To describe Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi as a man of many parts is clearly an understatement. He is not just a multi-disciplinarian with expertise in pharmacy, law, public service, business development and strategy but like a polymath with insatiable appetite for knowledge he knows so much about a wide range of subjects such as Artificial Intelligence, robotic engineering so much that you won’t be mistaken if you call him a scientist! During an interview with a select team of journalists the Ado-Ekiti born prince, who has had a meritorious public and private life shares interesting insights on his life’s trajectory thus far ahead of his 85th birthday next Saturday. Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf was there. Excerpts:
You were a very active student’s union leader and also widely acknowledged as the doyen of all District Governors of Rotary International in Nigeria. What motivated you?
I was brought up in an environment of service and public security at best. I have been involved in the service organisations, student union, at the primary, secondary, tertiary levels. When I was in secondary school, for example, I wrote plays, conducted, directed plays. When I was in university, I went into the arts, I did student politics. And it is the student politics aspect that really exposed me to the world. I am sure you’ve heard of the National Union of Nigerian Students? It’s now NANS, right? I was Vice President for International Affairs of NANS, National Union of Nigerian Students at that time. So I represented Nigeria as a young man in the university in more than 17 countries at youth conferences all over the world. By the time I was finishing university, I was attending international conferences on behalf of Nigerian students. All these Aluta Continua I have been involved in. So it was in New Zealand, at a world conference of students that I was elected to represent Africa in the World’s Student Secretariat in Holland.
I became Secretary General of the organisation. That’s how I travelled around the world, 143 countries. When you travel around, you are a different person. So that’s the first thing, student unionism. Then I came back from there, and then I joined Rotary. So when people say I was the first African to be president of Rotary, they confuse me with that. I was the first African to be Secretary General of the World Student Movement.
As for Rotary in Nigeria, when Rotary finally became a district in Nigeria, I was the first district governor. So people call me the doyen of all District Governors in Nigeria. Because when I became governor, I will show you some of these pictures. The installation was carried out by the president himself, Alhaji Shehu Shagari. He was there. So that gave, like you know, good optics to Rotary in Nigeria. So people know me in Rotary. And if you go into the secretariat, the national secretariat in GRA here, they have named the whole place after me. So all those things I know. Briefly, therefore, I have to use the term, public- spiritedness. And following their deal of service, knowing that it profits most who serves the best. That’s what drives me to get to these things.
I got there young, I stayed there, and I’m still there now. Whatever I do here is about service. It’s not about big business. It’s not about big politics. It’s about making people realise that you cannot be an island to yourself. And that you must be able to give a hand. Nobody is so poor to give a hand at any given time.
How do you assess the current level of youth involvement in politics?
I think the youth today in politics are doing better than we assume. The youth are a newer generation of the older generation. When we were younger, we were also youths. And we tried our best to create awareness about what was going around. I remember that I was the Vice President of the National Union of Nigerian Students. I participated in a demonstration all the way from Ibadan to Lagos against Nigeria making a pact with Britain. Trying to put a British military base in Nigeria. There was a no-pact, no-base demonstration here in Lagos. And it went very well.
The police quote, and unquote arrested some of us. And so in those days it was novel. But the environment in which we are now is such that I believe that the youths are living in a more challenging space. The youths, for example, have done something about the Not-Too-Young-To-Run in 2018, if you remember. And it was the beginning of them getting involved individually and collectively in politics. That must be encouraged.
My view is that they are doing well by getting involved, especially with Not-Too-Young-To-Run. But the environment has to be such to encourage them, to hold them, and to recreate values for the nation.
The UK plans a law that will reduce the voting age to 16. Is it something worth emulating?
Yes, of course. We should really emulate it, I think it’s a good idea. We can bring it into our midst. You remember now already that the federal government is talking about 16 as the entry age for universities. In those days those discussions were not there. They were very brilliant. They made an exception for you to enter universities. But I suppose we are getting more defined. So, it is good for them. In Britain, it’s something we can also work here. Why not? If you look at the under-30 population in Nigeria, it’s about 60% of Nigerians. And then the voting age is going to come down. And more people will then be in the youth band to participate in the political process. I think it’s the right thing. We are not emulating. We are just doing our own thing, borrowing from people’s experience. Before imitating or copying, let us always realise that the British environment is different from the Nigerian environment. And therefore, in the process of emulation, we must apply our own specifics.
Do you share the view that the older generation has significantly destroyed the foundation on which the youths today can build a suitable future?
