HON AHMED OMISORE CHATS WITH SUNDAY TRIBUNE..UNEDITED VERSION!

HON AHMED OMISORE CHATS WITH SUNDAY TRIBUNE..UNEDITED VERSION!

HIGHLIGHTS:

*I’m among first sets of Awolowo free education in Western Region – Hon. Ipoola Omisore

*First year I entered Lagos an eye opening – Hon. Ipoola Omisore

*It’s culture of every Omisore after secondary school education to travel abroad – ex- Lagos lawmaker

*’How I found myself in advertising industry, politics’

*’My ordeals in Jemibewon’s hand over advert placement’

*’My nasty experiences in politics and after office’

*’Why banks are not political office holders’ friends’

*’Why we should banish empowerment programme from nation’s politics’

*’At last count, we have over 150,000 Omisores across the globe’

Former member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Ahmed Ipoola Omisore, who is also the Director General, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) Foundation and an Advertising guru, speaks on his growing up experiences, in this interview with BOLA BADMUS. Excerpts:
THE INTERVIEW
Question: Can you tell us your background, sir?

Answer: My name is Honourable Ahmed Ipoola Omisore. I was born in Ile-Ife on the 8th of July 1948 to a very large family, one of the largest families in West Africa. The Omisore family dynasty.

My father was Alhaji Saliu Olayemi, the Baba Adini of Ile-Ife Muslims and the Baale of Olode town in Ife South. I attended Ansar-ul-deen Primary School in 1955, I was one of the first sets of Chief Obafemi Awolowo free education in the old Western Region.

And I left in 1960 during the Independence and looking back, I was one of the beneficiaries of the free rice, free cup, free national flag, and it was very remarkable that that year was the year I first entered Lagos to attend the first Trade Fair and Exhibition at the Bar Beach, which was organized in 1960 for the Independence ceremony by the British. And it was an eye opening for a man from the hinterland to come to the city.

I attended Oduduwa College, Ile-Ife in 1962 and left in 1967. Among my mates in the college was the late Dele Giwa, who was my junior in the primary school. We met again at the college, and we left at the same time.

At the college, I was one of the Literary and Debating society’s men. I was a member of the school magazine called The Touch and Dele Giwa was the editor. I remember that time was the time they first introduced what we called Oral English, the phonics of today and Dele Giwa was the sole candidate for Oral English in those days. So all of us caught our teeth right from our school days.

And I knew that my father earmarked me to be a Muslim Alfa (cleric). He wanted me to attend ‘Ile kewu’ to study Arabic and he said ‘among all my children I want you to serve me.’

But lucky enough, I saw my uncle taking his own children to go and register for free primary school education. So I had to run and join them. And those were the days where your right hand must touch your left ear, or your left hand must touch your right ear, and I was lucky to scale through, I was over six years or so then.

So, looking back to secondary school days, it was interesting. I remembered during the period, we were lucky to have what we called the American corps that were seconded to Nigeria to come and teach. We had one Mr. Epner, a West Indian tutor, who brought exposure to the interland.

I remembered in those days, we had night out. We had dancing between the boys and the girls, once a month. We had a magazine that I said he introduced. We had a lot of things that opened our eyes to a greater future. And most of us that went through that school succeeded because of the exposure, people like Dele Giwa, who became a world-famous journalist, like Biodun Sote, who is a professor at UNILAG, like Mulikatu Bello, like Lawal then, who became Controller of WAEC. So a lot of us made a success just because we got input from outside.

Leaving secondary school, I had the background of a son of a produce merchant. My father was a produce merchant. I worked at close range with people involved in produce inspection service, grading cocoa, palm kernel in those days which was the highlight of Nigeria’s economy then. So I insisted on becoming a produce inspector, because in those days, produce inspector was like a Custom officer, he makes more money than working as a clerk. And I was employed by the Western Nigeria Ministry of Agriculture, I think, in 1968. That was after my secondary school.

I was trained at Onireke, seconded to the Wharf, where I became a check tester and transferred back to Ile-Ife as a produce inspector. And in those days, it was beautiful. We were earning £198 a year, £16.10 per month. Even while I was transferred back to Lagos, we were still earning that amount. I was brilliant, I passed assimilated advancement test, which was to be taken by three-year-olds in service. I took it in one and a half years, and I passed. Then my salary went to £207 per annum amounting to £17.10 per month, that was big. But income tax would take away one pound.

While Lagos was paying heavy tax then, the other part of the country, was paying less. So taxation, introduced by Awolowo, was building Western Region then. After about three years, I travelled abroad. I first of all went to West Germany, Hamburg.

Question: What motivated you into travelling out of the country, was it because you saw some of your colleagues also doing so?

Answer: No, in my family, we believe in education and as at that time, I had more than 90 Omisores in England. So it became a culture of every Omisore after secondary school education to travel abroad. So we have a historical background there. The Omisore as far back as 1940, were having houses and studying there. So most of the successful Omisore went through UK and I had to follow suit. The visa was difficult then, you normally get visa at the point of entry.

