The inspired and inspiring Ifeoma Monye at 60

BY TONY ELUEMUNOR

Some people stand out because they diligently do the good works they meet in life. But the comely Dr. Ifeoma Monye is way beyond that group. Some others strive to improve on things and situations; that is fine, very fine. But Dr. Ify Monye, a mother of two boys and two girls (just as she wished) and married to the handsome Prof Sylvester Monye, belongs to another group, rarer, more spectacular, so phenomenal, so extraordinary, so outstanding, so incredible that they dazzle, astonish or impress those they meet along the path of life. She thinks of what does not exist and asks “why not”, then she strives mightily to bring such non-existent things into being. Yes, Dr. Monye is so singular, so distinctive, so exceptional.

Like in the case of any hero or heroine, it is easy to notice and wisecrack that Dr. Ify Monye came fully prepared by the Almighty with all the ingredients for greatness; fiercely focused energy, prodigious intelligence, marvelous education, and passion not just for Medicine as a career but for life and the living. There is more; she recognizes no limits, mocks obstacles and appears imbued with the prodigious will-power that can achieve anything she sets her mind to. From sitting in her school-teacher mother’s class, because she was too young to be enrolled in school, she insisted on taking the promotion exam. Her mum humoured her by allowing her; she had the best result in that class one. The average you and I didn’t start school in that magical way. Ify the athlete? Please forget her petite frame; she represented her secondary school in Basket Ball, and added Table-Tennis and sprints to it. She has the medals to prove it. And she did all seemingly effortlessly as though she was riding on the crest of a dream and having some help from the wind. Oh, she acknowledges such help…from the Almighty!

Turning 60 on Saturday 23 August, 2025, Dr. Monye came imbued with the ideal trinity of virtues — heart, brain and courage — that unmistakable combination that produced the wholesome wife, mother, careerist, doctor, and reaches beyond such rare heights to crown her with the halo of a consequential innovator even in the age-old medical profession. And she does what she does with panache and as a service to humanity and God. And she does that whether as a mentor bringing up younger doctors under her tutelage, or taking youths under her wings to allow Lifestyle Medicine tenets to embrace their souls, or just enhancing the quality of life as people laugh and celebrate life during her “Dancing with the Doctor” sessions. Her birthday celebration, slated for the iconic and exclusive The Dorchester (hotel) Park Lane, London from 5:PM on Saturday, August 23, would be a gathering of top class actors in global Medicine, academics, politics, all walks of life in deed.

She fully earned the celebration. Everybody knows that to challenge friends or employers in their bristling core beliefs maybe to declare oneself an enemy, to risk ostracism, to call undue attention to oneself. At certain quarters it requires suicidal recklessness to assert that certain “ogas” have probably been a bit wrong in the ways they have been administering, say a reputable institution such as the National Hospital. But such dangers do not dissuade Ify from a quest that should benefit humanity. Certainly, it sounded unorthodox, sacrilegious and outright profane when Dr. Ify Monye suggested that the National Hospital, Abuja, needed to have a Family Medicine section to serve the people better – over 20 years ago. The naysayers rallied against her… but she won in the end and changed the face of medical practice there…bringing untold benefits to the Nigerian public even as the hospital’s coffers began to ring louder, also, as more money dropped into the coffers. She fought that battle, making untold sacrifices, for years. And once she had fully set that department up, new challenges beckoned and she said yes to them like an old sailor harkening to the call of the sea.

Some careerists would waste a lifetime testing themselves to see if they have the courage to engage truthfully with peers within their own profession, or at least to question what have been revered traditions or admit doubt that ingrained prejudices should be held beyond question. But with Ify, frontiers of medicine must be expanded and changes must be welcomed. This innovator, recognizes no obstacles and scorns boundaries of limitations. How and why? Please, don’t ask her because she might not know. Anybody who has studied the idea of the hero knows that the hero/heroine just knows what to do, and Ify Monye is a heroine. It is that simple … or even complicated, but that is the life of a hero/heroine. Thus, just a few years after her return from the U.K, she became convinced that curative medicine alone was a disservice to Nigeria and that a new way had to be found. She began to task her prodigious brain for answers to questions that never occurred to most of her colleagues. In no time she found her think-alike doctors out there…and she teamed up with them to introduce to the world a new branch of medical practice that should benefit her beloved Nigeria, Africa and the globe; LIFESTYLE MEDICINE.

In that fluid milieu, she was the one person chosen from among others in the entire world to give leadership to the practitioners of this innovative medical practice that was being spelt out, being formed, being defined and was being codified. She was elected President to lead this global body at its embryonic stage. Here, Dr. Ify Monye has come unto her own – on the global stage, a local girl that grew up in Nigeria, studied in Nigeria, went to the United Kingdom for specialization, but returned here to serve her fatherland. She rose above all the frustrations that have hobbled millions of Nigerians in Nigeria to win world acclaim from…Nigeria!

