YOU are very proud of your Isale-Eko heritage as an Oki.
Let me tell you, my brother. There are so many Fouads on the streets, but just one Fouad Oki. Some people call him FO. Others call him Alade. Some will call him Ologbin. Others will call him Taoshe. Most people call him Omo Adugbo mi. And you know what, that is where I get inspiration. Each time I remember that I am from a royal house. Each time I remember that I am from Eko. Each time I realize that I am also from the Bamgbose Ologbin from Olowogbowo Ofin, I get energized. I am the thirteenth Ologbin in Yorubaland. The Ologbin is the head of the Oje mask, which you all call Egungun. I come from a Lagos where we celebrate age and not achievements because whatever you think you have achieved, there are people before you that have achieved greater things. There is a popular song by Ayinde Barrister that….ilu bi Ilu Eko s’owon…ain’t no place like my Lagos.
Can we look at your growing up?
I grew up in this hood, here in Surulere. Interestingly, I have not slept in Lagos Island for whatever reasons for one night up till now. Not one night.
You were born here in Surulere?
Yes, I was born and bred here in Surulere and I went to St. Paul on Lagos Island.
How was your Surulere of then?
My Surulere was full of green, where everybody knew everybody. Isale Eko has always been home and when people say they are going home for festivity, we also say we are going home. We go to Isale Eko to celebrate. Yes, we go to our village to celebrate and we enjoy ourselves. I love bread. Do you know where I buy my bread? On the Island. Sometimes 11 o’clock at night. Sometimes 1 o’clock in the morning.
What is special about that bread?
That is my bread na. What are you saying. At the back of City Hall and around that hood.
You did not grow up there. How did you get connected so much?
It is because since childhood, we were exposed to knowing where we come from. Like every year, my father’s maternal side usually does odun egun, and I am from the Bamgbose Ologbin’s family. If you understand Lagos, you will know what I am saying.
Were you into flogging competition?
Yes, I did it very well. I enjoyed myself with it. And you know what, people would look at me and say this one is butter not paki, so when you are whipping him, just don’t do it too much. So when they tried to get easy with me, I enjoyed myself and gave it to them real good. And you know what I enjoyed most; I grew up in a Lagos where social values were very high. I grew up in a Lagos where you don’t have cousins. It is either he’s your brother or she’s your sister.
You graduated from flogging competition to spiritual headship?
Yes, spiritual in a sense. Like all facets of life even in religion where you have church goers, you have the priest, and in Catholics, you have the bishop, archbishop and the pope. Now, you have the masks which is what you are referring to, but they must also be properly-managed and administered. So, you have the administrative arm in terms of being the spiritual head. This is because sometimes there are some cultural things for which they must get your approval. From my family side, it is only that family that can be the Ologbin. So I am inheriting a family title. When there was vacancy, the family met and looked at their children and chose me. On my Isale Eko side, I am also the Taoshe of Lagos, which is the customary side of the Lagos royal system. And the title Taoshe is from the Shookun royal house of Lagos. I hope you feel me now.Again, it was the family who came together to say you will be the next Taoshe of Lagos. Taoshe is like the chief counselor in matter of customs.
Who are the people you grew up with here?
Akeem Olajuwon, Akeem Dickson. I grew up with Babatunde Raji Fashola. I grew up here with Donald Duke. Donald Duke is a Surulere boy, who we called omo baba customs (the son of the Custom officer).
Is it the same Oki, the tough politician, at home?
I don’t take my politics home. Before I drive into my house, I drop my political toughness. My children, call me FO or Mcclington and you will be surprised if you see me with my children especially the last one that has grown so tall, argue. He always wants to drive the porchest cars in the house. I am also an Abigirls; I have four girls and two boys.
What does your wife call you?
It is either F.O. or Mcclington. Mcclington is the name of my consulting firm. And you know one thing, they all have pet names – Iya Fouad, iya baba e, iya elefo. This is because every one of my children has some DNA of some of those that have gone beyond. So they have some stories to their births.
Is your wife not worried about you?
Worried? I think the stage or the era of getting worried is long gone. You know when you know somebody for what he sticks to, when you understand somebody that he can be cheated as an individual and he will look for a reason to justify the action of the person cheating him. But you can’t cheat others where I am, because it will become our battle. So she has come to understand that about me. Like they say to me, you know the people you are up against and just be careful. My position always is that having been through a number of attempts on my life and God Almighty has always been my shield, I care less and you should not bother. She is used to it and even my children are used to it.
So how long have you been married?
I have been married for 27 years.
Any area she’s been trying to get you to up your game?
I was trained in the United States and when it comes to pampering, when it comes to appreciating your wife and your family, I think I am a master. You know why, my family comes first and not in terms of my nuclear family alone. In my house, I have over 22 children. So some people who do not know will even say, oh, he’s promiscuous, he has so many children. The reason is that most of my nieces and nephews will tell their parents that they are coming to my house and they won’t go back. I leave in an Agbo ile (a mini community).
And you pay their fees?
To God be the glory. Do you know how many children I have in schools? Do you know how many children I have out there, whose parents have sown their political livelihood and aspirations to my apron strings? When we were much younger, my mother had a thing I still talk about. If she slaughtered a fowl, she would call her neighbors. If she slaughtered a ram, she would close the street. If she slaughtered a cow, the whole community would know. She was always like the child of the underprivileged, must not go to bed hungry.
Who did you take after?
