Why I’m Raising N100m For Cancer — Bimbo Oloyede at 70

By Morenike Taire

Unknown to many of her teeming fans, veteran broadcaster, Bimbo Oloyede was the first female network broadcaster in Nigeria. More significantly, she has stayed the course, a rarity in her field and as she turns 70 in a few days, she has no plans whatsoever of slowing down.

Congratulations as you turn 70 in a few days. How does that feel?

I feel very grateful to God for bringing me this far. It’s been a rollercoaster of a journey but I guess that would be so for anybody that has lived to this age. God has given me peace of mind and strengthened me. I am thankful for the family that I have. They have been really supportive and I am particularly grateful to my children who have been rays of sunshine in my life. I feel happy, quite excited that I am going to join some of my friends on the 7th floor.

I look forward to doing a variety of different things. Some of them may not be new.

Looking back, I really have a lot to be grateful for. I am healthy and life is good.

You are a role model to thousands of women of different generations who look up to you and are practising broadcasters or looking to practise. What advice would you be giving to them at this time as we come to the end of the television era? What have you learnt that they can benefit from at the end of your own career-ish?

I am glad you added the ‘ish’ because as I am talking to you, I am having discussions with a couple of people about new program ideas so I can’t say that I have come to the end of my career. We say that once you are a broadcaster, you are always a broadcaster.

One of the things I think is most important is to have a professional attitude to your work. You get to meet a lot of people and there are lots of social opportunities but the important thing is to enjoy the social perks but those sort of perks are probably longer lasting if your performance is maintained at a high standard.

It’s important to sustain standards and that can only be done if you work hard. You do your research, verify the information that you have, practise when you can and ensure everything you require to give a good performance is done.

Whenever anything goes wrong, it is professionalism that actually keeps you afloat. The next is to enjoy what you do.

One of the things that are most gratifying about being a broadcaster is that no two days are the same. The content changes every day so there is always something new to look forward to on a daily basis. That is something that should be embraced, almost revered. We should not take the job that we do for granted.

There are thousands of people that will love to be doing what you are doing. Be grateful for the privilege. The third thing is to ask for feedback. Don’t assume that it was a perfect job. Nobody gives a perfect performance. You can always learn from other people. Ask the opinion of your colleagues and bosses and listen to your playback. If you are objective, it’s possible to pick things you could have done better.

You’re trying to raise money for cancer patients knowing how devastating cancer can be especially to the finances. Why exactly are you doing this and what would you like to happen going forward? What would you like to see change about cancer care in the country?

I think it’s important to mark my 70th in a slightly different way. I have seen what cancer can do to people at close quarters because some members of my family have been affected and I know the help that I received at times that I needed it. It is a taking and expensive process and having received that assistance, other people deserve the opportunity to take their treatment with some dignity, sense of hope and equipment that ease some of the discomfort that they go through. That is my basic reason for this cancer fund. It is my hope that at the end of the day, we will also be able to facilitate some research because there’s no way to make a headway with treatment unless research is done and I don’t see why research should be taking place only in other countries.

Research ought to take place here too and from my investigations, it is actually ongoing but we understand that it is expensive to do.

Part of the money will go towards research and part towards buying accessories that will ease the discomfort of patients on treatment days. It’s my hope that we will record some difference in the way they feel about themselves. It might not be easy to measure but you can tell if people have gone through a particular experience, they feel more comfortable. You can ask questions and you can tell. Hopefully, we will be able to keep raising the funds.

I have to succumb to the temptation of asking about your beauty routine. You have remained green and I am sure I am not the only one who wonders…

I am quite lazy when it comes to beauty routines and I don’t start what I won’t finish. The only thing that I did start is exercise. Not the gym but up until about 60, I would jog in the morning and I did it virtually every morning for years. After 60, I was advised to stop running and start walking. As much as possible, I walk every morning. It gives me a good start to the day. I get new ideas. It keeps me alert. I like to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

At a point, my hair was relaxed but in the past 7 years, I have kept my hair natural. I have just left it to be whatever colour it wants to be. Grey, white, whatever. Basically I have peace of mind and take each day as it comes.

My mother who passed on last year looked much younger than her 90 years so I guess it is in the genes. When you enjoy what you do, it gives some harmony. I have a good relationship with my children and their friends are quite often around so having young people to laugh with helps you to feel young even if you don’t look it. My grandchildren are also quite an interesting bunch. They keep me on my toes.