How I almost dropped out of school —Falomo

 Chief Michael Olumuyiwa Falomo, the Lefoosan of Ifosan, Ilesa, turns 80 on August 24. His story is a textbook definition of grace. SEGUN KASALI, SYLVESTER OKORUWA and LANRE ADEWOLE spoke with the advertising giant to dig into his polygamous background and how he made it through difficult times.

AT 80, you definitely don’t look it…

Well, I feel fulfilled at 80. I think I have done all I believe I ought to do. It could have been better but we thank God. I did not set too high a standard for myself. For instance, I have never wanted to be a politician much as I was close to politicians and close to politics. I have never been impressed by politics. I would support people but I won’t even wait to get a reward for the support. So, I just wanted to be an ordinary citizen, a fulfilled person, a good family man and just take life very very easy. This I have done for the greater part of my life. It wasn’t very easy starting up life. First of all, I happened to be the only child of my mother. She passed on, when I was about 8 or 9 years. That was not very easy for a young man, particularly in a polygamous family. But it was like I was very lucky. I was my father’s blue-eyed boy. He took good care of me. One thing I noticed was that by the time he was courting my mother, he was nearly sixty. Asking for children at sixty is asking for trouble. By the time I was about going into secondary school, he must have been around seventy or more. He started up life in Lagos. In fact, he was a master tailor in Lagos, before relocating to Ilesa.

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Growing up must be memorable for you…

I would describe myself as being brilliant since my primary school days. So, there was no problem except the time I was to go to secondary school. My father had been robbed twice. So, he went back to Ilesa to trade and he set up very lucrative business. He was doing very well. But the first time the robbers struck, they carted all he had away. I was either not born then, or must have been so small that I wouldn’t know about it. But the second one, I knew because I used to stay with him in the shop. I was very close to him. One morning, we woke up and people rushed to our house to say that robbers had struck at our shop again. They carted everything away. From that time, the old man never recovered. So, by the time I was to go into secondary school, it was difficult. In fact, I was thinking about Government College and the expectation was that I would get a scholarship. And in those days, we used to have district exams organised by the Anglican schools. But then, what I did discover later was that my classmates were older than me. Some of them had in fact, passed out a long time, and were teachers before sitting with us for common entrance. So, naturally, they were the ones who came out more brilliantly. So, I didn’t get the scholarship. At that point my father was not in a position to afford my school fees again. So, I had decided not to go to Government College again though I passed very well. But I had made good friends.  Two of the children of a then Western Region governor, Late Odeleye Fadahunsi, became my friends. We knew ourselves before the interview but we were not close. But, after the interview which we had in Government College, we became very close. So, the three of us were admitted into Government College. But I decided against going because I couldn’t pay the fees and planned to try some other time if I would get a scholarship. Although I was given an admission into another school, but my eyes were on Government College, Ibadan. So, when my friends were ready to go to Government College, I decided to support them, and help them to get ready. I saw helping them to pack their things as the right thing to do and didn’t even see anything wrong in it. As far as I was concerned, that’s how to be a good friend. Your friends are going but you are not going, it doesn’t matter. One day, one of their uncles, Mr Deji Osobu, who was an agricultural engineer, was in the house playing organ. So, when he finished playing the organ, he saw the three of us and asked if I was not taken. I told him I was also admitted but I could not go, because of money, and in those days if you were taken in Government College, you were one of the most brilliant persons in the whole area. And for you now to say that you are not going, he was perplexed. He left us and came back the following day and told me to go and get ready for school. My father didn’t believing when I told him I was going to the school. We started getting ready only to be told that he had got a group called Ijesha Society to at least pay the initial fee and then they could follow up in whatever form and that the most important thing for me was to get into Government College. And I got into Government College. It was okay but it wasn’t easy after that. Paying the fees was not easy. One of the people I used to go to, was Chief D.A.O Oguntoye. After sometime they would raise the money together and I would continue classes. At the same time, things weren’t going rosy for those contributing the money. So, he decided that maybe they should approach Ilesha Local Government. And Ilesha Local Government decided to try it out. So, they paid one or two fees and they stopped.

How much was this fee?

We are talking about 36 pounds per year. It was something very meagre. Even the school fees was heavily subsidised by government and that was why it was a Government College. The government paid virtually for everything.

So, you were being constantly sent out of school?

Of course, they would send one out of school. I would come back in the night, sneak into the hostel and sleep. In the morning again, I would go out to look for people who would pay the fees. It was only the classes that they were very strict about. I was eating and doing fine. My classmates were helping. They won’t say that ‘Olu has not paid his fees, so he shouldn’t eat.’ No no. We had such good rapport. It was more of ‘you couldn’t attend class.’ On one occasion, I strolled and I must say it today, I strolled into the office of T.A. Oni. May his soul rest in perfect peace and I told him my story. After one or two visits, he asked his administrative man to issue me a cheque.

The same famous Chief Theophilus Adediran Oni in Ibadan?

