Dr Abimbola Abolarinwa is a physician and the first female urologist in Nigeria. In an interview with Faith Ajayi, she discussed her career path, the challenges she has faced, and her views on various aspects of medicine and life.
**Choosing urology**
When asked what led her to become a urologist, Dr Abolarinwa explained that, like many doctors, she was encouraged to specialize. She had always been interested in surgery and was fortunate to secure a surgical training slot, eventually sub‑specialising in urology. “The choice of urology felt like fate and destiny playing its game on me,” she said. Although she initially detested the specialty and aspired to orthopaedic surgery, a compulsory rotation during her early residency sparked a new curiosity. After passing her part‑one examination, she began sub‑specialty training in urology and felt she had finally found her true home.
**Being the first female urologist in Nigeria**
The journey has been “eventful and interesting,” and she is happy with the supportive, cohesive, and resourceful Nigerian urologic community. While urology is traditionally male‑dominated, her curiosity and a sense of destiny motivated her to pursue it. She acknowledges the usual challenges of a demanding medical career—long hours, multiple examinations, financial constraints, limited surgical equipment, heavy workloads, interpersonal issues, and workplace politics. She copes by taking each day as it comes, staying organised, prioritising tasks, and developing emotional maturity. Support from family, friends, and a strong social network has been essential, as has her reliance on faith.
**Academic career**
Dr Abolarinwa has been a senior lecturer since 2016, a role she embraced because she has always wanted to teach. After qualifying as a urologist and serving as a hospital consultant, she seized the opportunity to join the university, earning a distinction in a Postgraduate Diploma in Education in 2018. She retains an honorary consultant position, allowing her to enjoy “the best of both worlds.” Her father, a surgeon, and her mother, a lawyer, instilled in her and her sister (a dental surgeon) the ambition to pursue medicine.
**Awards and research interests**
She received the Zakilo (The First) Award on 1 January 2019, an honour given to Nigerians who are pioneers in their fields. Her research interests include paediatric urology, andrology, and cosmetic reconstructive urology. She explains that andrology addresses male‑specific problems such as infertility, erectile dysfunction, hormonal issues, and prostate disease, while paediatric urology deals with congenital anomalies in children. Both areas are under‑served in Nigeria, prompting her focus on them. Cosmetic reconstructive urology matters because the appearance of the genitalia impacts confidence and mental well‑being; poorly performed circumcisions or congenital abnormalities require repair.
**Future plans and clinical practice**
She intends to pursue a doctorate in medical education, believing that learning never stops and that she will create time for further study. In her clinical practice, prostate disease remains the most common condition she treats, with rising cases of male infertility and urinary stones. She advises men to begin annual prostate screening at age 45—using PSA testing, digital rectal examination, and, if possible, ultrasound—and earlier (age 40) if they have a first‑degree relative with prostate cancer.
**Health‑sector challenges and recommendations**
Addressing the brain drain, Dr Abolarinwa urges the government to retain health workers by understanding why they leave and encouraging those abroad to return, turning “brain drain” into “brain gain.” Although she considered an overseas position in 2016, she chose to stay in Nigeria to build lasting roots, though she remains open to future practice abroad. She notes that cash scarcity hampers health‑seeking behaviour, as most patients pay out‑of‑pocket, leading to delayed care, reliance on cheaper or alternative treatments, and interruptions in drug supply. To improve the sector, she calls for increased funding, continuous staff training, and greater private sector involvement under transparent, legally backed partnerships.
**Personal support and work‑life balance**
Her biggest cheerleaders are the women in her life—friends, colleagues, and nurses—whose support she never takes for granted. Balancing work and family requires help from her parents, household gadgets, outsourcing domestic tasks, and viewing money as a tool rather than an end. She stresses that no one can succeed in isolation and that burnout must be avoided.
**Hobbies and lifestyle**
Outside medicine, Dr Abolarinwa enjoys knitting, hand embroidery, tapestry, reading books and comics, and cooking. She experiments with recipes from across Nigeria, documenting her culinary creations on social media with humor. Though encouraged to become a food blogger or professional events compere, she lacks the time to commit fully. She also enjoys wrapping bridal gifts and values comfort in her wardrobe, favouring simple dresses, trousers, short‑sleeved shirts, flat shoes, and locally woven fabrics like Ankara.
**Food preferences and relaxation**
She does not have a single favourite meal, but she loves seafood and recently favoured dishes such as ikokore, masa with groundnut soup, kwadon lettuce, and oha soup. To unwind, she sleeps, reads, watches African movies and food networks, cooks, and occasionally attends parties, though she generally prefers solitude at home.
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