So if you get to Heathrow and they say no, you’re coming back to Lagos. So it’s a greater risk than turning you down at the Embassy. I had to go through West Germany, Hamburg, by ship, by rail, to London.

In Germany, I went to study journalism and I discovered that German language is very difficult. So I chose to go to England. I arrived in England July 1971and I attempted to study insurance. A month to the time I got there, they just changed their entry qualification to OND. So I said no. I went straight to go and study advertising. And I remembered at that time, it was a joke of the society that ah! Advertising! What do you want to advertise, is it rice being sold by your mother? My mummy was then selling ‘mama put rice.’

And I was sad, but while I was in the college, I remembered I was listening to commercials. In those days, on the radio, we used to hear advert calling our attention to one particular popular product we should buy if we wanted to cook, so I like the poetic method and all that.

I said, who are those doing this radio adverts? They said it was advertising people and that was what motivated me to say, I wanted to study it. I like things that are literary and imaginative.

So I joined London Polytechnic, Moorgate, it was a three-year course. I was quite serious and I had an uncle that told me, ah, you have to face your studies. So I followed them to the library on Saturday and on Sunday and within six months, I finished the one-year course. So I now checked the condition of entry for that course, nothing says that you must pass part one before you go to part two.

I said, ah, I can try part two now. I looked at it and so I went to correspondence school, Rapid Results College, ICS. I took correspondence, I was doing that at home. The reason why I took that correspondence was actually that the English teachers, they knew I’m an African, I don’t hear them. I always say, pardon, pardon. The whole class will burst out laughing, hey, African man.

Most of them were normally making sure that I don’t hear them. So I now devised a method of reading ahead of the class. So I had an exam, I sat for the first year, and also sat for second year, and I passed six subjects, it was not heard of. What happened? So I didn’t tell anybody, but I went for the class.

Second year, I went to attend one of the classes. So when I finished that subject and I was to go out, and they asked won’t I wait for the next subject? I said, I have passed it. And those that were my classmates were already in the industry. They were top advertising men in their companies. So they said, ah, what do you mean? I said, I passed it and I brought out the results sheet. They said waoh! It’s unfair, they tore it out of annoyance, saying how can you go and take the exam? I said, what do you mean, what do you mean? I was confident and then a lecturer, entered and asked them what happened? They said, this man had done an illegal thing, he went to enter for part two. The lecturer said I can I enter for part two? I said, it’s not my fault. I read the conditions and nothing says otherwise. The lecturer then replied that ‘it is true, nothing says he cannot do it.’ So they went to go and find out from the institute, the institute said, nothing stops me from doing so. That’s why they said Nigerians, we have brains and since that time, people now know they can do it.

And that’s why if you go to UK today, in my school, an 11-storey building, my name is still engraved on the building as Best African Student Award.

Question: Which school?

Answer: College of Distributive Trades, UK, it deals in anything like marketing, distribution, sales promotion and I laid that record. I won the best Commonwealth Student Award in advertising. I won the Best Oasis Student Award and I was celebrated by the Nigerian House. Ambassador Kolo was Nigerian High Commissioner then. So I was brilliant, in fact, some people were insinuating that my mother was using Juju for me. Laughs.

But what they don’t know is that I went to go and study a course after my heart. A lot of our brothers there were studying engineering, law, and they knew they were not capable. So they will spend years.

So, within three years, I have finished and when I was finishing the third year, because I had only one or two subjects to take, I thought about Institute of Marketing. I said I can do it now.

I went to the institute myself at Beckham. I said, I studied this and they said, yes, yes, yes. They gave me a concession, you know. I was asked to take only three subjects and I passed the institute’s marketing diploma again.

People were saying, ah, ah! You see, because Nigerians, we have the brain to search for what is not on the ground. We can smell success, and I opened the eyes of even the British to their own rule and law, guiding exams. So it was instantal. Within that three years, they were sending people from Nigeria to come and interview us.

So there was a magazine called West African Magazine in the UK, they would come down, call us to interview us. And I came back to Nigeria. I got a job. Kunle Olasope was the Director of Commercial Services at WNTV/WNBS. So, he called me and gave me a job as Commercial Officer. At that time, Vincent Maduka was General Manager, Yemi Farombi was the Manager, Admin. I was the Commercial Manager there, how much? N3,264, that was Level 7 of those days. I was having a car, everything, life was smooth. My accommodation, a 3- bedroom flat was at Alhaji Olorunkemi at Adeoyo, with monthly rent at N80, a large flat.

So life was simple. When I worked there, I saw that I had a very bitter experience in my life. As the commercial officer, I normally schedule commercials. That is inside a programme. There is a number of minutes a programme can go before you put something commercial. So, this incident happened with PZ Industries product. They have a commercial for Joy Soap.

And it was that era of Joy Girl. So, I got the commercial. They said they wanted to change that commercial. Normally, we should have previewed it. We didn’t preview it, I just slotted it.

So, one night, the Director of Commercial just called me, an Ekiti man like this. He just called me and said, Omisore, you have caused trouble. I said, what trouble? He said, you placed something that they asked us to report at the Governor’s Office tomorrow. I said what concerned governor about this? When we got there, they asked us to sit down and be looking at the sun. I met my director there, I met everybody there.

