Category: Celebrity

LAGOS fabric merchant and top socialite, Alhaja (Chief Mrs.) Basirat Olayinka Ojugbele, emerged APC Woman Leader of Ojokoro land in Lagos on Monday, an event which was witnessed by elders of the party from around the country. Being a successful woman married to a successful and famous property merchant, Chief Lamina Ojugbele, blessed with much wealth at the home front, one wonders why this founder of Bayinkus International, a foremost fabric outfit on Lagos Island, decided to venture into politics at this time of her life. But Chief Mrs. Ojugbele, the Borokini Adinni of Alakuko Central Mosque Lagos and Yeye Gbegba- Aje of Owode Kingdom in Ogun State, told us: “This is a new passion of mine! What else should I do at this time, but to give back to the larger society?” It was not a time for many speeches, but a time to dedicate herself to service as she along with the other new executive officers read out their acceptance letters and took an oath of office directed by Barrister (Mrs.) Tosin Momodu. Chief Mrs. Ojugbele is aware that politics may affect her business, but she says: “It will never affect my social life!” She spoke to PAUL UKPABIO

Today you were sworn in as the All Progressives Congress (APC) Party Woman Leader of the entire Ojokoro land. We saw your crowd of friends who stormed the event from the business sector and other interest groups. Why the passion for politics at this time? Let me start by saying that leadership starts from the home front and it is only one who is involved with the activity of running a home that will understand the act of running government better. For instance, in mentoring a baby, the entire project of raising a child lies with the mother. And if mothers can be comfortably acquainted with such knowledge from the cradle to adolescence, then I can say we are the ones that have the sixth sense that will help manage other issues of life, especially in politics. Regarding your question, I had to join politics to give women a voice, to raise the morale of my fellow women and say ‘look, we are the only ones that can guarantee a great life for our children. The men folk have tried their best but we know where the shoe pinches more, we are the ones at home, we are the ones that feel the pain of society more.’ A man can only do little when it comes to going the extra mile but we as women, must complement men just as God ordained it from creation. What a man will do, a woman will do better. So, I am here to raise the bar and lead the entire women community of Ojokoro land into prosperity of mind and freedom from all challenges facing us presently. A lot of rich and comfortable women will rather look at politics with great pessimism due to the perception that it is a rough game and predominantly for the men folk. You are one of the few women who have made success of business and raised equally successful children. You could just hold your breath and enjoy for the rest of your life, but why did you choose to still drop all that for the pawns of politics? My major interest is to liberate the women folks from economic and intellectual paralysis. Let me tell you, I know what I want in politics. You know majority of men disallow their wives from doing politics because some of these women go in there to debase womanhood. They go in and do rubbish but that is not the case with some of us. I have lots of my friends who have garnered knowledge from several endeavours of life and really want to put their knowledge in politics but are too afraid because of the fear of the unknown. But here we are, belting the cat. I am very contented with what I have; majority of things men will do and get away with women cannot do them because we would be caught in the web of our emotions. We are the mothers and mothers build; they help fathers to build and like I said earlier, we equally have the sixth sense. For me, I have children in this system; and if not for my children but for the sake of the majority of women here. When you arrived for the inauguration ceremony, your name elicited so much applause and wild jubilation among women and youths, why are you so popular among the people? (Laughs) I give glory to God. The people knew me before I emerged officially as a woman leader. They come to see me for one thing or the other and I give to them. However, I do not tolerate rubbish. You cannot come to my house and be talking ill of another person; I won’t take it from you. In fact, one of the cardinal objectives of my joining politics is to fight for women. I want them to become successful in life; I want to add value to their lives so that they can complement their various homes very well. A woman should not be a piece of art work in the home front. And I have been calling women to join politics at least for the future of our children. Our children need a secure future for a better tomorrow. It is the women that are toiling for the men, so why should they take a back seat in leadership? It is sad that some men beat their wives and sometimes drive them out of the house for playing politics. In the last couple of years, I have been engaged with going to settle scores between husbands and their wives, begging them to allow their wives come out and participate. In some cases, I have had to stand as guarantor for many women, just to ensure that their husbands allow them to participate because a political terrain without women is as dry as the Sahara desert. It is not every woman that is into politics that flirts around. I can categorically tell you that. Your husband allowed you to venture into politics? Yes, that is because he can vouch for me. You must know the kind of woman you are married to. That has been the bedrock of my relationship with him. My husband trusts me because he knows the kind of woman that I am. I don’t believe that a woman should start sleeping around because she is into politics; politics is not a license for flirting around. And one thing about me is that I like people around me, to stay with me, to shout and talk. That gives us all an opportunity to say our problems and share our orientation. That is sociology which is the science of human nature. I didn’t study sociology, but I am a very social person and that is one of my hobbies. Look here, for instance, seeing my friends as they are around me now makes me happy. It is not good to be alone, life is not meant to be so. When they are around me, with the little I have we spend we eat and drink together and that alone can make you have a long life. So who are you? Can you describe yourself? Yes, I am a no nonsense person. I don’t tolerate rubbish but character-wise you can trust me. I think I cherish the act of loyalty and sense of duty to any cause I believe in. It will be recalled that the Juju maestro, Commander (Now Evangelist) Ebenezer Obey, once did a whole album in honour of your husband, Chief Lamina Ojugbele. What kind of person is he? My husband is a very nice person. Many people don’t know that before I married him, I was an introvert of the highest order. I never liked being social or being with people; it was difficult for people to come close to me. I couldn’t tolerate it. My husband taught me how to be sociable. I learnt from him because he is someone who relates with everybody; he carries everyone around and he is never tired of helping people. My husband is a crowd puller; he likes people around him and he is a cheerful giver. He gives blindly. He could become ill if he does not see people around him. I got the trait from him and that is what is helping me today. Two years ago when you clocked 60, you celebrated with pomp and ceremony and we saw some of your children who came from abroad to celebrate with you: Some bankers, entrepreneurs and so on. With their kind of background and upbringing, how were you able to make them see reason with your resolve to be in politics? They didn’t want me to venture into politics. They said it is too rough and that anyone who must do it must either be rough or have enough patience. That is true to some extent. But one thing I just believe is that once you are made for something, you will find out that the forces of nature will push you to that thing. Politics is good for me at this age. I have a lot to give society and the best place to express it is here. In politics, you see different characters that could put you off. So, if you are to engage in politics, you must be tolerant and be a giver because if you look at some aspects of the people, you won’t be too comfortable to be in their midst. For me, it is a passion for change. Having been successful in business, how do you intend to blend and still be successful in politics? What I know is that you cannot blend the two together, it is very hard. We have just finished the inauguration ceremony today and right now, it is 4pm; as I am sitting with you now, I am already booked for a rally tomorrow around 10 O ‘clock for the release of our daughters in Borno State. So with such a schedule, how can you stay with