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44 — VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019
INSECURITY: It's time tomake
our politics part
time – Adebutu
•Explains how he will unite Yoruba monarchs
After being announced as the Odole of Oodua, a special office that works closely
with the Ooni to rally descendants of Oduduwa all over the world, Chief
Kessington Adebutu, a gaming magnate, in an interview with journalists spoke
on variety of issues including his business, family life, and venturing into culture
and politics.
The Odole of Oodua, which was once occupied by late Chief Obafemi Awolowo
and Chief G.O.K Ajayi, is a highly revered chieftaincy title in Yoruba land
pioneered by the great Oranmiyan while he was a Prince of Ife. Oranmiyan
served as a rallying and stabilizing force among the powerful empires within the
expansive Oduduwa territory before becoming the Ooni in Ife.
By Shina Abubakar
On his background and
upbringing
I
was born at Iperu-Remo,
Ikenne Local Government,
Ogun State in 1935. By the grace
of God, I will be 84 years old on
October 16.
I began my primary education
at Wesley School at Iperu in 1942.
In 1948, I came to Lagos to
continue my education at Ijero
Baptist School, Apapa road,
Ebute-Metta. It was there that I
had my primary 5 and 6. I later
attended Baptist Academy in
Lagos for my secondary school
education in 1950. After a while
my parents took me to Remo
Secondary School in Sagamu,
where I finished my secondary
school education in 1955.
Immediately I finished my
secondary school education in
1955, I started working in a
company called Cable and
Wireless at Marina, which was
later known as NITEL.
I was the Secretary of Telephone
for Overseas services. With my
position, I was privileged to meet
great people. Then, if you want to
communicate with people in
other countries you have to do it
through Cable and Wireless.
Then, people that
communicated with other people
in overseas were very influential.
They were majorly white men and
big companies. So, I was
privileged to meet prominent
people.
After a while, I left Cable and
Wireless to work at Clafen
chemical Limited as a salesman.
The company produced Andrews
liver salt, Philips, Milk of
Magnesia, and Cafenol. Because
then, Phensic was the reigning
pain killer when Cafenol was
produced, it was not long that it
became a household name. It was
for that reason I was promoted
from salesman to sales manager
of Lagos and the whole of Midwestern
states.
Later, I left to establish my own
business. I thank God for the
privileged given to me to own my
business right from Face-to-Face
and so on and so forth.
How did you start your pools
business?
When I left my former job, I had
no money to set up my business. I
had not made up my mind to own
one until I read a book. From that
book I learned that any work one
does whether he/she likes it or not,
one will have to leave it one day.
It maybe as a result of old age or
the company will ask one to leave.
The author further explained that
when you establish your own, even
when you are too old and can't be
in charge, the business will still be
in operation with the support of
your children.
Like I said, there was no business
solely owned by individuals then.
I thought of the work that I could
do that would require little or no
cost and it came to my mind to be
a pools agent. And in the 1960s,
all you need as a pool agent was a
table and pen. So, I started as a
pool agent. With my little
education I was taking stock of
my earnings, the amount I made
from winnings I saw it as a
lucrative job. That was what made
me and my friend, late Chief
Solomon Adebayo Ayoku to
establish Face to Face million
dollar pool.
What do you think is
responsible for many companies
going out of business today?
Many business owners today
employ their children, give them
house, car and even place them
on salary. In my case, I didn't do
that. What I did was to call my
children; I told them I have a good
job but please don't come and
work for me, you can partner with
me. My children working with me
were not placed on salary, they all
have their percentage. With the
way they took the job, I was forced
to stay back to allow them control
things. They sometimes would
sleep on the chair in the office. This
happened because they were not
working for me but they are
shareholders. That has been the
secret of the success of my
business.
What is your message to the
youth with the get rich syndrome?
I have on several occasions said
it that the youth of this age are
impatient. I work very hard to get
to where I am today. I traveled the
whole country to site my business
there. Today I had branches in 26
states of the federation. There
were times I was an itinerant. At
one of my travels I could recall
how I lived on water.
There was a day I was at Uromi.
After I was served a meal tears
dropped from my eyes because the
food I was served, I was not used
to it. I thank God for my life
because there were some who
were more hardworking than me
but were not as blessed as I am.
But sincerely speaking I worked
very hard. Youths of nowadays are
lazy. I have had cause to close
some of my branches because
some youths I employed siphoned
my money. It was one of the major
reasons I asked my children to
partner with me and we were able
to operate in the areas we could
manage. Thank God today we are
back and we have our branches
running effectively; thanks to
technology. Youths of this day don't
want to crawl before they walk.
We can only appeal to God to help
change them. Just as the elders
have said: To fight poverty, one
must be very hardworking.