Question: Was it under the military regime?

Answer: Yes, under the military regime, Jemibewon was the governor then. What have we done? They said we showed obscene things. As an Advertising Traffic Officer, I had sent a new TV Commercial film from the Commercial Department to the Studio for airing. It was a JOY SOAP advert showing a slim lady, in bra and pants at the Beach Side, walking seductively. It was the first slot and first night. Pronto the Military Governor’s Office at Agodi, very close to our WNTV/WNBS Studio found the film dirty and offensive, as in those period decency was taken seriously.

The soldiers came to pick us up at the Commercial Department. We were disciplined in the sun and released at 5pm for daring to show indecent film. All efforts to explain that it was an Advert and not our making fell on deaf ears. For me who just returned from the United Kingdom, December 1975 I found it embarrassing, and I said, no, I have to leave this job.

I resigned and moved to Lagos to join EKKODELTA NIGERIA LTD.
Years later, I met the then Military Governor, Brigadier Jemibewon, at Eko Hotels Expo Exhibition Novelty Football Match, and I reminded him, we both laughed over the matter.

So, for that reason, I resigned and left WNTV/WNBS in 1976. It was a bitter experience for somebody who just came from abroad. In fact, February 13, 1976, the day General Murtala was killed, was the day I was to report. I carried my luggage from Lagos and it took me four days on the road to get to Ibadan because of the coup. So, February 1976 was the time I resumed the office. So, by that 1977 end, I had to resign and come back to Lagos.

In Lagos, I worked with a company called EKKODELTA NIGERIA LTD
The MD was Major Orogbu Rtd., who just returned back from the war front. He was a friend of Col. Murtala Muhammed, then Minister of Communications. So, he gave the contract of compiling the first telephone directory and yellow pages in Nigeria to his friend, Orogbu.

Chief Arthur Nzeribe financed the project as Chairman. I was the Advert Order Processing Manager responsible for compiling the first Nigeria’s P&T Telephone Directory & Yellow pages.

So, I was saddled with the responsibility, I was the one that compiled the first telephone directory and yellow pages in Nigeria with computer. It goes to my record. That time, you need a whole room to contain a CPU, a whole room, but we still managed to compile the telephone directory, the first one in Nigeria. And I was the Advert Order Processing Manager. So, I still have a copy of that directory in my house.

But, I knew that there was limitation of using my brain as an advertising person than, you know, putting adverts in yellow pages. While there, I had a secretary called Mr. Alex Mannix Ineoye, he’s now a multimillionaire, he is a Igbo guy, with little education.

He will just type in a hurry and when you ask him to go and finish what he is doing, he would say oga ‘I wan go school.’ Which school? I would query, not knowing that he was studying advertising at the Institute of Statistics Studies at Oyingbo. There was a man there, Mr. Ajayi, but the man doesn’t know much.

He teaches them what he knows and I was one of the third best qualified Nigerians who has CAM Diploma. So, I now asked my secretary, what are you studying, bring your book? And I saw so many mistakes, I said, ah, ah, this is not correct, this is not correct, and he said, no, no. I said tell your teacher there, this is it, this is it. He went there and told his teacher. And the teacher wanted to know me. So, some of his mates came, and I was using the garage of Arthur Nzeribe, as a class, to teach them.

Before I knew it, they’we becoming 20 students. So, I now set up what I called CAM – Communication, Advertising and Marketing evening classes. I have all the photographs here. People were coming and I trained a lot of people. Kola Ayanwale, a lot of people, you know, who are in big places, I taught them. So, later, I thought that I could commercialize this thing. So, I moved from that place.

Arthur Nzeribe is a man of funny character. So, I worked with him, and he behaved like spirits. He deals with you as if he’s always surprising to attack, he’s always on attack, you know. You know, I couldn’t cope with him too much, so I decided to leave. In those days, you can get annoyed if you are provoked at work.

You can, during break time get another job and resign and go. So, I just went on break. One of the students that I was teaching in the class, in the garage, works with an agency called Overseas and General Advertising (OGA). It’s number three advertising agency in Nigeria then. One, Austin Asomaku, he’s still alive now. He must be about 75 now, he was my student, and he works as a senior executive there. He introduced me to the White man, and the White man said, what? You have this? You’ve got the job. I came back to resign. And in those days, truly, you can get a job during lunch time. I remember I resigned two times like that during lunch time. So, I went to the full stream agency life. I became a Senior Account Executive at OGA.

And from there, I moved to Grant Advertising. It was number three agencies in Nigeria then. It was at Grant Advertising that I spent nine and a half years and I became a Deputy Client Services Director. I handled advertising for a lot of top companies in the country then, you know, Berek Battery, Coca Cola, among others. And after nine and a half years, I left the place.

I now discovered that some of my mates were forming their own agencies. Then one of our mates, one of my colleagues at Grant Advertising, Babu Akinbobola, formed MediaLink. I said, okay, I can form my own company. So, I formed a company called Art Space Limited with two friends, Olokode and Makinde, but the partnership collapsed after about six years.