Okay. That’s a good question. Older generation vis-à-vis the younger generation. Who is the older generation? Who is the younger generation? It’s a continuum. We can say that the so-called older generation has lost opportunities for growth. But we cannot keep on blaming others for whatever is in our lot now. In 1966, the soldiers blamed the politicians. Before 1960, the politicians blamed the British. When the Democrats came, they no longer blamed the military, they blamed the British. Today, we also blame others. The blame game has to stop. You cannot be driving your car and be looking at the back view from the mirror. You must face the future. If you allow me to say something, as I said, this is a very family thing. Every organisation, every individual in the world is controlled by what they call the three Cs: chances, choices and consequences. I don’t know if you are following me. In 1960, we became independent. Nigeria was on top of the world. In 1960, the whole world noticed the country. In 1960, books like The Dream of Nigeria were written by Sam Epelle. In 1960, I think it was on the 7th of October, Tafawa Balewa led a delegation to the United Nations. We were accepted formally as the 99th member of the United Nations. It was a time of glory for this nation. Everybody praised us. It’s as if everything came together to make Nigeria a fantastic place. Because we were also given Tafawa Balewa. If you do your history well, one of the best speakers of English, the voice, the personality, the glamorous personality, was such as to make Nigeria proud. And indeed, as journalists, we must always refer back to the speech he made on the 7th of October 1960. He made many promises. So, Nigeria at that time had very many choices. But from the choices we made, we now face the consequences today. Some countries which had the same chances with us, made different choices, have different consequences. That’s why we find that Saudi Arabia, which used to come to us for assistance in health and so on, made a different choice. Now we are going to Saudi Arabia. So, instead of saying the old people have spoiled it all for us, it is time for us to rejig, to look at our chances. The chances that we have, the opportunities we have, there are still very many. And be able to make wise choices for better consequences tomorrow. It is the chances, the choices and the consequences. So, as for the younger generation, it’s another subject. If you have another question that goes into that, I will deal with the younger generation.
Service organisations, like the Rotary, where you played a major role are not as vibrant and relevant as they used to be. There appears to be a growing interest in Africa, but membership is down 20% in North America. Why?
I wonder what is happening; we have to be careful with the statistics. Rotary started in America. It didn’t start in Ughelli, It didn’t start in Benin. It started in America. Over 100 years ago, it was spreading. It was spreading because many people were there. It only spread to Africa in 1921. It didn’t get to Nigeria until 1961. And indeed, in Nigeria, because of the administration of Rotary at that time, there were 16 West African countries put into one zone. That’s why when I said I was elected to be governor of these 16 African countries, I said, why? How can all the 16 countries be in one zone? And why can’t Nigeria be in one zone? And I tried to fight for that, but finally, it was agreed and we are one again, one of the districts in the world. It was a breakthrough for Nigeria. So people are catching on and people are joining. The number of people joining in Africa is increasing. But the number of people in the Northern Hemisphere will be more because it started there. It spread there. Just like in faith-based organisations, like the Christian churches, we find that many people in America, UK now, some of the churches are empty. Because some of the people now don’t go to church, they do their own thing. Whereas in Africa now, the churches are growing. Same thing in all other international organisations, Rotary included. So it is decreasing in the Northern Hemisphere countries, but it’s also increasing here. But in Africa, it may not be increasing at the rate at which we have budgeted because of economic reasons. If, for example, your subscription fee was $1,000 before, $1,000 before would be about N1,000, when the size was 1 to 1, maybe N50,000. But now, $1 is N1,600. You want to join? You can’t join. So that explains why the membership is not as fast-growing as possible. It also explains why you find that the membership in the Northern Hemisphere is reducing. Because there are other distractions there, to other things. In the church, in organisations. Look at the United Nations, look at the World Health Organisation. America used to pay a whole lot of money to them by way of grants. But now, when they stop it, the World Health Organisation is also coming down. This is the time for Africa to now close that gap. But because of leadership problems, economic problems, political problems, we cannot fill that gap. It is as it is.
Sir, in the current dispensation of instant gratification is there still a role for service in the future?
In the world of instant gratification, everybody wants to grab. In the world of instant gratification, that’s not worldwide, really. Maybe in our world. In other words, people do things only if they have instant gratification. The older generation didn’t do things because of instant gratification. We did not do it. And the reason is, and we’re talking again, is that we have lost values. In those days, you will do something because you believe in it. Now, you only do things when you think that there will be instant gratification.