your business? Politics is about passion because you will never know the amount of stress attached until you get involved. In my case, my children take me out for a week or two overseas to rest every now and then. However, I feel sick the moment I am not among my people. So, both vocations come with total devotion. You have to leave one for the other. So in your case, how are you doing it now? Yes, I have people working for me. Sometimes if I am too busy with campaign or politics, I make phone calls to the office. I have already employed people who do the job for me. That is how I have been able to ensure probity for my business and proficiency for my politics. Can you relate wealth and politics? Do they have a correlation? You have to think about people in the larger perspective. As a rich man or woman in politics, you have to be mindful of your pedigree. Being in politics doesn’t mean that people will be rude to you or take me for granted. A lot of well educated people are in politics today. Yes, at times you fall into the challenges of having to interact and mix with all kinds of people in the name of politics but then you must remember that people spat on Jesus. So who am I? But if someone talks to you harshly because of politics, you don’t need to respond, you just go on your way; there is no need to answer. Be yourself, The Yoruba have a saying: “Ti a koba tori isu je epo, a maa tori epo je isu.” (If you run from licking red oil, you might eventually lick it in the process of eating a yam meal cooked with red oil). So far have you been harassed? Yes, in most cases they make sly remarks at me but I just walk away because my own role is to make correction through my attitude. That you are in politics does not mean you should lose your common sense or become a nuisance to society. Our role as leaders is to put them through and make them see the light. For the benefit of our readers and a lot of young entrepreneurs to be, how did your business life start? You know, my pain is that a lot of children now are not tolerant. They are not patient enough. During our early years, we took humility as a second nature. I started as a confidential secretary at Bugat International at Ebute Meta. A job I did for three years before I resigned and started business. Once you are patient and you know what you want, you will really get it. When I started the clothing business, I started with a very junior person to me. She was younger than me but she was wealthy and I was taking instructions from her. She would go to London and America to buy children’s wears; so, I started with her. The first set of clothes I bought from her, I made 50k each. My first attempt at Dosunmu Market, Lagos confirmed that I was good and ready to go. I paid her entire money the second day. And the girl said: ‘Ah, ah, madam, the other customers I gave credit facility don’t normally pay me in time’. They will take her money to go and buy from other vendors, using her money to do inter-trade and thereby eroding the interest value. But for me, it was my first experience and because of my singular act of turning up in time to pay, she had to cut off all the girls she was selling to and diverted all the sales to me. So, I started selling her entire purchase; it was from those transactions that I made my own fortune. From there, I saved a fortune and I graduated into a large scale buyer. At the time we were buying the ticket for N250,000 —Lagos-to-London via Nigeria Airways. And the dollar at the time was still very, very subservient to naira. I changed some money then and took it to Rome where I bought designer bags to sell and I made triple gain from that transaction. And that was how my entire story changed. But in truth, I went the extra mile; I used to do some domestic chores for the younger lady. That was because I knew I had to do it to get to where I wanted to go. But today, young people are too much in a hurry for wealth. One of your friends told us you singlehandedly raised your five children. What led to that and how were you able to achieve that feat sending them to best schools abroad? (Laughs heartily) It is God’s doing. I really worked hard. And I am very happy now, I thank my God. I also became a prayer warrior. Their father passed away early in life. So, by then, I was fully in charge. I reserved my money for me. I denied myself to ensure that they got education. And at that time majority of the universities here were always on strike. So, I decided to relocate them abroad. Not that I was too rich then, but I was lucky to have gold. Whenever, I made good money then, I bought gold. I invested so much in gold. When I saw that my children’s education was at stake due to the epileptic nature of the Nigerian educational system, I had to take my entire gold to London and sell to pay their school fees. Today I thank God for crowning my efforts. Your business is fabric; can you tell us some of the fashion trends over time? What were people wearing to parties then and what are they wearing to parties today? Then, it was Voile Lace with Swiss Jackard, and then there weren’t China products as they are today because originality was the rule of the game. And then, quality was of essence as there were very few vendors in Nigeria unlike today when you have everyone in the market. Selling lace then was interesting and there was a lot of profit in the business unlike now. Now, you see China and see Korea products. Then society cared for originality because, the quality of fashion was on the high side. However, we have people who still stick to buying quality today. What clothes are people wearing to parties today? People are still wearing Oganza and Lace no doubt, but Ankara is also on the high side. Though I have Ankara I sell for N20,000 for six yards. When I was young, this same Ankara was going for about N5,000 to N8,000 but now the original Ankara is about N20,000 or N22,000. You can you can sew and wear to any event abroad. Even the first lady of Ojokoro, my chairman’s wife, really loves this brand of Ankara because she promotes African and locally made fashion style; she normally wears this brand of Ankara I am talking about. So, high society people will either go for Guinea, original Guinea or Lace. But majority in most cases do Ankara because of the new passion for it. So, what is the importance of the combination of bag and shoes to a woman’s fashion? (Laughs heartily) You know, before now you can wear whatever you like but now you must be conscious to match your color and rhythm of attire. I believe in comfort even if I am to dress gorgeously. I think it is good to make it a match-to-match for your dress to make a complementary statement with your shoes. As a stylist, you cannot afford to abuse the law of color; you can only do that if you understand the law of color. Plus or minus, your shoes, must complement your bag in terms of coloration. So, as a woman, you must not be mindful of the bag and the shoes alone but you must ensure the color is complementary. As a mother, how do you feel about the abducted ‘Chibok Girls?’ I feel sad. We women of the APC are mobilising women to do our own protest in Lagos to show our disgust for this ignoble act. I am not happy about the whole show of shame and I want to tell you that the people carrying out these activities are very heartless, they don’t have human feeling and they can never be genuine Muslims because Jihad is not about killing, it is not about maiming or creating chaos. Jihad is about fighting for the welfare of the people and not about killing people. Who are the people that inspire you? Honorable Benjamin Olabinjo is well known in Ojokoro land as a great vessel of kindness and development. I am short of words to use to describe him; we call him ‘Chairman Gbogbo Obinrin’ (The Chairman for all women) because of his humility to the young and old. People in Ojokoro land love him much because he is a great worker and a life changer. Cardinal Omolaja Odunmbaku is a father. In fact, he inspired me into politics. I respect his humility, kindness and sacrifice. We call him ‘Baba Eto the Mobiliser.’ And the Jagaban, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Asiwaju, is an epitome of change and that change is what Nigeria will get in 2015. How will being a socialite help you to be a better politician? Of course, I command respect and goodwill. That will help my work for APC as we go into the nooks and crannies of Lagos. I’ll be bringing together my new and old friends into the party. That will also benefit and influence the wind of change that is presently blowing across Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan promised us new breath in 2011 but as I am talking to you now, Nigerians are suffocating. We are going to give a new leader in 2015. We will return Nigeria to Nigerians not to the President’s family or his aides or cronies or town’s men. I want to assure Nigerians that change will be the hallmark of the game in 2015 and Nigeria will never remain the same again.