I think it’s my …wait a minute. My dad was a no-nonsense man and a stickler. In the 50s in Lagos, real indigenes especially those with solid pedigrees were not in AG (Action Group). They were in NCNC and others. And my father was the only one on our street who was not an AG man and they knew him for it. But he didn’t take his politics to his street. He was his brothers’ keeper. My mother was very tough too.
Combined?
Yes. But I actually grew up with my grandmother who spoke so eloquent and flawless Queen’s English but unknown to me that she could not write her name (laughs). I did not know that till I got back from the United States.
How did she come about that?
She was into commerce and exposure was on her side. She could speak about six languages. They call her Iya Onitsha or Mama Saro. She was into grocery and travelled far and wide. I later got to know the other side of my mother which was Sierra Leone.
Your mum is from Sierra Leone?
Yes. My Mother is from Olowogbowo. The Olowogbowo people are trained returnees from Freetown in Sierra Leone in Freetown. Those who traced their home back when slaves were returned after slave trade abolition. She is Mrs Cole. And my grandmother would speak flawless English, but asked me to follow her to bank elerin (First bank). I was about 11 years and saw it a privilege helping her to fill teller, not knowing that with her grammar, that she couldn’t use the bottom of bottle, to write the “O” in her omolabake name (laughter).
Do you spare the rod at home?
Me? Although there was an instance. Yes, my big boy. You know he started seeing himself as big boy and I think we were dragging some issues. You also have to be careful with the children we trained outside of our shores. He started telling me big big oyinbo (big grammar) and wasn’t ready to listen. My children can read and write in Yoruba because even when I visit them, I speak Yoruba with them. And this young man was speaking all sorts of oyinbo and I was like keep quiet and he told me, ‘no you cannot tell me to keep quiet.’ Ah! (laughs). And we started fighting. Thereafter, we started crying. (laughs). When I began crying, he started crying too and we started begging each other.
Are you that emotional?
I am very emotional. That is the side of me a lot of people don’t know.
I was going to ask…
I cry a lot. Even while watching television, there are some scenes I cannot watch because I get moved emotionally and you will see me shedding tears.
There must be a lot of public misconception about you?
Unfortunately for them and fortunately for me, I am just human.
Tell us one thing that the public doesn’t really know about you?
Let me say this. Four years ago, when the home boy from here, Hon. Kabiru Lawal, was asked to step down for another home boy, my kid brother, Desmond Elliot, by our leaders, at a point, I just told him that I had a feeling that they were going to tell Asiwaju to beg him to step down. So the following day, he got a call from Governor Tunde Fashola. Then he went and came back to tell me that Fashola said he would not dictate to him, but since it was Asiwaju, who pleaded with him to step down, he had stepped down. I didn’t like it. So When I got to Acme, I was in the office of the legal adviser and the Assistant legal adviser and some other people when the governor called me, to tell me what really happened. The moment I picked his call, I was very very rude. And he was trying to say Alade listen and I said I would not allow it. So after he disengaged from the phone, I just started crying. I was crying to the extent that everybody in the room was surprised. Months later and in fact, till today, they still taunt me with it, saying “o ti e le (so you are not even strong), we used to think that you are strong. So you can cry, with water running down your cheeks”. I said I was just human. I do that a lot. I am very emotional.
Any compelling indulgence?
Because I was a research student, my life revolves around research and reading. I hardly do socials. So when you see me at parties and I wait for like one hour, it’s a big deal. The last one I attended, I spent about five to six hours and it became an issue. That was when they said indeed they are Abuja boys because the celebrant is Abuja-based and here I was dancing like no man’s business. Later, Wasiu Ayinde was like indeed Jide must be very worthy. And you know Wasiu Ayinde and myself grew up together. Most importantly when I go out, I don’t drink, I don’t eat. I will just sit down, catch my fun, abuse people and expect them to abuse me back. (laughs)
The most challenging moment for you?
The most challenging moment in life was when I lost one of my personal assistants and when this man (pointing to an aide in the room), was riddled with about 30 bullets in December 2006. That was very challenging. And I think it was the defining moment for me to face any political obstacle head on. I was billed to be assassinated. Fortunately, I missed my flight coming from the United Kingdom and the usual routine nightly movement during campaign; touching base of our key supporters and mobilizers was what we were doing when they were attacked at Bariga and I lost my other P.A. It has been very indelible on my mind and most times when I remember it, I… (paused and began crying).
Will you encourage any of your children to be an active politician?
I don’t have such right over them. I allow my family to be themselves. I don’t push them. I leave them. But I can tell you that I have one or two of them. Only yesterday, I was arguing with the eldest and she said very soon she would move from litigation to commercial practice. I was trying to encourage something, she was letting me know clearly that don’t even go there. And they have also seen all these sides to politics that make them ask me questions at times. But again, I think they are looking at it and will decide on their own.
There must be something that gives you joy but not money…
What gives me joy is my ability to touch people’s lives in my little way. I cannot eat alone. I eat in company with so many people. If I have money in my pocket, I must look for people to share it with. I derive happiness from seeing smiles on the faces of people. I enjoy it when my children tell me that Daddy since you are in Lagos, we have an open day and you have to come. I have a particular case and this will interest you. A son to a political associate who became a council chairman and we disagreed because I criticized the conduct of the egbon, is still in my house till today. I was his father throughout school because he was in same school with my kids. I compelled his father to be at his graduation as they still wanted me to be the father on the graduation day. As I speak with you, the boy is working and has not left the house. As a matter of fact, he is now the most senior at home. So he takes decision. That is my joy, when I see them drive my cars and pose (laughs). That is how I get my happiness.
and then