In fact, I was surprised to see you here coming in so early. Most people won’t come unless there’s something great. If I said that I was going to have a rally at which something was going to be distributed, people would come a day before. It’s because there’s hunger in the land. But there’s a solution. And I want you to note one or two points. One is that all these gratifications, all these greed, all this corruption is because of lack of values. And we shall continue to talk about those unless and until we change the values. We cannot change the values overnight. But we can change it. If this gentleman now becomes president of Nigeria by whatever means he has arranged, he will still be blamed tomorrow for not doing this or not doing that. People will still run to Europe and America because Europe has good roads. They have light all the time. They had chances, they made choices, and they’re facing the consequences of good roads and so on. We had chances. We made choices of stealing everything. And we’re now facing the consequences of it. Everywhere you go, there are difficulties. But it can change. It will change. What I want to be telling people is that we’re not the first country to face these difficulties. It’s not something you will do overnight. If you look at countries like China, like Germany, if you look at countries like Korea, if you look at countries like Japan, even in France, what did they do? They started with the young generation. So I would recommend that Nigeria should take a look at itself. Take a deep breath from the chances available. And ask the question, where are we going? We need somebody who is a visioner. What was their vision of Nigeria? What was the vision of the gentleman in Dubai 25 years ago? It was a desert. He had a vision. And said, what was the vision of Saudi Arabia? It was a desert. What was the vision of China? Now China is actually doing great things… or Russia. So we say, we have this vision, we must articulate this vision. And start applying it across the board. At the primary school level, we should sell this vision to everybody. So that you will find, for example, I’m in Agenebode and I am singing the national anthem. But my teacher, my institution, is already saying, Nigeria is going this way, Nigerians should do this. In the church, they are still saying, gospel according to this and that, but Nigeria should borrow from this gospel and do this. So there must be a vision that must be made. That’s number one. But we must start from the primary schools. And it must be a long-term programme. Not four years, all this election for four years. No angel can change Nigeria in four years. In fact, they are four years already, in two years they are trying to look for the next election now. And nothing will happen. It’s going to be the same story. Chances, choices, consequences. So that vision is important. Sell that vision from the primary school level. Hoping that in 10 years’ time, we are in 2025 now. In 2035, we will have had people who have passed through primary school, secondary school, and then university, who have this frame of mind about Nigeria. Why do I say so? Unless you have people who believe in Nigeria, who trust Nigeria, unless you have a vision that we can all buy into, we’re going to start running around in circles. That’s number one. Number two is a value for the younger generation. No matter how difficult the situation, I think that every youth should learn the following. No matter how difficult, you can be born in Ajegunle and become Head of State. It’s not magic. Every youth that believes in himself can develop himself, no matter how difficult the situation is. Go to your school, do well, and pass at the end of your university. No matter how difficult. You’re not the first to face difficulties. But don’t just do a mono-qualification. Don’t just say, I am a journalist, therefore I am ready to go. Your education must be broad-based. Remember that if all you have is a hammer in your hands, everything else will appear like a nail. So, look at this wall. Oh, no nails. So, if all you have is a hammer. The same thing, if all you have is legal practice. You will find that all the lawyers now, they’re talking about the constitution. If you’re broad-based, however, you will find that you are more pliable. So, you need a young man who does well in his chosen field, who also is broad-based. So, somebody who is a lawyer would know a bit about journalism, for example. And you will find that those who are like that have succeeded in the past. Awolowo was in the civil service. He was a produce buyer. He did everything. If you look at Zik, the same thing. A young man who has good education, who travels around, knows more than one subject, he meets people, he will be a good leader, come rain, come sun shine. It is by having this broad base that you can move and turn things around. Make sure you are a fully educated person. I think we need to tell the younger people that apart from education and knowledge they need character, part of the problem we have in this country now is the complete lack of population with character. If people recognise you as a person of character and if you are talking of a young person to be recognised and respected in the future, you talk about character. For example somebody who is wealthy is envied, somebody who is intellectually successful is respected, somebody who is in power, politically is feared. But only a person of character is trusted. So if you are known as a person of character you will be trusted.
