Introduction:
I am Ebenezer Anifowose, I have a bachelor’s degree in Anatomy from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Oyo State and a master’s degree in nutrition with Public Health Management from Sheffield Hallam University, UK. I am passionate about health education and I look forward to a world where no one will have to die from a preventable disease.
What do you do/where do you work?
I am the founder of Healthucate Nigeria, a health promotion social enterprise which works to promote positive behaviour change for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. I have also worked with some local and international NGOs as a public health specialist with expertise in monitoring and evaluation of health interventions to eradicate malaria in Nigeria. Through Healthucate, I have developed Nigeria’s first health and fitness board game which will launch in a few weeks (www.lifechamp.org). Other products and ideas I have developed at Healthucate include www.foodfactsng.org, and www.healthbux.com.ng
Asides Healthucate, I also manage Ebenny Innovative Consults, a business and brand consulting firm which specialises in business start-up advisory, brand consulting and professional writing services which includes writing CVs, business plans, proposals, policy and other forms of business documents. I am an author and have written two books, Handling the Teenage Years (still available for free downloads at www.purposefulteen.wordpress.com) and The Winning CV Blueprint, available on Amazon (www.amazon.com/dp/B07DM5JVVX) and you can download a free chapter via Facebook messenger (http://bit.ly/WinningCV2)
How did you come about the decision of what you currently do/a brief history of your career choices that have led you up to this point?
My career path has been one of uncertainties, self-discovery and a pursuit of passion and I have learnt that with passion, dedication and a desire to be a problem solver, the path becomes clearer and the best always works out. I wanted to study medicine at the University, but I was offered a place in Human Anatomy. By my final year of undergraduate studies, I was unsure of what direction I was headed with my career but the electives I took in physiology piqued my interests in nutrition and physiotherapy. After a brief stint in a supplement company and my knowledge of preventive health became clearer, I made up my mind to pursue nutrition as a career. To make that switch from Anatomy to Nutrition, I knew I had to get a postgraduate degree and I wanted to do it outside my home country, so I could get the best quality education available globally. At that time, public health was a popular postgraduate course but because I had defined what I really wanted to do, I set out trying to search for a course that would be a perfect fit for me and I discovered nutrition and public health management.
My career path has been one of uncertainties, self-discovery and a pursuit of passion and I have learnt that with passion, dedication and a desire to be a problem solver, the path becomes clearer and the best always works out. Ebenezer Anifowose
After my postgraduate studies, I got a job offer as a data consultant in Society for Family Health, an indigenous NGO working on a malaria project. While doing that and other stints with various NGOs, I continued to execute my ideas and projects through my own company. I had registered Healthucate Limited immediately I returned to my home country after my master’s degree and I set to work to design and develop a health and fitness board game which is part of the grand objective of Healthucate to promote health education using creative mediums to empowers people to make positive dietary and lifestyle choices. However, since Healthucate is not profit driven but focused on community development, I had to think of other things to do to generate income. This was why I decided to commercialize my professional writing skills for crafting good CVs and proposals and this translates to the other business I currently run, Ebenny Innovative Consults (Ebenny Inc).
What inspires or drives you, why do you do what you do?
My biggest drive is helping people, my career choices, businesses and social enterprise revolve around helping people. Once I can afford it (time, money, resources, skill). I am up for a task if it will make people’s life better or easier. This underlying drive is also what inspired and settled my career choice, as I came to the realization that if certain diseases are preventable, why should people come down with them out of ignorance. This is what drives me to continue to innovate as a public health nutritionist.
What skills or habits did you develop along the way that helped you get here and helps you in keeping up with the demands of what you currently do?
Having passion for what you do is important, like I said earlier, my desire to impact people through education and coaching has helped me to keep thinking of one more thing I can do. Another important skill is proper communication and people skills; because of what I do, I interact with different people from different backgrounds and I have learnt the necessity of having a good working relationship with people. This is a skill I had to develop over time, but the payoffs are huge as sound emotional intelligence helps you manage people and their expectations. Leadership skills are also important, it is not enough to be passionate or want to help or lead people, you must learn how to lead and not just assume you know how to lead. I believe leadership is best learnt by understudying a leader and developed through taking up leadership responsibilities. Time management skills, proper planning and focus has also helped me.
However, I think the biggest skill that I have found useful is the ability to think like a problem solver and absorb whatever opportunity to learn that I find. For example, my company Ebenny Inc started as a means to solve a problem I encountered when I went for my compulsory national service year (NYSC) in 2011. I was reposted to serve in Ebonyi State, Nigeria and on arrival, I wished there was a way I could access information such as best place to cut my hair, to shop for quality gadgets, clothes and so on. I even wished there was an easy way to map out the city and find my way around. When I saw that no one was going to grant my wish, I stopped wishing and thought of doing something about it myself.
This was when I thought of publishing an advertorial and publication which I called “MoneyWise Corper” The publication had the map of the state capital, and address of popular places. I had decided to give out the first edition free and sought for advertisement from businesses to fund the production and I was able to raise just about 30% of the printing cost but I went ahead to publish it. Thankfully, I did not spend a fortune to get it done because I designed and published the publication myself. I was able to design and publish the advertorial myself because I had learnt about design and print while I served as the production secretary of the Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students as an undergraduate.