I formed another one, again called Outdoor Advertising Communications. We were in it, that one lasted about nine years. So, we had two companies there. One is Outdoor Advertising Communications Limited, the other one was called Art Posters Limited. So, during the partnership issue, we had to break up. I kept Outdoor Communications, my partner took away Art Posters. In the advertising industry, I made a lot of marks.

Even while working at Grant Advertising, I was one of the people serving the advertising industry in training programmes. Myself and Chris Dowuje, Papa Atilade, a lot of us were in the education committee, fashioning courses, seminars to train people. This is because most Nigerians just dabbled into advertising, no opportunity of studying like those of us who went abroad.

When I set up my own company, I was one of the founders of Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAN). I was their publicity secretary, education committee chairman, I was vice president for four years and I was president for four years. And during my period, I initiated a lot of things like Outdoor Advertising Research, Media Poster Award, and a lot of things. I really achieved, but I knew full well that partnership is a problem. So I decided not to have any partner any longer.

One of my records in advertising is that I trained a lot of Nigerians who today are owning their own agencies. Some of them are even retired. I have a long list, you know, of those I trained. So, eventually, I became a trustee of OAAN, Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria. I just started last year as their trustee.

Question: How did you start your journey into politics?

Answer: So, while in Lagos, I resided at Isolo. From Isolo, I moved to Mushin. From Mushin, I moved to my own house at Alakuko. And I discovered that these politicians will come, they promised heaven and earth, and we’ll vote for them. In fact, I spent money on them, but when they get there, they won’t remember what they promised.

I said, you can’t be supporting these people, let’s challenge them. But, sincerely, I was born into politics. Our family, Omisore, we were born into politics. We spent our childhood in politics because our father, Johnson Omisakin Omisore was one of the founders of Egbe Omo Oduduwa. The embodiment of AG was Egbe Omo Oduduwa. So, in our family, we don’t know more than Awolowo. My father would say, look at Awolowo in the sky. Then we see his cap, then we see his glasses. That shows how fanatic our people were. So, that’s why you never find Omisore in other party other than the progressives. That’s why I thank God that my nephew, Ipoola Omisore, is back to the family party. And that’s why I wrote in 2012 or 2010 that I had a dream that one day, Iyiola will come back to our family party and it happened.

They call me a prophet for that. So, going into politics is not new. But I wasted much time in trying to make a career. In those days, it was a joy to build a CV. We take joy in building a steady CV. But these days, there is no joy doing that.The youth of today don’t know the value of building a CV.

I was determined to get to the top of my profession. Otherwise, I would have been in politics long before then. So, when the opportunity came at Alakuko, I was the chairman of Alakuko CDC for six years. I was the vice-chairman of Ojokoro CDC in 2005. 2004, 2005 and I now saw that these politicians, they just promised and go. So, I decided to go and challenge them. So, in 2006, I showed interest, they said it was a joke that Omisore cannot do it. I came out, and I had my platform. I called it Omisco, ‘Community Development Benefit To All’ was my slogan. I knew that my area is a rural area. We lacked roads, we lacked markets, we lacked hospitals, we lacked everything. So, I went on the platform of the CDA into politics.

In 2007, I won as a member of the House of Assembly representating Ifako-Ijaye Constituency 2 in Ojokoro. It was like a joke to them and I meant it. So, on winning, I made my constituency important by making sure that on the floor of the House, I’m always there to talk about our needs. And today, you know, I have records of improvement that came during my time which others are based upon because I stayed in the Assembly from 2007 to 2015. At the assembly, I was the Chairman of the Committee on Information, Security and Strategy and I was in charge of the Lagos Television, and Radio Lagos.

During my time, I made sure that they went on internet radio. I made sure that they diversified their investments. They had Radio Lagos water. Their satellite station, I made them convert to computer training for youth at Ijede. They just had it there and doing nothing. So, I talked to them that the locals can benefit from this thing out there. We went on DSTV, we published the government press. And a lot of things were achieved during my time.

And most importantly, I made the Honourable members to respect the press. I made them to know that the press men are doing their job, and that all of us were a product of the press. It is because they blew us up and we look big, if they puncture us, we’ll know what it is. And that’s why today, the LAHACA, Lagos House of Assembly Correspondents Association, will never forget me.

I was the one that introduced media correspondents abroad for training. I took them to Dubai, I took them to South Africa. And I institutionalized annual training for those covering the House of Assembly. You cannot say they are reporting you wrongly when you don’t train them. So, it’s an achievement that is there today. And my office was the office of all journalists.

And those men that think they can rubbish the media, they learned the hard way. And they had to come to me to save them. Even my speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, had a raw deal with the press.

I was warning him, hey, these people, take it easy, take it easy. Until they jumped on him and he now knew that, ha! that the media, they build and they can pull down.

So, I was a catalyst for media development in the House. We organized the House magazine, introduced an annual parley between the media and the Speaker in his house. So, grey areas were ironed out and all that.

