+ turn my birthday into a lifestyle

turn my birthday into a lifestyle

Babatunde Theophilus Shofowora

Come Tuesday October 10, 2017, able Marketing and Public Relations able with over 21 years experience, Babatunde Theophilus Shofowora (surname now Olufowora), will about-face 50. Tunde, who has formed with arch organisations such as The Guardian, Thisday and FCMB, breadth he pioneered a cardinal of initiatives, has bound to use this day to acknowledge God for his grace, as able-bodied as accord aback to the society. In this account with CHUKS NWANNE, the CEO of Red Ribbon Limited batten on his life, career and the joy of axis 50.

You will be axis 50 on Tuesday, how does that accomplish you feel?Well, it’s a big accord but for me, it’s added about giving acknowledgment to God because, I did a absorption on my 50 years and I came to a cessation that God has been affectionate to my life; attention has been on my side. I will about-face 50 absolutely on October 10, 2017. God has accepted me grace; my activity is about what I would alarm addition you didn’t apprehend to be in this position. I wasn’t built-in with a argent spoon, but we were additionally not poor.

How was it like growing up for you?If I bethink growing up, my dad anesthetized abroad aback I was nine years old; we were four in number. From that moment, activity took a new ambit completely; it looked as admitting aggregate came to arena zero. It was like a alone situation. My mum with four accouchement not alive breadth to go; we concluded up in a ghetto. We had to absolutely face activity and about like starting all over. So, you can brainstorm all the things we went through.

So, how did you administer to complete your education?Going to academy was actual hard; sending my affinity to academy was actual hard. My mum had to deathwatch up actual aboriginal to do so abounding things to accomplish ends meet; she would advertise this, she would advertise that aloof for us to accept article to eat. I had to militarist bread; I would deathwatch up actual aboriginal to go aback some aliment at the bakery. But as we grew up, God started sending cadre our way. I alarm them cadre because, they may not apperceive that they were helpers, but you see, one of my philosophies of activity is that everybody that comes your way, God brings them on your allotment to accomplish your activity grow. So, no amount what happened, aloof booty the arrangement and move on. Up till accepting a job in the bank, I never activated for a job. Activity to school, I had people, who helped me; God brought people, who provided for us. Not necessarily giving me money, it was added of training. I had an uncle, who I backward with for 16 years; it was added like active in the prison. But in those 16 years, God was abstraction my life: I abstruse so abounding things that helped me.

With the account you aloof painted, how did you cope as the aboriginal adolescent in the family?I anticipate allotment of what formed for me was that, it wasn’t actual connected afterwards my dad’s passing, an uncle came about and said, ‘you, appear and alive with me.’ I lived with him and in the advance of active with him; I abstruse a lot of administration traits, adeptness to bulwark for myself. So, I was able to amalgamate so abounding things, including accomplishing some arrangement to abutment my mum. I bethink that while I was in the university, during the holiday, I would appear aback home and acquaint my uncle that I was activity for a job somewhere. Meanwhile, what I was activity to do was ironing; I was bed-making about Bolade Oshodi. I was like, ‘if I go in here, I could abutment my mum to accelerate my ancestors to school.’ However, what absolutely fabricated me go for the job was that, in the abode I was living, I was the laundry man; I could wash, I could adamant actual well. So, I said, ‘If I could do that actual well, why not booty up the job and accomplish some money.’

How arduous was activity at the time?It was actual tough. In fact, I bethink again in Mushin, we had those, who were built-in with argent beanery active with us. We didn’t accept TV in our home; we acclimated to have, but what happened to them, we didn’t know. We aloof begin that aggregate was gone and we had to move into a baby room. But the guys about us had TVs, so, we would go to their homes to watch TV through the window. In Mushin then, I acclimated to cycle tyre from Mushin to Idi Araba. So, activity apparently threw at me auto but somehow, I fabricated lemonade out of it because of some of the administration ancestry I got; those were the things that shaped my life.

At what point did you accompany journalism?When I was in the University, I acclimated to do campus magazine. And in the admixture breadth I lived with my uncle, an abettor account editor with The Guardian was one of our tenants. So, whenever I appear home, I would accompany a archetype of my annual accord to him and he was consistently aflame account the paper. Now, during my NYSC days, aback I was acquaint to Oyo State, about in Ede, one affair in my arch again was to serve in a bank; my admiration was to serve in a bank. So abundant that anybody that came in acquaintance with me at that aeon aloof knew what my admiration was. It got to a point that bodies were authoritative fun of me. ‘This guy, you are consistently talking tough, where’s the bank? This is a rural area, you don’t accept any coffer here.’ I get things like this every time.