Recently, Chief Ebikeme Clark, the second son of Ijaw statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, was a victim of a kidnap saga that nearly tore the peaceful fabric of Delta State apart. It turned out to be one kidnap episode that laid bare the tragedy of kidnapping and the notorious organised network of commerce that it had turned into, in the oil rich creeks of Delta State. Faced with an adamant father who insisted he would not pay any ransom to those who held his son hostage in the depth of the creek, Chief Ebikeme Clark could only hope for the miraculous, as his life was threatened by gun-totting goons in the swampy creek. By a stroke of God’s mercy, he survived the deadly nights in the kidnappers’ custody to tell the story. But no doubt, Ebikeme agrees that his rescue deserves thanksgiving to the Creator. Here is his riveting narration of the ordeal he went through. He spoke to PAUL UKPABIO:

ON that faithful day of April 22, 2014, I went to our village where my father is building a university. I normally go there to supervise work and make sure that everybody is paid. I got there about 11am. I stayed there till around 4:30pm to 5pm. It started raining then. I was about leaving when all of a sudden, I saw a group of men with guns running towards the bus. I thought they were armed robbers. I gave them the bag of money which they collected. One of them forced me back into the vehicle. He used the gun he was carrying to hit my head. So I said: “Ah, what is happening?” And I was trying to force myself out of the bus, but they pushed me in. One took the steering and said they should drive me away. It started raining heavily. As we passed the bridge, my village people tried to rescue me. But how do they fight people with guns? They drove me into the bottom part of the bridge. There two people were waiting inside a boat. I was transferred there, as they left the place, they started singing Ijaw songs. Blood flowed from my face, but I kept calm. Then one of them asked me: “Are you Ebikeme Clark?’’ I said “Yes”. “You are going to contest for Chairman”?, he asked. I said “Yes”. He asked again, bewildered: “The son of Chief Edwin Clark?’’ I said “Yes”. One of them started laughing. Somebody called one of them, apparently from the village saying that they did not see the bag of money in the vehicle, but they could not turn back. Meanwhile, I had about N400,000 in the bag they took. I tried to identify the terrain. I noticed they were going towards a military post. So they hid their guns. They had two big guns; they kept them by the side so that the soldiers would not see them. And because of the heavy rainfall, the soldiers didn’t come out from where they were and they were saying: “We are loyal ooo! We are loyal ooo!” As they passed the post, they started singing Ijaw songs again, happy that they had passed that place. It was dark when I opened my eyes again. I saw they were passing the Bomadi Bridge, I knew we were leaving Delta State. They told me to relax. We got to a spot. They pushed me out of the boat. To my surprise, the place was organised. I saw pots and pans, mattresses, mosquito nets, they did the light. I was cold and shivering. They put fuel on my wound, it was very pepperish. I shouted and one of them said: “This will stop the blood, don’t worry.” Later, they brought hot water to attend to my wound. Later in the night, they brought mattresses and spread them down. They were six of them including me seven. We all slept. I was in their middle and we all slept together. I could not sleep because they were snoring. In the morning, I assessed the environment. It was a place someone could stay. They gave me a name ‘Handicap.’ At noon, they asked if I wanted to eat. I said: “No, I was not hungry.’’ They told me to eat, that if I didn’t eat, I would be on my own. I was given Tapioca and pepper soup. I ate. They were waiting for evening. At about 6pm, they came to where I was. They told me they wanted to go and call my father, that I should go with them. That if I didn’t behave well, I would stay longer. But if I behaved well, I would leave there earlier. So I said okay that I would try. So they took me in the boat and we went further into the river and got to a corner. I remembered my three phones when I saw them bringing them. One had my Sim card, one had my battery and another phone. They started checking my contacts. One of them ask me: “Did you store your father’s number?’’ I said I stored it as ‘dad’ and my wife’s number, I stored as ‘wife’. They asked whether they should call my wife first or my father? I told them to call my father first. They called my father and said they wanted him to pay N50 million. They put it on speaker so that I would hear what they were saying. I told them that my father cannot pay that huge amount since he is not working; that he could offer N5 million. They asked me whether that would be for fuel. After speaking with my father, they said they would call my wife, that my father had his own money that I had my own money. One of them said that someone had already paid for my head and if I want to be free, my wife and I must pay for my own head. I told them to call my wife. They called my wife and she asked them if I was around and they said yes. They allowed her to speak to me. When she heard my voice, she said: “Ah, my love, love of my life.” Immediately they turned off the phone and started laughing. They said: “Your wife loves you; she is calling you the love of her life.” They told my wife that if she loved me, she should make sure that she got that money to save my life. After that conversation, they went to the water side to buy more things. They wanted to buy recharge cards and everything they needed. They believed my father’s line was bugged. They said that my father was trying to track them, that if my father didn’t stop, they would kill me. I replied that I didn’t believe my father would track us. We went back. The next morning was Friday; nobody came to me, they were just discussing, while I kept praying. One of them later came to me and said: “Handicap, we are going to kill you this night. Your father is still stubborn. I begged them not to kill me because, I have young children and some of them don’t even know my face yet. I asked them to call my father again. They said no they will not speak to my father again. At night, they came, they said they wanted to go and kill me so they can go and kidnap another person that would give them money. I was worried. They took me into the boat and we drove out again. They took me to the corner of the river, tied my hands and my legs. They told me to say my last prayer. They said they would not shoot because it would attract people who might trace them. They called my wife and she spoke that she would try to get N4.5 million. They said they would collect it because of my wife. They gave me one more day of grace. They moved me to another location, using a canoe; they put mattresses on top of me and paddled away. When they got to a place where the water was rising, they used their hands to push the boat. It was around 4 a.m. The thing was very rough. They stopped and there was a thatch house there. They removed all the things they carried. They said: “Nobody will see you here, not even your father. If they come here, we will all die. I didn’t sleep, they slept easily. The next morning, they saw two locals coming, they thought they were farmers. The people passed us. They panicked and decided to move. They started packing their things but the canoe had gone. So we used our feet, moving deeper into the creek. We were in the swamp. We saw a snake. They said: “Don’t shout; don’t be afraid, the snake will pass.” The snake passed us, they did not want to shoot nor make any noise. We were there till Saturday morning. They told me they would get a speed boat and take me to Cameroun, that my father was stubborn and they did not think my wife can get money. So by 7pm, they saw the snake coming back again. They climbed a tree to make a call to make sure they got network to ensure the boat came. We entered the boat. As we were going they heard sounds but it was now dark. They saw people coming but before then, they had told me that other kidnappers could come and snatch me away from them. That I should be ready in case they come, that if I can survive the bombardment or if I couldn’t, that would be my luck. Another speed boat came, but it was their people. They transferred me from the canoe to another speed boat, collected more cans of fuel, which meant we were going far. I was very angry. We started moving towards a bigger river and they started singing again. As we moved further, the network became better, the phone started ringing. Later, they slowed down and moved to the corner of the river and the leader, the action guy, that was always speaking to my father, was saying ‘Sir’ to somebody. He called the other boys to order and said: “Sir, I will give the phone to him.” There were two graduates among them, and he said I should tell the person on the other end of the phone, that they did not beat me; that they did not touch me. So I spoke. The man was saying sorry to me; he asked if I was ok. I replied yes. Did they beat you? I said no sir, I am alright. He said do you know who is speaking? I said no, he laughed. It was the Deputy Chairman of the security of water ways that was speaking to me. I had been to his office in Warri. He told me the boys were crazy; that I would leave their place: that I should not worry. He asked me to give the phone back to them. One of them said: “After this ordeal, we want to release this man without money? After hoping I will be buying a car this week?” The leader told him there was nothing they can do. “We have to release this guy, but if you are not in support, take him and leave my boat.” The man said no o, that he was is just complaining after all this work. They call it work. Initially, they told me that no work, nothing, that the government is always talking about billions of naira, that they don’t see the billions around. That they believe that anything, they want, they will take by force, that this time around they will be after politicians, that they will take money from them and still kill them.” The next problem was how and where to release me. One said they should take me to Warri. Another cautioned him: “Do you love this man’s life more than your own life? If you go to Warri with him, you will not come back alive. Let’s leave him around here and go.” The leader then replied him: “If you leave him around here and he is re-kidnapped, we will be in trouble.” We moved on and saw a jetty. The man in it offered to take me but I had no money. They gave me money and returned my phones from their different pockets. They told me: “Don’t tell them that we injured you o; say you fell in the water. I said: “Ok, no problem.” They also told me that I should not tell anybody that I am Chief Clark’s son. That was the beginning of my return home.