Not only that, in the area of security, I created a monthly link between the security agencies and the House which was never there before. So, I was functional. I learned from experience that the business world is quite different from the political field.

So, I discovered that 40 people locked themselves inside a chamber, they are talking for 18 million Nigerians, Lagosians. Unfortunately, the people don’t know that those 40 people, if they are foolish, they make foolish laws and it will be binding on them.

So, in my constituency, I brought my people nearer, through giving regular stewardship account, empowerment programmes, I did a lot of things. Even the police, I provided for them walkie-talkies, stationeries, supply them generators. You know, it was fantastic, my first four years.

But the irony of it is that I got to the House of Assembly at the age of 60 when one should be retiring back to his home. I was the oldest in government, both at Executive and Legislative levels. Fashola was 44, I was 60 so, he called me Baba Keneri.

And one of the eras I cannot forget in my life was that, it was an era when Tinubu was fighting Fashola. And we, the House of Assembly took it upon ourselves to fight the war for our boss, Tinubu, with or without sending us. As the mouthpiece of the House, I was the one to talk. One day I will never forget in my life was the day I granted an interview to the press. The man used it raw, I expected the man to refine and say: ‘Why Fashola must go?’ So, I didn’t know, I was driving home. I got to Under Bridge at Ikeja. I saw people trying to stone me, calling me ‘ole’, ‘olosi.’ I said to my driver, what happened? He said, nothing, they were just throwing something. We got to Pen Cinema, ha! what is happening? When I got to Abule, I saw PM News with the headline: ‘Why Fashola must go – Omisore.’ I parked, people were shouting, abusing me. I bought the paper. So, these people don’t know that it was not me talking, and that I was talking for establishment.

So, it was a nasty experience. So, I couldn’t go to work the following day. I said, ah, I’m in trouble. People thought it was me talking. But I learned the experience that people don’t know it’s the institution. So, it was an era I can’t forget.But I was happy that today, I’m a product of the press. If I sneeze, the press will carry it. At that time, I didn’t make any money as an Honourable member, but I was the most visible personality, and it is still rubbing on me till today.

Another raw deal of experience that I had was that, at my second attempt to come for second term in the State House of Assembly, I thought what I had done would speak for me. And I discovered that there are factors that would make me return.

Question: What are the factors?

Answer: I don’t know that there are some people who sit down somewhere and write names. But somebody told me, Omisore, ‘you have not gone to see Aregbesola.’ I said, ah, what about him? He said people were going there. I went there and he said Omisore. I said people said I should come and see you and he said enh! He said, bring the list and I saw somebody who is in Osogbo writing names of those people who are here in Lagos.

I went to the Speaker, the Speaker said, don’t worry, your name must be there. But in essence, people think that going back to the Assembly is solely based on your popularity or contribution, it’s not. There is always somebody somewhere watching and compiling those who will return.

It’s only the free spaces that are competed for at the grassroots.

Question: Which are the free spaces and how do you determine free spaces?

Answer: The free spaces are there. If the leadership thinks that you have spent two times and it’s enough, you have already created a space. If the leadership feels that your constituents are complaining about you too much, you have created a space.

You see, Lagos is peculiar. Lagos deals with experience. In Lagos, Asiwaju has left a model whereby the Assembly must have enough tutored, experienced people and that’s why you find people spending five terms, six terms, you know. Those who will stay, they know them because it’s an institution.

If you are part of the institution and you are still needed, you will stay. So if anybody at your constituency is trying to say you cannot you go, he is just wasting his money. But the most important thing is that every Honorable member must make sure that he has no problem with his publics.

The publics are your stakeholders, the market women, even the National Union of Transport Workers (NURTW), the Iyalojas, CDA, CDC, the oba of your town. And one of the reasons why I did not return for my third term was that I learned very late that apart from those people at the top writing names, I learned very late that I was taking care of the community, the CDA, the public, while I ignored the political leaders in my constituency. I thought that since the public liked me, that I have no problem. Even till today, if they go to my community and say, Omisore, they would say ah, fantastic!

But I forgot that if the party did not write my name, or give me a slot, the public will vote for somebody else. And that was a mistake that Ambode made. He thought his work would speak for him. If his party doesn’t put his name there, would members not vote for their party? So I made a fundamental error. I got swollen headed that I like the public, I was taking care of the public, I ignored politicians. So that lesson I learned, which all politicians must learn, is that don’t ignore any of your publics, your stakeholders.

And I remember one other experience. Tinubu came to Amuwo Odofin and these boys, they called state boys, thugs, they came to where we members of the Assembly were, and begging for money. I gave them what I had. One of the members thundered, ‘what is wrong with you people, it is every time you beg for money? I’m not going to give you, and they replied angrily: ‘Hold on to your money.’ And when Tinubu came and was greeting everybody one by one, the boys responded: ‘Oga e ma ki o, akagum ni o, o nfiya je owa boys, ko toju anybody.’ Do you know that when he wanted to return to the House for another term, that singular thing counted against him. And that particular candidate was not returned. When we went to go and beg Tinubu on his behalf, he said, were you not the one that was not taking care of the boys. So it means that things that count against office holders are many and they should be very careful of the slippery ground. Banana peel is always on the road. As a member, I learned lessons.