Yes. That is why when I see T.A. Oni’s children, I look at them with some degree of gratitude. They don’t know. I haven’t told this story to anybody. I am telling you now. So, I thank him. But one thing I think that is very bad about me is that after paying that fee, I didn’t go bothering him again. I thought it was a bother because this man had helped. Another person who helped was Dr Anthony Agbaje. In fact, when finally the money accumulated and I was not allowed to take my school certificate examination, Anthony Agbaje paid 15,000 pounds. He issued a cheque to the school and paid. So, that was how I went to Government College and that was how I graduated. And then, there was a talk about those of us, who would stay for HSC, I said no; I have had enough. I am not going to stay for HSC. I would go all out and make my way in life. That was how I started my journey.

You were making money at WNTV. Did your passion for education die?

My passion for education did not die. But in the early days when I first joined the Engineering department of the broadcasting station, it was very good because we worked in a shift system. You did 4 days night, 4 days afternoon, 4 days morning and 4 days off. As you finished morning duty by 4 o’clock. It means you were free for that day and free for the next 4 days. And on the 5th day, one was supposed to resume work at 6 o’clock in the evening. If I am travelling out of town, I spend about 6 days off. So, if  you were going to study, you were going to study for 6 days. By the time I became “OB engineer”, the money was rolling in. This is because every time you travelled outside, the allowances were generous. And not only were the allowances generous, the people you went to visit also extended generous hand to you because it was as if you are doing them a favour. They fill your car with all sort of things. So, you hardly spent your salary.

How did you handle your dream to be a full engineer?

Let me now tell you how I was frustrated. When I left school, I came across a good friend and we became like brothers- Engineer Wole Dare. He went to primary School in Ado-Ekiti. So, we were both planning to go abroad. He left and I was to follow him abroad. But things started to develop in Nigeria. So, after he left, I applied to join television.I was asked to train people to take over from me on the television side, so I could help to develop the radio side.

Any regrets not becoming an engineer?

No. Not at all. Ermm, no regret at all. In fact, the job I picked up thereafter was very exciting and exposed me so much. I didn’t even have time for regret. Although sometimes you say to yourself that if I had continued with my engineering thing, maybe one would have become a Director-General. I made progress at every stage. I had never had time for any regret.

You had a taste of both Lagos and Ibadan social life.

My social life started in Ibadan actually and what dictates one social life is the sort of resources available. At that young age, we were called the moving bank, because we did not have any responsibility. The money was just coming in.

You were clubbing?

Oh! yes. (laughs). We had good time. We were always at Paradise Club. In fact, when I came to Lagos in 1951, I couldn’t spend weekend in Lagos for the early part.

Was Ibadan that bubbly?

Oh! yes. I did not adjust to Lagos life. I was always going to Ibadan. We had a group there. Even on Sunday nights, we used to do till-dawn dance at Paradise Hotel. It would end at midnight. We used to start off our journey to Lagos about 5 o’clock in the morning and still resume in office at the appropriate time. But after some time, we found it very inconvenient, though  life was very safe then.

How did you feel the first time you became a father?

Very excited. The baby at that time was 50 years last month. (laughs). My wife and I lived together for about 25, 26 years. The fear of what another woman may do to me, stopped me from going further. You are not going to have that type of woman again. A woman who will be like your sister, understand you and accommodate you. And because she had said she prayed not to meet a man like me, I also put my best forward in the marriage.

What is that passion that drives you?

You know I have a charitable work. I have been with the Nigerian Society for The Blind since 1987. And then, I have been officer, Chairman of Council and now I am a Trustee of the organisation. Just helping others with whatever I can. Don’t forget that where I wasn’t expecting any help, some people got up and helped. So, I have this passion for helping others. If that is all I can, glory to God. I don’t have much money, but the little I have, I want to share with others. I am still involved with the physically-challenged people. I became a traditional head in Ilesa because of the zeal to help my people.

Is there anything you wished done differently?

No. The Good Lord has always answered my prayers. He has always been on my side, blessed me with a good wife and blessed me with good children. So, what else am I looking for? At this stage, I just relax but I still keep doing one thing or the other. I am always busy.

Is any of your kids close to the achievements you’ve had so far?

(laughs). All I can say is that they are all doing very well and they behave themselves. A friend  of mine phoned me a long time ago to thank me because my daughter working in a bank attended well to him, without both knowing each other. It was another friend that said the Mrs so so, is Chief Olu Falomo’s daughter and he said ‘no wonder.’ That is what makes me happy. It is nice to know that they are well-behaved and I don’t ever give them the impression that they have achieved anything.

You must have had a lot of memorable moments. Which one has stood out over time?

Hmmm. (long pause) You know I had an accident on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. We were in a Jeep. I didn’t know that one of the tyres of the car that I thought was looking good wasn’t really good. So, by the time the tyre went down in Ibadan and we did something to it, but they warned me about it and I said we should change it when we get to lagos. But about 2 km after Ibadan on the road, the tyre burst and the car was tumbling on the road. We landed in the median with the head down. I had had accidents in the past but I was much more younger. I didn’t have a family then. But here is an accident that occured very late in life, but God was merciful and faithful and I thank Him for keeping us. Life has been very smooth. I have not asked too much from life.  Before then, I always had vehicles at my disposal since I started working. I have had another accident after that, but because I have been using salon cars all my life, so if the tyre wasn’t okay, I will know.