I think the biggest skill that I have found useful is the ability to think like a problem solver and absorb whatever opportunity to learn that I find. Ebenezer Anifowose
Serving in that role meant I was in charge of all graphics design and printing productions of the 500-student member body. Meanwhile I could not use any graphic software prior to that time. I did not realize the responsibility that was placed on me until a day to our weekly bible study session. I was told to produce the outline and I almost freaked out. Here I was, I had never used CorelDraw neither did I have any idea of how to print at the press. I was supported by my predecessor for the first week’s production and I afterwards had to self-teach myself CorelDraw and with time learnt the ropes of the printing industry. That opportunity to learn while serving in that role changed my life. It was this skill I relied on to publish my magazine as a corps member and till date it still serves me, as I still design my company graphics including logos, fliers, brochures, banners and so on myself.
When I saw that no one was going to grant my wish, I stopped wishing and thought of doing something about it myself. Ebenezer Anifowose
Can you give some insight into a task or responsibility you had to handle and how you were able to achieve it?
A very recent example is a project I worked on between April and May this year. The project was the replacement campaign for mass distribution of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) in Ogun State and I served as a local government coordinator for one of the local government councils. This role came with the responsibility of providing support to the local government team which included the director of public health, the health educator and malaria focal officer. It also meant I had to support 20 Ward supervisors who were matrons, many of which were old enough to be my mum. I also had to provide training and guidance to about 400 persons within the 7 weeks project. The success of my role required me to rely so much on my people skills to deal with the different personalities I had to work with. At the end of the project, I was not surprised that across the LGA, we achieved 92% of our target. I will say again that people skills is very important, because it is not enough to have technical expertise of what you do or have other great attributes, if you do not keep mastering how to relate and communicate with people, it can hinder success.
That opportunity to learn while serving in that role changed my life…and till date it still serves me. Ebenezer Anifowose
What other things/area of your life do you have to juggle with your work and how do you find a balance?
I juggle my family responsibilities as a husband to my lovely wife and a father to my awesome son. I also run a Facebook community; Learn to Write- where I coach hundreds of people on how to write winning CVs, applications, proposals, business plans and grant applications and I am committed to my local church assembly. Finding balance is an ongoing project but I have learnt to prioritize and adopt a daily routine which I can stick to.
I will say again that people skills is very important, because it is not enough to have technical expertise of what you do or have other great attributes, if you do not keep mastering how to relate and communicate with people, it can hinder success. Ebenezer Anifowose
Do you have a spiritual practice?If so, has this influenced or helped you in your work or decisions in anyway?
Spirituality for me is a lifestyle and my faith in Jesus is my most important relationship. I find comfort from the busy world in my private worship life and I also fellowship regularly with other believers in my local church assembly.
Other extracurricular, social or philanthropic enterprise:
I volunteer from time to time with Junior Achievement Nigeria, Leap Africa and other opportunities I can make time for. For me, it is more about giving back and dying empty, so as much as it lies in my power, I live to make a difference in the lives of others. I am passionate about supporting teenagers to make the most of their teenage hood and from time to time, I speak to teen aged audiences on various topics that matter to them.
One more thing you intend to do or are working towards:
I ‘used’ to be a reader and I have read a lot of books in my lifetime especially while growing up in my early twenties but in the last few years, I do not seem to find the time to read the books I want to. Right now, I am working my way towards incorporating more reading into my routine and I am doing this through audio books, so I can listen while on the move and I love it. I am currently listening to my first audio book and the experience is thrilling.
For me, it is more about giving back and dying empty, so as much as it lies in my power, I live to make a difference in the lives of others. Ebenezer Anifowose
Other insights or words of wisdom/encouragement you would like to share with the readers?
I have lived by some very basic guiding principles which include;
Do unto others as you want them to do to you.
Never treat others based on other people’s opinion of them, always give people the benefit of doubt that they are good at heart. Don’t judge them before you even meet them.
Treat everyone with respect but give more respect especially to the people who do for you what you cannot do for yourself or have the time to do for yourself i.e your gate man who opens your office gate or the cleaner who cleans your toilet.
Always give people allowance to offend you and when they do, forgive them. Then when you forgive them, never treat them the way they have treated you. Do not repay evil for evil but rather repay evil with good.
Know people for who they are and accept their strength as well as flaws. All you need to do is set boundaries and deal with them responsibly in ways that you do not invite their weaknesses to your doorstep. For example, you have a colleague who is lousy. I mean really lousy and everyone knows he is. It is futile to pick an offence when this colleague of yours runs his mouth at you for no reason. You already know who he is and how that is his natural proclivity, so your part is to have personal boundaries that can help you deal with such person responsibly.
Hone your skill, that talent you have can be developed and then turned into a means of generating income. Before I started charging for editing CVs, I was already helping family and friends rewrite their CVs since 2011 and I remember organizing career workshop and mock interview sessions for other corps members in Ebonyi. With time the hobby became an income stream that has generated a lot of encouraging feedback.
Know people for who they are and accept their strength as well as flaws. All you need to do is set boundaries and deal with them responsibly in ways that you do not invite their weaknesses to your doorstep. Ebenezer Anifowose
Thank you
Mr Ebenezer Anifowose
Public Health Specialist // Professional Writing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/ebenezeranifowose