Adedayo, a son of the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO about his father’s career

Please tell us about yourself.

I am a farmer and a son of the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole. I attended Command Children’s School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State, for primary education and Kings International College, Ibadan, for my secondary school education. I earned a first degree from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. I also have a bachelor’s degree from the University of Warwick, UK. I did a master’s degree at the University of Nottingham and I got a scholarship to do research at the Harvard School of Public Health, United States.

How was it growing up with your father?

It was nice. I wouldn’t call him famous at the time. But he was was always busy at work. I remember when we were growing up, sometimes before we woke up in the morning, he would have gone to work, and by the time he came back at night, we were already in bed. He had a private hospital, so when he came back home from work at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, he went to the hospital. By the next morning, he was back to work at UCH. He is a disciplinarian.

How did he discipline you and your siblings when you did something wrong?

Talking about discipline, he helped to put us on the right path. But he never raised his hands to beat us or used the cane. Caning was up to our mum. Yet, he had a tone of voice that when he told one to sit down, one had to do so. He was usually playful with all of us but once we heard that change of tone, we knew he was serious about an issue.

Being a busy man, how did he create time for his family?

I remember when we were younger and I was in primary school, every Friday, he would come to pick us up from school and take us to places like Leventis to buy suya. At Leventis, he would ask us to pick whatever we wanted. He also spent Sundays with us. He spent more time with us on weekends, but on weekdays, he was usually very busy. Now that he is minister of health, we hardly get to see him. When we get to see him, his attention is sometimes divided. For instance, he would invite one to visit him in his office, and when one sits down, he would be busy going through his files while you are seated watching him. When it is about 2am or 3am, and you say, “Daddy, I’m tired, I’d like to go.” He would say, “Please, spend like three more minutes with me.”

What are the values you learnt from your father?

He taught us the importance of honesty. Also, growing up, he never allowed us eat in a friend’s house (when we visited). He did this because he believed that if one was well fed (at home), there was no point going to other people’s houses to eat. It was not about not socialising, but it was more about stopping one from being greedy.

How would you describe your dad’s social life?

He is not a social person. I also took after him in that aspect. I don’t know about my other siblings, but I hardly go out. I only go to the farm and come back home. He is like that too. He goes to work. I can count the number of persons who visit him at home. They are mostly his colleagues from work. He is not someone who parties or does things like that. He is a very busy man and he doesn’t believe in wasting time. I think, because of his position, he is learning to be more social; but growing up, his schedule was always UCH, back home and to his private hospital.

How did he influence your choice of course of study and that of your siblings?

He wanted me to study medicine at some point, he tried his best to make me choose it, and one day we got into a fight on the issue. I told him, “Listen dad, if I study medicine and fail, I will not forgive you. Let me do what I want to do. Let me make my mistakes.” I decided to study virology because I love the course. When I came back to Nigeria for my National Youth Service Corps, I was in University of Ibadan. Prof. Odunola, a very brilliant man, he tried to talk me into going for my PhD in Canada or the US, but then I got into farming and fell in love with it.

Did any of your siblings study medicine like your father?

Yes, the eldest is a medical doctor.

Did your father support you when you decided you were going into farming despite your degrees?

Yes he did. He has been supportive 150 per cent since I started. My academic knowledge helps me in farming as well. I have learnt that it is not about what one studied, but how one can apply what one has learnt in whatever field one is in. During my NYSC, I helped raise money to build a library for a village, and I helped the bricklayers in their work. While I wouldn’t call myself a professional builder, I learnt a thing or two. My dad would have loved to go into farming too, that was one of his dreams, but because he does not have the time and has been very busy, he hasn’t been able to do that.

Your mum was said to have given birth to your dad inside a car that was conveying her to the hospital. Is this true?

Yes, it is. My grandmother told us the story. I can only tell you about what I heard. It is the same thing that you heard that I heard too (laughs).

Did your dad ever talk about it?

Not really. But I think he mentioned it during his 60th birthday.

Your dad is a professor of gynaecology and obstetrics. Could that incident be a reason why he decided to study medicine and champion causes in public health?

I think that is a question he would be able to answer personally. For him, it is more about helping people, not just because he studied it.

What are his hobbies?

He plays table tennis sometimes. He is always studying. He studies at night. He reads till 3am almost every day, except when he comes back and he is really tired. Sometimes, if he came back from work at about 9pm or 10pm, he would go to sleep and wake up later to study.

Does your dad like football?

Yes he does, but he is not an avid football fan. However, he likes to watch the matches played by the Nigerian football team. But he is a big boxing fan.

What kind of books does he read aside from medical books?

I have seen some of Malcolm Gladwell’s books in his collections, but his library is mostly filled with medical journals.

What are his likes and dislikes?

He likes honesty. He doesn’t like people telling lies. He believes in hard work, that is one of his main qualities. He always says there is nothing one cannot do if one puts his mind to it.

The outbreak of meningitis in some states in Nigeria was a major issue for months earlier this year. How challenging was it for him as the country’s minister of health?

We try not to discuss his work as much as possible; all I did was to encourage him. They say in life, there would always be problems, but one has to always find solutions to them and then put things in place to prevent that problem from reoccurring. The meningitis outbreak was one.

Does he keep his work separate from family?

Yeah. But, to be honest, he is never away from work; he is always working. I have never seen someone that works like that. Like I told him, since he became minister, he has lost so much weight and has started growing more grey hairs.

How has his name opened doors for you?

That is a very interesting question. When I came back to Nigeria, he was the vice-chancellor at the University of Ibadan. During my NYSC year, when I was building a library in a village, I was able to raise some money, and some persons said that it was maybe because of him that people donated. I don’t know whether that was the case, I think Nigerians just wanted to help and support the project. But his name does bring a lot of goodwill.

What is your dad’s favourite outfit?

He loves suits. But when he is going to church or special events, he wears traditional outfits. But at work, it is mostly suits.

How does he react when he is angry?

When he gets angry, don’t just go near him (laughs). But he is a very friendly person; on the other hand, you don’t want to get him crossed.

What are some other things Nigerians don’t know about your father?

He doesn’t drink. May be when he is on a flight, he could take a sip of bailey or so.

How would you describe his relationship with your mum?

They have a great relationship as husband and wife. My mum is also into the medical field.

Your dad was a former vice-chancellor of UI, until he was appointed minister of health in 2015. What would you say is his drive towards improving the country’s health sector?

I left Nigeria in 2003, I think, at the time, he was a provost or Head of Department in the College of Medicine, UI. And for one to move from being the HOD to provost in the College of Medicine; and then from becoming a VC, to a federal minister of health in that short period, that shows that there is no doubt that people appreciate his contributions. If one wasn’t dedicated to his work, and did not make contributions (to society), people would say, this man does not deserve it.

Who would you say are some of his closest friends?

I have known Prof. Okunmadewa since I was young. I wouldn’t even call them just friends, but brothers.

Your dad’s decision as minister of health to suspend the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Yusuf Usman, recently has generated a debate. What is his view on the issue?

Like I mentioned before, I try not to get too involved in his business or work issues. We have not discussed it. I am sure he knows how to handle it. He is a professional.

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Eighty-year-old photographer, Emmanuel Akinleye, tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO the story of his life

When and where were you born?

I was born in Ilaro, Ogun State, on August 11, 1937, to the family of Adele-Olu of Ilaro. I am the second in a family of seven. I knew the exact date of my birth because my father was a bit literate. He wrote down my birth date and later showed it to me, but I didn’t understand what the date meant then because I was young. In 1949, when I was 12 years old, he took me to church for baptism, and when the reverend asked for my age, he brought out the paper. My late father was a farmer while my late mum was a trader.

How do you feel at 80?

I feel great and it is the grace of God because no human being has the power to determine his own life, except God. So, whatever God gives us, we should accept and thank Him.

What was your childhood like?

It was different from now. I remember going to the farm to help my father whenever I returned from school. Even before I started schooling, I used to go to the farm regularly. It was a normal thing for children to help their parents on their farms in our days.

The country has changed from what we met in our younger days. When I relocated to Lagos in the 60s, one could walk from Agege to Ikeja at night and no one would harass you. But now, there is so much crime. Nowadays, we are warned to lock our doors before going to sleep. Nigeria was more secure and peaceful and we all enjoyed living together. I would advise the government to do more to improve on the security situation in the country and eradicate corruption. If all our leaders were faithful, Nigeria would have become better than this.

Where were you during the country’s independence on October 1, 1960?

I was in Lagos. I was among the people selected to meet the Queen of England when she visited the country. It was great seeing her in person.

Which schools did you attend?

I attended Christ Church School, Ilaro, from 1949 to 1956. I was 12 years old when I started primary school. It took that long because parents didn’t send their children to school at an early age, like it is practised nowadays. From Christ Church, I went to Egbado College, Ilaro, from 1956 to 1959.

I was about to take school certificate examinations in Class Four when my father died. He had told me that if I passed the examination, he would sponsor me to the university. He had already paid my tuition for college in advance, but unfortunately, he died in April of that year. I had to struggle for myself. I left the school in Class Four. There was none to help with my education so I had to stay at home for two years.

What did you do afterwards?

I decided to look for a job. In 1961, I eventually got one as a steward in the house of one of the Assistant Division Officers known as Mr. Otuyelu. My salary was €1, 10 shillings per month. I relocated to Lagos when my boss was transferred from Ibadan, Oyo State. I followed him and continued working for him until 1964. Later on, I joined Wilmer Publicity in Yaba to work in their screen printing department. I was able to get the job because I used the two-year period I stayed at home after college to learn photography. I can’t remember the name of the person that taught me. But I was glad I learnt a vocation which helped me get the employment in the company at Yaba. I worked there for a few years and later joined Afro-media Nigeria limited, Lagos, as a photographer in 1966. A few years later, in 1971, I was employed as a dark room photographer in Litho Packages Nigeria limited, Ikeja, Lagos, where they make paint containers. I got the last job through a man who had worked in Wilmer Publicity. He liked my work and recommended me for the new job. I worked there for 18 years before I retired as a chief dark room technician in 1989.

Do you regret that you couldn’t complete your education after your father died?

I believe God allowed it to happen. It was the will of God. If God said my father would be alive, he would still be. I accepted it as God’s will. I don’t have any regrets in life.

What did you enjoy most working as a photographer?

I gained a lot of experience and took thousands of photos. I have lost count of the number. My work experience also taught me the importance of faithfulness in doing one’s job. In one’s workplace, one shouldn’t try to steal anyone’s or the company’s money or property. No one called me at any point to explain how I spent the company’s money.

What did you do after retiring?

I went into private business while I enjoyed my retirement. I moved to my house in 1975 and it is where I still live. In 2010, my wife and I were privileged to visit Jerusalem in Israel. I enjoyed every bit of the trip.

What advice would you give young people searching for white-collar jobs after graduation?

It is important for them to learn a trade or vocation which they can be doing for the meantime until they get a government job. All my children learnt a vocation after their education. Polytechnic students embark on one-year training after their first two years. Young people can use this period to learn a skill or vocation. I not only learnt photography in after the two years, I also learnt accounting. These skills helped me in all the places I worked. Every place I applied for, I got a job instantly.

What major photos did you take?

I did commercial photography. My works were used on billboards around the city. Four or 10 picture frames/papers can be used to make one billboard. But times have changed. Adverts on billboards are different now and papers are not being used as much like in our days.

When did you marry?

I got married in 1965. I met my first wife in 1968. She was a trader. In 1972, I married a second wife, who is late now. I am blessed with 10 children, two boys, eight girls; as well as grandchildren and great grandchildren

What makes a good marriage?

Patience is important, especially on the man’s side. Husbands should be patient with their wives. But some men are not, that is why they divorce their wives when issues arise. Finance is important in marriage too. Some women like wearing aso ebi for occasions. If the husband does not have money, he won’t have enough to give his wife to buy them. Couples should also learn to understand one another.

What is your favourite food?

It is ewedu soup and amala, semo or pounded yam.

You look fit at your age. What is the secret?

It is still the work of God. But my children are taking good care of me and I go for regular medical check-up and treatment. Also, I ensure I exercise regularly by taking a walk. I used to walk from my house to another street, but now I just walk around my compound four times every day.

What are you most fulfilled about in life?

I am grateful for long life. Some of my mates didn’t live to see 80. Some reached 80 but they cannot walk or eat well. I am still fit and can move around and eat well. I am grateful to God for good health, my family and what I achieved with photography.

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 Ebikeme is the second son of prominent Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark. He talks about his father’s life and career with OVIE OKPARE

Can you briefly introduce yourself?

I am a scientist by training and current Chairman of Burutu Local Government Council of Delta State.

How would you describe your father’s personality at home?

We that are his biological children cannot claim him as our father alone because he is a father figure to Nigerians and to the Ijaw people. He has a good heart, he is kind and understanding. One thing I appreciate about him is his habit of gratitude. If he asks you to do a task and you do it well, he would say ‘thank you’ to encourage you. He is somebody everyone wishes to have as a father. I am happy to have him as my father.

He bears same name with a renowned English engineer, Edwin Clark. Did he tell you how he came about his name?

I know he got the name from my great grandparents’ friends — white men who they had done business with. The white men came to the village to visit my grandfather who was sick. They believed if his name was changed, he would get better. That was how his name was changed to Clark. I don’t know how my father came about the name, Edwin. But he was named by my grandfather. My family worked closely with the whites in those days. He had the first ship in our area. English names were very common in our family because of the closeness to the white people.

How does he relax?

He is very busy but he finds time to relax because if you do not relax the body, you will breakdown. He relaxes most times by watching TV, listening to news and reading newspapers. He will ask us to read the newspapers to him.  He likes to be with people and enjoys giving speeches.

What is his current relationship with ex-president Goodluck Jonathan?

The relationship between Jonathan and my father is like that of a father and son. They have no problem and they will continue to have good relationship. We are happy to have had an Ijaw man as the president of Nigeria. My father stood beside him, because he wanted him to succeed.

How many children does he have?

We were 13 but we lost two of my sisters. I am the second son.

What are some of the fond memories you remember while growing up?

My father was very strict. We didn’t have silver spoon treatment. He made sure we worked hard in school. As children, we thought we ought to have got more, but today we appreciate that. I am who I am today because of how I was brought up. I got the basic foundation from my grandfather, who was stricter than my father. I was privileged to live with him for seven years. Today, I attribute my position and perspectives about life to my father. My father did not encourage laxity, laziness or truancy.

How much time did he give to his children?

He gave enough time as he could. You know he was once a commissioner and minister. Being a commissioner during civil war, you can imagine what he went through. He created time out of his busy schedules for us. You do not expect a man that has achieved so much in that regard to have all the time but the little time we spent with him was worthwhile. He took time to visit my brothers in London and to ensure our needs were met.

Why did he shield his children from the public?

My father is not the normal politician who likes projecting his family members. From my observation over the years, he is not a selfish person. If he was, we know where we would be by now.

It is not that he does not want us to be successful. He rather promotes the Ekiti man or the man from Jigawa or Okrika than promote his children. It took us time to understand that. But today, we are proud of him because his goodwill is everywhere. We benefit from his goodwill everywhere we go in Nigeria.

It is not that he deliberately shielded us from the public. It is his style not to be selfish, not to consider himself first, before another person. That was why it took us some time to understand his concept of serving humanity. If we go to some places, people go out of their way to help us. That is more than any other thing. We appreciate his style and most of us are imbibing that.

He once said he sold his choice houses to fund the Edwin Clark University. How comfortable was this decision to the family?

At 80, my father decided to build a university. I was one of those who keyed into his vision. We already know that he is a man of the people. When it came to his turn to give to the society, being an educationist, we supported his decision. We realised it was not out of place if he decides to sell his properties to fund a university that would benefit many Nigerians. I took active part in the project. Today, the university is a source of pride to us.

In those days, he used to ask us, ‘What can I do for you more than send you in school?  He would say, “I have given you education and with it, you build your own life.” We appreciate the history of inheritance in this country. Many cannot even manage their inheritance well. We keyed into it and we got involved in the dream of building a university. He is happy because it is the legacy he wants to leave behind.

How did he discipline his children when they misbehaved?

His style is not different from that of his father; my grandfather. He has zero tolerance for misbehaviour. As I said, that is why we are up and doing. We may not be moneybags but we have deep training to survive in any environment. You cannot hear that any of my father’s children is involved in one crime or the other. We cannot be involved in vices or in things that will bring disgrace or disrepute to the family. If you are close to my father, you will know he is a disciplined man. We are all product of that upbringing.

How has his name opened doors for you?

When we introduce ourselves, people identify with us. I particularly want to say his goodwill made me the position of a local government chairman. My leaders all unanimously agreed and came to my father that they wanted to support his son as chairman of the council. My father was not interested initially but later agreed when he saw the way the people overwhelmingly supported his son to become chairman. That is the product of goodwill that I personally have experienced for being his child.  My siblings have benefitted in one way or the other from his name.

Are you under any pressure to surpass his feats in the Niger Delta, Ijaw and Urhobo communities?

I want to say that every person in this world is unique and everyone has his or her destiny to fulfill. There is no way my siblings and I would be under any pressure to surpass our father’s achievements. He has lived his life. God has given him good age. He will be 90 this year. He wants the spirit of justice and equity to inform the decisions of his children. He has always canvassed for the greatness of this country and fought the cause of minority communities.

What ideals have you learnt from him?

He has taught us to be upright, straightforward and truthful. He asked us not to be selfish, fend for ourselves and to be good people.

You once contested a seat in the House of Representatives, did your father influence your decision to be chairman?

I wanted to be a lawmaker. The leaders of my local government area visited my father to say they believe in his product. They said they would support me if I decided to contest. My father didn’t impose me on them. They just felt like appreciating my father. If my father had stood behind us selfishly like other leaders did, maybe I would not have thought of being a local government chairman. But again, I have no regrets.

How do you feel now that he is no more active in politics?

Even though he is not in active politics, he is still very relevant. People from other parties go to him for advice. He has only left the stage for the younger ones to play their roles. I have witnessed several occasions when people from different parties come to him for advice. I think he has done very well and has retired gracefully from active politics.

Did he influence your foray into politics?

Yes, he did. I never thought of being a politician. I went abroad, came back and wanted to return there. He advised me to stay back and get to know the people.

I listened to him. I saw that he was always holding meetings, so I attended most of the meetings. I saw how he dedicated his time, money and resources to the people. I went to him of my own volition that I wanted to contest a seat in the House of Representatives. No other person has influenced me politically than my father.

What can you recall as the most important advice he gave you about life?

 I cannot point to a particular advice. I learnt all the good attributes I imbibe by watching him. We learnt from him practically. He never really sat down with us to say, “Don’t steal, and don’t do this or that.” We emulated him. When we look at his brothers, Prof. John Pepper Clark and Uncle B. A. Clark, we have no choice than to emulate them.

What advice did he give you concerning marriage?

Marriage is an institution that everyone should go into. He supports my marital life. Today, I’m blessed with a wife and children.

What are his saddest moments that you can recall?

His saddest moments were when his parents and two daughters died. Also, he was also sad when the government was overthrown in 1983 by President Muhammadu Buhari including when former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the 2015 election.

What does he want to be remembered for?

He wants to be remembered for his struggle and the enforcement of the right of his people. If there is anything he is known for, it is his fight for justice and equity to prevail, no matter the part of the country a person is from. He wants to be remembered for fighting for the interest of the people.

What sports does he like?

He likes football. He is a fan of Manchester United. He likes other local sports.

What is his favourite food?

My father eats almost anything, but most times, I see him eating starch and banga soup.

What is his favourite drink?

He likes champagne and red wine.

What are his likes and dislikes?

He dislikes injustice, oppression, people taking advantage of him and people proving they are superior. He likes uprightness, sincerity and good character.

What are his views about the current administration?

I know he supports the fight against corruption. He believes too that the fight should be total, not selective or targeted at members of a particular political party. It is not enough to probe Jonathan’s administration. The probe should go beyond that, as far as Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s era, at least. Those are the things I know he believes should be done even though he believes that the government of the day is doing its best. He believes that the anti-corruption war should not be sectionalised but all inclusive because the records are there. He also believes that there should be no sacred cows.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration has been able to secure the release of some Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram during Jonathan’s era. What is his thought on this?

I do not really know his thoughts on the release of some Chibok girls. The government should secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls, as well as other ones whose names are not known. There are other ones, both women and children, abducted after Jonathan’s era and people are kidnapped for ransom daily, either in the war-torn North-East or other parts of Nigeria. The level of insecurity is still high.

Why did he support Jonathan for second term?

My father knew that Jonathan was entitled to another tenure. Unfortunately, he lost the election. Now, we have another president in power and he supports him. He is a nationalist to the core. If the Yoruba man can do two terms, someone from our region should do the same.

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A former library attendant and telephone operator, Mrs.  Esther Ibok, tells  TOBI AWORINDE about her life and career

Where were you born?