Back in England two decades ago, Elvina Ibru won an unusual beauty contest. She was crowned the Miss Big and Beautiful Competition UK. Apart from being beautiful, to win the equally prestigious beauty contest, Elvina had to be on the big side. At her peak, Elvina weighed all of 210 kgs.  And that really is big. Along with her sisters, Gloria and Obukome Ibru, they remained three of a kind! The famous daughters of an equally famous father, Olorogun Michael Ibru, Elvina has had life as rosy as it possibly could be. And she openly agreed to this, when she boldly declared, “I have always had everything I wanted. I have not really ever thought about not having anything I want.” But Elvina also agrees that life is not a bed of roses! With a rich father who has been under health care over the years, living a quiet life at an ocean front in America, Elvina says life has taught her to be passionate about the things that mean much to her. Elvina explains it all in this interview with PAUL UKPABIO.

What has been happening to you of late Elvina?

I have been around, though in the last four years, I have been shuttling between Nigeria and the United State of America where my father is.

So how is your dad?

He is fine, still fresh and very handsome. It’s difficult to bring a good man down. He, however, has to stay in America because of the kind of care that he needs. There are some certain factors that scare us a little bit about him coming home here. Little things, I mean things that seem little, but are crucial. For instance, the hectic traffic. If he was to be here and he has a small infection, he might be stuck in traffic, you know. So unfortunately, he is still in America but doing very fine. My sister is there with him and we take turns to go there and be with him. We rotate our visit.

My sister, Osio, is the one that stays permanently with him. She is based in America. All other of his children take turns to be with him. We try and make sure that one of us is always there. For instance, Oscar is there right now. By the time that Oscar is coming back, someone else will be on the way there. He stays at the ocean front. All our properties are by the water or close to the water for obvious reason. There is definitely a connection between our businesses with the sea (laughs).

How is your son?

He is good; he is the best thing that as ever happened to me. His name is Elisha and there are so many things attached to that name. The literary meaning of his name Elisha in Hebrew means ‘my God my salvation.’ So he’ll grow up never to forget that without God he is nothing. Then there is the story in the Bible about the great prophet Elijah who God was going to take into heaven. God told him that his time would soon come. He gave him a message for Elisha that asked Elisha what he wanted and Elisha said that he wanted double anointing. So if Elijah was a great prophet and Elisha now had double, you can imagine how great Elisha turned out! So I think for my son, the sky is the limit.

Remember what God said, that Elisha had to be there when Elijah was leaving before he could get the anointing. You know what that meant; Elisha placed Elijah on permanent watch. He was usually there 24/7, close to Elijah so that he didn’t miss the opportunity. The name shows a man of determination, which tells me that there is nothing that you want to do, if you really put your mind on it and the thing is good, you will achieve it.