That is the thing I gained, for example, when I was doing student unionism around the world. Have you heard of Jomo Kenyatta? When I was doing my student thing around, I met him in Nairobi and I got close to him. And I found out that his education was not much, but he was a trade unionist, he was this and that. Then he went into politics, and within the political party, he was already doing well. Because while others were saying I’m a professor of physics and that, he (Kenyatta) was a general-knowledge person. He had this general background. So he quickly came to the top and became the Secretary of the KANU, Kenya African National Union. He, for example, was the one who started a scholarship programme for East African students. One of those who enjoyed it (scholarship) became the father of Barack Obama. He was a Kenyan, who was taken to the University of Hawaii and gave birth to Barack Obama (who was onetime president of America). So, it’s by having this broad based knowledge that you can move. Look at all these politicians running around: the ones that tend to make sense are those who know people, who know their subject, who know other subjects. If you put a professor of physics there, he will come and tell you, physics, physics, physics. But the world is not just physics. So please, even when you are now at 50, it’s not too late to broaden your base and make sure that you are a fully educated person. That’s one. Two: I think we should tell the younger people that apart from education and knowledge, they need character. Part of the problem we have in this country now is a complete lack of population with character. Values have gone down. If you have 50 people in a hall, maybe 40 people are looking at the people speaking and saying, what can I get from this? That’s the question. Where am I in this hall? I’m talking about character. You know, for example, somebody who is wealthy, is envied. How can I be like this? Somebody who is intellectually successful is respected, for instance, a Nobel Laureate. Somebody who is empowered, politically or by status, is feared. But only the person of character is trusted. So if you are known as a person of character, you will be trusted.
Look at former president Muhammadu Buhari for instance; he had 11 million votes. Is it because the people have read his manifesto? No. It is because people trust him. Unfortunately, there is a trust deficit in Nigeria; people don’t trust their leaders… So you can, as a young man, develop yourself as a man of character in education, knowledge and character. These are the things we must be looking at for the younger generation.
Also, you will find that a young man, who has education, will present himself well. A man of character will be confident in explaining his own position. But we also need to have a younger generation of people who have a spiritual dimension. Because when you look at the spiritual dimension, the philosophy is, ‘Boluwatife’ (What God Wants). I don’t know what that means to any of you (general laughter). Boluwatife comes in the sense that some force that we don’t know makes some things happen. There is Prof. Wole Soyinka and the author of Things for Apart, Chinua Achebe. Both of them were eminently qualified to be given the Nobel Laureate in Literature. You know what I’m talking about. But just one of them got it, how did it happen?
There is a spiritual angle. People must have a spiritual angle; so if you have that spiritual angle too, you’re doing well. That’s very important.
I met, for example, someone called Lee Kuan Yew. People write about that he is this, he is that. I met him as I was doing this student unionism thing when I went to Singapore on the invitation of the National Union of Singapore University Students. Lee Kuan Yew was about 45 years old then. He was the first Prime Minister of Singapore. I stayed in his guest house. Today, everybody is saying, Lee Kuan Yew. It is because he had a mission and carried the population along. It is that carrying the population with him that is important.
I really think that we should concentrate on our youths and try to change the values. Now, I also want to ask the government that it is not enough to say, change values, the future, the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow. They cannot be leaders of tomorrow unless you start to find them from the age seven that I am talking about now, right from the primary schools. There are many institutions we can use. Take an institution like the NIPSS, the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, in Kuru, Jos. It was started in 1979. I think that institute needs to be totally overhauled. It was set up, for example, to bring, with the fullness of time, leaders of thought who can, in fact, supply Nigerian leaders with ideas as to decision making. Remember I told you about chances, choices, and consequences. If the leaders, the products of the Institute are encouraged, or the place is so reorganised as to make it possible for them to have their products given to the presidency. Most of the things that they have written about are just put away. Nobody reads them. I think it should be overhauled. More importantly, more funding should be given to it. The alumni itself must be made more relevant to help Nigeria to achieve a better society.
I think if NIPSS is supported by the government to play its original role, Nigeria can benefit from informed decision making at the national level. So the alumni and the alumna, most of the important positions in government are held by the members of NIPSS. I hope you know that. I was president of the alumni sometimes. You will find some things, some NIPSS people wearing something like a crest, it says for a better society.
Of course, the alumni will tell them that we have tried, but the government doesn’t look at our papers. So in the process of refurbishing or whatever you’re doing with it, it’s important for you to do this.
