….Story of Grit, Service, and Advocacy for Women’s Rise in Nigeria
Adewumi Ademiju
CULLED FROM NEWSHEREANDTHERE MAGAZINE
She walks with quiet authority, speaks with the measured tone of a journalist who has seen it all, and leads with the heart of a woman who believes that the future of Nigeria rests on how well we raise our girls today.
Florence Morolake Adewumi is not just a name ,she is a metamorphosis story ,of a girl from humble background, who turned every classroom, newsroom, and government office into a platform for impact.
A thoroughbred journalist who has held substantial positions in her chosen career, she is currently the Head of Corporate Affairs Department in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, EKSUTH, Ado – Ekiti. But beyond the title, she is a voice for women, a mentor to girls, and a believer in the power of education to transform nations.
Born some decades ago to the family of Late Pa John Ojo of Isato Street, Irona, Ado – Ekiti, Morolake’s journey began in the classrooms of Baptist Primary School, Irona, Ado – Ekiti. The discipline and faith instilled there followed her to St. Louis Girls Grammar School, Ikere – Ekiti, where the foundations of confidence and service were laid.
Her quest for knowledge was relentless. She proceeded to Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State, for her NCE. Not satisfied, she earned a BA.Ed. in History from Obafemi Awolowo University, Adeyemi Campus. The pen was calling, so she added a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the International Institute of Journalism, Abuja, and later a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Ekiti State University, EKSU.
“Education is the first liberation for the girl child. When you educate a girl, you are not just training one person. You are preparing a mother, a leader, and a nation builder,” she often says.
For Florence, school was never just about certificates. It was about escape from limitations and entry into possibilities.
Florence began her working career as a Feature Writer and Reporter at the then Third Eye Newspaper in Ibadan, Oyo State. The newsroom was tough, competitive, and largely male. She thrived.
She later served as News Editor at Ekiti Sun Newspaper and Woman Editor at Ekiti Now Newspaper, both in Ado-Ekiti. It was in these roles that her passion for women’s issues sharpened. She used her columns to highlight the struggles of market women, the silence around maternal health, and the dreams of schoolgirls in rural communities.
Her move to the Broadcasting Services of Ekiti State, B.S.E.S, further broadened her reach. Working across several desks in the News Department, she proved herself as a result-oriented journalist with an eye for truth and a heart for the people.
In 2007, her excellence earned her an appointment as Chief Press Secretary to the Wife of Ekiti State Governor. In that office, she managed communication around women empowerment programmes, health outreaches, and girl-child education campaigns. She distinguished herself as a journalist to the core,factual, compassionate, and proactive.
“Women are not a special interest group. Women are the interest of the nation. When we invest in women, we invest in food security, health, education and peace” she noted during one of the state’s women summits.
At the expiration of her service at Government House, she joined Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, EKSUTH in 2014 as Head, Corporate Affairs Department, a position she holds till date.
In a hospital setting, communication is life. Under her leadership, EKSUTH’s public image has grown. She has championed health education campaigns, maternal and child health advocacy, and media engagement that puts patients first.
Her role places her at the intersection of health, policy, and people , the exact space where women’s issues play out daily. From teenage pregnancy to cervical cancer awareness, from nurses’ welfare to girl-child health education, she ensures women’s voices are not missing.
“A healthy girl child becomes a healthy woman, and a healthy woman builds a healthy nation. We cannot talk about national development without talking about the wellbeing of women and girls,” she stressed in a recent hospital outreach.
Florence’s commitment goes beyond her office. She is a member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, and served two terms as Secretary of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ. Through NAWOJ, she mentored young female reporters, organized trainings on gender-sensitive reporting, and led campaigns against gender-based violence.
She has attended numerous professional trainings, conferences, and seminars, earning letters of Recommendation for her pro-active approach to publicity, character, and learning , not only in Ibadan where she started, but across Ekiti State.
Colleagues describe her as firm but fair, brilliant but humble. Young journalists, especially women, see her as proof that it is possible to rise without losing values.
“The girl child must be taught early that her voice matters. Let her speak in class, let her lead in school, let her dream beyond marriage. That is how we produce women who will sit on boards, run hospitals, and shape policy,” she said at an edition of International Day of the Girl Child.
For Florence Morolake Adewumi, advocacy is not a slogan. It is a daily practice. She believes Nigeria’s advancement is tied directly to what happens to girls between ages 10 and 18.
“When we deny the girl child education, we are borrowing trouble for tomorrow. Out-of-school girls become vulnerable women. But when we support her, give her skills and dignity, she becomes an engine for human growth and advancement,” she explained.
She argues that national development must be measured not just by GDP, but by how many girls complete school, how many women access healthcare, and how many mothers can feed their children without fear.
“Development that ignores women is incomplete development. A country that silences half of its population cannot compete globally. We need women in agriculture, in tech, in governance, in health. That is the only way to move forward,” she said.
Her message to parents, especially fathers, is simple: “invest in your daughter the same way you invest in your son.
“Don’t wait for government alone. Start from the home. Let the girl child read, let her play, let her fail and rise. That is how we raise women of strength.”
Away from the office, Florence finds joy in the simple things: writing, reading, surfing the net for the latest information, listening to news, listening to Christian music, and assisting people in her own little way.
She is married with promising children , a home she describes as her first constituency and her greatest source of strength.
Through every role : reporter, editor, CPS, and now Head of Corporate Affairs , she has carried one message: that women are not waiting to be rescued. They are ready to lead, if given the opportunity.
“Nigeria will rise faster when we stop asking ‘what can women do?’ and start asking ‘what can we do to support women to do more?’” she said.
From humble beginning to her present status, Florence Morolake Adewumi’s life is a testament to transformation. The girl child she once was has metamorphosed into a woman of influence, using media, health communication, and advocacy to pull others up.
In a country searching for role models, her story reminds us that leadership can wear a woman’s face, speak with a journalist’s clarity, and serve with a mother’s compassion.
God bless the magnificent lady who blends outer beauty with inner strength, wisdom and grace. Blessed be the day she was born.