Boy meets girl and while they talk, boy’s friend keeps girl’s friend busy. Years later, boy and girl end up married and so do their friends. It’s the perfect script for a cheesy Hollywood movie flick.
Except this is no fiction. It’s the real life situation of Lilian Okiemute Ekpo, medical director of Avon Medical.
When she first met her husband Ezechinyere, he was a fellow medical student at the University of Ibadan. Every now and then, he and his best friend would take walks across the school with her, talking about everything from medicine to love, life and religion. It was the perfect balance.
It’s 2016 and old habits die hard. Dr. Ekpo has managed to keep the career-personal life balance steady, despite a hectic work schedule. Asides managing responsibilities at Avon Medical, which is present in both Lagos and Delta States, she has to juggle life as a mother of her cute six-year old son who turns seven in a few months. It’s a difficult task to manage but for a woman as phenomenal as her, nothing’s impossible.
“You have to be a well-rounded person to succeed in life”, she stresses.” You have to be able to juggle everything.”
“At work, I give 150% and at home, I give 150%. It is difficult because my phones are on 24/7 but realizing that each one needs complete focus to not affect the other has helped me do both effectively.”
Her journey into a lifetime of saving lives began when she was five. “My mum bought “How Your Body Works” for me and it heightened my curiosity. I wanted to know how the body works and everything about life processes.”
“To be a good doctor, you need to have a curious mind. That is very important.”
After graduating from the University of Ibadan, she did her National Youth Service Corps in 2004 with a private hospital in Lagos. By the time her stint ended there in December 2006, she was already married and juggling work and family.
The next month, she began working at the popular Marina Medical which was eventually became part of the Heirs Holdings group in 2011. In five years, she has become and stayed Chief Medical Director of the clinic, in a male-dominated industry.
On gender equality and equal opportunity, Dr. Ekpo praises the management of Heirs holdings for an enabling environment for women. “HH is a fantastic environment for that. It never comes across that you can’t do something because of your age or gender. Just be excellent and you can succeed in your career.”
As one who has followed her own advice and is succeeding, is it okay to label her a phenomenal woman?
“That would be blowing my own trumpet but yeah, I guess I am”, she laughs. “And it’s not just me but every career woman with a family to also take care of and is making both work. Anyone who can make that work is a superwoman, a phenomenal woman.”
Facts only.