I was born in a small town known as Upenekang in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. My village is a riverine area and fishing is the main occupation there. Since my village was small, we knew every family and there was a method employed for marriage during my time. Any man that approached you for marriage only needed to mention his family name and the proposal would be accepted. The two families would then meet and start the process. On the other hand, if the young man’s family had any problems, the proposal would be rejected. We used to be a close-knit village but that is no longer the case now.

When were you born?

My birthday is August 15, 1937, according to my father’s record. My father was a fisherman and a pioneer member of The Apostolic Church in my village. He kept important records of events in my family and the village. Incidentally, TAC came into my village the year I was born. At the time, there were no records of birth in my village, so my father’s record became handy for my use. When I needed a birth certificate, I had to swear an affidavit to use. I grew up in my village with my parents and maternal grandmother, who was staying with us in my parents’ house. My grandmother was a great influence on my life and those of my siblings. She was a wonderful woman that taught us some useful lessons of life.

What kind of childhood did you have?

My childhood was normal and nothing spectacular happened. My mother gave birth to seven children but unfortunately, two elder ones died, so I became the firstborn, instead of the third child.  My father was a devout Christian who brought us up in the way of the Lord strictly. He always woke us up to do our morning prayer as a family. Being the eldest of the remaining children that my parents had, I had a great task of leading by example and my parents kept telling my siblings to see what their elder sister was doing and asking them to emulate me. That made me very conscious of my behaviour and environment. I could not do certain things that my age-mates were doing, so when I got married, I had to carry my four sisters to live with me in my husband’s house and that made us very close to date.

My parents and grandmother discouraged me from having friends. In fact, I still remember as a young girl in the village: whenever my mates were going to the stream to fetch water and I took my pot to go with them, my grandmother would send me back inside and it was when they were returning that I would be allowed to go for my own water. At that time, it was so frustrating to me, and I never liked that. I would have preferred to go with my mates, gisting and playing along the road. I always ended up going to the stream alone.

Of course, my siblings were not spared either because whenever they were asked to go to the stream, it was when other children had returned that they were released to go. At that time, I saw my mother and maternal grandmother as bad people, who never wanted me to enjoy myself. But today, I can see what they wanted to achieve and I equally used it as training in discouraging my children from keeping too many friends.

Didn’t you make friends in school?

When I started school, I had a few friends that I never brought home because of my parents, and because of the training I got from my mother, I could pick out good friends and stay away from the bad ones. Being the eldest child, most house chores were first given to me and the small ones given to my siblings. I also enjoyed fishing with my parents and, when we returned, we cleaned the fish for roasting. It was a tedious work but since I was born into it, I had no choice. I had very strict parents, though poor. Still, they did not trade discipline and contentment for any other thing. Though my parents were poor and not educated, they believed in sending us to school and did so for the five of us, up to Standard Six, which was the best they could do with the little finances at their disposal.

Even though my siblings and I couldn’t go beyond Standard Six, we are still very grateful to them for deeming it fit to send girls to school. Today, that little education helped us to get white-collar jobs and we can read and write. We are grateful for our parents’ efforts because there were other parents who didn’t see the need to send girls to school in our village at that point in time. But ours, though illiterates, saw the need and accomplished it.

Which schools did you attend?

I went to Ibeno Central School; it was one of the good schools then. We had good teachers and were taught well by them. Today, the proof that my school was good is the fact that I can read and write with correct tenses. But we all aware of the type of graduates that we have today and the type of letters they write. Some are not able to defend their certificates. Some graduates cannot write correctly or speak correct English. I do not know what is wrong with our educational system; sometimes, I think our children nowadays are not ready to study on their own and discover things. Children nowadays are seriously distracted in their academics because lots of things distract them and corruption has eaten deep into our educational system.

Even some teachers are not masters of their subjects, so they find it difficult to impact on the pupils.

Were you a school prefect or class captain?

I was neither a prefect nor a class captain in my school and that didn’t affect my academics in any way. I didn’t also envy those that were prefects or class captains. Instead, we looked up to them as our role models and admired them. The subject I enjoyed most in school was English and I understood it better than others. But mathematics was my worst subject and I wasn’t good at it at all, so I hated it. At that time, my school tuition was eight shillings and four pence. And in Standard Five and Standard Six, we paid 10 shillings.

That amount was very high for some of us, considering our parents’ financial capability and that was why our parents couldn’t pay for all of us beyond Standard Six.

While in school, I was never given pocket money, unlike kids of nowadays. In fact, I knew nothing about pocket money. I do not know if other parents then gave their kids, but in my family, we had no idea about such things. You know, we ate solid food at home before going to school, so we never needed money to buy anything in school to eat.

What did you do after primary school?

Like I said earlier, I couldn’t attend secondary school because of lack of funds. After my Standard Six, I left the village for Calabar, Cross River State, where I met my husband who was then a postmaster. I got my first job after marriage and it was as a library attendant. I wrote an application for the job in the Ministry of Justice and I was called for an interview. I went and was successful.

I started my first job on the December 2, 1972.  I enjoyed it a lot because I was given training on how to receive books and arrange them on the shelves on behalf of the ministry. I worked very hard and got promoted in the course of the job.

After working as a library attendant for some years, there was vacancy for a telephone operator and I was picked to go for it because of my competence. It was a higher post than that of library attendant. On that job, I was given training regarding how to receive calls and the ethics of the job. This helped me to polish my English competence because I had to be receiving calls from very important personalities and courtesy was very important in this regard. I worked for years as a telephone operator and retired in 1995. I was so fulfilled because I had achieved what only educated people could do and I did it well with my level of education.

Is there any modern job that you would have loved to do?

If I was still young and had the opportunity to continue working, I would have loved to work in the mobile telecommunications industry today because at is digital. Digital telephony is easier to operate than the analogue in vogue then.

When did you get married?

I got married at the age of 19. My husband saw me on the road in Calabar and since we are from the same village, he called me by my native name and I turned but didn’t know him as a person. When he got to me, he introduced himself with his parents’ name and I knew his parents very well. We got talking and the rest is history. My husband is seven years older than I am. As a spinster about to wed, I never encountered any challenges because our wedding was not as elaborate as the ones nowadays. At that time, we only needed the consent of both families and the traditional and wedding ‘proper’ would follow immediately.

Did your parents agree?

Yes, my husband’s parents and my parents consented to our marriage because they knew each other well. Immediately after the wedding, I was sent to my husband’s station to go and start my life. There was no honeymoon because we didn’t know anything about that. I started living with my husband and, of course, got pregnant immediately and started having children.

How did motherhood change you?

Motherhood changed me a lot by making me more responsible and committed. I naturally loved sleeping a lot, but immediately I started having kids, I stopped sleeping the way I used to so I could care for my baby’s needs. The part of motherhood that I enjoyed most was bathing my babies, feeding them and rocking them to sleep. It gave me great fulfillment watching them grow up as the months and years went by. It is wonderful to behold babies growing up right before you. It gave me much satisfaction.

What important events in the country did you witness?

I witnessed two major national events, namely independence and the civil war. The independence was a very happy event for everyone, including my family. There were ceremonies which we went out to watch and enjoy. It was a good time for Nigeria as a country.

On the other hand, the civil war was the worst period of my life and my family life, including my young children then. I had four children then and they were all very young. I had to take care of them and running when bombs were thrown inside the thick forest. It was not a good time at all for me as an individual or my family because the suffering was too much. Protecting oneself and one’s kids at the same time was stressful and too much work.

War is not good for anybody and as such, I pray daily that anything that will bring war back to Nigeria, God should take it away and give us His peace.

What are your hobbies?

The only thing I can consider as a hobby is paddling a canoe and going fishing, even though I did it to help my parents to cater for our family needs. It was something I enjoyed doing in my spare time without being coerced. I stopped paddling canoes and fishing when I got married and left the village. Right now, I don’t think I will be able to do it again since I have left it for long. Even travelling by water in a canoe now might be a problem for me.

Do you have any favourite food?

My favourite meal is yam and plantain, as well as eba and soup. I can eat these meals repeatedly.

What were your expectations of old age?

I never expected to live this long; it is God’s grace that I am still alive, notwithstanding all the health problems that old age throws at me. What I like about old age is the fact that I am happy seeing my children all grown up and having their own children and their children also having their own kids. Being a great-grandmother has made me happy and I am grateful to God.

What is your most cherished feat in life?

It is seeing my children all grown up and useful. If the Lord calls me home now, I am an accomplished woman. My advice to children, especially young girls, is that they should not take for granted that their parents are able to send them to good schools. They should work hard to make good results, make their parents proud and build a good foundation for their future.

Also, young girls should listen to their mothers. This is very important because it is my mother’s words of advice that took me to the level of discipline I am today.

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Hakeem is son of a former Governor of Kwara State, the late Mohammed Lawal. He talks about his father’s life and career with SUCCESS NWOGU

Please tell us about yourself.

I was born in Lagos in October, 1974 to Mohammed and Nusirat Lawal. I started my education in Lagos and continued in Ilorin, Kwara State. I later attended Royal Russell School in Surrex, United Kingdom where I did GCSE and A level. I studied Economics at Portsmouth University, majoring in Business and Development Economics. I also hold MSC in International Finance from the University of Surrey.

Why didn’t you join the military like your father?

The discipline or training we got was that one has to aspire in a career first. As a young man, when I went to the UK, I lived with an uncle, Mr. Jimi Lawal, who was an accountant. He was a very successful accountant.  I admired him and I decided that I wanted to be an accountant. That was how that came about. When I returned to the UK after my father’s governorship election, I went to him and started my course to become a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant and at the same time to work with Power Gen Company now taken over by a French firm.

From there, I moved to Dudley Bower, a facility management company in Surrex and then to Steinberg as an accountant.  I wanted to focus more on financial accounting. I was with them until I finished ACCA. After becoming a chartered accountant, I moved to Amlin PLC; an insurance company listed on the London Stock Exchange. That was where I was until 2003 when I decided to relocate to Nigeria.

Did your father support you in the course you chose?

Of course he did. He believed that whatever you are doing, you should do what you enjoy because if you enjoy it, you will always give it your best. He didn’t make career choices for us. He only told us, ‘Whatever you do, be kind to humanity. Whatever you do, have the fear of God.’

How was it growing up with your father?

My father as a military man travelled a lot. The early days of his service were when I was young. He spent some time in the UK, US and Germany during his training period. It was not the usual travelling and coming but they were travelling for courses which meant that he could be there for a year or two.

After a while, he decided not to keep moving his family so he decided to settle us in Ilorin. That was why I ended up in a primary school in Ilorin. At that point, he felt that if he was travelling, since his mother was in Ilorin, at least there would be someone to support and look after his family. That was how Ilorin became the family base.

How did he discipline you and your siblings anytime you misbehaved?

Everybody knows that discipline is crucial to a military man. You have to be punctual and neat. He looked at it from the daily regimented way that you had to be in bed on time and wake up early. These days, you have to wake up a seven-year-old to go to school. The little time he had he spent it well with us.

Every month, at the time he decided to settle in Ilorin, no matter where his posting was, he would come home. At that point, he was a senior military officer, perhaps at the level of Lt. commander. He ensured that he woke us up in the morning to prepare us for school. Whenever we returned home, he made sure that we did our homework.

Where were the places he took his family to for holidays?

During holidays, he took us to either Lagos, Kaduna or somewhere else for sporting activities. Whenever we were travelling with him, in Fiditi, Oyo State, we ate fruits, in Ogbomoso, he could buy us boiled eggs. We had different experiences like that. He would know when a child was becoming unruly and discipline was there to correct the erring child. In the area of academics, my mother being a teacher, took care of that part with dad’s support. We knew that if we misbehaved and mum reported us to him, the experience wouldn’t be palatable. But one thing is that dad never beat us.

How then did he discipline you?

He raised us in the sense that we knew what is right and wrong. My father only talked to us. He had a deep voice and we didn’t want him to shout at us so we were well-behaved. I didn’t know how he achieved it without beating us because I know that growing up, most kids were stubborn and playful but his nature allowed us to explore the world. It was more of carrot and stick. He would buy a child a bicycle but once you misbehaved, he would take it away from the child. And whatever he bought for the rest, he wouldn’t buy for the child. But that is not to say the child had lost his love, if the same child did well later, he would buy him or her all what he gave others.

Family was the most important thing for him. He wanted his family to be together. That is why we don’t compete or struggle for anything among ourselves. We share things together.

What are the values you learnt from your father?

My father was a God-fearing, hardworking and disciplined man. I learnt from him a great deal.

Did any of you aspire to join the military?

Yes. The British Navy attempted to recruit one of my younger brothers. My father was open to it but as a patriot, he told him that if he wanted to join the Navy, he would rather join Nigerian Navy. My younger brother got a job with one of the European Banks so he is in financial sector.

What were his hobbies?

The one that most people will know was playing golf. He also loved travelling. He loved to learn new things. I will never forget this event; after retiring from the Nigerian Navy as a rear admiral, dad came to the UK, and suddenly he decided he wanted to learn how to use a computer. He started with one of our friends. He got a computer.

It was funny because we used to look at him type with one finger. We would laugh. But we could not laugh loud so that he would not know that we were laughing at him. The amazing thing was that as he got into it, he felt that it was not sufficient and that he needed to attend a computer school.   We said, ‘Daddy, at your age, you cannot be going to school.’ He said, ‘One can go to school any time because life is all about learning. You look at it from your own generation but there is something that my own generation missed so I need to know more about it.’

He attended a College of Computer in Maryland, US and earned a certificate. He was curious to learn new things.

What kind of books did he read?

He read military books mostly. When he became a politician, he read mostly biographies of famous world and Nigerian leaders.

What kind of music did he listen to?

My father listened to all kinds of music, but his favourite was jazz. Whenever he drove himself, he would play it and start whistling. That period, one would know he was in a good mood.

What food did he cherish most?

If one wanted to make him happy, give him tuwo (rice) with gbegiri and wara. All his wives knew that. Anywhere they were travelling to, as long as he would be with them, they would pack wara along for him.

What were his likes and dislikes?

Dad loved honest people. He detested lies. He used to say that ‘trust is essential and loyalty is key; 99.9 percent loyalty is not good enough.’ He hated cursing others, especially when an older person does it to a young one.

Would you say your father’s name opens doors for you?

We were not brought up to look at, ‘I am a son of this or that.’ He brought us to believe that our work will open doors for us. I am well educated. I have my job. He taught us that anywhere you go in the world, it is your knowledge that opens the door for you and not the son of who you are. I do not go to places as the son of this but I go to people with what I need and what I can offer. I would not know whether being the son of this or that opens door for me. What I know is that what I know and what I can offer open doors for me.

What was the relationship between your father and mother?

Both started as lovers and became friends. At the latter days of my father’s life, my mother became his mother. She was his lover, then his friend and then his mother. My father had three wives.

How was he able to make the three wives happy?

I can’t say anything on that; only my dad can. All I know is that all of them were satisfied. I believe that if they were not happy, they would not have been with him. I know that if he was with one, she was happy with him, if he was with two, they were happy and same was the situation when he was with the three.

How did he like to dress?

For me, I will say my father’s favourite outfit was his military uniform. When I see military men, I have utmost respect for them because it is what I grew up with. I always call myself a military chap. If you grew up with a military man, you will know that their uniform is everything to them. He wore native attire when not on uniform even when he was overseas.

How did he react when angry?

He shouted when angry. When angry with his wives, he wouldn’t talk with people. Generally, he hardly showed his anger.

Would you say he positively impacted on the lives of Kwarans as governor?

The people are the ones who can tell you better how my father impacted positively on them.  My father’s policy and approach to governance in Kwara was about lifting the people. He took the approach that a governor should uplift the living standard of his people with the available resources. He tried to make the state viable for everyone. When he came into government, he saw that one of Kwara’s major issues was water and he tried to deal with the issue in three different phases. His immediate and short-term solution was the drilling of borehole for each ward and community. The second step was an intervention, storage system. He placed big water tanks in different places. The long-term which he couldn’t do was to expand the dam.

The next thing was that he felt that education was important and that the way to tackle it was from the grass-roots. That was why he expanded the schools to make them conducive to learning. Most of the parents of children in school at the time could send their children to basic schools for free because my father believed that he became what he was because he had the opportunity to get education. He also ensured that 90 per cent of the contracts he awarded were to indigenes of the state.

What other things can you say about your father?

Naturally, when people see military men, they think of them as tough people. My father was the softest and most loving man. He could do anything for anybody. One only needs to ask him.

Who were his friends?

My father had friends he made from childhood. They included Lanre Shagaya, Alhaji Kola Belgore and others. He also had friends from his military days people like Jubril Ayinla, Chiefs Bode George and Olagunsoye Oyinlola. He had friend and brother as Gen. Abdulkareem Adisa and the late Abddulkadir Kure. He also had young people like Orji Uzor Kalu and friends in the category of bosses like, Gen Ibrahim Babangida, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Gen. Abdullahi Adangba.

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Orode, a daughter of the immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, talks about her father’s political career and life with OVIE OKPARE

Tell us about yourself.

I am an entrepreneur and a mother of two amazing children.

What were some of the memorable times with your father?

I remember he would always pick me up from school. One funny memory was a day he had to be in the theatre to do a serious operation. I remember him coming late and appeasing me with food. He would always leave his work to make sure he picked me up every day. As a parent now, I appreciate that a lot because I know how demanding it is to drop everything for something as simple as school runs. My dad was my maths lesson teacher. One time, he punished me by telling me to kneel till he came back from Benin, Edo State. That day, luckily for me, my grandmother (his mum) came to my rescue.

Where did he take his family to during holidays?

We would always go for summer, mostly in London because we have family there. But when he wants to make it more special, we would go to Paris. He took us to Disneyland and got on the rides with us when my mum refused to do that. He was always fun that way. Dubai (United Arab Emirates) at some point became our family destination. He often threatened us with our grandma’s village in Edo State but that never happened thankfully.

How close are you to your father?

Over the years, we have grown close. We don’t agree on a lot of things but I know that he understands me, my ideology, decisions and the things I do. He is always ready to accept me. Circumstances have really brought us close in recent times and I trust him to have my best interest at heart, although he hardly says it.

Your father was a commissioner, then Secretary to the State Government and later governor, in what way did his foray into politics rob you and your siblings of his quality attention?

It did take a lot of his time, however, it wasn’t new to me. He is after all a medical doctor who was always on call. Much personal time was reduced but the amazing thing is that he made sure he did his best especially on important occasions. My father would go for my brother’s visiting days all the way in Otta even as a governor, or come to Canada to see me just for two days. He was spontaneous in that way to ensure he kept in touch with us as much as he could. We understood his job requirements and we were okay and supported that.

How does he relax?

Every spare time he gets, he sleeps. He needs it. He enjoys tennis as well and Africa Magic.  This is actually the strangest thing but my father loves Africa Magic.

Your father is a medical doctor. Is any of his children following in that career path?

No, we left it for him to shine.

Did he influence the career choices of his children?

No, my dad has never been one to make career choices for us. In certain areas, he chose what I studied in university. But I changed my course direction and he understood and he was okay with it. He lets you be yourself as long as it is not going to bring shame or damage to his family, you are good to go. He enjoys smart and articulate ideas. If you present it to him in a proper way and he sees the positive side to it, he will support you.

How does he feel that the Peoples Democratic Party has been able to resolve its leadership crisis?

We don’t talk about politics with him, so I wouldn’t know. When I am with him, I like being a daughter not exactly a ‘Nigerian Citizen.’

What kind of music does he listen to?

He likes Nigerian gospel songs and hymns. He also enjoys listening to Mariah Carey. Yes, believe it or not.

How does he relate with his children?

He is an interesting kind of guy (laughs). My father is very down-to-earth and strict but he is cool. He understands the times and seasons and knows how to flow with us in that way. He is very current because Facebook is his ‘friend’ so when we chat, he knows what is happening around even more than we do sometimes. He is able to relate with us on our level. He is very friendly with us.

How did his family receive the news of his desire to join politics?

I was nine at the time so I cannot really remember much. I just knew he was not working as a medical doctor anymore but my mum supported him with everything. She was the first person to join politics so she understood what it required and was ready to support her man. My brother was barely a few months old at the time as well, so we did not really have a say.

What type of person is he at home?

He is laid back. He plays with my kids and does the weirdest things like shopping for pots and pans, buying beddings and some really interesting stuff.

I think he is a lot more relaxed now than when he was in office as governor. Contrary to popular belief, he is actually a fun and very down-to-earth person. I look at him sometimes and think ‘wow, if only they knew how simple you really are.’

Did his family ever fear for his life when he decided to contest governorship?

Yes, we did but we serve a living God.

How did his family feel when he was leaving Government House?

I cannot speak for my brother or mum but I felt relieved.

What were his memorable moments as a public officer?

It was going to the creeks without protection. We found out after he came back that he was almost killed. I still think about the story and say to myself, “wow, dad just wow.”