You will be 85 by August 2nd. We would like to know the secret of your longevity, youthful and radiant look, youthful energy, your signature white dress, life philosophy, your time at the Interim National Government and all…
It’s about values…But whatever you do in this world, it’s Boluwatife. There’s somebody who rules all this. No matter who you are, Muslim, whatever, you are not here by accident. In your life, there are two important days. One, the day you are born. Two, the day you know why you are born. That moment you know why you are on this earth, your life changes. You don’t start giving yourself sadness by saying X is better than me, why now? All unhappiness comes from comparison. I’m in The Nation. I’m in The Punch. I’m in The Leadership. I used to beat this boy up. Look at what he is. So, all unhappiness is from comparison.
So, the second thing is you should have contentment. The Lord has done well to everybody. The only people who complain are those who say theirs is not enough. Who are you to know what is enough for you? Contentment is important. The third thing is to make sure that you create some level of happiness wherever you are. People say success gives happiness. But I say to you, success does not always give happiness. But happiness always gives success. If you are happy with what you are doing, you will always succeed. Whereas you can succeed in something and not be happy. You can be looking for the MDship of a company somewhere for years, and then when you get there and you sit down, and you ask yourself is this what this MDship is all about with all these wahala! But you must find happiness therefore and that happiness comes from contentment. Happiness also comes from hard work. But it must be prayerful hard work. Even Trump prays. Even the Queen prays. What job can be better than the job of a Queen? There’s no way you can be promoted to what they pray for. At our level, it must be prayerful hard work, not all these big words I’m just saying. So with me, whatever comes my way, I was preaching to you the gospel of the three C’s: chances, choices, consequences. It affects everybody. If only our leaders would look at that and think deeply about it, the country would change. We always pray that God will give us the knowledge to discover the chances in our life. God will give us the wisdom to make the choices and God will give us the disposition to enjoy the consequences. We’re all suffering in Nigeria today. It didn’t start this morning. It started in 1960. Remember when I was talking about the glory days of Nigeria. The other thing is to have an attitude of gratitude to God. You know, wisdom tells us that a happy man is a man who marries the girl he loves. But a happier man is a man who loves the girl he marries. It’s all a combination of contentment and gratitude. I repeat: a happy man is a man who marries the girl he loves. But a happier man is a man who loves the girl he marries. A happy person who gets the journalism job that he’s been looking for, a happier man is a man who loves the journalism job. So if you put it all back together, then you will find that you suddenly have some calm.
Really, the problem with Nigeria is that everybody wants to be a big man. We say Nigeria is a giant of Africa: a giant with no food (general laughter).
You see, there’s a difference between being a big man and a great man. I talked to you about values. A big man will go out with a big babariga, a big Rolls Royce, a big house, take social media to come and look at his house. That’s big. Anybody can be big. You don’t need to go to school if you want to make money. There are some parts of the world where people don’t need to go to school to make money. There are married people who went to school. But being great is different. How much money does Mandela have? Can you compare Mandela with Elon Musk? So, value systems. Then the character too. You must have this sense of contentment. There’s always a temptation to say my house is better, bigger than yours. My Senate position is bigger than yours. All these wahala we have in the country is about being big. It’s a question of upbringing. Because if you are big, OK, they will put you in the front. But if you are great, wherever you sit in that crowd is the high table. People will come. So, seek greatness, not just mere bigness.