Number one, I’m a man with a large family. I got to the House Assembly, and a day before going to the House Assembly, I had my 15th child. So I’m a man of a large family and I know that I must have common sense, save for the rainy day, plan for my children. But lucky enough, I’ve had about nine, 10 graduates before I even got to the House.

I knew where I was going, I cannot compare myself with freshers who want to just start to buy land and become somebody. By that time, I’ve met more than six, seven governors at close range as president of Outdoor Advertising Association, including Bola Tinubu, Gbenga Daniel, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Nnamani, Kwakwanso. I was largely very exposed man. But what I didn’t learn, or didn’t know, is the political and government arrangement. That 40 people will lock themselves inside the room and determine the fate of others.

And that as an old man, I wanted to use my age advantage. The young boys of 30, they refused, saying: ‘Baba haha! We did campaigns together now.’ You know, because I was trying to outplay them, that after all, I am older than them, I should take more share, but they kicked at that. So I’ve learned a lot.

During my own set, the 6th Assembly, we had many professionals, many doctors, many lawyers, many engineers, people from diverse backgrounds. And that was why the House of Assembly in Lagos was the most vibrant. The State Assembly in Lagos, we went on many courses abroad in Britain, in America, and we shined. That’s why I gave it to Adeyemi Ikuforiji, he spent so much on manpower development. Even today, nobody in the National Assembly can beat me into anything, because the training is there.

And one of the reasons why people are allowed to stay longer, or should be allowed to stay longer, at the Assembly is that they have been largely trained. Your first term, you are a onlooker. Your second term, you are gaining ground. Your third term, you are becoming a man. Your fourth term, you are becoming an institution whereby you can call commissioner, come! And he will answer you.

So, constituency that tends to send people away after one term, they don’t know what they are losing. So, the more Assemblyman stays, the better for the constituency.

You can see, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly rubbing shoulder with the Governor. Go to Agege, without even telling Commissioners, they’ve been doing his beat because he has stayed there, he is an institution.

So, I urge constituents not to change their Honourable members too often. They should not see an Assembly man as ‘he has made his money, I want to go and make mine.’ It is beyond that. When you are a ranking legislator, everybody will fear you because you know their beginning. So the more Assembly men stay, the more powerful and beneficial they are to their constituents. But because in these days of joblessness, every youth feels that Assembly man is there to be challenged.

In my constituency in London, the Honorable member there has been there for 32 years, he is so old that it is the constituents that go and collect forms for him. They will feel for him and he will sign.

And again, one of the things that is wrong with Nigeria, that we should take out of our politics is this empowerment programme. I always say it, empowering what?

Question: Are you saying that you’re totally against it?

Answer: Yes, because if you don’t take what belongs to them, why are you empowering them? If you don’t make them poor in the first place, why are you empowering them? If the wealth is spread equally, there is no need for such.

I remember I went to America, and my brother-in-law was contesting as a Republican for the Assembly in America. And I told him that I am going home to go and do empowerment, he asked which empowerment? I said I wanted to buy them fridges, cookers, buy them hair dryers, and he said: ‘What for? Don’t waste your money, you are taking your salary.’

So when I explained to him, he said, no wonder. That if their money is not with you, you won’t be compelled to go and give them the money. So the Nigerian political system should change. Don’t make them poor, so that you don’t need to empower them. You see, when you now buy fridges, buy this, buy that, why are you buying them? Why do you have surplus in the first place? I did it myself o, but on looking back now, and when I went to America, and I saw it, I became convinced. They said, since I take my own money, and I pay tax, they take their money, they pay tax, why should I be the one to give them? Okay, we went for a course at Thames Valley University, UK in 2013. One of the lecturers, he has been a PA to an Assemblyman for many years. He taught us.

So one of our members asked a question. It was a foolish question, that in our country, people ask us for naming ceremony money, school fees for their children, and all that. He asked: ‘Does it happen in your own country?’ The man laughed. He said, how can it happen, when their own money is not with me? I take my own, they take their own.

He said that it’s a case of, if you take the luggage of a madman, the madman will never leave your doorstep. It because the wealth of so many people is in the hand of the few, those deprived will go to the doorstep of those who deprived them. And from that man’s argument, I learnt that this system of empowerment must just stop.

Why do you make them poor in the first place that you want to empower them? That mentality of, I’m holding your thing, is what is making us to give them. Not because we are kind. So, I know this admonition is not going to be popular with politicians, but I’m talking about future now.

So I’m looking forward to a nearest future, where even that budget, even that budget you want to spend, gets to the people, not even through you. Okay. And one funny thing about politics is that, while we’re in the House of Assembly, we always complain about the National Assembly members, that they were earning too much. I remember I have colleagues that we were arguing together. We were abusing them, but as soon as they too got to National Assembly, they shut up and were not talking about it again. So, it shows that it’s like a case of trade unions.