Does he have any regrets after leaving office?

Let me be an advocate for him in this, it is not having honest people or people who mean well around him. This might be his regret or not but it is mine on his behalf.

What did he say about the movie you produced?

He loved and supported it with everything. My father is happy when we succeed. I think he shows us off and loves to say, “Yes, that’s my child.”

How does he react to criticisms?

He says nothing. I’m sure the world knows this by now; Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan says absolutely nothing. I still do not get it but I have learnt from it that act of golden silence pays in the end.

hat can you say about his performance as governor?

He did his best. There was room for more and better improvement. But again, he did what he could. I really do not enjoy talking about his work or politics so I will leave it at that.

Would you encourage him to seek further elective positions in future?

He supports my dreams and everything I do, and if he wakes up tomorrow and wants to be in politics again, he has my full support and prayers. At least, I am older and wiser now so is my entire family and with God’s help, he won’t fail. My dad knows I would do anything to protect and support him.

How did your father view the public exchange between him and Prof. Pat Utomi over governance of Delta State?

I really would not know. We don’t have these kinds of conversations. I would rather talk about how to move forward as a family and leave politics talk for the boardroom. Even while he was in office, I never really got involved. I could name only five commissioners and never tried to get in the mix. I prefer separating the ‘governor’ from the father. Besides, it was a lot to deal with and I wasn’t ready to be a part of it all. In the future though, I will  be 100 per cent involved.

What is his favourite food?

He enjoys egunbobo and gbagbafofo soup with lots of snails.

What is his favourite drink?

It is water but on a good day, he takes Coke. He is really a ‘Warri boy.’

Who are your father’s friends?

He has none.

Are you saying he has no friends among the ones he made all through the 16 years he was in government?

Yes, that’s my answer. He has none.

How does his name open doors for you?

My dad has been a blessing to lots of people and every now and then, I get random favours because of this even till tomorrow, in the strange places too.

I was recently approached by a lady in a store where I was buying materials in Warri and she kept going on about how awesome my dad was to her and how he saved her from starving. To be honest, the open doors come more from the grass-roots than in the high places you’d expect.

What is his view about the state of the nation?

He is watching and praying.

Is any of his children considering joining politics?

I will do that one day.

How does he settle disagreements with his wife?

It could be through food or the grandchildren step in and save the day.

What kind of book does he like to read?

He loves reading biographies, management and government books. He is a really smart gentle man. I mean he is book smart.

What other things do you think Nigerians don’t know about him?

He prays a lot. He enjoys spending time with his family. He speaks two languages. He enjoys travelling. He cooks better than most chefs. He swims like a champion and he has a thing for bread.

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Oladunni and Lola are two of the children of the late foremost scholar and literary critic, Prof. Abiola Irele. They talk about the kind of life their father led with GBENGA ADENIJI

Tell us about yourselves.  

Oladunni: I am a lawyer. I currently work as a company secretary. I have been living full-time in Lagos for about seven years. I returned to Nigeria from the US in October 2010. We are five girls. My other siblings are Lola, Tinuke, who is a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania studying African studies and literature, Aya, a publisher and the youngest, Idia, currently studying at Harvard University.

Lola: I am a literacy and early childhood specialist. I also returned to Lagos in June 2015.

What were the fond memories with your father?

Oladunni: Our parents separated when we were very young so we really didn’t grow up with our father. We lived in Lagos while he stayed in Ibadan, Oyo State. We only spent summer and extended period of time in Ibadan. We were young as he moved to the US in 1986. I was four or five at the time.

We spent lots of time in the University of Ibadan Staff Club. I remember that he had a library with books from everywhere. He was keen about us having a well rounded education not necessarily for us to focus on his own interest. He wanted us to pursue our own interests as we were well educated. He bought us many books like what the first and second graders need to know while we were in primary school. Early in my school days, he was concerned about my handwriting because he had a beautiful handwriting. He ensured that I learnt to write properly and on sentence construction. He was not concerned only about what was age appropriate, but as long as that thing was culturally important, my father would want us to have it.

He also took us out to museums and zoos. The first zoo I visited was the UI zoo. All of my big life experiences he gave me, because he wanted us to have good exposure to things that are culturally important. He wanted us to have rich conversations on reading, history and music etc. Anytime he was around, he would sit us down to watch My Fair Lady, Gulliver’s Travels and The Sound of Music and explain them. Most children had such experiences and he didn’t want us to be left out.

Why didn’t you study the arts having been introduced to such rich literary background as a child?

Oladunni: That is one thing I love about my dad. He would never force his interest or opinion on you. He wanted you to be your own individual. My mum’s father and sisters are lawyers. I am not out of the family line. I just have a different interest. He loved it when I chose law and he wanted me to be a lawyer.  He was really happy about my career choice and helped me to review my essays while I was studying law.

How did he discipline any erring child?

Lola: Oh my God! He only reasoned with us. I don’t think my father was into discipline as such. He only disciplined me twice. There was a time I was pulling at his beards and he warned me several times to stop. He used to have bushy beards when he was younger. When I didn’t stop, he said, “Lola, if you do that again, you will face the wall.’’ I wanted to try him and I did it again. He then told me to face the wall.  He couldn’t stand it after a minute and he told me to come and he embraced me. I cannot remember any other time. Even for our younger sisters, if there was anything that went wrong, daddy would sit them down and talk to them. One would then see reason and agree that what one did what was wrong. He was a calm person and not a yeller. Maybe that was because he started having children when older so he had more patience for us.

Oladunni: As a parent, it was not his nature to be angry. He was very patient and reasoned. For that, we didn’t want to offend or disappoint him. He made us know that home with him was a safe place.

How did he react when angry?

Lola: My dad was a very passionate person and we would have impassioned conversation. For instance, I remember when Oladunni was working with the Hillary Clinton Campaign. She was a staff member and my father was supporting Barack Obama. My dad couldn’t understand how a black woman would be working for Hillary and not for Obama at a time when the primary election was historical. I was in middle of it all because I was happy for either person; Hillary to be first female president or Obama emerging first black president. I didn’t mind. I recall that I had a conversation with my dad and I told him that he was looking at it that way as a man and not from the angle of a gender-based thing.

I said being a man, he was getting away with lots of things that she couldn’t get away with as a woman. My dad was angry and asked what I was talking about. At the end of the day, we all ate ila alasepo (okro soup) together. We were allowed to have impassioned conversation and have different views on issues as long as one could explain one’s stand. My dad was a walking encyclopaedia. He knew something about everything. For example, he would say things about Egypt in 1930s and I would ask how he knew those things.  He would only reply that he knew it. His death was a loss. When he was arguing, he would base it on things that happened 30 or 40 years ago and relate it to the present.

Oladunni: He made us to be adults with informed opinions on many things. It didn’t matter to him if you had a different view about anything but your opinion should be informed. That was his philosophy.

Your father was a writer/scholar. Did you ever watch him teach?

Lola: My father was the one that did the primary care giving when we were young because my step mom worked. As a professor, he had flexible time. She cooked but he would warm it and do pickups. He was very present. There was a day we had to pick up my younger sister and he also had to teach. He tried to figure out how to make both work so he told us to get into the car and went to class. I watched him and it was amazing to see the way the students were engrossed. They asked questions and he elevated the discourse. The students would say something and he would say, “Have you considered…” There was a feedback. It was like a loop. I think I was about 11 years old then. Later, when I was in the university at Swarthmore College, US, he was invited by the African Studies to deliver a lecture. He also came during the institution’s honours programme being one of the honoree examiners. It is a different thing to watch one’s parents do what they do best.

I understood what he was doing and this was not somebody sitting at the computer writing all day. It all culminated into sharpening of minds. I meet his students and they say, “Oh, are you his child?” That breeds lots of respect for him.

Have you read any of his insightful books?

Lola: Yes, but I was also required to read one on ideologies in the university. He also gave us his journals to read and sent us articles as well.

How easy does your father’s name open doors for you?

Oladunni: I wouldn’t say so. My father was a private person, simple and not elaborate. My parents taught us that what would open doors for us is the work we are able to do. It is not about who one’s father or mother is. This is what we have imbibed to create our own name.

Lola: My dad didn’t believe in nepotism. He believed one should work hard to get to the top. When I completed my master’s programme, I wanted to work with UNESCO because he had a friend who worked there for many years. I needed the job and I told him. He told me to apply and if I was invited for an interview, I should then call his friend who would then explain to me the way to do it. I didn’t get the job. In summer of that year, I bought a round trip ticket and went to see him. I always tell this story because I am proud of it. He took me to the front desk and asked the man there, “Josiah, you have a job, how did you get it?” He said he went through a temping agency. My father then said, “There you are, do that.” I then got a job as a front desk officer despite earning a master’s from UCL. It was not what I wanted. He told me that even though it was a good place to work, I wouldn’t be in that position for long if I worked well as I would move through the ranks. He was pragmatic about it and he was not wrong.  Within six months, I was moved into a better position because they recognised that I was capable of doing more. This is one of the values our parents instilled in all my sisters. They didn’t give us everything on a silver platter even though they had the ability to.

Who were the popular faces in your house when you were young?

Oladunni: Like I said, we didn’t live with daddy growing up, but we used to visit Prof. Wole Soyinka in his home in Abeokuta, Ogun State. I do remember his house.

Also, as we grew older, Profs J.P. Clark-Bekederemo, Henry Louis ‘Skip’ Gates Jr. and Biodun Jeyifo, who is one of my dad’s close friends, came around. We call him Uncle BJ.

Lola: Some lecturers from Cambridge University were close to us. Not to Oladunni and I but to our younger siblings. They are literary giants who visited our home.  They don’t necessarily see themselves as such and the experiences our siblings had with them were more as individuals and as our dad’s colleagues.

How did he relax?

Lola: He loved good wine and good music. My dad was a huge wine connoisseur. He enjoyed classical music and if he had chosen a different career, it would have been music because he listened to the undertone of music. Though he didn’t play musical instruments, he understood music. When I was living in Massachusetts, he would buy tickets to concerts and we would attend music concerts as a family. He could close his eyes while the show was on and say, “Did you hear that?” You couldn’t have heard it of course. He would identify the melody, harmony and components of the music. He also danced to Soukous music. He would dance at home whenever we played Koffi Olomide. Music relaxed him. It brought him great joy. He would play it very loud as he had wired the entire house and you could hear the music anywhere.

Oladunni: He also loved eating out. In one of the emails we exchanged, he told me he would want to try out some of the new restaurants whenever he was in Lagos. I lived in Dublin (Republic of Ireland) for three years and when my dad visited for just two days, he knew the restaurants that I had not even heard of. He showed me the nooks and crannies of Dublin in those two days and I had to ask him, “Daddy, how did you know this.’ We visited the Guinness factory there where we met some Germans. He spoke German to them and we spent about 20 minutes there chatting. That was how he loved to relax. Over the years, he started buying me classical songs because I showed interest in the genre.

What kind of father was he?

Lola: He was quiet and not the kind of father that would sit you down and talk to you over and over again. He could give us articles he knew were relevant. He gave us life advice. As I was getting older, he gave me some advice on dating and so on; some snippets here and there.

Oladunni: He was not overly worried that we would derail or make unwise decisions. My youngest sister has an affinity for languages and when she said she wanted to go to China to learn Mandarin, he allowed her. My dad was able to assess one’s strength. The third child is a publisher and when she was young, my dad used to frame her poems and hang them in the house. He knew she has a knack for writing though everybody wanted her to study law. She writes well and dad encouraged her to do what she wanted to do. It makes sense that it is what she is doing now.

He could tell that it was what she wanted to do very early and he encouraged her. My dad allowed you to be yourself. When I was graduating from the university, I told him I wanted to have a party and invite my friends. He printed the invitation cards and I didn’t have to do anything. He blew my mind. Talking about him now makes me emotional.

What was his favourite food?

Lola: I don’t know if I can tell you he had a favourite food. But I can tell you the things he liked to eat. He loved bread but it had to be crusty on the top and fluffy on the inside. He had a sweet tooth. He liked lemon cakes with a bit of icing on the top. He loved horsetail and Indian food.

What language did he prefer his children to communicate in?

Lola: A mixture of Yoruba and English. He was from Edo State.

What was your last conversation with him?

Oladunni: One of the last few conversations we had was at Protea Hotel in Ikoyi. He asked me what I wanted to do and how he could support me. He also talked about the New Horn Publishing he wanted to restart and we talked a lot about what we could do about it. Others were private discussions.

How did you hear about his death?

Lola: We were with him in the US. Dad wasn’t well, they called us and we went there… (Burst into tears).

Oladunni: He fell ill and we went to the US. He was in hospital for few days. Lola and I were in the room when he passed on.

Several writers and scholars wrote tributes to your father including Prof. Wole Soyinka. Poet laureate, Prof. Niyi Osundare, also dedicated his new book of poems, ‘If Only The Road Could Talk’ to his memory. Did you read any of them?

Oladunni: The tributes that came days after his passing on were quite overwhelming. We were in the US at the time and people kept sending us the tributes and newspaper clippings about him. Our stepmom also sent us the poem Prof. Soyinka wrote for him. They are quite nice because we got to see how other people experienced the man we just saw as a parent. We always had a sense of his generosity and the impact he had on people. But we didn’t understand until we saw the numbers of messages that came after his death.

What do you want him to be remembered for?

Lola: I would want him to be remembered as a man who poured himself out and did what he knew how to do well. If I speak for all five of us, I would say he was a lesson to us for us to be best not only for ourselves but for everybody and to lead a life of giving. Dad really believed in Nigeria and its whole zones and not any particular geo-political zone.

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Olumuyiwa is a son of the founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Dr. Frederick Fasehun. He talks about his father’s life and career with TOLUWANI ENIOLA

Please briefly introduce yourself.

I am a process engineer and the third child of Dr. Frederick Fasehun. I presently run an engineering firm.

What childhood memories did you share with your father?

My father is a strict person. He is a disciplinarian although he is not as strict as my mum. He was quite friendly but also busy at the time. We hardly spent time with him. We only interacted with him when he came back from work. He was deeply into his medical practice. He spent time with us during weekends. Once in a while, he surprised us by taking us to eateries, especially Chinese restaurants. Dad loves his late mother so much. Although we were all brought up in Lagos, he ensured that we connected with our root because we are from Ondo town. When we were younger, we travelled to Ondo town almost every Friday. Then his mum was still alive. After school hours almost every Fridays after changing our clothes, he took us to Ondo.

We usually went in convoy because my cousins, friends and others accompanied us to Ondo to enjoy the weekends. When he was in the hospital, he preferred to attend to us personally.

What role did he play in your career choice?

I thank God for his life because he didn’t force any of his children to take any course. He allowed us to choose the course we wanted to study. He didn’t really play any major role other than to advise me. Right from my secondary school days, I had always loved to be an engineer. He supported me when I made up my mind.  I had plans to go abroad for studies and he supported it but it was during that period that he was incarcerated by the military junta of the late Sanni Abacha. Thus, all the plans to study abroad were truncated.

What were some of the challenges he faced in life?

He got married late. He started school very late. He was not as privileged as many children. But he got many scholarships through which he was able to complete his education abroad. He was deeply into his profession coming back home. He got married at about 36 or thereabout.

When he was studying in Aberden, he told us that he suffered racism.  Even though he was on scholarship, he still needed to work to offset his bills. Those who were supposed to help failed to do so. This plunged him into hardship while abroad.  It got to a stage he almost committed suicide. In his flat, he switched on the gas and closed all the windows. He said he was determined to suffocate himself. Not being able to fend for himself in a strange country compounded his problems.  Also, he narrated the betrayals he suffered in his political journey. When he contested the presidency, the people working with him then were not straightforward and only interested in collecting his money. But there was one person that stood by him despite the odds. The person is a former deputy governor of Nasarawa State.

When the late Sani Abacha imprisoned him, what were your fears?

We thought he was going to be killed. We were prepared for the worst then because the military junta had killed many activists. We tried reaching out to different people, especially those that had influence in government. Many of his friends also assisted then.  His hotel and hospital were locked down. His sources of income were shut down and things became difficult for the family.

Did his family express reservation when he established the Oodua Peoples Congress?

Most of us were in school then. He had always told us he needed to effect change in the society. He and the late Beko Ransome Kuti were championing the cause of democracy and human rights.  When the late MKO Abiola’s issue came up then, he said he would not keep quiet. He was concerned that Abiola could be so denied of his mandate. To make matter worse, Abiola ended up in detention for long. This was a great injustice to him. He felt the interest of the Yoruba was being pushed aside. He said he wanted to be a voice for the Yoruba, even if other ethnic groups didn’t come out. That was what led to the OPC struggle.

Does he regret the decision to found the OPC?

No, he doesn’t regret it. But at one point, the family asked what he was really achieving because of the sufferings he went through. When he was detained, his family suffered a lot. We feared for our lives. When it started, he meant well for the OPC. The group was elitist then but overtime, some undesirable elements got into it and almost hijacked it. We feared for him because he is a gentleman who was just practising his medical profession. When we started seeing these people causing problems, we feared for our lives. We had mixed feelings about the whole thing.

What are his likes and dislikes?

If you know him, you will realise that he is a down- t0-earth person and wouldn’t hurt a fly. He is quite a gentleman. He loves peace. He hates cheating. He tries as much as possible to educate people on their rights. He encourages people to speak out.

How did he discipline any of his children who misbehaved?

He used the cane on us. He always quoted that passage in the Bible which says spare the rod and spoil the child. He had a special whip called koboko which he used to correct us.

What is his religious belief and how did he use that to raise his children?

My father has been a Christian and an Anglican right from time. My mum had more influence on us when it comes to religious aspect. My mum insisted we all go to church and she ensured that we participated in Sunday school.

What is his favourite music?

He enjoys the music of Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade.

What is his favourite food?

He loves pounded yam. He takes eba once in a while.

What funny experience did you have with him?

I remember in our childhood years. On Sundays, we sat together and watched Superman. He discovered that we loved Superman and all those comic heroes. Every day before going to school, he would call us and give us money to buy comics. It got to a stage that we had enough to fill half of a big room.

What were his best and worst moments?

He had a unique bond with his late mum. His worst moment was when he lost her. I had never seen him cry before but he did that day. He cried in his room. It was my mum that later came to console him. I saw him crying and was shocked to see him in such a mood. I asked her, “Why is my daddy crying?” I was quite young then. I also tried to console him with my mum. His best moment was when my elder sister, the only daughter, got married. She studied medicine like my father.

Does your father’s name open doors for you?

He trained us to develop ourselves and not to rely on his goodwill.  Whenever the police stop me when I am driving, they check my papers and after seeing my name, they ask if I am Fasehun’s child.  I always say, “No, but we are related.”  I don’t disclose my identity. Most people don’t know me as his child. It got to a stage that during the OPC crisis, I was addressing myself as Olumuyiwa Phillips. My father is not the type that loves pulling strings. There was no time he said we should take a letter to anybody or to seek favours from someone. I was able to develop myself and I can’t really remember any time I used his name to get one favour or the other. All my life, he played the role of good counsellor. He has always preached that none of us should rely on his properties. Some people that got to know I am his son are awed and want to relate with me and be friends.

What are the things people don’t know about your father?

He is a car freak. He also drives fast. Like I said, he was always driving to Ondo town every Friday. On such occasions, he would ask the driver to sit beside him and he would drive. He is a jazz lover. Not many people know he is from Ondo town. He likes table tennis. He is a fan of Chinese food and cuisines.

Who are his best friends and role models?

His best friend is late. His name is late Mr. Dosekun. His role models are Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.

Does he cook at home?

He is a good cook. He did that occasionally for the family.

How did he receive the news of the death of the late Sani Abacha?

When Abacha died, most of us in the family felt good and happy, at least because he jailed our father and made him suffer. But my father was not particularly happy. He knew Abacha even before things got bad. He didn’t jubilate when he heard the news. Although he was in detention, it was not a good news to him in a way because he felt he could convince Abacha on certain things.

I recall that Abacha wanted him to be a minister in his cabinet. But he said no because he is a strict person. They tried to lure him into the military government but he rejected the offer on principle. Abiola’s death shook him. My father had a very cordial relationship with Abiola.  That is why till today, some of Abiola’s children visit my father. I remember a time I drove him to a meeting with Abiola at night. When he heard about Abiola’s death, he was down for days. When the autopsy was to be performed, some doctors were brought from overseas and he was one of the Nigerian doctors involved. Abiola’s wives felt grateful to him especially the late Kudirat Abiola.

With the agitation for secession in the South-East, does he think Nigeria will break up?

