation, play in the activities of BOF?
The AMF partnership gave us publicity and more presence outside the country. With that, we got some other partnerships, which also support us.
As the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State chapter, whose tenure ended in May 2024, what initiatives did you implement to address the healthcare needs of Lagos residents?
My team and I came up with a three-point agenda, which was to focus on Lagos doctors, Lagos healthcare and Lagosians. That started during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reason behind this agenda was to first assure Lagosians that we were there to relieve them of their fears of COVID-19, and grant them what we called ‘premium healthcare service’. So, for us as an association, we tried to increase the value of healthcare services in the state. People came to us in the secretariat to talk about their issues, mismanagement, negligence, and improved access to insurance. It was last year that National Health Insurance Scheme became National Health Insurance Authority, and we are sensitising everyone that if you stay in Lagos, you should have healthcare insurance. And, that really helped us.
It was a roller coaster journey. We also told the government that the salaries of doctors and other healthcare workers should be increased. Doctors also need healthcare insurance, so that when they need surgeries or other healthcare services, the insurance company can pay for it.
What legacies did you leave behind?
I hope that we gave doctors in Lagos an identity. We had an identity card for doctors in Lagos, which gets them discounts with United Airlines and BRT buses. The legacy for us is that Lagos State continues to be the best place for healthcare institutions.
How do you balance your roles as the Medical Director of Twinex Medical Centre and the Executive Director of BOF?
My roles at Twinex Medical Centre and BOF are interwoven. The money we make from Twinex Medical Centre is what we use to fund the free surgeries at BOF.
Could you share some insights into the challenges facing the healthcare sector, which is driving doctors to travel outside the country, and notable people seeking treatment abroad?
To curb the issues of doctors travelling to work outside the country, and notable people travelling, we must talk about better working conditions for medical personnel, in terms of their welfare packages, and even the work environment.
What steps can be taken to address those issues and others that affect doctors in the country?
There must be balance for doctors, in their lives and work, giving them more room to thrive. I am happy that a new minimum wage has been approved. The government must also create what I call the ‘healthcare bank’; where healthcare personnel can get loans without collaterals.
What strategies do you employ to ensure the sustainability and scalability of BOF’s operations?
BOF operations are about creating value for people. I make the system very clean to my subordinates.
Can you give us an overview of the impact BOF has had on communities across Nigeria, particularly in rural and underserved areas?
The impact is overwhelming. It is about the joy we put on peoples’ faces when we solve their problems. We have had over 10, 000 surgeries in over 17 states in the country, and we are still doing more. So, the impact is everywhere.
How do you navigate logistical and administrative hurdles to deliver free surgeries effectively?
It is about collaboration. When we want to visit any state, we get some people who can work with us over there and brief them on what we are about to do. We would then go there with our staff, equipment and medications.
For the equipment we cannot carry, we talk to our counterparts in the state to help us get them. So, we work hand-in-hand with our counterparts wherever we go.
What are your thoughts on the role of technology in improving healthcare delivery, particularly in resource-constrained settings?
Technology has helped in improving healthcare. Tech helps in driving quality, reducing constraints, keeping data and providing feasible solutions in the healthcare sector. So, the role of technology cannot be overemphasised.
What are your hobbies, and how do you unwind and deal with stress?
I watch football matches by Arsenal Football Club. I also love reading, and motivating young doctors.
What is your favourite food?
I eat a lot of foods, but jollof rice and plantain is my favourite dish.