If trade union leader were allowed to enter the boardroom, and chop, and clean up, when they come out, that’s the end. So, there is need for redistribution of wealth in Nigeria, and largely Africa whereby, that man who is going to get a grinding pepper machine, the system should make him comfortable enough to buy it. Perhaps, all those things we give them, they sell it at the gate where we distributed them.

It had happened to me. So, a machine that I bought for N25,000 each, the men I gave them to, three of them sold them at the gate at N8,000 each. So what becomes of the poverty you want to alleviate? If you identify that there is poverty, why don’t you stop the poverty that you are alleviating? An average, kind, Honourable member will do it twice a year. Can that take away poverty? No. So, I think the National Assembly, the State Assembly, even the local councilors, should look at a way of wealth redistribution in such a way that the wealth will get to the people.

Secondly, the president (Tinubu) is getting certain things wrong. I’m a member of his party. Yoruba would say whoever plays draft (ayo olopon) would not see spirit, ‘egbere.’ From hindsight, I look at a system whereby our president should direct his steps.

Money saved from fuel subsidy should not be given to the states and the local government councils. And if it should be given to them, a good portion of it should be directed to to the Nigerian people.

We had the days of Nigerian National Food Supply? What is wrong with it if rice is N80,000 outside and Tinubu rice is N40,000. This is because when he had problems with Nigerians, no governor said, ‘I took money,’ all of them kept quiet. So, I want to encourage the president to find a way of stopping this money passing to the governors particularly money saved from fuel subsidy? It should alleviate those who are suffering directly because the governors are just dancing about, moving all over the world. Even the councils that are enriched, can they prove that if they have 300percent that the people are enjoying 200percent? No.

So, I want President Tinubu to set up a National Food Supply in 774 local governments, in 36 states across the country and Abuja, and brand the farm produce Federal Government Rice, Federal Government Cassava so that people can have that. Telling people that he is giving states and local governments more money does not translate to easy life for Nigerians.

Question: How did you meet your wife, sir?

Answer: I have only one wife. I have a troubled marital life, and at times, I don’t like talking about it, but nothing to hide. I was a fast guy as a young man, at the age of 36, I had nine children. My wife died at 35 and I was 36, and being a man who cannot sleep alone, I had to remarry. That marriage didn’t last, I had three children. So, it’s a case of as a young man, one cannot stay alone. So, I have a woman that I’m married to also.

But my love life, there is nothing to regret. I have beautiful children, I have 15 children, one is late now. I have 13 graduate children, one is about to enter University of Canada.

I have 12 children abroad, so, I’m a successful man when it comes to my children.

My marital life, the early death of my wife created a lot of ups and downs, but I’ve carried on. And today, I’m a happy man because at the end of the day, children, that’s one’s testimonial. They talk about your marriage, so I have a testimonial I can show. I trained my children, I have five of them in Canada, three in the UK, all over the world, successful graduate children.

So, as I told you, in my family, we believe in education. It’s education, education, and education. Love life, It’s just what I’ve told you.

Question: Your favorite food sir?

Answer: Well, I like pounded yam and I like dodo and rice. And lucky enough, I like egunsi soup

And luckily enough, I’m married to an Ekiti woman who is giving me all those things and my wife is a dietician. She is a retired police DPO. She is taking care of me and you can see how fit I am.

Question: Are you a sportsman?

Answer: Of course, of course. I play football, I play table tennis.

Question: What of music?

Answer: I like music. I like gospel music. I was born a Muslim but down the life path, I had to get converted. I’m a member of the Celestial Church of Christ. Apart from being the Patron of the Choir, I was also the Parochial Committee of my Parish for over 9 years.

Presently, I’m a member of the prestigious Pastor-in-Council of The Celestial Church Worldwide (MPIC). I equally donated a building for CCC and equally built a parish in my hometown. I’m dedicated even though I was born a Muslim. My father was the Baba Adini of Ile-Ife. My late mother was the Iya Adini of Ojokoro here. But I’m a Christian. My mother died at 98, two years ago.

Question: How do you unwind?

Answer: You have met me in a club. I’m a club member to the chore. I was a member of the Country Club, I stopped going due to distance.

I’m a member of Ife Club 1 of Nigeria, I founded it since 1977, we even have it here in Lagos too. I’m a Chairman, Board of Trustees of Alakuko Elites Club here in Alakuko. I belong to so many clubs. I am the President and Trustees Chairman of Social Reformers Club of Nigeria, the club was founded in 1977. I have about 65 members.

Question: You wanted to say something, having to do with your past experience.

Answer: Yes. I want to give lessons to people. When I was in the House of Assembly, we lived a larger than life image and the corruption in Nigeria is caused by banks. When your name is announced as a winner of election, and when you are to be sworn in, even a day before you were sworn in, the banks will find you, look for you in your house, bring printed checkbook in your name and an account for you. They give you a checkbook in your house.

Before you resume, loans of up to N10 million, N20 million, N30 million, they will give to you. Once you sign the line, take it to the accounts department, your money goes to the bank, they start deducting.

Woe betide you if you don’t plan with the money. Like it happened to me in my first term, I took N10 million, I went to buy First Bank shares, N33 per share. Today that share is probably N7 per unit.