He has the fears that Nigerian might break up. One thing about him is that he is unshaken in his principle that Nigerian can successfully be one. He has friends everywhere in the North, South and East. He is unhappy about the country’s federalism structure and believes we can do more to achieve even development. It is his prayers that Nigeria should not break up. He always expressed concerns that what would become of his friends in other parts of the country if Nigeria breaks up. Of course, he can still keep his friends but the division would not take us anywhere. He doesn’t support secession. He is a committed Nigerian who believes that Nigerians, irrespective of their states of origin, need to get the best from their government.  He understands that Nigeria is a country of diverse cultures and peoples but he believes our strength lies in our diversity. His belief is that we should develop ourselves but that when we are united, we are stronger than when we are divided.

Your dad is an avid supporter of former President Goodluck Jonathan. How does he feel when he lost the 2015 presidential election?

His relationship with the former President Goodluck Jonathan is a good one. Even up till now they, still maintain a cordial relationship. From my discussions with him, he said there was nothing bad if Jonathan contested presidency again because as a Nigerian, he has the right to do so. He, however, accepts that Nigerians will decide who they want at the poll.

Your father appears not to like President Muhammadu Buhari and he has criticised him on several occasions.

My father is not actually against President Buhari. He wants a free country where people’s right of expression is not curtailed. He does not want the people to be gagged. The first time Buhari ruled Nigeria was as a military man. His views are that Buhari should not exhibit those tendencies again.  He is okay with him. He does not hate him so far he does his job well.

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Eugene is son of the late nationalist, Chief Anthony Enahoro. He talks about his father’s life and contributions to Nigeria’s independence with ALEXANDER OKERE

Tell us about yourself.

I have spent most of my life in the academics as a lecturer. I am now semi retired. I am a traditional chief and believe a lot in African traditions. I am a grandfather. I lectured in the Department of Production Engineering at the University of Benin, the Nigerian Institute of Computer Science and the College of Technology, Benin. I was a provost and dean of studies. I now live in Abuja where I run a capacity building organisation. I am a member of the editorial board of Daily Trust newspaper.

What can you say about your father’s contributions to Nigeria’s independence?

His contributions are in public records because at the time, we were children. I think the age we were more conscious of what our father was doing was during the civil war years when we were teenagers. During the independence struggle, no five or six-year-old could say what his or her father was doing. But as a teenager, we knew the way he fought for Nigeria; he led all the Federal Government delegation to all the peace conferences. He was the original chairman of FESTAC before the military coup that ousted Gen. (Yakubu) Gowon.

At the time, I knew he was minister of information. There were about four or five portfolios under him. In the later years, he embraced political activism, and that was when he established the Movement for National Reformation, of which I am now its national chairman. When most people think about his contributions, what they remember is that he was the first person to move the motion for Nigeria’s independence, even though that motion was not the very one that was adopted. But he was known later for the establishment of the MNR in the 1980s.

It was opposed by the then Head of State (Ibrahim) Babangida. It is so funny to hear Babangida nowadays talking about restructuring. But where I come from, they say that when you wake up, that is when you say good morning. So, everybody should say good morning to Babangida. He has finally woken up. Because of his (Babangida) opposition, MNR gave birth to the National Democratic Coalition. The purpose then was just to get rid of the military.

What is your father’s biggest legacy?

One of his biggest legacies was civility of language. Today, you hear of hate speech. Even when he was fighting the military, during the clamour for independence and civil war, he never used the kind of language they use now. Before he passed on, he was offended by the Edo State House of Assembly. They (state government) named the place after him and after that, as you know you, almost every month, the (lawmakers) exchange blows and scatter the place. Why on earth would they name the place after him with the type of behaviour they show which he never exhibited in his life? I think what would upset him, if he was alive, is not only that the country is still directionless, but the fact that the people in charge don’t seem to be ready to sit down and respect the fact that they must have opposing views.

With your father’s contributions to Nigeria’s independence, do you think the country has been fair to his family?

We have yet to write the history of Nigeria. History was once dropped as a subject in secondary school, so most people don’t know the history of Nigeria. It is when we have written the history that people will study in school that we will decide who has been fair to him. We are still in that process because the main actors of that period are still with us. It is until that generation passes on that we will go back to what really happened after independence and how we really got into problem with the civil war. As to whether the country has been fair to his family, it is a very new thing in Nigeria that people would be expected to be rewarded because their breadwinner was in politics.

In fact, when we were young, we used to be very annoyed that our father was into politics because there were serious millionaires who had money than him and whenever they were in our house, they would ask him why he was not doing business but was worried about Nigeria. It is today, with this current generation, that people are saying that somebody in politics is supposed to make his family wealthy for eternity. In fact, in my father’s time, it was the last thing he would do. Despite the fact that we all studied well and earned master’s degrees overseas, in those days, nobody with self-respect would put his or her children in political positions.

Those times have gone; we are on a new page in Nigeria. When the military was sharing oil blocks, they said, “You mean Enahoro didn’t get an oil block?”  Nowadays, it is the opposite; nobody is interested in a good name. The son of a former head of state known to all wanted to contest the governorship election and was almost elected. Why would you now tell another person coming up that he should be an honest and straightforward person? Our parents didn’t want to give us advantage over others. They wanted us to uplift the country. It is today’s politicians that don’t worry about lifting the country but concentrating on lifting their families.

How do people in power relate with you? 

I don’t relate with them.

Is there any reason for that?

They are called scallywags. They are not the people who should be ruling this country. I wouldn’t want to relate with such people. I don’t go around the corridors of power. I don’t want to be asking them for anything. I wouldn’t feel happy relating with such people. Progressively, this country is getting worse. If they (political leaders) want to find people who have genuine feelings for the people, they should go and look for them. When somebody tells you he is building a 50-bedroom mansion and he wants to have 30 cars, you think I should relate with such a person?

Do you think that your dad would have regretted moving the motion for Nigeria’s independence if he was alive to see the current state of the country?

You don’t regret making sacrifices. It is wrong for one to think that he would regret doing what he did. What he did regret was that the sacrifice did not yield enough result. There was an incident during the late Sani Abacha’s time. My father, the late Bola Ige, David Jang, Dan Suleiman, Segun Osoba and Balarabe Musa, were all detained in a building in Lagos. I was the only person allowed to see them and was bringing food for them every day. The building was in a very busy part of Lagos and they were kept on the top floor. I was annoyed looking at all the old men. I told them to go to the window and look at the people whom they were suffering for, going about their normal business. I asked them why they wanted to make sacrifices for people who did not appreciate them. They explained that the sacrifices were not for today but for future generations. They were committed to doing good and not worried about the reward or what was coming to them.

There were two things that annoyed my father or that he regretted. One was that we got independence too early. He thought, when they were young, that the country wasn’t moving fast enough and that once we got rid of the whites, we would move faster.

But it was a big mistake. The countries that are doing well in Africa are the ones the colonialists stayed long enough. Where is the most exclusive part of Benin? Is it not the GRA where the white man lived? If we were in a good country, the GRA is supposed to be a slum by now.

If you travel overseas, the servants’ quarter is either at the base or top of the house. Here in Africa, because they did not want to live with the black man, they put a building at the back of the compound facing away from the house. That was where the black slaves lived. That boy’s quarters has now become accommodation. By now, we should have outlawed boy’s quarters. But the people in Nigeria who are supposed to be building houses for the poor to live are building N50m houses and the same old boy’s quarters. Is that progress?

What do you think would have been your father’s view on the clamour for secession by a section of the country?

The whole thing is very clear. First of all, unity is not an end in itself. We have to get away from this nonsense talk about one Nigeria and that the unity of the country is not negotiable. Of course, it is negotiable. Unity must be for a purpose and I often say that a good Oduduwa, Biafra and Arewa are 10 times better than a bad Nigeria. You cannot force us to be together when it is not benefiting everybody. Our people say that it is when there is no meat in the pot that you start holding somebody’s hand.

If people want to break away from Nigeria, what does it tell you? It means that they have decided that the coming together is not favouring them and you cannot tell a man where his best interest lies.

If people came together and later said they wanted to go away, allow them. It is as simple as that. What is your gain? Some of my best friends are Americans and some of my worst enemies are from my village. They should stop this nonsense of one Nigeria and that it is non-negotiable. Who is dictating that? Who dictated that it was not negotiable? My father was one of those who fought for the creation of the mid-west state. We believe in ethnic nationalities. My grandfather was not born a Nigerian; Nigeria started in 1914. Why are we talking about Nigeria as something that was decreed? Is the name even an African name?

What are the values he taught his children?

First of all, that money is not the most important thing in life and that you should say exactly what you mean. Secondly, always be respectful in the way you address people.

How would you describe your father?

He was what I will call a modern traditionalist. That is to say he was 100 per cent African. But at the same time, when he was in London or the US, he blended very well. But in his compound, he was very traditional and believed that people should respect seniority. There is respect among his children. He didn’t believe in friendship. You cannot be friendly with your father. He told us what to do and we basically did it.

He was a disciplinarian but he didn’t believe in physical discipline. On the value of education, the most important thing he said to us, which in the end was the truth, was that he could give us everything in the world. But the only one thing he could give us, which nobody could ever take from us, is the knowledge in our brains. He had many friends who rarely sent their children to schools but had property everywhere. But he said that rather than accumulate property all over the place, he would train all his children overseas to acquire a minimum qualification of a master’s degree.

How did he discipline any of his children who misbehaved since you said he didn’t believe in physical punishment?

There are many ways to discipline your children. The white people don’t beat their children. Here in Nigeria, we believe that fear and respect are the same. When people beat their children without explaining anything to them, they are raising stubborn children. But my dad would tell you that what you did (offence) was wrong. He would sit you down and ask you questions and you would realise how stupid you were. He would later look for one thing that needed to be done and tell you to do it as punishment. But he didn’t raise his hands to beat his children.

How did he spend time with his children despite his busy schedule?

We used to play golf together. We didn’t spend holidays in Nigeria. In fact, when we were young, we thought it was normal for people to be flying around the world.

What books did he read?

He used to read biographies. Because he travelled frequently, at every airport, he used to buy a book to read while airborne. If you open any book in his library, you will see the name of the airport and the date. He didn’t read novels.

What was his favourite food and drink?

He taught us a big lesson which is that once you find any food you like, continue eating it. For breakfast, he always ate yam and garden egg (sauce). I used to ask him why he didn’t change his food. There is something I have learnt now that there is no need to experiment with food once you have found the one you enjoy. Whenever he was abroad, he could experiment with food. He wasn’t a drinker.

What was his choice of outfits?

He hardly ever wore English clothes, except when he was playing golf. Whenever he was in the US or England, he never wore Nigerian clothes.

Did your father ever share his dream for Nigeria with you?

One of the regrets I have is that I always asked him to write his memoirs because if I start saying some things, people would say that I was just claiming what I said he told me. When he was in government, we were young and he was very busy. When he came back from exile in 1999, for almost 14 years that he lived after that, he was retired and stayed at home. By then, we were much older and mature.  That was the time he expressed his disappointment looking back because as young men, they were too anxious. He did regret how Nigeria had gone the way it has.

What are your thoughts about Nigeria’s future?

When I was growing up in the 60s, I thought that Nigeria would be a paradise because, quite frankly, it was a far better country years back.

Do you regret being a Nigerian?

You should have asked me if I consider myself to a Nigerian. I am an Esan man and, then, I am an Edo man. That is me. Even in Nigeria, don’t they ask you which state you are from and the local government area? I am from Edo State. I don’t carry Nigeria on my head. I am an African; I don’t see any reason why I should be proud to be a Nigerian. But I’m very proud to be an Edo person. My country has to give me a reason why I should be proud of it. I cannot be in a house where I am treated disrespectfully and would say that I am proud to be a member of that house. We should talk less as if one Nigeria was decreed by God and it is in the 10 commandments. It is for us to sit down to see how we can make it good.

How do you think the country can be fixed?

First of all, we need to have a radical change in the age group running the country’s affairs. All over the world now, presidents are in their early 40s.

Now, if you want to be a president in your 40s, it means that in your 30s, you should be in the Senate or be a governor. That means that in your late 20s or early 30s, you should be a commissioner or secretary to the state government and a presidential material at the age of 40 to 50. But look at your secretary to government now, a retired permanent secretary of 70 years. That is a position a youth should take as a training ground.

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Olabukunola is a daughter of a former Chairman of the Nigerian Chapter of Transparency International, Major Gen. Ishola Williams (retd.). She talks about her father’s career and ideals with GBENGA ADENIJI

Tell us about yourself.

I currently work with a Non-Governmental Organisation called Education as a Vaccine as its Executive Director. We work on sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents and young people. I am the last child in a family of three.

How was life growing up with your soldier father and professor mother?

For me, I think I had a really good childhood because my parents were strict as Nigerian parents but were also encouraging of children’s imagination and creativity. They were always giving us access to books. We didn’t have much access to TV growing up but we had access to books, travelling, learning the world around us.  They taught us to be curious and to ask questions. They never thought there were big questions. We were raised to be kind and generous. They didn’t only do that by telling but also by showing us. There were constantly people in our house who either needed a place to stay or some kind of support. Apart from the three of us, there were uncles and cousins who lived with us when they were attending school. We had that sense of community within either when we were in Lagos or when I was with my mother in Ife. My childhood really shaped who I am today because my parents not only told us how to live and be a good person, they also did that by example.

Why didn’t you join the military?

My father didn’t want us to join the military. If you know my father, he is not a typical military man in the sense that he didn’t go into the military because he thought that it is an avenue to power. He was also not involved in politics when he was in the military even though there was dictatorship at the time. He believes that the military is not meant to rule but to serve. That sense of service has always been with him. He is a soldier and an intellectual. He grew up in an era when most people went into civil service. His father worked for a British tobacco company, but he wasn’t ready to work there because he didn’t want to wear a tie every day. The military was an option and he decided that was what he wanted to do. He worked hard and rose through the ranks. He learnt French, travelled round the world and gained knowledge so he could write papers and contribute to developing the Nigerian military into a world-class military. They were being trained by the British and Indians then. In his imagination, he wanted a military that was worthy of Nigeria’s position in the world. He wanted to contribute to that. I remember that I used to joke with him that I wanted to go to school in Jos because their uniform was nice. He would laugh. For him, it was never about joining the military but attaining the best you can be. At the end of the day, for him, your life is meant to be your value, seek knowledge and add to the knowledge in the world.

Didn’t he try to persuade any of his children to join the military?

He never did.

How does he spend time with his family during his free time?

I don’t think my father knows how to relax even though he is good at cracking jokes and singing to us. For him, relaxation is sitting around table talking world politics, culture or religion; every topic was welcomed. For us, relaxing with him was talking about the world, our family, intellectual pursuits, sharing jokes and listening to the radio. He is one of the people who started the baseball association in Nigeria. Before then, he played handball and netball. He loves baseball. So, watching the Olympics was always a big thing and any of the African competitions.

How would you say he relaxes?

He loves watching sports and discussing politics.

Do you take after him in engaging in political discourse?

I do believe that citizen engagement is important and that is why I am passionate about sexual and reproductive health and rights. I am passionate about that because I believe that the rights of the adolescents and young people should be prioritised in Nigeria. Young people should have access to information about issues relating to their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Soldiers are naturally believed to be tough. How did you escape his punishment growing up?

Even though my father is a soldier and trained to fight and secure, he doesn’t think it is right for a soldier to lay hands on his children or any children. He never for once hit me. He never did that to us. No spanking because he believes that a trained military officer shouldn’t hit a child.

What is his idea of discipline?

His idea of discipline is to sit a child down and have a conversation to express his disappointment with what the child did wrong. It always works because I always want to please my parents. He likes to know what went wrong and express what the behaviour meant to him and my mother. If he takes something away from you or refuses to allow you play with your friends as a way of disciplining you, he would explain why he did that. He can also discipline you by making you write an essay or read a technical book that is boring to a child. My father is a type of person that whenever he travelled, rather than come home with candies or clothes, he would buy a radio or a book. He also sends me information, articles or magazines that are relevant to my work.

What rules did he give his children when they were young?

Not that there were laid down rules. The thing I remember about my father when we were living in Apapa, Lagos, when he was still in the military was that he never allowed us to enter the official car. He felt it was only for official purposes. We weren’t allowed to ride in the car to school because he would say riding to school in the car wasn’t part of the official duties the car was meant for.

Your father is largely believed to be honest and frank especially on critical national issues. How do you feel anytime he speaks truth to power?

I have a lot of respect for my father. I believe he is a man of integrity; a man who speaks his mind. He is a man who believes in right and wrong; good and bad. He is a man who always does the right thing. I believe in him and that one should leave the world better than one met it and not make it worse. I see the example in my parents. They have touched the lives of many people. I see people my mother taught and those my father worked with and none can say Ishola Williams stole money or he cheated them out of a deal. More than anything else, he is a transparent man and passionate about the work he does. He can sometimes anger people because he is likely to tell you what he thinks of you. That can be a bit difficult for people to handle because of the kind of society we live in. For me, I really do respect that because there is a Yoruba saying that a good name is worth more than gold. Nobody can come to me and say I am where I am today because my father stole money, that he is where he is today because he stole money or that he is one of those who robbed the country of its potential. He is never one of them. He is actually one of those who added value to the country. He will forever be known for that.  Silver and gold my father may not have but he has a good name. I want to have a good name no matter how much money I make or don’t make.

Would you have wished he was anything else but a soldier?

I really don’t know. These days, people mistake him for a professor because of his beards, hairstyle and the kind of conversation he makes. He can talk about anything because he reads voraciously. If he wasn’t a soldier, he would be a professor or a singer.

What values did you imbibe from him?

I have mentioned some values I imbibed from him. The first is the importance of integrity, community service, value of understanding, where you come from, believing in your culture and being there for people. These values will always be guiding me.

How do people relate with you knowing who your father is?

I don’t go out of my way to tell people who my father is. Those who know tell me that my father is a good man. There are times I can talk about him and I may not necessarily mention his name. I need to make my mark on the wall and don’t ride on his name. It is part of the values I imbibed from him.

Would you say his name opens doors for you?

It may open doors when people meet me with him but I don’t think I have gone out of my way to make that happen. It is possible, I mean, because in Nigeria, sometimes, it is who you know. I can’t disregard it and I can’t say that.

Most Nigerian senior military officers are believed to be rich. Would you place your father in that category?

My father is rich in knowledge and integrity but money, maybe not. It depends on what your definition of wealth is. My father is comfortable as he doesn’t live on the street. But you can’t say that he is rich, that he has mansions. He is not hungry.

What does he tell you about his concerns for Nigeria even as chairman of the Nigerian chapter of Transparency International?

He is very passionate about the issue of corruption. He had a lot of hope that we would have possibly moved further than we were when he was in Transparency International. He had structures in place that would address corruption not necessarily on an individual level but on a systemic and structural level. As a country, we are still on a level where corruption is endemic and we are unwilling to do the required things to address it. It is unfortunate.

What is his favourite food and drink?

Beans and plantains. He also likes fish. He doesn’t take alcohol. He loves fresh juices, ginger beer, popular in Sierra Leone and water. He is a healthy eater.

What are you most proud of about him?

What I am most proud of about my father is that he is living his life the way he wants it. He doesn’t lose his good name and he can look back at his life without any regrets.

How does he handle disagreements with his wife?

Please, you will need to ask his wife this question (laughs).

Who are your father’s friends?

Some of his friends are older military officers and people he knew in the work he has been doing around the world. There are also his brothers, sisters and family.

What books appeal to him since he has a rich library?

He likes books about personality, history, culture, indigenous knowledge, knowledge production and languages.

How close are you to him?

We are close; the way any daughter is close to her father. I wouldn’t say he is my best friend but we are close.

What advice has he given you about life and relationship?

He is not one who just gives advice. One may be having a general conversation and he will tell one what to do in a situation or what he believes should be the core values guiding the decision you are making. He will not also just tell you what to do, he will offer you support. We often don’t agree on everything but he will ensure that what you are doing will not take advantage of anyone or hurt anybody.

What would you wish to change about your father if you had the opportunity?

If I can change anything about my father what would it be? Even though he is a great guy, he can be rigid about some things. I might change a lot of that. That is where his military strength comes in because when he makes his decision, it is in order. I may just say I don’t think so. That is probably the only thing I will change about him.

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Kunle is a son of the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III. He talks about his father’s life as a respected monarch with TOLUWANI ENIOLA

Please introduce yourself.

I graduated from the Department of Economics, University of Abuja. I was the best graduating student in the department in 2006. I also obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Ilorin. I am a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

How do you feel being a child of a powerful Yoruba monarch?

My father is humble. All his children have built their lives on the principle of humility. It’s a good thing to come from a royal family but I don’t allow it to get into my head. I see it as a challenge because when you are the son of a respected monarch like him, you must be able to live up to expectations so as not to rubbish the legacy that your father has built. I don’t allow pride to ruin that good name. I emulate the good attributes of my father.

What was the experience growing up in the palace?

Growing up in the palace was interesting because I learnt to see many sides of life. I say this because my father is someone who continually uses his status to empower the masses, especially the less privileged.