But always do your things prayerfully. Now, also make sure that there’s a difference between urgent and important. I’m talking again about this CCC: chances, choices, and consequences. In the world, you are faced with what you call important things and urgent things. Not all urgent things are important. Think of it. Not all important things are urgent. If it’s important enough, it can wait. In fact, they’ll wait for you. So, these are simple principles. Also, you find that you must have long-term planning and put in place sustainability projects. If you look at Nigeria, we start things in a big way. We call the governor, we call the president, we launch this road, come back next year. Our heads of state go to London for a health check. Where do they go? A place called London Clinic. London Clinic is, this year now, 93 years old. It’s still providing service. This is where Buhari went. This is where Abubukar Abdulsalam went. This is also where Daura visited; it’s the same hospital. This hospital started in 1952 and now it’s 93 years old. But they have sustained it. It’s the value system. It’s all about the choices, chances and consequences. You will find that many of our projects, for example, go in the opposite line. Have you heard of University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan? The UCH started in 1957; precisely, in early 1957. Mind you, the London Clinic, owned by one man, one family, one group, is 93 years old. But the UCH now, where is it? The doctors are going on strike, no lights. That is the sustainability crisis. I don’t know if you know but Obafemi Awolowo. As far back as the early 1960s he was going to a place called Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. That place is now 160 years old. It is still there. That’s why when people ask me this is your Juli Pharmacy, you’re 55 years old. And I say to them it’s a question of sustainability. It’s a question again of saying I want to be big. I want to be the biggest business. No. You can be the greatest business. You’re small in one corner but people will come to you, get used to it and they trust you. Mind you, if you follow some of these things I’m talking about, you’ll be as poor as myself, right. Somebody will call me to come to my book launch and say I won’t come because I may not be poor enough to beg but I’m not rich enough to give you N50 million. Where do I get it from? If people are accountable and if people ba mowa arawon (if people can be modest), there won’t be a problem. But unfortunately, it’s difficult to be modest if you’re sitting here making maybe N10 million a month or a year and you’re in a position where you get N1 billion. You cannot moyan iwo (be modest) now (laughs). You start looking for more wives, or marrying the 4th, 5th wife and yet have a pending fraud case in front of you. It’s only in this part of the world you find such things and that’s why we’re not making progress because we have not followed these principles of chances, choices and consequences. We are not happy, we have no contentment. We want to be big. They say, ah, baba nbo (a big man is coming), soldiers are carrying guns. But you must not look at the bottle of Coke. But it’s not the bottle but the liquid content that matters. Make your liquid content good. Many people are very wealthy but most rich people are poor people with money because if you take the money away they are mentally poor. Of course, I’m wrong; I’m in my own little corner. I’m going to be 85. It’s only the grace of God. It’s the 2nd of August and that’s why some people wanted to celebrate it big; they said go to Harbor Point and all. But you must ask yourself why are you doing this? What’s the return on your investment? What’s the message you’re sending to people? Somewhere you find out that somebody who is riding a Rolls Royce is not as happy as the driver. But if you follow these simple principles: wherever you’re, you’re contented, you have an attitude of gratitude to God, and then you’re ok. If all you’re doing is holding a red biro, and praying that God, that man or this man came in a Rolls Royce, God let me have a Rolls Royce; if God let you come in a Rolls Royce it could come with the problem of that man (general laughter). So wherever you’re, be contented, be grateful to God. As for me here, what you see is what you get.
I wear white cloth because it’s easy; it fits all occasions. It forces you to look good, because if there is a stain, you want to clean it. It’s monochrome, not villa dress like my friend’s here (general laughter).
Looking at your earlier life, how did your upbringing affect who you later became in life, what sort of influence did it have in your life?
You know I said to you, you don’t determine where you’re born. You don’t; it’s your parents who tell you when you’re born and you believe them. You don’t determine where you are born or when you’re born. You could be born in Agenebode, or instead of Agenebode, you may have been born in (Wike territory) Rivers state (laughs). Or you may even be born in Ireland. So the early environment sent me a message to ask, why are my parents, why are my guardians, and where have I been from there? In my case, I’ve been very fortunate. I grew up in a very Spartan missionary environment of priests. So my values are non-negotiable. We were talking about serving in the Interim Government. I was there, I called, and I had big responsibilities. And it comes with pockets of money. You don’t need these things. We’re here now. Suppose this room is eight times as large. It’d be more impressive, right with gold and so on. But so what? It’s the comfort in your corner that matters and that particular environment brought me up on cleanliness, very important, on discipline. So I tell youths, you must dream of what you want to be. You must decide on what you want to be. You must be disciplined as to what you want to be. And you must have dedication. If you have those four D’s, whoever you are, you will succeed straight away. So that’s what part of my upbringing is. You know I was lucky to have all those things I told you as a student. And then they brought this thing. Nobody would know that I used to do artwork and frame arts. Nobody would know that I used to produce plays. Nobody would know that I used to do choirs, start singing groups. Nobody would know that I taught music. All those things, they come, they converge. I didn’t just do them on my own. There’s something around you that says, we shall give you all this equipment and we shall lead you on your lane. But you must try and check that lane. Keep on that lane. If you should start looking at other people’s lanes; you might lose your lane. What you should do is focus. I say to you, if you focus on your own focus, you will become the focus. I don’t know if you get that point.
