By Gbenga Sodeinde
Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle is a household personality in Ekiti, whether you have met her or just hearing about her .
Her philanthropic activities since her foray into politics in Ekiti about 5 years ago has totally mesmerized me.
This writer didn’t have connection with her then as I was abroad and yet to return to the country. Elebute-Halle contested alongside the incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji in 2022 as Governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) .
My encounter with Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle started in March 27, 2023 when she gifted N10 million to 14 people in Ekiti State under her empowerment programme, tagged: ‘Dominion Education Empowerment’.
Now an All progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, Kemi Elebute-Halle, who doubled as ADP Presidential Campaign director-general of her former party, ADP said that, she founded the organisation, ‘Dominion’ “While in USA in 2018. I saw some young people assisting the less privileged to fix their houses without receiving anything from them.
“As a person, I have gone through phases of life. And I told God, if you can bless me, I want to be an end-time blessing to all the people, so that I will be able to help everybody.
“All the beneficiaries are students but over 90 percent are still in secondary school. Three physically challenged persons were among the people empowered. Some are undergraduates while some others are going for their Master degrees”.
This her very emotional philanthropist gesture attracted me and I decided to go extra mile with her by going ahead to put up a feature write up on this her empowerment program and I published it on my online newspaper, Heritage News.
I think she liked this and since then we have stayed connected. Ever since, she has been inviting me to cover events for her and the relationship went on smoothly.
However, sometimes last year, I was the chairman NUJ Correspondents’ day committee in Ekiti State and I was to invite her for the program. So I called her to inform her that I was coming to give her an invite but she didn’t pick the call, and she later called back.
When she called back, I had just returned from hospital where I had gone to take injection because I was diagnosed to be having malaria and typhoid. I was still telling her while I called, she suddenly interjected me and said Prince, I noticed that your voice sound unusual and absolutely abnormal, hope nothing? I said I am being treated already for typhoid and malaria and I have just returned from the hospital. She now said, ‘please take good care of yourself make sure you rest, I said yes ma, that I will be coming to give her the invite tomorrow, she then said I should come between 12 pm and 2pm.
When I arrived at Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle’ abode the second day, upon sighting her, the first thing was that she exclaimed and said, ‘Prince Sodeinde, you are looking paled and showing that, you are not okay at all. Please, go and take care of yourself and have a good rest. God forbid, I won’t hear bad news about you o, Emi ishe gun ju emi eniyan lo, that life of work is longer than that of Human. God forbid, if you die today, another person will start from where you stopped, so please take care of yourself. She then collected the card from me and she dashed inside and asked me to wait for her.
On coming out she brought out N50, 000 for me and listed provisions and multivitamins that I must go and buy immediately. I thanked her and left.
About 20 minutes after I have left her place, I was in the office at Old Governor’s office, oke oriomi when she called again and asked me, ‘Mr. Sodeinde, where are you?, I am in the office, she said I said you to go and rest! have you bought the provisions and the drugs? I said no, oya, please go and buy them right now and call me after you have bought them. I said okay ma, thank you very much for your care.
In a nutshell, that was how she has charmed me, and I realized that this is another angelic Erelu in human form, and made up my mind that come what may, I will continue to appreciate her for her hospitality and concern for human welfare and care. Because I have come to note that the act of care, love and hospitality are her ways of life.
This is a woman that would go to burial ceremonies, weddings, political events, and community functions and would put it in her mind that there are many people and families that deserved just a little to make them happy. She would always armed herself with branded foodstuff like rice, gari, milk, Maggi, salt , sugar and cash to give to people in a bid to have a touch and make them happy.
Example of such event was a twin Programme which came up on May 29, 2024 where Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle in her resolve to help the less-privileged and vulnerable people, especially single parents, orphans, and widows, distributed relief materials worth N20 million to students and parents in three communities in the state.
The twin programme was commemorating the fifth coronation anniversary of the Alaaye of Oke Ayedun, Oba Olufemi Aribisala, where she hails from. Also at the burial ceremony of late Mrs. Esther Olufunke Ojo, at Odo Ayedun neighbouring town in the same local government area and during the burial of Pa Michael Ojoko held at Igbara Odo Ekiti, as over 600 people in that community benefited
The beneficiaries were from Oke Ayedun, Odo Ayedun, in Ikole LGA, and Igbara Odo Ekiti, in Ekiti South-West Local Government Area. At these events, Elebute-Halle, distributed the materials Bags of rice, Maggi, sugar, buckets and cach to beneficiaries at the events. She also gave out kitchen utensils, back-to-school bowls and packs, and cash to those in need in the three communities.
She said the materials became necessary considering the hardship many women face in providing basic amenities for their children. With this, you can see the concerned She has for people and must expecialy the downthrodens , In a nutshell it really borders her to see people suffering.
All these her attributes are what actually captivated me. Horn 11th of June, 1982.. She will clock 43 tomorrow, June 11, 2025 . It my believe that all the homes and lives you have touched within and all over Nigeria will pray for you.
My own prayers is that God should spare your life and grant you your good b heart desire and take you to the more higher places where you can further help and lift people up as you always love to make people happy because to her, happiness of other people around her is her own happiness.
On this note, I wish you happy birthday ma.