I grew up on the street —Olusanya

Ashipa of Ikorodu land, Hon. Kaoli Olatunji Olusanya, is vice chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State. He shared childhood memories with SUBAIR MOHAMMED.

What was your childhood like?

I grew up in Iga-Idunganran in Lagos Island. I spent all my childhood: my primary and secondary years on the Island. We led a communal lifestyle in Lagos Island of the time. We belong to a community where area brothers, sisters, aunties and uncles will question you for every wrong doing. When you misbehave in the community, you would be punished before you were reported to your biological parents and your parents would consent to it.

There was a community value, a core value of Omoluabi. You don’t misbehave so as not to bring into disrepute, your family name. We socialised among our school mates. We walked to and returned from school in groups.

My primary school was Ahmadiyyah Primary School located in Elegbata. I would trek from Iga-Idunganran to Elegbata. So as a young boy of seven years old in Primary 2, I would trek from Igadunganran to Elegbata. There was no fear of being kidnapped and of any assault.

I was from a very humble family. There was no bicycle or alternative means of transportation. Along the line, there were some milestones where they sell EwaAganyin and bread, at the time, there was a boxer called Shiko under the bridge at Ebute-Ero training. We watched him train and go our ways. All these gave us the image of what Lagos was. It was peaceful. It was, because Lagosians led a community lifestyle. Lagos provided recreation and socialisation beyond your home.

Can you recall any memorable exploits you engaged in as a child?

The adventure was going on the lagoon to swim. Our parents were fearful of the water. They lived near the water but they didn’t want us to go near it. They dreaded seeing us move closer to the lagoon to swim because of possible mishap.

There was no week we didn’t hear that someone had died in the river or a boat had capsized around Isale-Eko. Whenever fishermen came back from their fishing expedition, we moved into the fishing boat to clean it and they would, in return, give us crabs and fish which we would take home to cook and eat.

Sometimes, we took the adventure of going with them to the sea and when they saw that, the report would get to our parents before we got home and we would be seriously dealt with. Each time we went on fishing expedition and our parents got to know, we would be caned and we would miss a meal.

I was a member of a roving chorister group that sang for prominent people around, dishing out melodious tune to wake up Muslims for the early morning meals during Ramadan fast.

And during the Muslim festival, they would give us uniform which we would wear to the annual singing competition held in Onala Square and whoever won would be given a trophy. I could recollect we won a particular edition and we were given a trophy which our lead singer carried on our shoulders and we went round the community dancing and singing. It was an interest time growing up in Lagos Island. Most of what we learnt were from the street in addition to our family core values but everyone needs street wisdom to get through life.

So how much of wisdom were you able to learn on the street?

I grew up on the street. In our house, there was no family lounge and no living room. When you got out of the room where we lived, you would get to the street. Immediately you woke up in the morning, you would not return to the house until late in the night. So we did everything on the street. We ate on the street. We learnt all tricks on the street whose wisdom prepared me with more interaction with the public. I can feel what the people are feeling at whatever level because I have gone through it.

I have gone through bullies. Hefty boys would bully you and I have been all through it without scratch. I have also seen people go through different ways and losing it, because there were people on the street that smoked all kinds of substance. When you are free from home and join boys, they do all kinds of things.

So which of the street habits did you cultivate?

I never engaged in any of them.  It is not because I chose not to but it is by the grace of God and the kind of moral and discipline my parents instilled in me. When I saw them doing it, I didn’t run. I would stay with them but I never engaged in it.

Can you compare the street life of your younger years to the street life of this generation?

The contexts are different. In our days, as young as nine year old, I told you I would trek a long distance. There were no harassment and fears of getting lost. There were no fears of accident but today is different. At that time, the population density was low but the community identification was high. The older ones gave parental care and advice to the younger ones. They took you as their child but the situation is different today. Children are owned and are taken care of only by their parents. The next door neighbour cannot chastise their children. The societal values have been put on their head. They are not the same any more. At our time, as an ex-convict, you were like a leper. The person had run foul of the concept of Omoluabi but today ex-convicts are celebrated. There was substance abuse then, but more rampant in this generation, with cultism. There were employment opportunities but today we have large army of unemployed youths. So the high level of little opportunities and employment, coupled with the fact that the concept of Omoluabi and societal values are almost lost, are what differentiate yesteryears and today.

Did you ever envisage going into politics?

I wasn’t clear about politicking but all I know is that I was a community person. Right from when I was a young man, I was a Secretary of Kajola Boys and Girls Club, IsaleEko in Lagos Island. It was a social club. We socialised and developed ourselves. Our club was recognised and accepted by our parents. It was common among young boys and girls to belong to one club or the other.The activity was mainly during festive periods. There were no demarcations between Muslims and Christians. We interacted and celebrated together. We are one and the same. We celebrated Muslim, Christian and the traditional Eyo festival together. We didn’t discriminate.