If you focus on your focus, you will become the focus. In other words, if you are a journalist and you focus on it, after some time, you will be the reference point in journalism, irrespective of the profession, even mechanics. Remember, it’s not about being big; it’s about being great. Bigness is transient. Greatness is permanent. That’s why we remember all the Mandela’s of this world. I think we are somewhere. But whatever you do now, part of your focus, gentlemen, is to become closer with AI, Artificial Intelligence. Nobody is too old for AI. So what I said, get the children young. Get a vision to teach them. Whatever they do, they should be exposed to AI now. Nigerian children are doing well in AI, even without a formal education. Twenty years ago, there was something called the Matrix of Terminators. They were talking of what AI can do to the world. Now, we are now talking of artificial intelligence. Do you know ChatGPT, Snapchat, social media, and Gemini. But we are progressing from there. It has been said that in another 20 years, the world will now face the problem of artificial intelligence. Not just the simple ones we have now, the so-called AGI, the A-S-I, where you have artificial superior intelligence. Now, let it be that in 20 years’ time, Nigerian children who are young today, will, in 20 years’ time, be part of those ruling the world. That’s what is going to happen. You prepare for the future. Be AI ready. And it’s going to work. You are using AI already. When you record things like this, the AI can help you to do generative intelligence. Sorry, an old man is talking about science and tech (general laughter)… But that’s how to update yourself. I do a lot of AI. I do a lot of artificial genetics: the super intelligence on the way. That’s what Elon Musk is talking about now. Let it not be that in 10 years’ time, we are still complaining. But it’s by preparing now, like they did in Dubai, UAE. Look at what China did, from nowhere. It’s like running a relay race. Round one, round two. When they got their own baton, now they are there. And people would respect you. Finally, let us all work as journalists for a purpose. I’m talking of focus on your focus. A country is respected to the level of its greatness. A great man from a country that is not respected will not be respected. An ordinary man from a respected country will be respected. I don’t know if you get my point. No matter how big you are now, Professor and Minister, take your visa somewhere when you arrive. You are a Nigerian. Therefore, you can say stand aside. It’s not a theory. It’s not a theory; it’s something I have seen. Sometime ago, two senators who were landing at the same time. They had feathers on their carpet. These are Big boys at home. Yes, please stand aside. The man did not even look up. What is your position from the U.S.? People watch you. And how does a country become great? It’s by the optics. In the same way, a man can become great if the optics are good. That’s why you have a meeting like this. I’m 85 years old. I have not done anything. I don’t have a big house to show you. I don’t have a big university. I don’t have all this. But there are values that go beyond a man’s lifetime. That you can sell. A group like this can look at this, not by giving them awards. That’s the problem of what I call shallow thinking. I chose a man. I say, oh, you’re good. Get an award. Looks good. So everybody wants to be big like him. Next time, give 10 awards. Next time, give 20 awards. The awards will quietly grow to one or two people. Put them there for those people to think about in times of challenge.
You’ve really achieved a lot, both in the public service and business life. So, what would you say has been the greatest accomplishment that you’ve had?
For me?
Yes, for you.
None, no. I’m nothing without my Creator. I’m not preaching religion to you. You’re going to bed; you’re waking up in the morning. It’s not your own making. That’s God’s grace. The whole Head of State is dying. You spend some time in London, the best hospital, the best conditions, everything money can do. And still, death comes and says come. He didn’t tell you when you were born. He’s not going to tell you when you are recalled. But then, He keeps you on a lane. That’s why I said, know your lane. If you keep to that lane and you focus, you’ll be surprised what you can do. You can do a whole lot of things and still not make it. Somebody’s arranging the time and space for you to live. You can become Head of State in terms of trouble. Whatever world you’re in, or you can just go your own way and get pleasant surprises… That’s what life is. Some people spend all their lives trying to cook soup. Do everything and they say, it’s ready and they go off! Somebody’s just coming from a local joint, and say ah, this is soup. And it becomes an instant success and then says, I’m a guru! Oh, c’mon. It is the Lord that does it. So beware of these gurus, these whiz kids. They must thank God. But what’s important is you: you’re doing this job now. You must ask yourself quietly, where do I go from here? It’s by applying these principles; and being happy, having contentment. All those places I’ve been to, all over the world, I’ve seen people do things.