Also, the name has a lot of meaning to me because before I had him, I had a miscarriage that I went through before I eventually had him. I was pregnant with twins, which meant double. So when he arrived, it was like God had given me double anointing back. You know God doesn’t cheat anybody. He gives you what you really need at the time you need it.

How about his dad?

His dad is fine. He is in Port Harcourt. We are not together anymore. But we are very good friends; in fact he got married last December to a very nice girl. So Elisha has a very beautiful, lovely step mom that I am very close to. We are trying so hard to be a unit, even though I am in Lagos and he is in Port Harcourt. But Elisha comes first. He is a good dad.

We heard somewhere that you in a relationship…

(Laughs) there is always talk of me being in something. Yes, talk about me being in one relationship or another. Frankly speaking, that remains my business. So it’s sweet sometimes when you actually sit back and hear all those things people are saying about my love life. But the truth is that, I keep a mystery to my love life these days. People make up their stories, and create imaginary characters around me.

You won an international beauty pageant because of your big size, why are slimming down?

I think Gloria, my elder sister, started it. Initially, she was the biggest amongst us all. She started losing weight first. Then I was getting bigger by the day. So two years ago, after Gloria inspired me with her gradual weight loss, I started telling myself that I could do it too. I guess what eventually triggered it off was that I had been big all my life but I never had any sickness or illness. It got to a point when I was beginning to feel sluggish. I felt I was suddenly trapped in my own body. There were some things that I had always loved to do, but my body was just not responding.

So I was asking myself, what was happening in my body? Also I was feeling little ache at my back, and I just had a little son. So I asked myself how I was going to be enjoying and playing with my little son when I could not even lift my body. So it was not really about being prettier or being more beautiful that I lost weight. It was more about my health. Though I never had health challenges attached to my former weight.

At my biggest, I weighed 210 kg and I am 5 feet 11. That is a very large person! But I didn’t have ailments like diabetes, cholesterol or hypertension except for the small ache at my back. I didn’t want a situation where I had to get to where I became unhealthy. So I had to nip in the bud, the overweight. I cannot now talk about my diet because I am not through yet. I still want to go down 16-20 more kg. That is the size I feel I should keep, not because that is what health experts say, but what I feel I want.

But do you mean that you are still intending to reduce further than this?

Yeah, but people are asking me why I want to do that, because my size as it is now is quite attractive. I feel better now though; I was weighing 210 kg then. Presently it is 115. So I have lost about 95kg. If I can get to 100kg or 95kg, then I will be very happy. When I get to that point yeah, I can share my diet recipe and perhaps help some other people who are in such situation that I have been. All my life, I have been struggling with weight. It is not easy.

But with your huge body frame, you won a beauty contest in the UK…

Yes (laughs), that’s a long time ago. Yes that was the Miss Big and Beautiful competition. But right now, I may be much slimmer than what I was before, but I know that I don’t see myself as a normal sized person, I’m still big. Though much more comfortable. To be honest, I don’t want to be too skinny either. I am still out there for the sisters with curves. Yeah, I am still an advocate for curves. I don’t want to be skinny; I just want to feel good and know that I am healthier. And having no health issues or having worries that the heart could give way any time. I am proud of what I achieved as Miss Big and Beautiful, especially at that time; I was the only African girl in the competition. Just for that alone was an achievement. Having curves is African.

So how have people been reacting to your new passion of losing weight? And do people still complement you that you are beautiful?

They still do, but some say I am looking a bit drawn, a little bit tired, I don’t know what they see. They say that before, I was very fresh, that I looked like a baby. However, most people say well-done, you are looking younger and healthier. So it’s a good feeling.

So people are still ‘toasting’ you for marriage?

Hmm, ‘toasting’ does not mean marriage at all. Whether you are thin or big, people will still ‘toast’ you (laughs). Even if you are not beautiful, guys will still ‘toast’ you. It has nothing to do with looks. But for marriage, this is one aspect that people see me as being very controversial. I have never wanted to be married. And I do not want to marry presently, and I don’t want to ever get married. But like they say, never say never! I have never ever had the vision of getting married. I have never ever seen myself ever getting married. Even with Elisha who was a planned child, there was no marriage plan. Though his dad wanted marriage, I told him, I love you. I will have your child, you could even be the father of my children, but I am not marrying. I allowed him to understand that it wasn’t that I was against him, but I just didn’t want to marry.

Do you have any special reason for not marrying?

If I was born in America or Europe, perhaps I would have been taken to see a therapist. Honestly, I have never ever fancied marriage. They say most little girls have dreams of Prince Charming and their little cottage, a garden and a child or two. I have dreamt of children many times, but never of a little cottage with one man there. That is not for me. So maybe if I see a therapist, they will be able to sort out what is wrong with my brain. It might be related to the fact that I am from a polygamous home. It might also be connected to the fact that my mom was somebody that I can refer to as having been perfect. She was sometimes sad, always had a few issues with my father and his wives. Maybe it has to be that. My mom was who I called a renaissance woman.

She was beautiful, educated; she made my father what he became. She was hard- working, domestic, and when it came to being social, she was very social. She was a generous person, she had seven healthy babies. If it was to cook, she was right there, and when it was groove time, she was there and ready. So if a man was not satisfied with her, I don’t know who they will be satisfied with. I don’t know. I have friends, girls who are married and to be honest, I don’t think that any of them can honestly tell me that they are completely happy with their marriages. So that makes marriage scary to me. So they ask me, ‘Elvina how come you are still looking fresh? And I reply that it is because I didn’t get married and twisted.’

What if another opportunity to have another child comes?

I wouldn’t hesitate. I have always loved children. A lot of people were surprised that I started late. They thought that by the time that I had Elisha, that I would probably have had like five or six children because, I had always wanted children. But you don’t just go and have a child for just anybody. One has to be careful. For instance, even though Elisha’s father and I are not together again, we are still good friends and he is a good father to his son. That is the important part.

That is the joy of choosing a good father. Not going to have a baby because this boy is fine or this boy has money to spend, or this one comes from a good home. It is more than that. One has to be careful. And the thing you should remember most is ‘what if anything wrong happens to the child. Apart from the obvious, my sisters who are very close to me are capable of being there for me. But anything can happen and he has to go and stay with his father.

Did you weigh all that well before you had Elisha?