I was born in the palace, eight years after my father ascended the throne. I grew up meeting a lot of poor people who came to the palace to seek help. It was a common occurrence to see the less privileged bring their families to the palace. Some even came with issues which were amicably resolved in the palace. Aside from this, I also grew up seeing the high and mighty in the society coming to consult with my father; some came to seek his advice and support for their different business and political pursuits.

Growing up in this kind of environment empowered me. I was able to hone my skills, especially diplomatic skills. My father, like most traditional rulers in Nigeria, is a polygamist. This implies that our household is a very large one. Many members of our extended families live with us.

My father exposed me to opportunities where I learnt human relations. He gave me the opportunity to see the good and the bad sides of life. My father operates an open door policy. A poor man can walk into the palace and seek help from him. That exposure prepared me for leadership. I also followed my dad to many important meetings and that gave me the opportunity to network with people from different background.

How does he manage the polygamous setting successfully?

As a matter of fact, my father got married to most of his wives before he became the king. He was already a successful businessman in Jos, the Plateau State capital. He is a responsible father who is fair to his wife and children. He does not discriminate. This fair setting enabled him to unite his family. If you visit the palace, you won’t be able to say this or that child was born by a particular mother because we relate freely.  We are all united.

Your father is a busy man. How did he create time to train his children?

He sees the training of his children as a lifelong thing. Even though we are now adults, he still trains us. He reaches out to us as a mentor and role model. He could pick his phone and call you at any time to ask what you are doing and where you are. He is a responsible father. Regardless of his busy schedules, he knows that the family comes first. He doesn’t compromise on training.

Was there a clash between western and traditional education in the palace?

Before he became king, he was already a successful businessman. This means that he was already exposed to the western world. He was well travelled and served as a major distributor to multinationals. He understood the importance of western education but he was quick to teach us about the traditional knowledge and values of the Yoruba. He was able to balance the cultures.

How did he discipline any of his children who misbehaved?

When any of his children misbehaved, he would call such a child and advise him or her. He did not flog his children. He does not believe in caning or inflicting physical pain. He loves talking sense into us. He would tell you the consequences of behaving wrongly. He is blessed with obedient children.

What are your father’s worst and best moments?

I may not be able to answer this well. But I know one of his best moments is anytime he is able to attract developmental project to his community. He is happy to make his kingdom grow.

Your father played a major role in the establishment of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. With the prolonged strike and other challenges battling the institution, how does he feel and what role is he playing?

He has been playing a dominant role in the resolution of the crisis. LAUTECH is like his baby. He ensured that the institution was cited in Ogbomoso. He played a key role in getting the land for the university. He even offered his personal residence to the principal officers of the school when the varsity began operation many years ago. On the crisis in the school he has been talking to the stakeholders and he never gave up. He has met with lecturers, government and student bodies to resolve the crisis. He kept on engaging them. Thank God the institution is back in session now.

What are the things Nigerians may not know about your father?

He is a disciplinarian. He was also a successful businessman before he became king.

What challenges did your father face in life, especially while climbing up his career ladder?

He lost his parents at an early age. He lost his father in 1940. His father ruled from 1916 to 1940. His father was Oba Oyewunmi Ajagungbade II. My father is Oba Oyewumi Ajagungbade III. My dad lost his dad at the age of 14. Because he lost his father at that tender age, life was pretty difficult and challenging for him. When his father died, he had to relocate to Ibadan, Oyo State, to learn fabric making with his uncle. Those were his most challenging time. That rough background also instilled courage in him. If he didn’t go through those circumstances, he might not be as successful as he is. When he was a prince, he was well loved. He got 92 votes out of 94 to emerge the king.

Who are your dad’s best friends?

His best friend has passed on; that was Justice Kayode Eso. He also has a lot of friends among traditional rulers as well as business associates.

What were the things he enjoyed doing?

In his younger days, he loved playing badminton. He used to enjoy dancing. In his older years, he enjoys watching football. He watches football matches in the palace. He likes Mercedes Benz. He bought the cars brand new.  When he attended meetings of traditional rulers long ago, some people were envious of him because he came in a brand new car. People don’t like those that can look up to their faces and some people were just envious of him. It’s normal. He is not the richest but he is blessed.

What is his best food and music?

As an Ogbomoso man, he loves amala and gbegiri. He enjoys apala music.

As a Muslim, how does he celebrate other traditional festivals which are against the tenets of Islam?

My father is a liberal person. He is Muslim. I am also a Muslim. Some of my siblings are Christians. My mum is a Baptist. Some of my brothers are pastors. But my father is a liberal Muslim. Most important to him is service to the people, God and humanity.

How do you relate with him at home?

For the children, we don’t really see him as a king. We see him as a father. There is nothing like fear. A child should have unlimited access to his father. That is the way it works in our family.

How did he meet your mum?

I am not too sure. My mum is from Ogbomoso and my mum’s father used to be a prominent chief in Ogbomoso. I am sure my father knew my mum’s father. One thing would have led to another.

Does being a prince put any burden on you?

My name rings a bell everywhere. I am always striving to live up to expectations. I have to be cautious of what I do because of the name. All eyes are on me. There is no privacy because everybody knows me, especially in our community.

Does his name open doors for you?

I have benefitted immensely from his goodwill. Definitely, his name has opened doors of opportunities for me because he has a good name.

How does he react to supremacy tussle among Yoruba traditional rulers?

He has a cordial relationship with his fellow Yoruba obas. He does not like to be involved in supremacy battle. To him, obaship is about service. He believes that the Soun of Ogbomoso cannot go to another town and say he is better or superior to the king of that town. The Olu of Warri cannot come to Ogbomoso and say he is superior to the Soun. He does not dabble into the supremacy tussle because he believes there are better issues to concentrate on. To him, rather than engage in supremacy battle, every monarch should use his influence to better the lot of his subjects. He would rather put his efforts into how to attract companies and institutions to his community than compete with any monarch on seniority issue. Rather than do that, he finds means to ensure rural communities have pipe borne water, hospitals and good roads, etc.

Does he remember his children’s birthdays?

He remembers his children’s names and birthdays because he has a good memory. He does not forget his children’s birthdays. On my birthday, he called me like he usually does to other children.

What are his regrets about Nigeria?

You may need to interview him to get an answer to that. But at his age, I am sure he is not happy with the state of things in Nigeria. While he was growing up, he knew Nigeria had the prospect to become a great country. Nigeria was not always like this. Because he witnessed the good old days, he is pained by the state of things in Nigeria.

He even told us that when he was doing business as a young man, he had access to credit facilities. In the business world, trust and honesty were values that the people cherished. When you started a business in those days, no manager was interested in stealing your money. He is worried about how things have degenerated in Nigeria. The fault should not be put on the doorstep of the government alone. The problem can be attributed to many factors. He always tells us the younger generation that things were not as bad as it is now.

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Anne is the first daughter of popular journalist, James Bagauda Kaltho, who was gruesomely murdered by the junta during the June 12 struggle. She shares recollection of her father with GBENGA ADENIJI

Tell us briefly about yourself.

I am married to Mr. Philip Caleb. I am also a mother of one, Christabel, and I studied Computer Science.

Can you recall your childhood with your father?

I thank God for my mother’s life because she ensured we lacked nothing. With the help of God, she was able to fill the vacuum created by our father’s death by being both a father and mother to us. I can say that my childhood was a happy one. I was four when my father went missing. But from the little I observed and what my mother told us, our father loved us so much. He bought us clothes whenever he came home and spent all his free time at home with us. I have a picture of us together. It is a treasure to me and I keep it very well. I am always happy anytime I look at the picture. It brings fond memories.

How did he relax at home?

My mother is a good cook so she usually cooked varieties of delicious food for the family. My father would relax and eat with us. Sometimes, he would invite his friends to the home to join the family. It was always a fun time.

How did he react when angry?

I never saw him angry but I know he didn’t like seeing someone crying unnecessarily. I remember telling my sister, Lessie, whenever she was crying that our father didn’t take nonsense and would beat her.

How did he play with you whenever he was at home?

He tickled us, made us laugh and carried us on his neck round town.

How often did you see him since he was always busy?

We lived in Biliri, Gombe State, while he stayed in Kaduna. We didn’t see him often but only made use of any opportunity we got to see him.

How did your mother explain to you anytime he wasn’t at home?

My mother tried to comfort me by saying he would buy a doll for me whenever he returned. Anytime he was leaving home, he always promised me that he would return soon. But I remember that I always cried as he left.

What was your usual reaction anytime he was home?

We were always excited when we knew he was coming home. Our mother would wear our best clothes for us and cook many dishes like she was expecting a president.

Considering your age at the time, did you know his profession?

I didn’t know the profession he was into at the time. I only knew it when he got missing and when my mother was taking us to the court with her. I could read some of his books then because he had many.

Who were his friends that used to visit your home?

I still wonder how he was able to keep many good friends. They were always around us. Some of them were Frank Kure, Yohanna Yahaya and Mr. Kemuel.

Can you recall any day he beat you and what you did wrong?

I only remember that he beat me with a broom stick one day that I cried unnecessarily.

What books did he love to read?

I can’t recall all the books. He studied History and was a voracious reader. Some of the books he read, which are still in our home, are George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Stephen Spender’s books, Boris Baluyev’s Lenin and The Bourgeois Press and Oleg Kolbasov’s Ecology: Political Institutions and Legislation: Environmental Law in the USSR. But I enjoyed reading his personal writings like his diary and letters to my mother.

How did you hear of his death since he was first declared missing?

The news of his death didn’t come directly to us when it happened. It was when my mother didn’t hear from him after some days that she began to ask people close to him about his whereabouts. She knew he was declared wanted by the military who felt uncomfortable with the kind of stories he was writing. So, she became worried. Later, there were court cases our mother attended. We also went with her to Oputa Panel and office of Chief Gani Fawehinmi. At the end of everything, she was told that my father died in a bomb blast. But she disagreed with the concocted story that dad himself detonated the bomb that killed him. There were several stories that followed the claim. The fact remains that he got missing and his body was not found. It was after sometime that we felt he was dead.

How do people relate with you knowing he was your father?

Though dead, my father’s name lives on. When people see us, they tell us about him, especially the good things he did for them which we are unaware of.  Some went to the extent of extolling his virtues.  Many people seem to know his story and they treat us with respect. In school, our lecturers used him as an example while teaching and we felt really proud of who our father was and the life he led.

How has his name opened doors for you?

My father’s name has been a blessing to us. It was because of his name and what he stood for that we were invited as special guests to the popular TV game, ‘Who Wants To be a Millionaire’ in Lagos. His friends, within and outside the country, always extend helping hands to us. We don’t even know some of them but they always call to tell us that they were friends.

Can you narrate any incident in school which made you proud as his daughter?

I felt proud that I am his daughter when I wanted to collect my result. I just gave birth at the time and my husband offered to help me collect it. I was unsure it would be given to him. I later learnt that when he got to the school, the lecturer in charge asked who the owner of the result was. When he heard my name, he smiled and broke ‘protocol’ by giving it to him.

How does his family cope with the reality of his death since he was earlier believed to be missing?  

It has not been easy but sometimes, we rather believe he was missing and would return someday than face the reality of his death. This is one of the reasons my mother hasn’t remarried.

What promises did he make to you that you can remember?

I cannot remember any promises he made to me. But my mother told me that he was a generous man who would give out the last money on him to anyone in need who sought his help. He would then tell my mother, “Don’t worry, you will one day reap it.” Truly, we are reaping his good deeds.

Your father stood against tyranny. Would you have preferred he didn’t do that?

I miss my father. I would have loved him to be around but he knew the path he chose to tread and he was aware that he was going to die. I can say that no ruler has absolute power to do as he pleases. My father’s death and those of others like him gave people confidence to defend their rights and speak truth to power. I should also add that now, it is easier to practise journalism.

The administration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu named the Press Centre in the Lagos State secretariat after your father. How does his family feel with the honour and would you say the country has recognised your father’s sacrifice for the enthronement of democracy?

We heard about it and only saw it when Mr. Olu Akinlabi of ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’ invited us to Lagos for the special edition of the programme. We would have loved to appreciate the state and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in person for doing us a great favour. We are grateful because our father’s efforts were recognised in such manner because not everyone in the struggle got such opportunity. We thank him dearly.

Do you know his favourite food?

His favourite food was tuwo and vegetable soup.

Tell us his favourite drink.

I don’t think he had a favourite drink but I know he never took alcohol.

Did he love any particular song?

He enjoyed Lucky Dube’s music. My mother told me that he had a particular song he loved to sing. The song is in our dialect. It goes thus, “I don’t know when I will die. If I know I will get ready but since I don’t know, I will be ready and even if am not buried, I will still see my God.”

How would you describe your father?

He was a kind and generous man. He always had people around him. He was fearless and loved his country. My father was honest, independent and loving. He took care of his family and siblings who looked up to him. He was friendly and held a high standard about life. He had a firm faith in Jesus Christ.

How did you feel that he wasn’t alive to attend your wedding some years ago?

I wish he was alive to witness my wedding and see his grandchild. We were sober a few days to the wedding. My mother would look at his picture where she hung it in our home and say, “Oh! Bagauda, your daughter is getting married and you weren’t here.” In all, I thank God that his friends represented him.

Would you say his efforts against injustice and tyranny have been rewarded by the country’s current democracy?

I can only say that his death wasn’t in vain as government is not the same. Things have changed and there is more freedom in Nigeria now.

How has your mother been coping without him?

My mother lost her pillar when father died. It is not easy for her to cope without him. She does everything by herself.

What do you miss most about him?

I miss his fatherly care so much. He had a jacket we all wore. Immediately he removed it, another person was waiting to wear it. It was unfortunate that he would wear it no more.

How do you remember him every year?

We remember him every Christmas since we couldn’t pick a specific date he died.

What lesson did his death teach you about Nigeria?

My father’s death taught me that Nigeria doesn’t value honest people. Your life will be shortened if you are incorruptible and decide to speak truth fearlessly.

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Ilugbekhai is one of the children of lawyer and human rights activist, Mike Ozekhome, SAN. He talks about his father’s legal practice with MOTUNRAYO JOEL

What was ​​ growing up like as Mike Ozekhome’s son?

​I grew up knowing my father as an extremely intelligent man. He is top-notch in whatever he does. He dresses smartly, he is a great orator, a courtroom maestro and a perfectionist. There was always an invincible target set for me to meet; it is reasonable that being the son of a man with such sterling qualities, there was an unspoken code of conduct to comply with and certain set values to meet up to. You could say I had to sit up and apply myself to whatever I did. In general, it was a great experience.

Was he strict while you were growing up?

​He was very strict. When it came to matters of discipline, my father didn’t care if he got anyone upset. ​He would use the whip as often as necessary. He is an ardent believer in the old saying — spare the rod, spoil the child. With him at home, everyone showed their best behaviour. None of us wanted to be on the receiving end.

Did his children attend expensive schools?

We went to good schools. That was the critical issue. Expensive may not necessarily translate to good all the time. But he did ensure that we went to the best schools to receive quality education.

While schooling, what were the things you couldn’t do as Ozekhome’s son?

​In primary and secondary school days, I did whatever I wanted to do. I mean, I was just a kid so I didn’t give much thought to being Mike Ozekhome’s son. I played when I had to play and that was frequently. But back home after school, you stayed home and behaved yourself else the whip could pay you a visit (laughs). In university, there was a little shift in my disposition. I became more conscious of my father’s role in society. I did my best to stay out of trouble. Cultism was a no-go area. Smoking was foreign. In a sense, you could say that there were certain things I stayed away from because of my father.

Some describe your father as a radical lawyer…

My father is a radical lawyer. But I must make it clear that being radical or radicalism is not a bad thing as may be erroneously perceived by some people. As a matter of fact, radical is a positive word. A radical person is one who advocates complete political or social reform; a radical person wants a positive change from the status quo. Take a look at our country today. How do we rank in world economies, among other countries? Where are the jobs for graduates? ​

​How can a country be blessed with so much natural resources and yet many of her citizens wallow in squalor and abject penury? It just does not make any sense.  A change from this abnormal situation becomes imperative. ​ We should be glad of the radicalism of my father and other great Nigerians such as Femi Falana, Olisa Agbakoba, Clement Nwakwo and the late Gani Fawehinmi.

These individuals in their radicalism sacrificed a lot confronting social ills, fighting for the common man, speaking for the voiceless and eventually pushing the junta out of politics in 1999. Hence, whenever my father is described as a radical lawyer, I am proud of it. It simply emphasises the fact that his contribution to the Nigerian society is appreciated by all and sundry.

Did your father influence your career choice since you are also a lawyer?

​Yes and no. No doubt, the fact that my father is a lawyer made me to gravitate towards the profession. But did he ever come out to say expressly that I must study law or did he push me to read law? The answer to that is no. ​

​As a child, I always wanted to be a lawyer. It was a no-brainer. I admired my father’s wig and gown; the way he dressed when going to court. Those visuals were enough for me. It was either law or nothing. Studying law and becoming a lawyer came naturally to me.​

Do you get special privileges from people?

​No, by the special Grace of God, I plough the field, cultivate yam and lay the bed on my own.

What can you say about your father’s contributions to the country’s legal sector?

​I think his contributions are phenomenal. My father has worked assiduously and tirelessly all his life contributing to the development of Nigeria’s legal profession. He has handled ​​ notable cases that have impacted on the legal dynamics ​ of our beloved profession and the country. His being a SAN is a testimony of his achievements and contributions to the legal profession.

How did his family survive the period of his kidnap?

​No doubt, it was one of the most harrowing periods for us as a family. ​​As tough as the period was for us, it was wonderful to witness firsthand how much Nigerians love and cherish my father. The outpouring of love and goodwill messages from colleagues, friends, fans and well-wishers were overwhelming. ​Because of the show of love and support, coupled with prayers from Nigerians, we were able to deal with the physical and mental stress associated with the incident.

Nigerians prayed, fasted and kept vigil for his safe return. As a matter of fact, after his release from the kidnappers’ dungeon, he vowed, like ancient Macbeth, to “…doubly redouble strokes upon” his efforts to continue to be the voice of the voiceless and fight the cause of the common man. Till date, words cannot fully convey our gratitude to Nigerians for their show of support.

How is his relationship with his children?

​We all have a great and cordial relationship with our father. ​Although an extremely busy man, he still makes out time to travel on vacation with the family. Whenever time permits, and the family gets together, we have great moments together.

What values did he teach his children?

​We have learned a lot from our father. Our learning is not just by him telling us what values we ought to imbibe, but we see him lead his life by these values. Consistently, he has preached and demonstrated to us by his actions to be generous, the value of hard work and honesty; that a good name is better than wealth and need for a personal relationship with God.​

What profession would he have chosen if he were not a lawyer?

​If my father didn’t receive any education at all, he would have ended up as a farmer. As a kid growing up, he followed our grandmother to the farm and worked very hard on the farm. ​

​I believe he enjoyed farm work greatly and still has a secret craving for it.​ ​But with education, if I was to make a guess, he could have ended up as a doctor because of his passion to help and assist people. Another possibility is to be a lecturer. He is very intelligent and a great teacher. He would have excelled in the classroom.

What are his thoughts about Nigeria’s future?

​My father believes strongly in the unity of Nigeria. He also believes that there is an urgent need for Nigerians to sit down and discuss the country. How we can live together in an atmosphere of peace and how we can all benefit from our natural resources as opposed to one ethnicity having the lion’s share of everything.

To this extent, he has advocated for a restructuring that will accommodate equity and fairness. ​Having said that, he believes Nigeria will ultimately get better and be home for all.

What gadgets does he love?

​Well, how nicely can I put this? I think his most sophisticated gadgets are his cell phones. He is not too much into gadgets. I think part of the reason has to do with his busy schedule. Unless, an item enhances his ability to wade through his crazy daily schedule, you probably won’t catch him with such an item. ​Even if he was interested in them, he would not have the time to keep gadgets. In the past, he bought some IPads but I think my siblings ended up owning them.

How fashionable is he?

​Yes, he is very fashion conscious. You can attest to that yourself when you go through some of his pictures on Google and YouTube. He is not necessarily about name brands, but he generally loves to dress well. You can say he has a good dress sense. He loves cologne. With cologne, he loves expensive name brands. He has a rich and enviable collection of wrist watches. ​

How would you describe him whenever he is with his family?

​He is very relaxed and playful when he is with his family. He plays soccer and even dances with us. Because of his playful nature, his grandchildren are crazy about him. They climb him all over and leave him exhausted when they manage to catch him. ​

What is his favourite food?

​Although my father is a lover of food and would generally not think about food unless he is hungry, I think he enjoys pounded yam and egusi soup a lot. He loves it better when bush meat accompanies the egusi soup. He is disciplined when it comes to food. He would always tell you that there is no way he can be ‘caught’ with food because he considers food a distraction which unfortunately, one cannot do without.

How financially comfortable is he?