Here, her courage has paid off as she is showing the medical profession the new way to follow. Courage? Yes, courage suggests a deeper moral or spiritual dimension — the strength of the heart (Coeur in French). I’ll explain further: The late American President, John F. Kennedy, considered courage to be the first, the indispensable virtue; with courage, he said, anything is possible; without it, nothing. Unlike love, which may be an emotion only, courage must manifest itself in action. Unless courage actually does something, and does it well, it is just bragging. It was courage that made Ify to represent her school in almost every sporting event she participated in, and it was courage that made her insist on introducing changes that are, right before her very eyes, making the world a better place.

In the next 1000 years, students may still marvel at Julius Caesar, Shaka the Zulu, Hannibal, the Greek doctor Hippocrates of Kos (of the Hippocratic Oath, c. 460 – c. 370 BC), the Greek physician and philosopher of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referred to as the “Father of Medicine”. History will surely remember the person who introduced Lifestyle Medicine into Nigeria and Africa and shepherded it in its first few years across the world viz: Dr. Ify Monye.

She coordinated the American and the European Boards of Lifestyle Medicine, rallying them to a common course to work as an entity for the benefit of all of humanity no matter how far apart the oceans have separated them or how diverse their backgrounds. Other Boards have joined them to form the global body. I looked up the Global Lifestyle Board and found this: “Certification exam hubs for 2025 – Registrations via the National Lifestyle Medicine Organisations; Sri Lanka – Colombo – Friday, September 19th, Pakistan – Islamabad – Sunday, September 28th, UAE – Abu Dhabi – Sunday, October 19th, Thailand – Bangkok – Sunday, October 19th, Brazil – Vitoria – Wednesday, October 22nd, Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur – Thursday, October 30th, India – Ahmadabad – Monday, November 3rd, Chile – Santiago – Friday, November 7th, UK – London – Saturday, November 8th, Australia – Adelaide – Sunday, November 9th, Argentina – Buenos Aires – Sunday, November 9th, Saudi Arabia – Bukairyah – Thursday, November 13th, USA/Canada – Prometric testing centers – Saturday November 22nd to Sunday December 7th, Hungary – Budapest – Sunday, November 23rd, Nigeria – Abuja – Thursday, November 27th, Qatar – Doha – Saturday, November 29th, Philippines – Clark Pampanga – Tuesday, December 2nd, Mexico – Mexico City – Saturday, December 6th, South Korea – Seoul – Sunday, December 7th, China – Beijing – Monday, December 8th, Portugal – Lisbon – Saturday, December 13th. Nigeria is already on the Lifestyle Medicine world map – thanks to Dr. Ify Monye. The American college of lifestyle medicine (ACLM) defines lifestyle medicine (LM) as “a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Lifestyle medicine certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle changes to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions”.

Here’s a breakdown of each pillar: 1. Nutrition: Emphasizes a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, focusing on nutrient-rich, minimally processed foods. 2. Physical Activity: Encourages regular and consistent engagement in physical activity to improve overall health and well-being. 3. Restorative Sleep: Highlights the importance of quality sleep for physical and mental restoration, aiming for 7-9 hours per night. 4. Stress Management: Focuses on developing healthy coping mechanisms and strategies to manage and reduce stress levels. 5. Avoidance of Risky Substances: Encourages the reduction or elimination of harmful substances like tobacco, excessive alcohol, and recreational drugs. 6. Positive Social Connections: Emphasizes the importance of strong relationships and social support networks for overall health and well-being.

All work and no play? No, Dr. Ify Monye exudes what the French call joie de vive; “joy of living” to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit, and general happiness. It “can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do…a comprehensive joy, a philosophy of life, a “Weltanschauung” in German. Robert’s (French) Dictionnaire says “joie” is “sentiment exaltant ressenti par toute la conscience, that is, involves one’s whole being.” Face her for an interview and instead of being tight-lipped as most people would be, or worried about the right things to say, she would answer your questions playfully, or almost so, saying the most serious of things in a most jovial way. Oh yes, you will notice that she has a sunny smile a minute and a full-throated laughter every five minutes. You will leave her vowing to embrace Lifestyle Medicine attributes – at least to banish stress. She cherishes God, her parents’ memories, her husband, her children, her siblings, her innovative and futuristic Brookfields Centre for Lifestyle Medicine (BCLM). Walk into the reception and a piano is there and your fingers could produce magic on the black and white keyboards – if only you know how.

An interview with Dr. Monye will leave you with a greater appreciation of Abba’s music track, MOVE ON: “A voyager and a settler, they both have a distant goal/ If I explore the heavens, or if I search inside/Well, it really doesn’t matter as long as I can tell myself I’ve always tried”. Ify has always really tried and won laurels, too. Yes, she has come a long way.

What she will achieve beyond age 60 is in the womb of time but her past serves as the unfailing signpost that her future will be more glorious because she is not alone. God has been her guiding light. She is a prayer warrior and has always acknowledged that there is always a benevolent spirit behind her. May God’s blessings be with her and may her guiding light remain strong.