Of course, do you know how many men wanted me to have a baby with them? They were many who wanted that. They were some who even just after two months in the relationship wanted me to have babies for them. I had to be careful. Elisha’s father has sisters that I am close to. So Elisha has a big family from all sides, not just from mine.

Another passion of yours is music

Yes, I haven’t done anything on music for a while now. And that is because I lost my voice. When that happened, I opened a production company called ‘2wice as Nice. We do documentaries.’ Recently I have gone into movies, we also produce TV programmes; we are the first that produced Idols West Africa, the competition that Timi Dakolo won and Omawunmi emerged second; we brought Idols to Nigeria. That is my day job. At night, I work at Classic FM where I am an ‘on air personality.’ I am on air everyday midnight on a show called Melo-Magic. So in the evening when everyone is going home to rest, that is when I pick my bag again and head up to work. But it’s fun. There I express myself. That is what endears me to people.

I am open. I don’t bottle up. That is the winning formula for my show. I am a real person. Yet I have a third job! You see why I lost all that weight (laughs), I suddenly had too much work to do. So, its work. Hard work. I am presently in a play called Hear Word which will be showing soon. It is being directed by a wonderful lady called Ifuoma Fafunwa. I have the privilege of working with some major names in the industry, Bimbo Akintola, Aunty Joke Sylva, Aunty Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Kate Henshaw and a host of amazing divas on stage. That is coming up in May. So I rehearse in the morning, in the afternoon I come to this our restaurant which we just opened, and in the evening, I’m off to the radio station.

You are obviously very busy. Do you have time for any relationship now?

Relationship can wait, this is money matter (laughs), but if a nice enough person comes up that can fit into my schedule, why not? He can meet me at midnight; we go out for a walk and have drinks. If you like somebody, you’ll do the needful. If I am out there at work at midnight, he won’t be asleep; he will be with me (laughs).

Now you are into restaurant business, taking care of human food appetite. What is this part of you about?

The restaurant is called Ona’s Kitchen. My father’s name is Onajivwere, a name that I also call my son. Yes, that is his Urhobo name. My brother had a child and called his name Onajivwere too. So we have three people bearing that name in the family. Using the same name for the restaurant is like an ode to my father. We specialise in presenting Niger Delta menu because we are proudly Urhobo girls. Banga is a constant here, Ukodo, Banga rice, and a lot of other Nigerian foods like Ofe Isala, Oha, Afang, Epankukwo, Edikanikong and continental dishes.

Do you cook?

My sisters and I really throw down when it comes to cooking. My mom was born in Oron. As a super woman, cooking was one of the many things she could do. We were always in the kitchen with her. Even the boys were usually in the kitchen then too with us. That is why today, the boys are very domestic. That is where we learnt from.

At some point in the past, you and your sisters were running a night club in town. So with this new restaurant, are you expecting to graduate it into a nite club business in the near future?

(Laughs) It’s not what I personally always wanted to do. But Gloria yes. However, she doesn’t want a nite club as such now, but a lounge in the true sense of its meaning, with Jazz pianist/singer every evening 7pm to 1am with beautiful cocktail, nice finger food, and once in a while, bring in a popular Jazz artiste from abroad, the real Jazz players. Gloria wants that kind of thing and we are already working on it. We do not want to rent somebody’s property; that is why it has delayed. We want it on our property, which we are building now. She tried renting but we ended up working for somebody else. That was why Gloria decided she wanted it on our property. This present place is not just a restaurant alone, but also has a guest house which is my cousin’s place.

Your style?

It is comfort, simplicity, elegance. I like wearing African clothes. I am eccentric about African prints. I like nice Nubian style. You can’t catch me in body hug, body magic. If you do not like me as I am, I’ll excuse you to look in another direction.

Your mom was not a Nigerian before she married your dad. Where was she from?

My mom was half Cameroonian and half German which is where my skin colour comes from. But if she were to be alive today, and you asked her, she will tell you that she is a Calabar girl. Or possibly a Bonny girl. She was born in Calabar, raised in Oron and she never knew her blood father. Her mother married Chief Pepple from Bonny. He was the man she knew as her father.

So putting all that together, how does it affect your origin?

I am an Urhobo girl! Please what is my business with German or whatever, my father is from Delta State, Agbara-Otor, Ughelli North, and that is where I am from. I am an Urhobo girl that likes to turn Banga and starch well (laughs).

If the topic of discussion is about the Lagos social circle, few men would have their hands raised before Lagos hotelier and petroleum dealer, Otunba Adisa Osiefa.

A close associate of the late fuji music maestro, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Otunba Osiefa cut his teeth in the Lagos social circle at a period when most of his contemporaries were still grappling with how to make a living. “I sew my first agbada at 21,” he told The Nation in an exclusive interview.

Together with a few other friends, Osiefa bestrode the social circles in Lagos, and indeed the South West, like a Colossus, churning up chieftaincy titles in several major towns. While his close and longtime relationship with Sikiru Barrister saw the musician dedicate almost a whole album to Osiefa, he earned a mention from almost all the major musicians in the land.

Indeed, young Osiefa thrust himself into the bubbling Lagos life of the early 60s straight out of secondary school, at an age when most of his contemporaries were still mostly tied to their parents’ apron strings.

However, he was almost consumed by the ‘enjoyment’ until he decided to proceed to the UK to further his studies in the early 60s.

“I attended both Ahmadiya Secondary in Lagos and Epe Grammar School. But after my secondary education, I started work at the Federal Ministry of Lagos Affairs. In those days, Alhaji Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, the father of late President Yar’Adua, was the minister. I spent about one year before crossing over to Barclays Bank. It was from there that I travelled to the UK.”

According to Osiefa, his travelling to the UK at the time was borne out of foresight. With his eyes fixed on a better and secured future, young Osiefa decided that a trip to the UK at the time would avail him the opportunity to build a career, which he believed might be denied him if he remained in the country.

“My travelling to the UK at the time was as a result of foresight. I was in the Savings Department with some of my friends. Let me tell you this: about eight of us, all young men at the time, left the bank to seek better future elsewhere because we knew that without a post-secondary school certificate, you might end up without anything in life.”

But if the Epe, Lagos State-born Osiefa had anticipated a roller coaster ride into the UK, he soon realised how wrong he had miscalculated soon after stepping his feet into the Queen’s land. Talking about his experience, Osiefa confessed that his entry into the UK was rough right from the beginning because he entered the country without a visa.

