Interview

I still have mark from strokes of cane I received in 1966 —Riky’s Place boss

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2 years ago

Florence Oluremi Ayodele Balogun, politician and businesswoman, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Riky’s Place, Ibadan. She shared the story of her life with TUNDE ADELEKE.

Widowhood, especially in Africa, appears burdensome; can you share some of your experience in this regard?

That, to me, seems to be an unfortunate understatement. When a woman loses her husband in Africa, it is almost as if she has committed a heinous crime, short of being seen as an outcast. So many things change almost immediately, especially when the widow is below 50.

The trouble starts with the family of the deceased, people wanting to take charge of the man’s property, a property likely to have been put together by both husband and wife. Then, your married friends do not really want you near them, so you do not ‘snatch their husbands.’ The widow herself becomes so devastated and confused that she does not know how and where to pick up the pieces of her life.

It is not the best of experiences, but I guess things are changing nowadays because the present-day widows seem to be mourning with sense, depending on the cause of the husbands’ death.

What was your growing up like?

I had a very good experience and a wonderful time growing up. I was born in the vineyard, that is, I had a priest as a father and a school teacher as a mother. My mother was a very strict disciplinarian, who helped a lot in moulding me into the strong woman I am today. Left to my father, I would have been a spoilt brat. Strict and disciplined as he was on the pulpit, he just had a very soft spot for me, perhaps, because they had lost two children before me. But Mama Remi, my mother, no send me o! She handled me with stiff hands. God bless her soul!

I had the opportunity to live in many towns in the old Western Region, especially because my parents were transferred all over the place, which could also be said to be responsible for my acquaintance and interaction with so many people in life.

In those days, children whose parents could not really handle them well were made to come and live in the Man of God’s house for a proper and more disciplined upbringing. In spite of having all these ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ living with us, I, as the firstborn, was still made to do most of the house chores. Each child or person in the house had his or her portion of the chores, but woe betide Remi if anyone left his or her own portion unattended to. I still have a thin mark of the cane I had last in 1966 because I was ‘rude’ to one of those ‘brothers’ staying with us. “He also has his own parents at home, rich or poor. So you do not talk or behave to people anyhow,” Mama Remi would tell you.

How did you start your journey to be educated?

I went to about six primary schools, due to my parents’ nature of job which necessitated transfers from one station to another –from Abeokuta to Ondo, Ekiti to Ibadan and so on.

I started secondary school at the Methodist Girls High School, Ifaki-Ekiti, and had a stint at Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti, for a period of about three months and finally ended up at St. Teresa’s College, Ibadan where I finished my Higher School Certificate.

I proceeded to The Polytechnic, Ibadan where I finished with a Higher National Diploma in 1981. I later had Postgraduate Diploma certificates from the University of Ibadan and Colombia State University.

What does your career history look like?

I have a diversified career history too. My first working experience was as an HSC teacher in 1975 and 1976. I had my National Service at the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State in 1981/82 and thereafter started a full-time job at The Polytechnic, Ibadan from November 1982 till January 1994 after which I started a thriving business enterprise, Riky’s Place, a venture well blessed by God.

How did you find love?

I found love at The Polytechnic, Ibadan in the process of seeking admission. I had tried so hard to enter the university to no avail. I decided to give polytechnic education a go and was always going to sit at the academic affairs office, where, the then Mr Balogun was a Principal Assistant Registrar. My jovial self became everybody’s friend. I was overqualified anyway. So, it was like everyone showed interest in my case, including Oga Balogun, who had started referring to me as ‘my heart’ (Èmí Oga). He was the first one to ‘wash’ (celebrate) my admission for me.

Do you have any experience you regard as unforgettable?

I was filling out my registration form at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ife when one man, who I was later told was the faculty dean, tapped my back and said “young lady, your admission was in error.” The world finished that day!

The other experience was when ‘The Man’ died. That was the day I lost my darling husband. Twenty-four years later, that experience is still fresh.

What pranks did you play as a youth?

I was generally playful and tomboyish. I mimic almost perfectly well. So, I could cover my face, talk and play the role of many people at a time.

What food do you like most?

My favourite food is yam in all its forms, preferably boiled. I can hardly eat two full slices but with a lot of fried eggs. The egg must have some fresh tomatoes, sliced onions and other condiments. The yam may also be eaten with boiled garden eggs, mixed with pepper, dry fish and fried in red palm oil or be made into porridge, mixed with dry fish and other condiments.

Still, the yam can also be pounded into a very smooth thick paste to be eaten with mixed vegetables (efo riro) or okro mixed with assorted meat, snail, dry fish and other ingredients.

Can you tell us your choice of music?

My choice of music is mainly country music, R&B. Then, the old Ebenezer Obey and Sunny Ade collections.

How do you unwind?

When I was younger, I loved attending parties a lot, where I could dance from morning till the next morning. I was a great Palmates Club member, mainly for the dance. Now that age is telling, the tempo has reduced. But I still dance to very nice music in my room and watch a lot of interesting movies.

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