​He is comfortable financially, able to provide food, shelter and clothing for his family. That is what every man wishes for. God has been very good to him and rewarded his hard work abundantly. My father started from nowhere and God has deemed it fit to bless him financially and with great health. At 60, he moves like a 40-year-old man and works unbelievably long hours. He is incredibly strong and healthy. If you describe wealth in terms of good health, he is a rich man indeed.​

When did he experience his saddest moment?

​I would imagine my father’s saddest moment was when he lost his mother several years ago. He was exceedingly close to his mother and I believe when she passed on, he was hit hard by her demise.​

Who do you think he would like to rule Nigeria?

​That is an interesting question. I do not know who he would choose. But understanding my father the way I do, I can imagine the kind of personality that he would favour for the top job in Nigeria. ​He has to be a God-fearing person who understands the pain of the masses and willing to step on the toes of the low and mighty to reverse the current trend in this country. It is a trend where our commonwealth benefits only less than one per cent of the population. It must be a person who recognises the discrepancy in the distribution of wealth in Nigeria and willing to champion policies that will eventually bring a balance to the country.

Does he wish to contest presidency in future?

​As much as he would like a change in style of governance for Nigeria, unless our politics becomes less of cash-politics, the more you look, the less you see policies; he is unlikely to run for a political office.​

What is he most scared of?

​He is scared of anything that will tarnish his image under any circumstances. As you probably know, he has worked extremely hard over the years to build a brand, a good name and set standards for himself; and he has been very successful in doing that. In view of this, he minds the company he keeps. He scrutinises the kind of cases he accepts and the type of clients he represents.​

Your father has handled cases for prominent Nigerians, including Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose. How does he feel when people pass comments about the calibre of people he represents?

My father has handled numerous high profile cases in the course of his legal career. He has represented the high and mighty, the rich and poor. One thing I know that guides my father whether to represent a client or not is his conviction as to the rights of the client. If he perceives that an injustice was done to a person, no matter how highly placed or lowly placed that person is, he would take on the case. Let us not get carried away with the fact that he represented a distinguished governor in person of Mr. Ayo Fayose. My father was convinced that Mr. Fayose’s accounts were wrongly frozen by a law enforcement agency and my father represented him to get a court order to unfreeze the account.

What are his weaknesses?

​I would say his anger. In fact, he refers to himself as a “volcanic eruption” when he is upset about something. Sometimes, in my opinion, his reaction to an offensive act by a person may seem disproportionate to what the person did. I think part of the reason is that he is a perfectionist and will suffer no fools gladly. But in recent years, the intensity of his anger has dwindled.

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Patience is the first daughter of a former Governor of Imo State, the late Sam Mbakwe. She speaks with GIBSON ACHONU about her father’s life and political career

Tell us more about yourself.

I was a Commissioner for Industry and Non-Formal Sector in Imo State. Currently, I am the member representing Okigwe in the Imo State Universal Basic Education Board.

Would you say he had an influence on your career choice?

No, he was not the one who influenced my choice of course in the university. I say this because Dee Sam (as we fondly called him) did not force any of his children to study any course.  He wanted me to study English and Music when I was growing, but at the end of the day, I did not. In summary, he was not tenacious about it.

How often did he visit you when you were in school?      

As a loving father, he did the usual school runs, when time permitted. The one I can vividly remember was that on Fridays, he would pick us up (myself and my half-brother) and drove us to Kingsway stores where we shopped for the weekend. There, we also played some games. In my secondary school then, he visited us on visiting days and other days if he was in town. When I was in the university, he was in the United States but we used to talk.

I can still remember quite a lot of good memories. I recall that his children would stay around him, crack some jokes and eat with him whenever he came home in the evenings.

How did he punish any erring child?

Of course like a father, he would scold you, but he hardly used the cane. However, one thing was spectacular: after scolding you, he would still call you to advise you especially on the way forward.

How comfortable was his family when he became governor?

We were very comfortable. I would say that our family was above average class. I don’t want to use the word ‘rich or wealthy.’ The comfort we got was the one any government can provide. I say this because, sincerely, I didn’t see any difference between the comfort we had in our home and the one in the Government House. There was not much difference in lifestyle.

Did you enjoy any special treatment from colleagues at the time your father was a governor?

Definitely, the portfolio of my father as a governor came with special treatments. It is clear and obvious that people would like to associate with governor’s children or relations to get favour.

Did he guide you on the choice of friends?

Yes, he did. Every responsible father would be protective of his children and would want to know the kind of friends they keep. Every responsible parent would also like to give approvals of such relationships.

Did he create time for his family?

The truth was that owing to the tight schedule of a governor, he rarely had the time. This was because it was burdensome and onerous to govern the old Imo State. You will recall that the old Imo State comprised the present Imo, Abia and some parts of Ebonyi State. However, that didn’t mean he did not play his roles as a responsible family man.

How was life in the Government House?

Well, it was a bit hectic. This was because one had to get used to having many visitors.

How would you describe life outside the Government House?

Initially, it was rough. I say this because ours was not like we left at a due time because of the coup. For instance, we were harassed and detained. I was detained for nine months. I spent six months in the custody of the Department of State Service. The DSS was called National Security Organisation then. After leaving there, I was taken to the Kirikiri prisons where I lived for three months. Honestly, it was a very horrifying experience. It was not like one left the Government House for one’s home to rest. However, it took time to adjust to a normal life. My father was also detained for two and half years. This and more buttressed the fact that it took us time to adjust to a normal life.

What was your impression about governance when your father became a governor?  

As a young person who was not exposed to politics, I did not know the nitty-gritty of governance as at that point in time.

Would you have wished he didn’t join politics?

Yes. This is because politics puts one in the public eye and it comes with a litany of pressures and demands. I wished he did not join politics and remained a lawyer/businessman. This is because he was doing very well as a lawyer and businessman. We could have spent more time with him, devoid of public attention.

What would you wish to change about your father if you had the opportunity?

I would have liked to change his kind-heartedness to a certain extent. He was too kind to a fault and trusted people very easily.

What were the challenges he encountered in his political journey?

I would not know the challenges per se because I was young at the time. Nevertheless, one thing was that he must have had some challenges as an aspiring and growing man, especially in the development of his career.

What kind of father was he?

He was a very loving father. He cared for his family, especially his children. He was over-protective of his family and children.

What was his favourite food?

My father was not too keen on food. He was not a gourmand. He ate anything to survive as long as it was good food. Remember, he was a military man. He was a Biafran soldier.

How did he relax?

He liked to sit out, taking fresh air and reading. He did sit out with his family members and friends to chat.

How close were you to him?

Well, it was a common knowledge that I was quite close to my father. I loved him and he loved me too.

What was his favourite drink?

He loved champagne and palm wine. But he was never drunk. He was always himself.

Did he inspire your interest in politics?

Yes, what I am today in the politics of Imo was facilitated by my father’s name. This was because of the type of politics he played. He played politics of service, commitment and selflessness.

Does being a child of a popular politician put any burden on you?

Of course, people’s expectations are quite high. Put in another way, their demands are enormous. Sometimes, they are very complicating.

How did he like to dress?

My father dressed simply. He was not fanatical about dressing. It may be surprising to tell you that he was interested in the dress code in vogue. He loved to wear his native clothes. But as a lawyer, he appeared in a suit whenever matters of professionalism and formality were at stake.

Have you ever seen your parents quarrel?

Of course, they quarrelled. The truth was that the quarrels never got physical.

Can you share a funny experience with your father?

I still remember a very scary but funny experience. It happened when he visited me in New York. We were working down the street on Downtown Manhattan, a very busy area. After showing him the Empire Building, a very magnificent edifice, I thought he was still walking down with me only for me to turn round and did not see him.

I was completely scared. I had to rush back, breaking in between people to look for him. Fortunately, I saw him preoccupied, gazing at the building. I asked, ‘Dad what are you still doing here?’ He answered, “This is an edifice. I wish I can carry this building like this and dump it in Imo.”

It was very funny because I could have lost him in the crowd.

Tell us his interests.

His major interest was to see people make progress. He enjoyed helping people to succeed in life. He hated oppression in all ramifications.

How sociable was he?

He was not a party or nightlife person. He however relaxed very well with his people.

Did he have a nickname?

The only nickname I knew was Dee Sam.

What was his view about politics in Nigeria?

His view about politics was that of service to the people. He tenaciously preached against people being in government for self-aggrandisement and enrichment.

What kind of music did he listen to?

He loved Oriental (Warrior) and Ebenezer Obey’s music.

Who were your father’s friends and role models?

Growing up, I knew he had friends like the now late Chief Collins Obi and the late Chief Evan Enwerem. But politics affected their friendship. I cannot explicitly state how the relationship started. Also, my father had as a role model, the now late Ngumezi of Mbieri, who played the role of a father and elder brother in his life. There was also the late Ahumibe. Politically, people like Nnamdi Azikiwe and Akanu Ibiam made positive impact on his life.

What can you say about your father’s contributions to the country?  

He immensely contributed to development of the country and this has kept his name high. For instance, he was a member of the Constitutional Conference in 1978 and during the regime of the late General Sani Abacha.

He also served on several national committees. He solely championed the “Abandoned Property” cause in Port Harcourt. This was because he did not understand why an Igbo man should relinquish his property anywhere in the country, as assumed that we are one Nigeria. He contributed to the birth of Second Republic which made the military restore power to the civilians. He played a very prominent role, among other things, in the creation of the old Imo State from the then East Central State.

What was your father’s legacy?

His legacy was good governance. This has remained a yardstick in Imo politics. Politicians, especially governors say, ‘I want to rule like Sam Mbakwe’ and “I want to beat Mbakwe’s records.’

What do you think would have been your father’s view on agitation for Biafra?     

He would not have supported it because he always wanted a one and united Nigeria after the civil war.

What would have been his reaction to the state of the nation?

He would have been disappointed with the slow pace and decay in development in the areas of politics, infrastructures and the economy among other things.

The Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, in Owerri, the Imo State capital, was renamed after him. Would you say the honour is enough for his contributions to the development of the state?

For me, I don’t think there will be anything that would be too much to honour my father for the kind of radical changes he brought into the war-torn military regime of the old Imo State. This was a man who had the vision of a state international airport in those days. Though I heard people say that money was contributed to construct the Imo Airport, he came up with the vision. He did not complete it owing to the strike by the military.

There is no honour too much for my father considering that in the area of economic development, his administration strived to establish an industry in every council area in the old Imo State.  For instance, in Mbaise (Owerri zone) his administration installed the Raison Paint Industry.

In Orlu, there was the Paper Packaging Industry while in Okigwe (Avutu Obowo), there was Imo Modern Poultry. Also in Aba (Abia State), there was the glass industry with Umuahia playing host to the Golden Guinea Brewery as well as others.

Permit me to state that in the area of education, Mbakwe’s administration started the first multi-campus university and established the first state bank, called Progress Bank, where Imo citizens were given automatic employment provided their qualifications were okay. In the area of agriculture, Adapalm (now Imo Palm Plantation) cannot be forgotten.

In the area of hospitality, we cannot forget that he established a five-star hotel (Concorde) and upgraded two Imo hotels in Owerri and Aba.

My father’s administration built the first state radio and TV stations in the state, with very lean resources then.

What would be due as honour for a man whose administration assembled great men and women in his cabinet led by the late Prof. Enoch Anyanwu, a consultant with the World Bank?

What were the values he taught his children?

He taught us honesty, simplicity, humility and fairness.

What books did he read?

Like you know, he was a lawyer and by that alone, he read lots of books across disciplines.

Did your father share his dream for Nigeria with you?

Yes, his dream was to have a united country that is economically virile and sustainable, where Nigerians would be proud to identify themselves as Nigerians. He wanted a Nigeria, where citizens would come back home from overseas with ideas and concepts, as against the rise in brain drain.

What are your thoughts about Nigeria’s future?

The future of this country is bright, especially with the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari who I see as a tenacious and dogged fighter of corruption. The administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha has, in clear terms, manifested that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I urge every Nigerian to be patient, because most great nations passed through the challenges the country is currently battling with.

Your father earned the nickname, “The weeping governor” for crying while trying to convince the Federal Government to pay more attention to his state. How did you feel when they gave him the nickname?

Well, every nickname is a nickname. Like my father was given, I felt it was in a positive direction, for the good and betterment of the old Imo State. As far as every right-thinking and progressive Imo man was concerned, the nickname was not bad. Remember he was in the minority, on the platform of the Nigerian Peoples Party. He ensured that his administration earnestly earned the needed attention of the Federal Government. He was also moved by emotions as he was always emotional, when he visited sites with former President Shehu Shagari and seeing the conditions of the Ndiegoro people. There, he also cried bitterly.

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Nwanneka and Olisa are two of the children of co-author of the book, Eze Goes to School and ex-General Manager of the News Agency of Nigeria, Onuora Nzekwu.  They talk about the life their father led with GBENGA ADENIJI

Tell us about yourselves.

Nwanneka: I am Mrs. Nwanneka Ofodile, nee Nzekwu, Chief Onuora Joseph Nzekwu’s first child. I am a caterer by profession and a housewife.

Olisa: I am Nzekwu’s son.  I run a solar business in Nigeria and I am also into agriculture.

What special memories do you remember about your father?

Nwanneka:  Growing up with him was fun. As a little girl, I remember that after the war, in the evenings on weekends, he would tell us folktales. He also loved to sing. Whenever his friends and brothers came to visit, he would relax with them. Although, he wasn’t the type that talked a lot, he loved to listen to people. Even when he had visitors around, he talked less and listened more. He was a private person.

Whenever he and his friends were drinking, he would begin to sing. He recorded lots of songs. He could use a match box as a musical instrument. He used a typewriter for his writing. It could take him a year or two to edit his work before publishing it. He had to be 100 per cent satisfied of the job.

Would you describe your father as a disciplinarian?

Olisa: Yes he was, but not in the way some people might think of it. Like my sister said, he was a man of few words; he spoke a lot in parables. The irony of it was that he wrote a lot. My first lesson on critical thinking was from him. But dealing with us as his kids, he spoke more in parables. Most times, he didn’t explain whatever he meant; he left us to figure it out ourselves.

He was known by some of his students as a disciplinarian. He taught at St. Mary’s, Onitsha, St. Joseph, Otukpo and City College, Lagos. He taught music among other subjects. We were lucky enough to have met some of his old students. Back in those days, he was known as opia a ka gbala (a great flogger) by his students because he used the cane on them.

Being his first child, did he beat you when you erred?

Nwanneka: I think he did that only once. I was quite young; my mother asked me to take a shower but I refused. I still remember that he got back from work in a really bad mood that day. I had never seen him that way. That was the first and last time I saw him react in such a way.

Your father was a writer and journalist; didn’t he influence the career choices of his children?

Olisa: My father always believed that we all had our decisions to make in life. He never pressured anyone of us to follow his career path. He left us to pursue any career we wanted. He also believed that formal education isn’t for everyone. He said that if one is to go into a trade or vocation, as long as one knows what one wants, one should give it one’s all and everything will come together. He believed in education – formal and informal. Because of his belief in education, he trained his siblings. He always said that whatever one wants out of life is what one will get as long as one does the required work.

Did your father compel his children to read certain books or behave in a certain way at home?

Nwanneka: He left us to make our decisions and be responsible for our actions. When you did something wrong, the way he looked at you made you know you had erred.

Olisa: He never asked us to read any of his books. The first time I read Eze Goes to School was in school. I remember when I was in Form 5; I came home for summer vacation. Being young and silly, I and some of my friends went to a local bar to drink. My mother caught us and told me she would tell my father. I would want my mother to flog me than wait to hear from my father. For days, he didn’t say a word about my offence and it was killing.

I recall that when he came back home one day, I was in my room. When I finally came out, he didn’t say anything about my offence. Months later, at the end of the holiday, it was time to go back to school. He gave me an envelope containing my pocket money. I took it and thanked him. But I realised that the envelope wasn’t as heavy as it used to be.

As I was about to leave, he called me back and asked me to open it in his presence. I found out that my pocket money was drastically reduced. I had three months to stay in school and the money was N20. He said that was for the whole term. He added that since I had enough money to spend on drinks, it was better he kept his money.  It was painful.

How did he relax?

Nwanneka: He relaxed by singing, reading, writing and telling stories.

How did he react when angry?

Nwanneka: It was difficult to see him angry because he was someone that didn’t talk much.

Olisa: The only way we knew he was upset was anytime he shifted his glasses, peeped underneath the glasses and stared at you for a while. Then you knew you had erred.

Nwanneka: Outside of that, you couldn’t tell when he was upset. You could stand by him and tell him something and for the next one hour, you could be repeating yourself. It wasn’t that he didn’t hear you, but he probably didn’t see the need to give a response.

While he was in government and later became the general manager of NAN, how did he create time for his family?

Olisa: He made it a point of duty to be home at 6pm or latest at 7pm every day. He went to work at 7am. Whenever he was home, he took a shower, ate and sat with us in the living room. He loved to engage us in different activities. When there was no electricity, we sat in the courtyard and listened to him tell us folktales. He always asked us to tell him what we learnt from the story before summarising the morals.  During weekends, we went on rides and had a family brunch. On Sundays, we visited family members after church.

Once in a while, we went to the village. He was a traditionalist and had a great knowledge of Onitsha and Igbo culture. He wrote several articles and at least a book or two on Onitsha culture. Some Saturdays evenings, there were about five of his friends who visited him. They all met at our place and created music together using a match box table top and empty beer bottles. They created fabulous music. There is a popular Igbo song, ene ne be je olu, which he wrote in the sixties. Some singers had done their versions of the song.

If he was not a writer, what other profession would he have chosen?

Olisa: I think he would have been a professor.

You don’t think he could have been a musician?

Olisa: Probably he would. The fact that he didn’t have a college or university degree led to his being forgotten in certain areas unlike other known writers. His formal education stopped at teacher’s training college. He wasn’t fortunate enough because his parents passed on when he was young. My father was a self-made man. His love for teaching showed he would have ventured into the profession. He had love for music but I don’t think he would have turned music into a profession to take care of his family.  In his era, musicians weren’t popular.

Which is your best among the over seven books he authored?

Olisa: I think Eze Goes to School because it brings life to what young kids go through, especially in the hinterland in Nigeria. It shows how people strive to get educated. His other books also bring peoples’ struggles to life. But since I read Eze Goes to School first, and it pushed me to read other books, I would say Eze Goes to School is my favourite.

Nwanneka:  Eze Goes to School has one or two things to do with his life. Referring to him as Eze Goes to School isn’t farfetched from his growing up years.

Did he also tell you what motivated the book?

Olisa: To be honest, we never discussed it.

What was his favourite food?

Olisa: I think pounded yam with bitter leaf soup

Nwanneka: He loved our native ogbono soup. He also liked cassava flour.

What was his favourite drink?

Nwanneka: He liked stout.

What type of music did he listen to?

Nwanneka: I think it cut across different genres. He liked jazz, highlife and reggae. Since he was into music, he listened to every kind of music.

Which advice did he give you that you cherish till today?

Nwanneka: Whatever you want to do, make sure it is what you want and work towards it. He advised that it is good to be diligent in whatever one does.

Olisa: He always said the only sure thing in life is one’s honour, name and word. And that any day people can’t trust what one says, one might as well be dead.

Tell us about your other siblings.

Olisa: In all, we are six; five girls and a boy. The other four are Cordelia Uyanwah, Laura Adiorah, Josephine Aligwekwe and Nwando Idris.

What has been your experience among five ladies?

Olisa:  Being the only male among six ladies, including my mother, has positively impacted on my life. I learnt firsthand how to interact with ladies. A lot of people call me mama’s boy. I tell my friends they don’t understand women as much as I do. I love the ladies in my life dearly and we are close.

How does your father’s name open doors for his children?

Olisa: We never tried to use his name to get favours. I have never been to a place and mentioned my father’s name. My father taught us that all he achieved was his.

Are you saying his name hasn’t opened doors?

Nwanneka: We haven’t tried to use his name to open any doors.

Olisa: I have never gone somewhere and mentioned his name. I have never gone to his colleagues and asked for help on the basis that I am his son.

In 2002, at the Murtala International Airport, customs stopped me and wanted to search my suitcases. I was with my kids, in-laws and we had some suitcases. They wanted me to part with some money but I refused. As I was trying to find the right key for the bag, they began to pass comments about the situation. After searching the first suitcase, the customs official refused to arrange my belongings and that got me annoyed. They finally told me to leave but I insisted they must search the remaining suitcases. In the process, a senior official came and asked for my passport. He then asked for my family background, but I didn’t respond to his question. He checked my passport and said the next time I should tell him who I was. That was the only time my father’s name came up and I stylishly denied it. I don’t believe in living on other people’s sweat. I don’t look for government contracts. My father built his life by himself and we have to do the same for ourselves.

Where were you when your father passed on?