“My going to the UK could not have been rosy, because I entered the country without a visa. So you see, I went the wrong way. I sought for a visa, but I didn’t get it.”

Fearing that he might end up a failure if he continued with his lifestyle of going to parties, a lifestyle he was gradually being unwittingly dragged into, the young Osiefa decided to take the plunge and make the trip to the UK without a visa.

“Let me make this confession, I was not doing any serious studying in the first two years after I left secondary school to enable me get my A/Level certificate and to enable me enter one of the few universities in the country. So I had wasted those two years going to parties and other stuff.

“But I knew that if I travelled to the UK, I might regain those two years that I had lost. I was also desirous of a better education. It was my going round making enquiries that somebody told me that I could go to the Irish Embassy. I went there, and I was given a note that I didn’t need a visa to enter the UK as a citizen of the Commonwealth.”

Armed with the note, he left Nigeria on April 1, 1964, and landed at the famous Heathrow Airport. But he was soon confronted with another dilemma, because he could not enter England. So he went into Dublin, from where he connected a ferry that took him to Liverpool.

“After we arrived at the Heathrow Airport, I could not enter into England. So I had to wait for my connecting flight to Dublin. It was from there that I took a ferry to Liverpool. I remember very well that night was said to be the coldest for more than 40 years. Fortunately, I got to Liverpool and found out that nobody was showing any visa. So I schooled in both Liverpool and Manchester. That is probably the reason why I am in love with Manchester United Football Club.”

But despite completing his studies in the UK and having ‘regained’ the two years he had lost to partying in Lagos, Osiefa still found it hard to drop his already imbibed lifestyle, as he soon found out that England was also a virile ground for partying.

“I think it was something that is inborn,” he said, adding: “I loved social life right from my secondary school. I loved anything that had to do with fashion. I remember, there was a particular style of shirt called ‘seven brothers’. I would buy shoes and other stuff that were fashionable. But immediately I started work in the bank, I started attending parties. I am talking about when I was about 20 years old. We would attend parties where musicians like I.K Dairo and Roy Chicago performed.

“And you know what? Lagos of those days was filled with young juju musicians. There was no Sunny Ade or Ebenezer Obey. So as young as I was then, the social life was already part of me. Though the musician would not know us, but we attended the party to enjoy ourselves. We also held indoor parties in the UK. So it was like home away from home.”

It was, however, not all about partying and enjoyment for him. His almost 10 years away from home also denied him the natural comfort that motherland provides. And despite having his wife, who went to join him shortly after he left, around, the young man still suffered some fits of loneliness.

For him, the antidote in such moments of loneliness were the photos of families and friends. “After I got to the UK, there were moments that loneliness would get to me such that I would shed tears. But in such moments, I would gaze at the photos of family members and friends that I kept with me. Those photos really kept me going.

“Secondly, I got a job at Rochdale, which is about 14 miles from Manchester. It was a shift job, which meant that I had to leave home about 4am. Imagine what one would go through in the winter. You don’t get to meet your Nigerian friends until weekends, when you meet at the fish market. It was even worse in the winter. So it was really tough. It also made us very eager to return home. You get to hear of stories of some colleagues who returned home and had secured good jobs. Those were years when the country was still very good.”

It didn’t take him long to going on his return to the country in 1973. Having secured a good and more befitting job, it only took the bubbling and recharged young man a little time to pick up the crumbs of his social life from where he left it before his trip to the UK, but now on a more grandeur note because he had now acquired a bigger status.

Before leaving the UK, Osiefa had a plan to work in a paid employment for only 10 years before setting up his own company. And so when the time came, he quit his job as Western Area Manager at Flour Mills Nigeria Plc.

However, his foray into the petroleum business was more of providence than his own decision. “When I left the Flour Mills, I found out that most of my colleagues were going into the bakery business. But I never really liked the idea. I had a neighbour who advised that I go into oil business. I think the guy believed that I was kind of rich because I had about six cars at the time.

“But I didn’t know it was easy to start the business, so I asked him how to go about it. I took his advice, and as God had it, I was travelling to Cotonou one day when I decided to acquire a piece of land for the petrol station along the Badagry Expressway. So starting the business was really not my own idea.”

From that point, he went further to expand his business fronts when he ventured into the hospitality business in 1985.

Speaking on the Lagos social scene of the period, Osiefa said: “You cannot compare the Lagos of those days to the present day Lagos. Our weekends started on Friday immediately after work, and continued until Sunday evening. You moved from one party to the other without any fear. It was a period when you had young musicians everywhere.

“The likes of Ayinde Bakare, Tunde Nightingale and other young juju musicians were the popular musicians of the period. There might be five or six musicians in a particular area, and you simply moved round because it was safe for you. It was a beautiful period for young men and women. The risk is too big for any young man to go out to parties now. Life was completely different.”

Though his long time favourite musician was Sunny Ade, but Osiefa drifted closer to then burgeoning Sikiru Ayinde Barrister soon after he returned to the country. “You know I told you that my favourite musician was KSA. But after I returned to the country, I got attracted to Barrister through one lady friend. I remember that shortly after I went to Mecca for the hajj in 1979, Barrister waxed an album in which he sang about Mecca. I loved the album, and gradually I started attending his party.”

Once the two soul mates found each other, they remained stuck as bosom friends till Barrister breathed his last. Starting from 1984, Barrister waxed several albums in honour of his friend. Speaking about his late friend, Osiefa said: “Barrister was a very appreciative person. He didn’t forget any good or favour that you did to him. In those days, there were not many professionals that followed fuji music. So we became very close because I dragged all my professional friends to his circle. We became close family friends. His wife once stayed with us for about three months. We received most of the traditional titles that I have together, same day. So we were very close”.

Though it is now more than two years since the late musician died, Osiefa is yet to fully absorb the impact, hoping that his bosom friend would walk in through the door any time. “I cannot really believe that Barrister is dead. We had all thought that he would soon come back from the trip, because he was already recovering, and was only waiting for full recovery. As a matter of fact, the day he died, I was to attend a party of the burial ceremony of one of our mutual friends. Suddenly, a call came in from England to inform me that my friend had died. I didn’t believe it, because it was like Barrister can never die. He was too good and intelligent to die. Even now, I still wished he would walk in and tell me that he was not dead.