I met, for example, General Yakubu Gowon during the war. You probably know about that. I met him (Gowon) during the war. I brought a delegation of students when I was Secretary General. (looks through a personal photobook catalogue). Somebody made this book when I was 80 years old. Look at the delegation. This is the delegation I had. Can you see my picture with Gowon? I was just a young man then, in my 20s. Hear what Gowon wrote then. “Over the years, you have been consistent in your contribution to the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria… But it also said here, “In 1968, when our paths first crossed as the Secretary General of the World Students Union based in Holland, you led an eight-member delegation to my office to visit me in Dodan Barracks. That wartime courtesy visit helped to create a better global understanding of the crisis in Nigeria. I will always be grateful to you for that service for the unity of the fatherland… Now, I am only 20-something. Who am I? I’m not a politician. And I felt at that time I was bringing all the support from all over the world since I was Secretary General of the World. You may have heard of somebody called Wenike Briggs? Have you heard of somebody called Admiral Wey? You see, that’s how time goes. We own the time, but God owns the world. There was a time when people like this were very important… It’s the same thing when I ran into Ngugi in Tanzania. You will find that this book contains some of these pictures… When you meet people, you learn a lot about them. And I’ve met and decorated most heads of state: IBB, Abubakar, Alex Ekwueme, Goodluck Jonathan, JJ Rawlings, the onetime military Head of state in Ghana, Ojukwu. Who am I to know these people? I don’t have anything to offer them. But it’s really possible. Sometimes when you look at those, you think I’m a big boy. You wouldn’t know. Have you heard of somebody called Michael Opara? Yes, Michael Opara. That’s me decorating him. I have heard of this man, Gani Fawehinmi? Two weeks before he died, he invited me and we were talking. And you learn a lot that the world in which we are, whatever you want to do, focus on it. Gani has a big stature now. Did he have first class? He had a Third class. There’s something called passion, right. It’s a chance to make a choice. And face better consequences.
With this level of wide range experience you should write books?
Books? I don’t have books. I don’t have any books. Prophet Mohammed (holy prophet of Islam SAW), did not write books. The book is supposed to instruct, inform, rather than prove. But the life of the next person should also do that. Why do people talk about Mahatma Gandhi? Gandhi didn’t have a book or even a dress; he was some Indian from somewhere. We have Mother Theresa, who was somewhere in Eastern Europe, and decided one day, right now there’s somebody in Uganda, son of a very wealthy person, enjoying himself around, had a crash. He was in a coma for three weeks. He came out of the coma and said, ah, what’s this love? Sold everything he had. Put his hand on some map of Africa, wherever he touched, he said, I’m going to go there. So he went to Uganda. Got a village, and he’s doing good there. Anybody who does good will see good. What we’re saying now in our own superficial words, if you now put some weight into the words. Because as we are here now, who knows what’s going to happen in the next five minutes? Anybody who knows, let me know. Two people can have the same illness. They’re taking the same medicines, and the result is different. One will die, the other will die. That’s why I said every young man must be well educated, must have good character, must have a spiritual depth, must have a sense of service to the community. If you have those four, in fact, you’ll be so occupied, you don’t even have time to worry about it. There’s so much to worry about in this country. But if you do good, somewhere between your shoes, goodness will come to you. It’s so easy. I can talk to you about that for a long time. Forget about bishops telling you they’re looking at your pockets. They want to buy the next jet and they’ll justify it. No. But let them be. What matters in the long run is you. Because you came here alone, even if you are twins, you still have to go through the uterine alone. The mother will always follow you. When it is time to get you off, it is you that death will say, look, it is time. It’s like saying, pens up. You can say, God, I have not finished answering this question. It’s time. Whoever you are, end of state, tail of state. And you are gone. Whoever you are. They can give you seven days’ money, but you are gone. Also, always have hope. Because you know that divine mercy shines on some people in the morning. They will go to primary school, secondary school, and lead everybody. They go to sports. They will lead in the relay race. They are not all over Nigeria in the morning. Some people get a smile in the afternoon. And they become the MDs, the best bank in the world, all these kinds of things. Others have it in the evening. So don’t worry about it. Those who have it before you, that’s why some people now will say, I joined the police at the same time as this man. I beat him in the secondary school in Agenebode. Now he’s IG. And I’m still a Deputy Commissioner of Police? No. The thing is shining’ it’s a divine touch light. It is the finger of God. If God says this man is going to be in London tomorrow, he will be there. Something will happen. The same thing with you. If God says you will be like KFC, you will be. All these examples of management will always come. People write books and so on in management, and they quote so many of these things. How to make more friends, how to do this. Even those books that are successful, they are successful because of that force that you don’t know. Why will Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, be as popular as it is, why did it not get the Nobel Laureate. That’s where, everywhere you are, and you must have an attitude of gratitude. At the end of the day, nothing else matters. All these things will go away. What remains is mind over matter. Make up your mind.