Nwanneka: I was in Lagos when I got a call from my mother. I passed out when I heard the news.

How close were you to him?

Nwanneka:  I was very close to him.

Olisa: A lot of people would not understand when we say we were close to our father and mother. The way we were brought up makes me thank God for my parents. They never for once put pressure on us; they let us live our lives. They never made demands on their kids.

How would you describe your father’s burial?

Nwanneka: It was like a carnival.

How would you describe his relationship with your mother, especially in handling disagreements? 

Nwanneka: We didn’t even know if they had disagreements. My mother is in Onitsha. You recall that we earlier said our father didn’t talk much. So, it was hard to know if such happened.

Olisa: My father raised his voice only once in the presence of my mother. And it was because a relative misbehaved. Our mother tried to tell him something. I think she said it twice and then he raised his voice and said he heard her the first time.

Nwanneka: It was difficult to know when there was a dispute.

Who were your father’s friends?

Olisa: One of his best friends was my mother’s elder brother, Arthur Mbanefo.

What do you miss most about your father?

Nwanneka: I have yet come terms with the fact that he is no more. Sometimes, I feel he went on a trip and would be back soon. I miss his wise counsel and times we sang and laughed together. I miss the family bond we shared with him.

Did your father discuss his frustrations about Nigeria with you?

Olisa: We had a few chats on that issue. Generally, he felt that our generation was moving away from the real African norms of caring for one’s neighbours. He usually said money wouldn’t bring happiness because it comes from one’s inner self.

What exercise did he do?

Olisa: He used to go for walks. He loved to walk to his friends’ houses.

Nwanneka: He loved to take a walk a lot except the place was far.

How did he like to dress?

Olisa: He wore everything from shorts to suits. It depended on the occasion. My sisters loved to dress him up.

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Muyiwa is one of the children of veteran actor, Yinka Quadri. He talks about the life his father leads off the klieg lights with GBENGA ADENIJI

Tell us about yourself?

I am from Oro in Kwara State. I am also into acting. I am the sixth of my father’s children. I hold a National Diploma in Business Administration from a private polytechnic in Offa, Kwara State. I am planning to further my education.

What childhood memories can you recall growing up with your father?

The childhood memory I can remember vividly was when we watched the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea-Japan final together. Brazil played Germany in the final and won the tournament by two goals to nil.

Your father is an actor. Did he encourage any of his children to pursue a career in acting? 

My father didn’t force acting on any of us, but he encourages any of his children who is interested in acting to go into it.

How does he discipline any child who misbehaves?

He only scolds any child who acts up. He does not use the cane on us.

Do you go to film locations with him and what is usually the experience during the trips?

Yes, I do. The experience is always fun, seeing things, meeting celebrities and going from one location to another. It is always fun.

Many people appreciate his craft and ability to play any role. How did he learn acting? 

I was not born when he started acting. I believe practice makes perfect. He has passion for acting and he made efforts by joining a theatre group. Today, to the glory of God, he finds comfort in it because he is good at what he does.

Which of the movies he features in is your favourite and why do you prefer the movie to others?

I am a big fan of my father and I enjoy seeing him on screen. I do not have a specific movie he features in that I enjoy the most because I enjoy every movie he is in.

Your father plays herbalist role in movies quite well. Would you describe him as a native doctor in real life? 

(Laughs) My father is not a native doctor. He is a man of God and a God-fearing man. To your question about if I would describe him as a native doctor in real life, my answer is capital NO.

How does he relax?

My father likes to relax by staying with his family. He especially loves to be with his wife who is my mother.

What songs does he listen to?

My father listens to different types of songs like hip-hop, fuji, juju etc because he is a music lover. I also get him the latest songs in town.

How does he react when angry?

My father never shows his anger on his face because he tries to caution himself a lot when angry.

Your father belongs to the Odunfa Caucus in the Yoruba Nollywood genre and his friends and protégés call him chairman. Did he tell you how he got the appellation?  

Even at home, we all come him chairman. He is the chairman of the Odunfa Caucus and people call him ‘chairman’. That is where the name came from.

Are you saying his children call him chairman at home instead of dad?

Yes, we call him chairman at home. I am especially used to calling him chairman at home.

How does he react whenever you call him chairman?

He always replies well.

How large is his family and how many wives does he have?

His family is a one big family. He has two wives and he is blessed with nine children and four grandchildren. He looks forward to having more grandchildren.

What is his favourite food?

I think his favourite food is semovita.

How does he like to dress?

My father likes to dress smartly. He also loves to appear good-looking. He is a man of fashion.

Who are his close friends in the industry?

Actor Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo) has been his closest friend even before I was born.

What is his favourite drink?

My father’s favourite drink is fruit juice.

Your father appears as a no-nonsense person in movies. Is Yinka Quadri the actor different from Yinka Quadri the father?

They are different persons; they are very different. My father does not compare the roles he plays in movie to his normal self in real life.

How does he handle disagreements with his wives?

I have not seen him have disagreements with his wives.

How would you describe his mood the day he gave out the hands of his daughter, Yewande, out in marriage? 

I would say it was an expression of happiness.

What major advice did he give you about life and relationship?

The greatest relationship advice he gave me was that I should make sure I carefully study the kind of woman I want to marry.

What would you like to change about him if you have the opportunity?

I do not have anything to change about him. He is my father and I will accept whatever he decides or does.

How has his name opened doors for you and how do people relate with you when they know you are his son? 

People who know I am his son treat me with care and respect because of my father’s good behaviour.

Can you recall any favours you got because of who your father is?

The favour I can readily recall, which I got on account of who my father is, was when I was invited by Mr. Ademola Adelakun to feature in a movie, Babatunde Ishola Folorunsho. Mr. Adelakun never met me in person prior to the time he called me to feature in his movie. He did that because he recognises my father in the industry.

Does your father watch the movies he features in at home?

Yes, he watches the movies he features in at home.

What is your father’s view about Nollywood?

My father’s view about Nollywood is that it is a big industry and he desires to see Nollywood at the top level.

Your father is versatile in chants and incantations. Did he tell you how he learnt the art? 

No, we didn’t have any discussion on that before.

How sociable is he?

My father is a social man and he knows how to manage his social activities.

What car brand does he like?

He likes Lexus Jeep and Toyota 4Runner.

Have you acted together with him in a movie?

Yes, I acted with him in a movie titled, Agbomabiwon.

What do his fans tell you about him when they see you?

Most of his fans love and appreciate him because he is good at what he does. I have met many people who usually tell me that my father is their best actor. They are also aware that he can act any character in any movie.

Where does your father take his family to for bonding?

My father does not have any specific place he takes his family to for bonding. He takes us to wherever we tell him we wish to go for relaxation.

When did he experience his saddest moment?

I have no idea of it.

Has he been to your school before and how was he received the day he came?

(Laughs) He has never paid me a visit in school but my colleagues are eager to see him. They are willing to see it happen.

What can you identify as his likes and dislikes? 

My father’s likes are in the area of what he does. He likes doing his job and he enjoys going to Odunfa to meet his friends like Taiwo Hassan and Abbey Lanre. He also likes football. For his dislikes, he does not like dirtiness and lies.

What do you think he would have become if he is not an actor?

If he is not an actor, he said he would have loved to be an architect.

Why did he say he would have chosen architecture if he is not an actor?

My father always says he loves the job. He said he would have taken to architecture if not that he has committed himself to acting.

How often does he take his family to his hometown in Kwara State?

My father always takes us to his hometown during Sallah. He also always encourages us to go there whenever we are on holidays.

What are you most proud of about your father?

I am proud of his status in society. This is because most of the people I meet usually tell me that they love my father’s personality both in movies and in real life.

How close are you to him?

All his children are very close to him because he creates time for all of us. That makes all of us close to him.

What values have you imbibed from your father?

The values I learnt from him are many. But let me tell you that he is my mentor. I like the kind of life he leads. Also, his parents have passed on but he always remembers them and prays for them.

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Goodheart is a son of the late Second Republic Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. He talks about his father’s life and ideals with IHUOMA CHIEDOZIE

Tell us about yourself.

I am the first son of the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme. I am a pastor. I am in charge of a church in Abuja, Revival House of Glory International Church, otherwise known as RHOGIC. I am a chartered accountant by training; married and I have four children.

How was life growing up with your late father?

I have very fond memories. He was a doting father. He was a very busy man all through the years we knew him, keeping late hours due to his work and commitments to society. You know he was the founder of the first architectural firm in Nigeria. He was a very caring father, he remembered all his children’s birthdays and those days were very memorable days spent with him.

Did he try to persuade any of his children to study his line of discipline?

Interestingly enough, no! He just wanted us to identify our pathways in life. What he did was to encourage us to be the very best in whatever field we found ourselves. I have a degree in accountancy and I knew I was called into full-time ministry (as a pastor). At the time I was about to veer off to ministry, he persuaded me to sit for ICAN exams to become a chartered accountant. So in that area, he encouraged us to be the best in whatever field we have been called to.

What was his reaction when you decided to become a pastor?

To be honest, we had our challenges. He wasn’t the happiest of persons. Being the son of an Anglican cathechist, his desire was for me to go to an Anglican seminary and ultimately rise to become a bishop. But through the years, he saw the sincerity of my heart. I am very grateful that before he passed on, he massively endorsed it. He gave his blessing for me to do what I am doing today.

How did he bond with his family during his free time?

He was a very busy man but he found time to spend with his children. We ate meals together in the State House when he was the vice-president. We had moments of our own with him. We went to the Yankari Games Reserve with him during holidays. In the middle of his busy schedule, he created quality time for his children.

What values did he inculcate in his children?

He was a very disciplined father who influenced his children positively by bequeathing them with sound moral values. He was also disciplined financially. We were not frivolous but prudent; I would almost say borderline on miserly. He ensured that we were not wasteful at all. He was very disciplined in the area of character, integrity, morals. Things like lying, stealing, cheating were far from us. He was a man of integrity and the principles he upheld shaped us his children.

He was one of the earliest Nigerian recipients of the US Fulbright scholarship. How does his family feel about that?

We are extremely honoured by his intellectual prowess even during his youthful days. He got into King’s College, Lagos as one of the youngest people in his class. He was in the same class with people who were two, three, four years older than him, and ultimately, he got the Fulbright scholarship. We are very proud of him. He was a genius in many regards.

Your father is largely believed to be honest and frank, especially on critical issues affecting the nation. How did you feel anytime he spoke truth to power?

We were encouraged; I have drawn from that in many regards as a preacher. My inspiration is from the Bible and from Christ. My father’s uprightness, discipline, integrity and humility have also influenced and shaped my upbringing and his lifestyle has rubbed off on many of us, his children.

What memories can you recall during his time as vice-president?

I remember being in secondary school – I schooled at King’s College, Lagos, where he was also an old boy. When it was time to go back to school, we would make our lists for the term.

The first thing he would do was to look at each of the lists and use a red pen to sum up the total of the items on each list. God help you if the total was more than what it should be. The child was in trouble. Then he would begin to look at the figures on each of the items and if he felt they were more than what you needed, he would use a red pen to strike it off. For instance, if N20 was cancelled, he would write in red N15 and if N30 was cancelled, he would write in red N12. By the time he was done, he would massively trim down your budget. He had that level of discipline and paid attention to details even when relating with his children while he was in power.

What songs did he listen to?

He listened to classical music. He loved classics – the Handels and the like. He was a thorough-bred Anglican.

What was his favourite food?

Favourite food? Does he have favourite food? He was a man of all meals – he was blessed with the ability to accommodate meals of a wide variety; I am not sure he really had a favourite meal as such.

How would you describe his relationship with people around him?

He was a very accessible person. He related with those some people refer to as the common man – there is no common man – as well as with the wealthy and the rich. He was very comfortable with everybody; he would sit at the table with anybody. He was very comfortable with all classes of persons. Despite his achievements, he was very humble.

Would you say his name opens doors for you?

I will say we are blessed to have inherited a good name, may be not much money, if at all. But a good name is better than money. When that name is called, you are first given a chance and you have to prove that you can live up to the name. If you fail the name, the door will close.

I thank God we have been blessed by a good name and I trust God we will keep it through the generations to come.

Do you think he would have wanted any of his children to go into politics?

Like I said, he wanted us to fulfil our life purpose and plans. He never forced anything on anybody. But I think he would have desired that – to see somebody move in that direction. But he never compelled anybody at all.

From your interactions with him before his death, did he express disappointment with the state of the nation?

He was deeply hurt. He was deeply disappointed because I believe he felt strongly that he could have done something about it. He was available; he was selfless. He made himself available to be elected as president and all of that. Those options were there, so, for him to watch the nation go the way it went to near collapse, until his final moments, was very hurtful. He was feeling helpless. But notwithstanding that, he was willing to do what he could do.

Would you say the country has bestowed him enough honour considering the befitting burial given to him?

Well, I think whatever honour they have given him is commendable. But it is relative when you compare what he did for the nation. He was a man of peace. Without the steps he took leading to the return of democracy in 1999, the nation could have been up in arms. What the nation has done is commendable but I want to see the Federal Government do more in the area of immortalising him. They should ensure that his legacies are entrenched in generations to come and I trust that it would do that.

Are there specific ways you want him immortalised?

They are numerous, ranging from possibly the establishment of an institution of politics and governance in his name to capture his principles and what he stood for – selflessness and not a do-or-die politician. That is one thing, an institution that will teach Nigerians the way forward and raise a new generation of politicians. Secondly, there is a school in the village, a college of arts and science, it became a federal polytechnic. I think it is not out of place to elevate it to a university and possibly name it after him. I think in Abuja too, iconic buildings should be named after him, to demonstrate that it pays to be good so as to encourage others to lead a life of selflessness.

What advice did he give about life that guided you to the height you have attained in life?

They are many. When he was going to run for presidency in 1999, I asked him, ‘Daddy, what do you think one person can do to bring about change in a country like Nigeria?’, and he said to me, ‘A tree may not make a forest but a tree is the beginning of one forest.’

In other word, he was saying if nobody else is standing, he or she should stand and that tells me that I must never play to the gallery. The majority is not always right. There are times in life when you must be a lonely voice as long as you are right. People may not applaud or commend you but you must always do the right thing. He was a man who said, ‘I am going to stand right’ whether nobody agreed with him or not. There are many lessons we learnt from him.

What would you miss most about him?

He was amazingly good with remembering our birthdays. On my birthday, I would expect his call from any part of the world. Last December was the first without him calling so it dawned on me that something was amiss. Calling me on my birthday was one of the things I will miss most about him. I will also miss that feeling of having him behind me, like a guardian angel. That feeling of him always being there for all of us. Also, I will miss his sense of service to mankind – his kindness and warmth to everybody that comes in contact with him.

How did he discipline his children?

I cannot remember him ever beating me or any of his children with a cane or a whip, but despite that, he was a disciplinarian. He was firm and calm, with him there was no need for a cane or whip, his looks meant a lot and that was enough to discipline us. He spoke in a calm but firm manner. He cherished his children but at the same time, he was a no-nonsense father. He did not spoil us. Back then in school, I had friends whose parents were rich and comfortable and as a result of that they got spoilt. That was not the case with us.

He made us imbibe the virtues of prudence and hard-work — all my life he never gave me a business card to get a contract anywhere. He made us understand that he owed us a good education and exemplary conduct for us to emulate and he provided that. He told us not to expect any big inheritance but to work hard for ourselves.

What values did you learn from him?

What I learnt are too many to mention. I learnt hard-work and diligence from him, and not to accept any free things in life. He was humble, nearly humble to a fault so in that sense, I learnt humility from him. Honesty and integrity are also the values I learnt from him, as well as accountability. He made us to understand that we should not mix personal things with things that were given to us to keep. One other thing I imbibed from him is to always make myself available for service, but at the same time, I also learnt from him that I don’t have to jostle for positions.

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Adaoha is a daughter of the late civil rights activist, Mr. Chima Ubani. She talks about her father’s ideals with GBENGA ADENIJI

Tell us about yourself.

I am Adaoha, a student and a daughter of the late Chima Ubani, who was a pro-democracy activist.

What can you recall about your father when you were a young child?

I recall that we had a wonderful time together. He always wanted to play with me because I was the only one then as far as I can remember. I think my mother was pregnant with the second child at the time.

What were the things he did to make you happy?

He always bought ice cream for me and carried me on his neck. Also, my father used to take me to school to listen to the rhymes we were taught so that he could sing them with me. He would ask my teacher the rhymes, sing them with me before leaving the school and repeat them when he got home. I cried a lot so he used to come to my school to see me.

Your father was always on the move. How did you behave anytime he was not at home?

I always cried anytime he was not at home because my mother didn’t have the time to play with me as I think she was pregnant then. I missed him anytime he was not at home. But sometimes, my mother would call him on the phone for me to talk with him. In that period, I would be relieved. After two days, if he was not back, I would continue crying until I was petted by my mother. Once he returned, he would come with fruits because he didn’t like junk food. There was also a long plantain chips he used to bring home for me.

As young as you were at the time, what did you notice that he used to spend time on whenever he was at home?

He loved to be in his room reading newspapers and books; he had no time for TV. He also loved writing and playing with me. Whenever I tried to take the newspaper or book from him, he would pat me tenderly and say, ‘Mummy wait. I am coming.’ He gave me the pet name, Mummy.

Does any member of your family call you by the pet name?

Yes, my mother does.

How often did he take you out?

It was always an everyday thing anytime he was at home. He used to take me to his office too. I remember that I saw one Aunt Gloria who carried me one day that I was there. She was the only one I recall because she carried me and wanted me to stay by her side.

Do you know his favourite food?

He was not the choosy type. He ate what he felt was good enough to eat. But my mother told me that he loved eba and could take it four times in a day. She said she used to cook like four different types of soup and keep them in the fridge for him to choose the one to eat eba with. He also loved wheat bread and that it is the type of bread we eat now. With my father, if you want to eat bread and you didn’t want wheat bread, then you weren’t ready to eat it. I take wheat bread and love it because of him.

What kind of father would you say he was?

He was an amazing father. In some homes, one would hear continuous quarrels but that did not happen in our home. He was a quiet father. There was always love in the air anytime my parents were around. He didn’t like trouble. He enjoyed being on his own.

Did he ever beat you for doing something wrong?

Yes, but it was only once. I was making my hair and I shouted. He came to where I was and used his palm to smack my buttock. After a while, he told me that only mad people and those in the markets shout. He said I should not shout again.

Who were his friends?

I didn’t see many of his friends at home. But I saw the late human rights lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, more. I used to see him with my father in our house when I was young. Growing up, I saw him visit us frequently.

How does your father’s name help you?

My father’s name earns respect. I remember a time in school when some of us were to be punished for something we did. I cannot remember what the offence was. The principal called us and when it got to my turn, she asked for my name. I told her and she said, “Which Ubani?” I said, “The activist.’’ She said, “He was your father? He was a good man.’’ She said I should be allowed to go.

Were you aware the day he died?

Yes, I saw my mother and some people crying that he was dead. I knew he was dead but didn’t know what death meant then. I thought he was going to come back. Growing up, I understood what it means to say someone is dead and became aware that my father was not coming back. I had to then ask my mother how he died.

What was your mother’s explanation to you about the reason you wouldn’t be seeing your father every day when you were a young child?

She told me that he travelled. Each time I asked her when my father was coming back, she would assure me that he would be back soon until I was old enough to know that he wasn’t coming back.

Your father was a defender of the oppressed, spoke truth to power and lived for public good. Do you intend to follow in his footsteps?

He died while on a job he had yet to finish. He had yet achieved what he wanted. I would be willing to start from where he stopped and finish what he left unfinished. I want to contribute to the development of Nigeria.

What do you miss most about him?

I miss his fatherly love, care and advice. He was a great father and a good man. As young as I was then, I knew that I had a wonderful father. It is quite painful that I lost him when I was very young.

How did he react when happy?

He would only smile and hug his wife. I never saw him dance.

How did he behave when angry?

He was always quiet. One wouldn’t know when he was angry because he wouldn’t show it on his face. My mother told me that before my father showed he was annoyed with somebody, then it meant the person had really overstepped his bounds.

She said he was fond of saying that when adults talk, children are supposed to keep quiet, and that he expected children to only listen and learn from whatever is being said. She added that my father believed children are not supposed to say that adults are telling lies; rather, they can say what the adults say is untrue.

My father loved children so much and would find a way to make up the time he was away anytime he was around. My mother told me that my father trained in taekwondo and was always at the National Stadium for training during weekend when he had no meetings.

How did he handle disagreements with his wife?

I was too young to know about that but I like I said earlier, they were always happy whenever they were together. My mother had said if it were possible to choose a man again, she would not hesitate to choose my father all over again.

She said my father never talked anyhow or meddled in other people’s affairs. My mother said if a female friend visited her, my father would welcome the person well and continue whatever he was doing before the person came in. But once he noticed that the conversation was getting to ‘women talk’, he would pack his things and go to the bedroom. He would not come out until the person had left. That was the kind of person my father was.