Although I never robed in any Eyo festival, I was a part of them. We were allowed to watch Egungun and Eyo festivals. It was a lovely sight to behold. Having cut my teeth on the street, I learnt how to navigate myself. All these led me into embracing people and getting involved with people at higher levels until I was led into politics.

Could you recall your first shot at politics?

My first shot at politics was after my graduation when I moved to Ikorodu. I was a lecturer at LASPOTECH. I started in 1986 when the military Head of State at the time, General Ibrahim Babangida inaugurated Community Development Associations. I got involved by mobilising the people to key into government policies. I was the pioneer CDA secretary in my ward in Ikorodu. Then I was a lecturer at LASPOTECH. From there I joined the Rotary Club. At the Rotary, I met with people of high status within the town. The monarch of Ikorodu, Oba Oyefusi was a member, Chief Benson, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria was a member. I, as a young man, was a member of the club too. Being there, gave me the opportunity to learn values from them. Their status too also had a great impact on me.

The Four-way test of the Rotary Club also impacted me. The things you say or do, is it the truth? Is it fair to all concern? Will it bring goodwill and greater friendship? Will it be beneficial to all concern? By the time you recite it every day, you will comport yourself anywhere you find yourself. This refined my thinking, comportment and relationship with my community. It was the beginning of my getting involved in politics because it was from there, after Babangida’s zero party policy, that I contested for councillorship position, though I had my Master’s degree.

I had my job unlike today; most of those that contest for elective positions don’t have a job that is why they are desperate. I wasn’t desperate because I had a job. I contested as a councillor and I lost. I contested six times and in those attempts, it was either I lost or I was persuaded to step down and that did not make me to leave or undermine my party. I still worked for the success of my party.

What was your motivation?

I was motivated by the people ahead of me and I asked myself, is that the peak I can ever get to? In the next ten to twenty years, where do I want to see myself? I was a restless young man. I moved from one place to another. My vision as an undergraduate at the University of Ife was to be a university lecturer in a serene and calm environment engaging in research works. But when I came into the society and I saw the energy and the need of the downtrodden, I said to myself I can fit into it, to make a difference.So what motivated me to resign my job and be on my own is that I could do better working for myself than being in government service. I could create better opportunities for myself and people around and create values. I can add more to humanity than being a lecturer. When I resigned, I started a poultry farm in Ibeshe, Ikorodu, Lagos. I gathered people in a cluster to give agricultural education. I did that for a long time then the zero-party policy of Babangida came in 1989 and since then I have been in politics till date.

How did you meet your wife?

I must confess my wife is the third woman in my life. I married the first wife as a young man, maybe it was my fault or I share in the fault, we divorced. As a young man I was restless and I got involved with the second wife and at the end of the day, I lost the two of them.

After losing the two of them, I was more mature and getting into positions. I sat down to reflect and said to myself, ‘I cannot continue like this’. This time I was a commissioner in the Lagos State Civil Service Commission under Sir Michael Otedola. I met my wife at the Commission. She was a job seeker. She wanted to be a teacher in Lagos state and I gave her the job.

What was the attraction?

My initial mission was to be a teacher because I see teaching as a calling and a noble profession which is not for just anybody. Teachers love raising children. They are loyal. They are homely and homemakers. They teach and evaluate the child. She had been teaching in a private school before seeking to join the state service. I looked at her with my spiritual eye and I was convinced she was my wife and by the grace of God we got married.

How did you propose to her?

It was one of our meetings. I told her my stories that I had two wives and both had left out of my rascality. We were not patient enough to understand one another and that I had children.

I was living at the government quarters in Ikoyi with my children. I was a teacher. I had blackboard at home with which I teach my children. What attracted her was the day she came to my house and met me teaching my children. She confessed that to me later. She was wowed that if she could have her children for me, that was how I would be teaching them too. That was the attraction.

Do you have any weakness?

Answer: No man is perfect. I am a traditionalist. A traditionalist in the sense that what I tell you I would do, I do. I keep to time and I don’t like anything to disturb my conscience. I don’t like to get myself into anything that is against the law or against the concept of Omoluabi. I don’t want to see a policeman and run. I do what I have to do.In terms of vices, when I was young,  I smoked cigarette but I stopped smoking a long time. I drank a lot of beer and I could go from night to night because there was load of energy. But when the time came, I had to quit. I concentrate more on religion. As I grow older, I am closer to my God.

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