A family left Nigeria for Kapuskasing. These are their successful kids

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Almost four decades ago, Dr. Femi Ayeni and his wife Titi Ayeni made a major decision: they moved their five children from tropical Nigeria to chilly Canada.

Not just anywhere in Canada, but Kapuskasing, a timber town of fewer than 10,000 in northern Ontario, where temperatures average at minus 16 in January.

Femi had studied in Canada and saw it as a land of opportunity and a place for his children to pursue their dreams.

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“It speaks to how much of visionaries my parents are,” said Dr. Buki Ayeni, a plastic surgeon at Humber River Health in Toronto. He said his father understood the transition would not be easy for the family but, knowing it would be worth it for his children, he chose to put the professional pathway he built in Nigeria to the side.

The outcome of his sacrifice is remarkable: Four of the Ayeni children followed their father and became doctors in various fields, and one became an educator like their mother.

The children credit much of their successes to their parents and the difficult decisions they made. Growing up watching their parents make the most of their life’s possibilities was a source of inspiration for them all.

After completing his studies in Canada in medicine, Femi returned to Nigeria as a general surgeon where he later opened a medical school.

“In that era, most people, when they finished their training, (they) wanted to go back to help in their country,” Femi said.

Femi knew opening the school would not be easy and would take time. But, with the help of others, he put in the work knowing the benefits it would bring to the community.

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“It’s an example of always leaving more than what you come in with,” Buki said. This was a message his parents taught him and his siblings growing up.

Years later the family moved to Kapuskasing. “There were a lot of injustices going on,” in Nigeria, Femi said. He wanted his children to grow up in a different environment.

“I wanted them to have better,” he said.

The medical school remains open today and despite being retired, Femi continues to contribute to it through philanthropic work. He has also mentored people looking to move to Canada and pursue a career in medicine, or otherwise.

Mentoring is also something Bunmi Obateru, the eldest, does. She is the principal investigator for a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant for research on immigrant Black entrepreneurs in Alberta.

Following her mother, Titi, Obateru became an educator. She works at the college level, currently as a research scholar at Bow Valley College in Calgary.

“She’s arguably the smartest one of the bunch of us,” Buki said. He said Obateru led the way for the rest of the siblings by showing the “virtue of hard work.”

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As a teacher, their mother instilled the importance of education in her children while also enforcing the importance of doing their best and doing what they love. She taught for 15 years: kindergarten in Montreal and at the college level in Nigeria.

Titi said one of her favourite parts about teaching was helping the students who struggled. “You don’t want to leave any kids behind,” she said. “I wanted to challenge them to be able to be at par with others.”

This push she gave her students was not any different from the encouragement she placed upon her own kids.

“The only rule was, ‘Make sure you pick something you enjoy and be the best at it,’” Dr. Bimpe Ayeni, a plastic surgeon in Newmarket, Ont., said. “When you have that kind of framework, you feel this ease of being able to make a choice that makes sense for you.”

Dr. Olufemi Ayeni is an orthopedic surgeon and currently works at McMaster University as the Academic Division Head of Orthopaedic Surgery. In an emailed response to National Post, he explained that his mother “infused a love for learning” in his life and he saw both of his parents live by the idea of doing what they love.

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“The joy they both had after a day’s work was infectious. No matter how hard the work day (was) they had a reason to be grateful,” he wrote.

When Femi began working in Kapuskasing, he was the only surgeon in the town. He worked on call every day for 30 years. “I never complained a single day about the profession,” Femi said.

Education was seen as a golden ticket for the Ayeni siblings. Dr. Omodele Ayeni, a plastic surgeon at Southlake Regional Hospital in Newmarket, Ont., said Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was one of the first movies he saw when they moved to Canada. He saw the importance of seizing an opportunity when it is provided and not taking it for granted.

“My parents instilled in all of us that education was the key,” Omodele said. He understood education would open doors for him and that when an opportunity arises, he must make the most of it.

The children say they are grateful that their parents never forced a future on them. Whether they wanted to be a professional athlete, radio host, teacher or doctor, they had the full support of their parents.

“We never forced any of them to go into medicine,” Titi said. “All we emphasized was that whatever they do, they have to be the best.”

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At a young age, Bimpe thought she would become an educator like her mother. However, after getting the opportunity to study in the United States, her interests changed.

She completed her undergraduate studies at Yale University. She then spent a year studying at Columbia before she decided to come back to Canada and attend medical school in Ottawa.

“From day one in medical school, I definitely felt this lack of pressure to pick something. I knew I could do whatever I wanted because I’d be supported no matter what I chose,” Bimpe said.

Her combined love for the field’s variety and the operation room led her to plastic surgery. She had the opportunity to work alongside her father at the Kapuskasing Hospital as a medical student, which she described as being a “life-changing” experience.

“You’re working with your father, so you have this generational exchange of ideas and thoughts, and he’s proud that you’re there, and you’re proud to be working with him,” she said.

Omodele said he always knew in the back of his mind he would go into the medical field, but his other passions were also supported by his family. One summer he experienced a growth spurt of over six inches and immediately became interested in basketball. Throughout high school, he played on school teams, went to basketball camp and was noticed by sports reporters.

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While his parents were not competitive athletes, they did not deter him from pursuing that path himself, “They just said, ‘Look, basketball might not be in the cards in terms of the NBA, but if you want to play basketball, just be the best at it. Take it seriously. You can go after it.’”

Ultimately medicine was the path for him. Growing up being subconsciously mentored by his father and seeing the impact his work had on people’s lives inspired Omodele to follow a similar path. “I saw how he was able to provide for his family and how he was able to serve a community.”

While Femi never wanted his children to feel forced into medicine, he said it has been “fantastic” watching his children find love in the career he, himself, had so much passion for.

“I think it’s by living by example,” Femi said. “I worked with enthusiasm. I think the uniqueness of the way I worked encouraged all of the kids that have gone to medical school.”

Not only did the four Ayeni siblings follow their father in their choice of career, but they all exude the same level of care, passion and love for the profession and those they work with.

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Buki began working at Humber River Health in 2017, and like his father, he has made a difference. He is dedicated to his work and strives to deliver high-quality care for his patients.

Barbara Collins, president and CEO of Humber River Health told National Post in an emailed statement that Buki is “deeply committed to providing the highest level of care.”

“He is valued not only for his medical expertise but also for the compassionate care he provides,” she wrote.

Constantly supporting his colleagues, Collins said Buki is also a great mentor.

“Perhaps this is a reflection and attribute to his own experience and mentorship by his father and older siblings.”

While some may think a large family of similar professionals would bring competition, for the Ayenis there is nothing but love and pride. They are always there for each other, and it is something they give credit to their parents for.

“They would always instill that it takes a village,” Buki said. “Our family is a tripod — if one leg falls, the other legs fall. So we always have to lift each other up.”

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Olufemi describes the sibling bond as “inseparable and always connected.” He said they are always learning from each other and their experiences.

“We share perspectives, goals, challenges, successes and failures in a safe space,” Olufemi wrote in an email.

This family bond has not stopped at the Ayeni siblings but is being seen among their own children. “What makes us happy is now we see that the next generation of cousins showing a similar affinity for each other,” Olufemi wrote.

There are now 14 Ayeni grandchildren.

“They have the good fortune of having their grandparents who can share stories and different (lessons) that worked for us,” Buki said.

“I don’t take it for granted that they’re still with us and they can share those (lessons) with us and their grandchildren.”

Both Femi and Titi have enjoyed watching their children become parents themselves. Titi said she is proud of the people they have become.

“It has been a beautiful journey.”

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