Oluwadamilola Emmanuel is the General Manager of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA). He shared phases of his life with SEGUN KASALI.
YOUR birth name means God has brought me fortune. Is it correct to say your birth brought wealth to the family?
Wow! This is a very interesting question. Well, I would be wrong to say God has not used that name as well. I believe they received inspiration from God to give me that name and that name truly has been speaking in my life. I have enjoyed the grace and favour of God at every point of my life. Even when much younger, I used to enjoy the favour of God and people.
Can you give testimonies?
Okay. I guess at critical points in my life, I have always met destiny helpers and one of the things I have also said is that I want my life to be destiny helper to people. I don’t just want to be beneficiary of destiny helper. It is just like the difference between you saying God make me a blessing and God bless me. From early days with my parent, we would go to places and someone out of nowhere just come out to say ‘can I support you or pay for this? What is the name of this young boy’. I enjoyed little favours like that. And then, I realised that because I was the last born, I was one of those who were privileged to mix with the older ones and became a wise man. I was also able to establish relationship with my older siblings’ friends. So, they saw that young guy with good interpersonal relation
How brilliant have you been?
(Laughs). What an interesting question! I would tell you a story. I once came third out of 20-something in class and I got home telling my siblings that I knew the problem with the person who came first. My sister was confused, asking how would you know the problem of the person who came first having come third in class (laughs). I was quite brilliant.
Take us through your childhood.
I would never forget going to court with my father, Justice VBA Famakinwa. He was a high court judge. He was a disciplinarian at that. He was revered in the Judiciary. Loved but also feared. I remember that he would take me to court. I would not go to the court with him but stay in his office and later return home with him.
I also remember my mum taking me to Sandgrouse market. She used to take me to the market a lot and I would be in the car waiting for her. I remember she would come with first and second items and I would ask ‘mummy are you done?’ She would say no (laughs).
What did you learn in the process?
Seeing my father being recognized at that level motivated me to do well for myself. My father was big on his name. His name was bigger than any other thing you ever think of. I was also concerned about integrity, thinking what would they say about me as a person. It is very important who you stand for, your character. My dad was a man of good character. I also saw that if you have good character, you would go quite far in life. On the other hand, my mum is the reason why I relate with most people today. She had great interpersonal skill. She was always relating with different caliber of persons. So, I got intentional with relationships as well. I guess what I picked from her was being able to relate people.
So why didn’t you become a lawyer like dad?
As I grew older, I realized maybe it was not for me. Perhaps I had the intention to be but as the years progressed and advanced, the ambition changed. I eventually did English Education at the University of Lagos and proceeded to Master’s at the University of Hull, United Kingdom. My Master’s opened my mind to anything that has to do with strategy and management. But, I have always been a people-oriented person. I want to see their lives improved. That is the more reason I am not too surprised to be in government today.
You sure do have nicknames.
(Laughs). I just had one which was Famaks. It was from my surname Famakinwa. But I changed my surname to Emmanuel.
You must have been extremely social at UNILAG then?
(Laughs). I was very social and built relationships with people from different walks of life. But, I finished with a third class from UNILAG. I needed just 0.2 to get to 2:2 (second class lower). For me, I was broken. I remember one of my mentors telling me not to be discouraged that it would be a springboard for me in life. And today, the rest, as they say, is history.
How did that work out?
A: I worked a bit and traveled to the United Kingdom for my Master’s. When the woman at the university saw my CV, she said you have good work experience. So, she advised they transfer me from Msc to MBA. I was worried about it because I only did English Education but she said you better take it because MBA is bigger than MSc. So, I took it and finished with distinction. So, that was how I moved from third class to MBA distinction.
How did you attempt life thereafter?
I attempted life by trying to start a company. I was looking at impact investing. There was no two-year post-study during our time in the United Kingdom. So I started impact investing, where we take money from private sector and put it into public sector in the areas of education, health, and many others.
Was it in this process you met your wife?
(Laughs). I was actually married initially but lost my wife after six months. But, I have been married ever since then. I met her in church, Guiding Light Assembly.
What was the main attraction?
She was a friend with spirit of excellence. She was very caring especially when you are low she would be there.
Please describe your personality.
I am outgoing, charismatic and friendly.
Is there anything you would have loved to do differently?
Nothing specifically, rather I would have spent more time with my peers even though I learnt a lot from the older ones, perhaps hangout a lot more with my peers at a point in time.
You were appointed by Governor Ambode but Governor Sanwo-Olu retained you. What is your staying power?
It is about adding value and taking care of your staff. What value have we added to waterways? Have there been significant progresses? Yes, they have been. Have you built relationships across board while in government? Yes. Have you built leaders? Yes. I think these things count.
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