Isara Afotamodi Trendsetters

In 2011 when I was starting Brown Button Foundation, I sent Facebook inbox messages to several lawmakers in Ogun State about my plans to make childbirth safer for mothers and their babies. Only one person responded. That person was Asiwaju Yinka Mafe. A lawyer himself, turned politician, he gave me my first opportunity to implement my ideas and used all apparatus he had to ensure we had a successful pilot and program. We went on to run other programs around maternal and child health for him in his constituency. I never knew this man from anywhere. I simply just connected with him on Facebook, shared my ideas on maternal health and he gave me a platform in his constituency to implement my ideas. Two days ago, 4th of February 2020, Asiwaju Mafe clocked 46 years old. He, sadly, died on the same day while his birthday celebration was ongoing. I’ve always wondered why this man responded to my inbox message. Why he gave me the opportunities he did using his own resources, why he ...