How did he love to dress?

He loved to dress simply. He wore shirts and trousers. Sometimes, he put on a jacket and other times, he wouldn’t put it on.

What values did you learn from him?

I learnt that one should not react when angry. I saw that things others would angrily react to were things he would be calm about.

Would you have wished that he was not an activist?

No, by being an activist, he was able to contribute his quota to the country’s progress. If he were not an activist, he might have been a lawyer or teacher and probably not known.

Do his feats put any pressure on you?

Yes, they do especially as I am expected to live up to his good works and person. My siblings and I have to do well as Ubani children. There is no excuse we can give on that expectation.

How does his family remember him every year?

My mother attends the memorial ceremony in his honour and on his birthday, March 22, we pray together for the repose of his soul. Sometimes, we do what he would have done had he been alive like going out, cooking food and baking cake.

What would you want him remembered for?

It is for what he is being remembered for — his good works.

Would you say he had been adequately honoured dying in service of humanity?

I don’t think so. He died serving his country and except for some people, who continue to reach out to the family, nothing is done to cater to his widow and the children he left behind.

Who are the ‘some people’ you think the family is grateful to?

They are many. But I think I can immediately remember Mr. Innocent Chukwuma of Ford Foundation and his wife; pro-labour activist, Mr. Abiodun Aremu, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Academic Staff Union of Universities. Our family cannot also forget the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who my mother said made it possible for us to be residing in Lagos and the Governor of Osun State, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola. There are also Dr. Abiola Akioye-Afolabi, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu and the wife of the late Bamidele Aturu, who continue to stand by the family.

How are the values you imbibed from your father helping you to cope through life?

I am a hot-tempered person. I can do certain things when I am angry. If someone says something, I want to react quickly to that thing. But because of my father’s calm disposition to life, I learnt to stay quiet and watch. I react though but only when the person has moved beyond his or her boundary. This is one aspect I learnt from him and it has been helping my journey through life.

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Toyin is a daughter of a renowned historian, Prof. Toyin Falola. She speaks with TOLUWANI ENIOLA about her father’s life and career

Tell us about yourself.

I am the youngest of Prof. Falola’s three children. I have an elder brother, Dolapo, and a sister, Bisola.  I attended the University of Texas, Austin, where my father teaches.  I remember helping him to carry his books to his office at UT-Austin when we first moved to Texas. Little did I know that in 10 years, I would attend the same university.

After majoring in Biology, I went to medical school at Washington University in St. Louis on an Olin full tuition scholarship and then completed my dermatology residency at Stanford Hospital and Clinics. I am currently the site lead in dermatology at the Burlingame site of Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

What fond memories can you recall growing up with your father?

Growing up, and to date, my dad has always been the life of the party. I remember all the different Nigerian functions and parties that my father and I attended. I would sneak puff puff with the other kids as my dad entertained a group of party goers with his dances and stories. I also fondly remember how he mentored many of his graduate students. Some of them stayed in our house. Others came over to join us for thanksgiving and Christmas meals, especially when they were unable to make it home for the holidays. Our family was always welcoming new faces, especially helping those who first moved to the US.

As a child, my father would travel to various universities and locations for lectures and conferences but he would always send a postcard to his kids, no matter where he went. We all kept the post cards; they also included notes of his advice over the years.

Why didn’t you study history having been introduced to such rich historical background as a child?

My father always told us to pursue our interests and follow our passion, but not if it will lead us to hunger. He was not initially persuaded to become a historian; so he takes this as a cautionary tale to examine what motivates a child and try to invest in that motivation.

How do you feel being the child of a popular historian?

Given that we share the same name, I sometimes get some perks because of his name. One hilarious example I remember was when I flew to St. Louis to be interviewed for the Olin scholarship at Washington University. The scholarship provided full tuition to attend medical school. Given the high cost of medical school in the US and also the prestige of both the school and the scholarship, I was quite nervous before the interview.

After a dinner event, all the applicants were mingling in a hotel lobby – the anxiety in the room was palpable. As I walked around, I stopped and overhead a girl said, “There is no way any of us here would get this scholarship.” I looked at all the applicants and discovered that one of them had written many history books. Another gasped and said, “That is crazy while being a premed student, how did they find the time to write books? You are right; we will never get this scholarship.” I laughed silently to myself as having the same name with my father perhaps gave me some competitive advantage, or at the least, boosted my spirit.

To this day, I still have patients who researched me before their appointment, and who will casually ask me questions about Africa and the Diaspora, thinking that I managed to be a dual scholar in both history and medicine.

How did he discipline you when you misbehaved?

While many children received all kinds of punishment, what we got the most as punishments were as lectures. Any time we did something wrong, my father would say, “come to my study.” Once he called us into his lobby like that, we knew we would not return for hours. I remember an experience when I was in high school. I made a ‘B’ in a test in one of my science courses.

After sitting me down and talking about life, what it takes to be successful and motivated, he said, “You made a ‘B’ in this course and isn’t this what you want to do in life?” Those words just stuck with me. I knew he was right. Why should I not do well in a subject that I want to spend the rest of my life pursuing? Till this day, I remember that question. It motivates me whenever I feel lazy or tired. He would not allow us to watch television during the week.

How did he find time to spend with his family despite his busy schedule?

Despite being busy with lecturing, conferences, writing, and editing, my father kept the same calendar schedule as other professors. He was at home more often during the summertime when we were also at home. During the summertime, he would often cook meals for us. His suya-making skills are unmatched, since all the children were home and my mother was working/going back to school. We would sometimes also accompany him to UT Austin and tour the college campus or sit in during classes. He always found time to take us to the library which we went to weekly — each of us children with giant books.

What role did he play in your career choice?

My parents were supportive of my decision to become a physician. My dad was the one who encouraged me to find and apply for scholarships, of which I received several offers that helped finance my undergraduate studies. He also encouraged me to find leadership opportunities and become involved in extracurricular activities to enrich my college experience.

They would check on me to know how I was doing during the difficult courses in my premedical studies and biology degree. Given that his office was on the campus – my friends and I would stop by in-between classes for snacks and impromptu advice.

My father arranged to sit on stage during my graduation from UT Austin (where he is a faculty member), and handed me my diploma which further solidified all the support he had given me throughout my premedical studies.

Were you pampered being from a privileged background?

My parents emphasised the importance of working and earning one’s money. Sometimes, my father would not give us money for toys or social events like movies, unless we earned it ourselves. At a young age during the summer, my friends and I would fashion ourselves as young entrepreneurs in order to get money. We would come up with new business ventures that would earn us money, which we usually spent on the ice cream truck stationed in the neighbourhood.

We would sell homemade newspapers or jewellery to get money to spend on popsicles and other frozen treats. My siblings and I all worked through high school and college to pay for rents, gas money, and other necessities. My parents definitely instilled in us the importance of working hard, saving money, and prioritising our finances.

If your father was not a lecturer, what profession would he have chosen?

I can’t imagine my father as anything but a historian. But I think if he wasn’t a historian, he would make a great leader of a social movement. He has a great ability to connect with people and create wide and diverse social networks, and also motivate people to act on humanitarian causes and ideals. He also has a remarkable intellect and a great memory. These are skills which endear him to people. I think he would have also still been a storyteller, a modern-day griot, perhaps a writer-poet-artist, and one that blends written and spoken word with paintings.

What are his favourite food and drink?

My father likes amala (yam flour), gbegiri (beans soup) and ewedu (Jew’s mallow). Many people might not know that my dad is a great cook. The pepper soup, beans, asaro (porridge) and other food he prepares taste so well. He likes to mix up his foods because he gets tired of eating the same things.  I would say his favourite food, besides all Nigerian food and the growing movement of cooking with more local and indigenous foods, is a new taste or flavour combination.

What is his best music?

Growing up, my dad would always play songs of Fela, King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Shina Peters, and other jùjú music stars in his days.

How does he exercise?

My dad is very much into health and fitness. He wakes up early in the morning to take long walks, and also bikes. He always pushes himself to find new walks or hikes with high elevations. He has also completed a half marathon. If you see his fit-bit reports, you would be greatly impressed by his daily activity logs.

Does your father’s name open doors for you?

Yes. Like I said, my father and I share the same name.  When I was a student at the University of Texas, at Austin, our email addresses were very similar. I remember accidentally getting emails from students wanting to meet with him, and those trying to lobby for a better seat when guest lecturers or speakers would come to the campus. I also used to get automatic upgrades on flights, since he travels often. They thought he was me – that was quite the perk! More recently, I had a patient who was reading one of his books for her high school class in San Francisco and she requested specifically to see me as a physician so she could ask me questions about my father. Sometimes, I even get new patients because of him.

What are the things people don’t know about your father?

I am not sure there is anything really they don’t know. The generous, boisterous, kind, and scholarly man they see is the same man he is at home.

What are the important things your father told you about life?

When I was much younger, I asked my father if he ever got bored of his job. He plainly and quickly answered ‘no’. And then, he said something that I have not forgotten. “You will never get bored and it will never feel like a job if it is something that you like. I will never retire. Never!” he stated. I think that mentality of combining your passions with your strength is the reason why his children are successful in their professions.

What are his secrets of keeping healthy?

He exercises daily. He takes time to ask people about their exercise regimes and routines; so he gets new ideas. He would also tell you that good health is partly exercise and what one eats.

Does he have a nickname?

His nickname is simply TF.

Your father is a writer/scholar. Did you ever watch him teach?

Yes, when we were younger, we would attend some of his lectures during the summer, and other events he attended to speak. We also got to watch him teach every day. We watched him collect awards for distinguished teaching! He is a celebrated teacher at the University of Texas at Austin where he has won most of the major teaching awards.

How did he react when angry?

He withdraws to himself.  Sometimes, he would go and drink beer. By the time he wakes up, he would have forgotten about the issue and move on.

Have you read any of his insightful books?

Yes, I have read his memoirs ‘A Mouth Sweeter Than Salt’ and ‘Counting the Tiger’s Teeth.’ Both are timeless literatures that explain the Yoruba world to the Yoruba and the world beyond them.

How did he relax?

He is a great host. He loves to cook for people and they regale one another with stories. He does not like to go on vacation to places he does not know people.

What language did he prefer his children to communicate in?

Yoruba and English.

Can you share any of your dad’s most challenging periods while climbing the ladder of his career?

I was too young to know that. I was four years old when he became a full professor. He works round the clock, even now.

Who are the people your father considers his role models?

I don’t really know but he loves Mandela, Fela and great theoretical scholars such as Marx, Gramsci, Ibn Khaldun and Kwame Nkrumah.

Does he guide you in your choice of friends?

No, but he warned us to avoid those who use drugs.

Who are your father’s best friends?

It depends on the country. He has many friends. In the US, you will see him hanging out with engineers such as Gozie Ifesinachukwu, Diran Obadina, Cherno Njie, and a businessman, Femi Owoseni.

In Nigeria, he talks a lot about his professor friends — Ayo Olukotun, Ademola Dasylva, Dele Ashiru, Labi Adeyemi, Samson Ijaola, and Jide Owoeye. In Ghana, his friends include Prof. A. B. Assensoh.  In South Africa, it is Prof. Sam Oloruntoba.

What are his likes and dislikes?

He loves music, especially apala, and he is an excessive reader. He cannot handle betrayal very well.

What does he say about Nigeria’s future and leadership?

He wants the younger generation to take over. He wants corrupt leaders to be sentenced to life in prison. He believes that Nigeria will become a stronger country once there is accountability, electricity, good roads and honest entrepreneurs.

What were your father’s best moments?

His best moment, in recent time, was when he saw his first grandson, Olamide.

Share other funny experience of fatherhood you had with your father.

He likes to take very long walks on the streets, in parks, and on hiking trails. Then he would talk about values, generate disagreements and arguments about all sorts of issues. It is fun, and as we grow older, we see the world differently from him.

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Adekunle is one of the children of popular juju singer, Admiral Dele Abiodun. He talks about the life his father leads off the stage with TOLUWANI ENIOLA

Tell us briefly about yourself.

I am a graduate of computer science and I also hold a master’s degree in public administration. I am into sales and marketing.

Can you share some of the childhood memories you shared with your father?

I had a wonderful childhood with my father. People have an erroneous belief that popular musicians don’t have time for their children and family. My father is an exception to that belief. He is an amazing father who created time out of his very busy schedules to attend to his family.

He even took us out to see movies in cinemas as well as amusement parks. That still baffles me till today. This has dispelled the myth that you are as caring as you wished to be, whether you are a busy man or not. My father is the type that values education so much. We, his children, see him as our best friend.

What kind of person is he at home?

He is fun to be with at home. Once in a while, he used to crack jokes at home. He is a jovial man. He takes his career as a musician seriously but when he gets home, he is very friendly.

Did he tell you about his road to stardom?

He told us he had the vision to become a musician quite early in life and he pursued it with all his mind and strength. He dropped out of school and travelled to Ghana to learn music. He told us how his parents began to look for him because they didn’t know his whereabouts. He told us they had to go to television and radio stations to notify the public that he was missing. When they could not see him for a while because they thought he was lost, he later reconnected with his family.

Which popular Nigerians used to visit your father when you were younger?

I used to see the likes of Segun Adewale and Sir Shina Peters and the late highlife musician and guitarist, Sunday Akanite, otherwise called Oliver de Coque.

How did he handle rivalry among popular juju singers during his time?

Contrary to the views of music lovers, my father has a cordial relationship with his contemporaries such as King Sunny Ade and Chief Ebenezer Obey. He met them in music and he took time to also learn from them.

Why did he refuse to release more than an album in a year?

He used to release an album in a year and it was consistent until the late 90s or thereabouts. I think he realised there was no point releasing too many albums in a year when the album of the previous year had not been accounted for. Again, juju music became something else at a point. His own juju is a departure from those of KSA and Obey because it has rich highlife flavour. In those days, there were many things involved in producing music. They used to go through audition before producing albums. These days, it is not the same. People go to studios to use digital technologies to produce songs. If you listen to juju music of yore, you will realise that it is a far cry from what we currently have. So, he likes to put in his best in his work. I think this is why he only released one album in a year.

What kind of person was he at home?

He commands a lot of respect when he is at home even though he is also very down-to-earth. He is highly organised and ensures that things are in the right places.

What punishment can you recall that he gave you when you were a child for doing something wrong?

He used the cane on me on some occasions. But he was quick to forgive. One minute he beat me, the next minute, he held me close to himself. I remember he would hold me close to his chest and say sorry. He would tell you that he did use a cane because he loved me. I guess I must have provoked him to use the cane then.

How did he get the stage name?

According to him, after he came back from Ghana, he started as a band member with one Sola. When the man was about to leave the music scene to start a ministry, he left the band for him.

That was how he met the record label owner, Olumo Records. In the course of music production, they asked him to write his name. As a young man, he wrote all the names his parents gave him. He was then asked to choose just two. He then adopted Dele and Abiodun out of what he wrote.

Did he encourage his children to do music?

Like I said earlier, my father values education. He encouraged us to go to school first. I used to go to shows with him at some point. I started playing the drums at the age of nine or 10. I would sit on his lap while I played the drums.

As time went on, my father asked me to leave and pursue my education. All he wanted was for us to acquire education first even if we have plans to do music later. He is not averse to us pursuing a career in music.  In fact, one or two of us are into music. One of my siblings is a disc jockey in the UK.

How does he relax after performing at shows?

He takes time out and comes back home to eat and relax. Sometimes, he would play table tennis in the compound.

Who are his role models?

I can’t really say, but he listened to older musicians. He enjoys the songs of KSA and Ebenezer Obey. These were people he met on board. He told us that he listened carefully to KSA and Obey and others and then came up with his own unique juju.

What was the most important advice he gave you?

He always told me education was number one. He always said, “Don’t forget the son of who you are.” He always told us not to destroy his name. He is not an overprotective dad.

What are his likes and dislikes?

He is someone who likes people who are sincere and forthright. He dislikes people who are not trustworthy and faithful. He takes time before making decisions.

He detests proud attitude. He always says that whatever one has the gift to do is a privilege and one should not boast or think too highly of oneself. Another thing he likes doing is cooking. He is a good cook. We call him “olowo sibi.” He told us he learnt the skill from his late mum. Cooking is his hobby.

What is his best food?

That should be pounded yam which he likes a lot.

What was the most difficult part of his career?

I would not know exactly but from the stories he told us, he had some setbacks in life. There was a time that almost all his entire band members left him. That was the same year he released a hit album. I think it was in 1983/84. By God’s grace, he was able to assemble a set of new members who did rehearsals within a short time and produced the album which was a hit. He never knew they would leave him. He is one person I respect so well. He used to educate his band members on the value of education. He advised those who wished to further their education to do so and learn a trade. He believes people should take advantage of formal and informal education. He dropped out to pursue his dreams.

When was his most fulfilling moment?

I was not there when he started music. I think he was always happy because all his albums were hits. I can’t recall witnessing a low period when he released an album.

What would he have loved to change about himself?

You may have to ask him that but I remember he once said that if he had not become a musician, he would have loved to be a director in a multinational which was why he encouraged us to value education.

He socialises with the Yoruba culture. Where is he actually from?

We initially belonged to the Mid-West in the old Western Region. At some point, some people were saying he is an Ijebu man. He simply told them he was from the Mid-West region, the old Bendel State. After that era and more states were created, it became Edo State. His town is a boundary town between Ondo and Edo states. The town is more of Ondo because it is surrounded by Ondo towns.

Would you say he regards himself as a Yoruba than Edo?

I would not say that.

What are things that people don’t know about him?

He had done many great things that he does not boast about. I would reserve that for Nigerians to talk about.

How does he like to dress?

He likes to dress simply.

What does he do now?

He still makes music and performs at events. He is still very strong. He does not sit during performances. He still performs close to eight hours on his feet at 70. For him to be able to do that at that age is a feat. I am sure that some of his contemporaries cannot do that, even those that are younger than him.

What are his thoughts about the level of acceptance of juju music now?

I think he is not happy that the quality of juju music has gone down. It has to do with the loss of values such as hard work and ingenuity in music production.

In his time, before you produce an album, there was always an audition to select people to take part.

Without an audition, you cannot record any album. People do music anyhow these days and I think it gives him concern. I would not say the present juju musicians in Africa are lazy. These days, I am sorry to say that when I listen to some juju songs, I marvel and shake my head and ask, “Is this really juju music.’’

Juju music goes far beyond what we are listening to. It takes lots of rehearsals and research to create something unique. When the likes of Ebenezer Obey and KSA came to the limelight, people knew them for their unique styles of juju. The late IK Dairo invented his own style of juju. That was how people embraced them.

When my father came out also, he invented a Ghanaian-style highlife and with a fusion of juju and afrobeat that was dubbed adawa (translated as ‘independent being’).  He didn’t copy anybody.  How many juju musicians of today have identities? What you find is a rehash of other people’s styles. They copy others.

He understands too that what you call hip-hop of today is an offshoot of juju. Listen to our contemporary hip-hop and the old time juju music; you will see that some lines were taken from juju musicians. That is what they copy. Even Fuji artistes were influenced by juju musicians. My father’s music would later inspire other Fuji musicians like KWAM 1, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and Kollington Ayinla.

Would you say that your father’s name opens doors for you?

It has robbed off positively on my career, but I am the kind of person that does not tell people about my background. Many of my friends were surprised to know that he is my father. When they express shock on knowing that I am his son, I always ask them this question, “what if I am his son?”

For people whose fathers are not Dele Abiodun, don’t they survive and thrive, don’t they succeed? Being a son of a popular musician has not taken anything from me. It has helped me in many ways. Wherever I am, people hardly know I am his son except I say it. I am not the type that announces himself except when people introduce me as his son.

What are his regrets about Nigeria?

My father is disappointed and sad that Nigerian politics has become a mess. I remember a time some people came to him. They asked him to nominate one of his children to be a councillor to represent our ward.

They said they wanted a son of a respectable person like him to contest. When my father discussed it with me, I told him I was not interested in politics.

Later, I said, “Let’s see how it goes.” We started moving from one place to the other and I found the process so disgusting. At some point, some people would come and knock at my door as early as 4am for financial assistance. I said if people could be this desperate at the level of a councillor, what would be the case if I was contesting a higher position?

It is unfortunate that people see politics as a means to get rich. That is what pains my father. Sometimes, when I went to work, I would meet people at my gate, waiting for one form of assistance or the other.

For the fact that people see politics as an opportunity to make money rather than to serve is saddening. My father is not happy about that. I was wondering what would become of me if I eventually become a councillor. These days, my father is sad that we have lost our core values; and that ethnicity, religious sentiment have taken over because some want to protect their vested interest. I pray this come to an end soon.

What would he like to be remembered for?

He would like to be remembered as someone who made a positive impact on the lives of others and helped others attain their potential.

How does he keep healthy?

He sleeps well and also does exercises.

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