In a polygamous home, it is
very difficult to bring the children
together. How were you able to
achieve this to the extent that
they are instrumental to the
growth of your business?
I want to thank God for this, it
hasn't been by my making. The
first thing a man must do in a
polygamous home is to fulfill his
obligations. You also don't place
your wives and children above
another. Though there is nothing
that you do that there won't be
complaints but using myself as an
example, I have a grown-up child
who is over 50 years old and I also
have a child who is six years old.
If I give the older one one naira, I
will also give the same amount to
the latter. Though they have
severally complained about this
but I usually hold meetings with
them where I make them to
understand my reasons. If you do
that and you do not hold meetings
with them their would be envy
among them. The most important
thing is to perform your duties as
a polygamist to your wives and
children and put them in their
deserved place then you won't
have problem. It is not that I have
a 100 percent perfect home but
thanks to God I have a happy
family.
You also manage well with
friends
It is not that easy. There is
always sacrifice when running a
business with friends, there will be
interference but you must be wise.
Even before I
was given a
chieftaincy title, I
have been taking
steps in my
capacity to see that
there is unity
among Yoruba
Kings
You must ignore many things and
if you don't and act on everything
you hear that friendship will never
last.
As the Odole ile Oodua what
steps will you take to end the rifts
among traditional rulers in
Yoruba land?
I don't want to sound boisterous,
but many of the traditional rulers
in Yoruba land are my friends. If
you observed very well, at every of
my functions many of the
traditional rulers are always in
attendance. Even before I was
given a chieftaincy title, I have
been taking steps in my capacity
to see that there is unity among
Yoruba Kings.
For example, recently, when the
issue relating to our son, Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo
happened, I reached out to his
imperial majesty, the Ooni of Ife,
Alake, Akarigbo and so many
others. And various steps were
taken about the issue.
Also, if you observed, in Lagos, I
am the Asoju Oba of Lagos (King's
representative). I am not an
indigene of Lagos State. If there
wasn't a good rapport between
Oba Akinolu and I, he would not
have chosen me as the Asoju Oba
of Lagos.
All these are pointers to the fact
that I have good relationship with
our traditional rulers.
Though you have several titles,
how prepared are you to cope
with the challenges that come
with your new title?
Without mincing words, I know
the worth of this title and for your
information, many kings have the
belief that after my coronation I
may not consider taking other
titles because of how big the Odole
Oodua title is.
What informed your
philanthropic nature?
I was not born with a silver
spoon. It is true I worked but there
were people that did more than
me and do not have my kind of
affluence. As a person, I believe
the only way I can express
gratitude to God for the blessings
He has given me is to help the
downtrodden and yearly I spend
millions on this. I built a
rehabilitation centre at the UCH
because I see that most aged
people are left uncared for. Also
we have built many schools,
hospitals and worship centres. All
is to appreciate God. It is my wish
that I will continue to help the
poor even after I am no more. The
Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu
Foundation (KAAF) will still be
there. Presently, we are building
•Adebutu
an auditorium at the University
College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo
State.
How are easy was it to get to
the peak of your career and
maintain the status?
Becoming successful is not
difficult but sustaining the success
s the most difficult. If you take a
deep look at it you will see that we
have had many successful persons
in the past and today they have
nothing. At age 84, I am still where
I am today because I do everything
in moderation. Some people like
to over do things to the extent that
some over eat and drink to stupor.
These will come back to hurt us.
Many still have negative views
about lottery, pools and the likes,
what is your take on this?
I will continue to say that pool,
cassino, lottery among others is
gaming. This is the stock
exchange of an ordinary man and
many people are benefiting from
it on a daily basis. If it were to be
something negative the
government will not be issuing
license to operators, not to talk of
having a commission for it.
What challenges have sports
betting posed to your lottery
business?
Sports betting and lottery are not
the same at all and it has no effect
on our business. For your
information, we also have sports
betting.
As a god-father to many
politicians across political
divides, what do you think is the
solution to Nigeria's political
under-development?
Until politics is made part-time
business, I don't see how we can
have peace in Nigeria. When I say
part time business, I mean a
situation where politicians will
only be paid on sitting basis in
form of sitting allowance.
When politicians earn just their
sitting allowance there will be no
presence of do-or-die politics in
Nigeria. Presently, politics in
Nigeria is too expensive.
I'm speaking from experience
and what I can see. The best thing
for Nigeria is to adopt part-time
politics and pay politicians
allowance for sitting. With the
present system, the drain on our
purse is too much. I read in the
newspaper that a Governor
sacked 250 advisers. If a governor
had that much, how many
advisers do we have for the whole
country? How can a governor
have 250 advisers? So, you can see
the present system is too
expensive.