So, and I paid through my nose for the repayment of the loan. So what I’m trying to say is that one bitter lesson I learnt, is that we were so big that we don’t even go to banks. Bank come to us, bring N500,000, and I give checks in my office, big man. Loans without asking. When you finish one, before you finish, they brought another one. It was loan, loan, loan throughout.

So you have to rely on extra income to live. Particularly if you mis-invest. But one bitter lesson I learnt was that as soon as I left the house, the respect from banks stopped. So I was running my school, that school was still on the ground then, the Juniors Olivet School in Ogun State there. I went to my account officer. I said with confidence, I needed just N250,000 for an urgent repair at my private school. To my surprise, the lady kept moving from table to table only to come back after three hours to tell me that she was sorry that the loan request was turned down. I asked what happened? Before do I go to the bank? I just called her, I need money, even if I am at a party on Saturday, I would just call and she would bring money. That is how important I was then. That lady was running up and down, and I still asked, what happened? I said I am still the same person you used to give loans then, my name is Omisore.

She replied that that was then and I should know that “you are not collateral again! I said what do you mean? She said, when you were there, you were collateral but now you are no more. I wept, that day, I couldn’t take that N250,000 loan, it was not approved for me. I now realized that because I was there, I was a collateral.

Now that I’m running business, employ 48 people, bank can never give me N1million loan. But when I was a politician, they were giving me N40million, N30million, some were wasted. And that’s why you see Honourable members running after parastatals and harassing them. So banks were giving loans that will make your allowance, your salary, amount to nothing.

I mean, if you want to get a loan, banks should use their sense to say that nobody should pay you more than certain percentage of your income, so that you would not steal, but bank discard that. So if corruption is to stop today, banks also need to be checked.

Now those who are in business, who are creating employment, who are into production, who are into farming, who are into money spinning businesses, banks are not giving them any attention, but the political class are being given loans without collaterals. They don’t even think, I mean, they bring the thing, you just sign some dotted lines, they domicile your salary to them.

And that is why most politicians ended up poor when they leave office. By the time I was in the Assembly, I was earning under N150,000 every month because I mortgaged my income to the bank. So by the time I was leaving, I paid till February. The only salary I got in full for eight years was in April, close to the end of my tenure.

Even that April, the House of Assembly sold our cars to us, they deducted some more money. So by May, I was hungry. So that is why when a former Honourable member is walking barefooted, he has no car and a former chairman, also doing same, it is because the banks have indulged them, they’ve paid through their nose to the end. The few ones that are blessed are the ones that invested wisely. I have colleagues who invested in businesses that collapsed. They are hungry today.

So I have regrets that so when I was calling myself somebody, it was my position they were respecting, not me. I would say, it is me, Ahmed Omisore, and the reply would be ‘oga, do you know that you are no longer a collateral?’ That response still haunts me till today and it makes me to behave. I wish those who are there now to know that all this honour being to you is because you are there in that office, plan for the reigning day, bank is not your friend.

Question: Let’s look at the Omisore family, tell us about the family where you came from?

Answer: I was born into a very large family, the Omisore Family, where we eat in hundreds. It’s one single family where, wherever you sleep is where you will get your breakfast in the morning.

Omisore himself, the progenitor of our family, died in 1941 and he left 99 sons and 58 daughters, of which my father was one. So we are one of the largest families in Africa, we youths, we wear each other’s clothes. If Sunday has four and I have three, it means that I have seven. So if I have four and Sunday has two, it means that we have six. So it’s a love life that is not common these days, we are so close and fitted, and that is why everybody bears Omisore. My child is Omisore, my father is Omisore, my grandfather is Omisore, so it’s just one man that has led us and at the last count, we are over 150,000 all over the world.

When I was in England, we were about 85 in 1971. And today, going to England, you almost have an Omisore settlement there. So it’s a one kind family that’s so large that Ife refers to us as ‘Idaji Ilu.’ For every 10 Ife you see, there must be one Omisore there, it’s a blessed family.

Education is the only thing. Nobody cares about how much you have or how qualified you are. And that’s why you never find an illiterate in the family. Your father doesn’t need to be rich to educate you in the family. Everybody is everybody’s father, everybody is everybody’s caregiver.

And that’s why you can hardly get to an amulet, you will not find any Omisore there. If you go to Britain, at the embassy, they know our name. Go to New York, Omisore is a name, it’s so large a family that wherever we are, that’s why we care about the name.

The progenitor of the family is Ajani Anibijuwon Omisore. So all his children, they took it upon themselves to bear his name. My own father was Arayemi, his son. My father bears Omisore. All his children like me bear Omisore. My children bear Omisore. That’s what you have up to Iyiola Omisore. That brand remains and that’s why we are one of the largest families in Ile-Ife. And that’s why we are very proud of the name and my father used to say, don’t spoil my father’s name. And that watchword is what every Omisore carries iall about. We have our qualities, we are very charming, we are very playful, we like women, we like social life, you can never find Omisore in any dull place, and politics is our hobby.

Ends.