“He was full of knowledge. Let me tell you one story. In 1984, when we were being honoured in Ilobu with chieftaincy titles, we were lodged in Osogbo for weeks. As we got talking, we got to the issue of one of my friends whom I helped, but later betrayed the trust. Barrister listened to all the discussions, and when he climbed the stage, he used what he heard to compose one of his most beautiful songs. He was simply too intelligent.”

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo is the Senior Pastor of Trinity House. In this interview with PATIENCE SADUWA and PAUL UKPABIO, he speaks on his childhood days at Ibadan; life at the nation’s premier secondary school, Kings’ College; parents’ influence on his life; coping with pastoral work and accountancy business; life with his wife, Ibidun, and other issues. Excepts:

HE’S the ‘poster boy’ of the set of wave-making pastors that have brought a lot of glamour and elan to the pulpit in the country in the past two decades or so. Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Senior Pastor, Trinity House, typifies this group who are smart, charismatic and intelligent with enough oratorical skills to sway any congregation.

Over the years, Ighodalo and the other glamour men of the pulpit have enjoyed great visibility and popularity, especially in the media, enjoying the kind of fame and celebrity status that music and movie stars get. Being so much in the limelight has, however, not come without a price. Controversies, scandals and intrigues have trailed them, becoming so much at times so that it has even threatened to truncate their thriving careers and ministry.

The Trinity House senior pastor and chartered accountant has had his fair share of such in his years in the ministry. For instance, his sudden and painful exit from The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in 2009 over his decision to remarry after being separated for 10 years from his former wife caused a lot of ripples in religious circles in the country. Trailed by a lot of criticisms, he left to found Trinity House, which moved to its permanent site on Victoria Island, Lagos, last year.

Nearly five years after that incident, Ighodalo today cuts the image of a man who has weathered so many storms in life and come out a ‘survivor.’ He has put his travails at his former church behind him. “It’s all in the past now. It’s not something I want to go into in detail,” he told The Nation in his office in Lagos recently. But he added: “Let us just say it was a doctrinal issue and I had to leave. I still feel very much part of Redeemed Church. I still contribute, I am still on the board of one or two things in Redeemed Church. It is still one family and everything has worked out for good.”

These days, he focuses on growing his ministry as well his accounting firm, SIAO. Indeed, the pastor is a man of different parts, heavily involved in ministry work, running a private firm, chairing various NGOs and also being on the board of several companies. Being so busy, the pastor has little time for leisure activities besides watching TV, especially football and his favourite team Liverpool.

To him, this is not a problem; work is his relaxation, as he stated. “My work is my relaxation. I do not consider work to be work. Tiger Woods plays golf for a living. Is it work or pleasure? So, that is what my work is to me. I enjoy it. I live it. It makes me happy. I sleep in it. When I am fatigued, I blank out, sit in front of the TV and watch. I think of other things. Rest is important and as a pastor, quiet time is important. Time with God is therapeutic. I hear God. For me, life is in segments, an excitement that I keep doing. When I do, I rest too.”

Stylish and dapper in his well-cut suits, Ighodalo has the kind of good looks and charming mien that have endeared him to the ladies for years, even before joining the pulpit. Indeed, during his days as the pastor of Christ Church parish of the RCCG, Gbagada, there were tales of some female members harassing him and scheming to marry him. His marriage in 2007 to ex-Lux girl, Ibidun Ajayi, though put paid to the dreams of such ladies to hook the handsome pastor.

So how does he cope with attention from the ladies? “By His grace! It is indeed by His grace,” he declared, adding: “But I draw my boundaries. By now, I know that a lot of people know that boundary already. I have been through a lot of things. I have had enough of that in the past. I am really focused on what I have to do. I am friendly, I chat and talk but I draw my boundaries and I do not go beyond my boundaries or allow anyone to go beyond that boundary. And at my age, there is no amount of pressure by God’s grace, which anyone can put on me. Where is the time? God has been gracious and I pray a lot that God should keep me from evil and keep evil from me.”

The pastor, who describes himself as a sociable person who made friends easily while growing up, noted that his outgoing personality has helped him in his ministry work. He likened this attribute to that of Christ who mixed with people from different strata of society and not just the rich and powerful alone.

“Jesus was a socialite. A lot of people do not realise that,” Ighodalo stated. “He had dinner in Zaccheus’s house as well as at the house of Mathew, the republican. He went and hung out and spent some good time with the woman by the well. He was with her. In fact, they used to call Him a wine imbiber, meaning that he enjoyed socialising. They used to ask Him, ‘Why aren’t you like John the Baptist, who spent his time in the wilderness? They used to call Him a glutton because they said that this man eats and eats and socialises too much. But what He was trying to do, was to meet everybody, at their various places of need.

“And at some point in time, He had to tell them that this gospel is not for those that are well, it is for the sick: Those who need help. He was so social that He went to the tomb and He was hanging out with a mad man of Gadara. Jesus spent an afternoon with that mad man. The lepers that nobody could touch, Jesus went to play with them and touched them. He had time for blind Bartimeus. He stopped everything that He was doing to spend an afternoon with him. To preach the gospel, to be honest with you, you need to be sociable and social to a large extent. At funerals they will call you. At times of grief, you must be there to share God’s words with them. At marriages you marry them off.

“If you are not social enough to talk to people and share their moments with them, you really cannot be an effective pastor. Pastoring is about feeling people, being there for them, carrying their burdens, impacting your lives upon them, understanding their feelings and being able to share, and through God offer hope, expectation and solution. So, my previous life prepared me for my present life. God does not waste anything. And God does not make any mistake.”

On his ‘glamour boy’ image, he said: “I guess it is perception, maybe it is the way I speak, maybe it is the way I dress, and maybe it is the way they perceived me, even before I became a Pastor. So, it is information for me, whether I want to change from being that is what I don’t know. But I know that I am trying to be simple, I try not to dress too elaborately. Because it is not about what you wear but what it is in your heart. I try to wear what can be comfortable for me to enter anywhere. You know, sometimes, I find myself in the heart of Mushin, preaching a powerful gospel and the next thing is I am in the Lagos State Government office speaking to leaders. That is the way I have been operating. What I do is to make myself accessible to as many people who need God through me. I don’t know if that is glamorous or not, but I work hard.”