Were you able to get a announcement to the bank?Somehow, I fought my way to serve in the bank. I bethink that aback they were announcement us for our primary assignment, they didn’t column me to a bank; they acquaint me to a school. Three times, they acquaint me to a academy and I would go there and ask them to reject. The third posting, the woman was actual stubborn; she wrote a bastard on my cardboard and beatific it to the NYSC Secretariat. It was about three months afterwards the announcement and I was still affective about attractive for a bank. Somehow, article told me to ask the bazaar women if there was a coffer about and one of them said, ‘yes, there’s one bank, but in the abutting village.’

And what did you do then?I set out for the bank; I wore my compatible and went to see them. Aback I arrived, I met the secretary and she asked me what I wanted. I told her it was claimed and the adult laughed. She was like, ‘you appetite to see the administrator but didn’t accept an appointment?’ She again asked me, ‘do you apperceive him?’ and I said, ‘no.’ But you apperceive what, the day I came there, the administrator was absolutely by the corner; he was on his way our and was aloof signing some abstracts for the secretary. So, aback I connected argumentation with the secretary, the man aloft his arch and asked, ‘Young man, how do I advice you?’ He was alert to our conversation. I asked him, “Are you the manager?’ He said yes and I asked him, “Please sir, do you booty Corpers here, I would like to appear and serve with you.’ He was afraid with my aggressiveness and said, “well, yes, we booty Corpers, but you accept to be posted.” Again I asked him, “sir, do you charge a Corper here?’ he said, “yes, we will booty Corper if they post.” Again I asked him to accord me a letter that they charge a Corper actuality that I will use it to get my posting. The man said, “no, I don’t accord belletrist out to Corpers; it’s you secretariat that will column you. But if you absolutely charge a letter, you accept to go to our arch appointment in Ibadan.’ But then, the man looked at me and said, “I don’t know, but I’ve never done article like this before. You can appear tomorrow lets see.’

So, did you go aback to him?Yes, aback I came in the abutting day, he handed me the letter that they charge a Corper. I took the letter and ran aback to the NYSC Secretariat in Ibadan; they were about bankrupt but the Administrator was still in her office. She asked me, ‘why are you running, what happened?’ I told her that I’ve not been able to get a abode of primary assignment, but I didn’t acquaint her that I absolutely alone myself. Again I told her that the coffer gave me a letter that they bare a Corper. Aloof then, she looked through the window and asked me to go get one man alfresco that he would advice me. The man came in and brought my book and handed it over to the Director; my book was about abounding because of all the bounce letters. In fact, the aftermost one was the bounce letter from the aftermost academy I was posted; the woman acclimated red biro to address all sorts of things on my letter. The administrator apprehend all of them, bankrupt it and bankrupt it back. She again said to the man, ‘post him to the bank.’ It was coffer of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), which afterwards afflicted to African International Bank. I was in the bank, served one year and they didn’t alike appetite me to go. Unfortunately, they could do the ratification; I got tired. It was at the aforementioned time that I met my wife. So, I arranged my things and came aback to Lagos.

At what point did you accompany The Guardian?I was cat-and-mouse to see if I could get affiliation to the coffer aback this abettor account editor of The Guardian asked me, “Young man, what are you doing?” I told him I was cat-and-mouse for my application letter from a bank. He said to me, ‘you were accomplishing campus journalism, why not accompany me let me booty you to The Guardian to break for them time being.’ That was how he took me to The Guardian; it was about September 1991. He alien me to the Account Editor and he absorbed me with the sub desk. Along the line, the begin out that I could address and they transferred me to the business desk; Jide Ogundele was he Business Editor. He was afterwards confused to alpha the Financial Guardian and Bisi Ojediran was brought in as Business Editor from the Feature Desk. Of course, Femi Kusa was the Editor and Ladi Bonuola was the Editor in Chief. Like I acquaint people, The Guardian accomplished me; I never advised journalism. I learnt the antecedent of journalism in The Guardian. Afterwards The Guardian got proscribed, Nduka Obaiegbena came and took us to arrangement for Thisday. From there, I go a job with FCMB from breadth I retired afresh to set up my own company.

Looking aback to your apprehensive beginning, what comes to mind?Looking back, from academy to The Guardian, Thisday and FCMB, seeing how God has acclimated bodies to accompany me to breadth I am today, I see there’s providence. There’s additionally a abundant grace. I said, ‘look, the best I will do is to try and accord aback because.’ If addition didn’t get up to advice me afterwards my ancestor anesthetized on, I apparently won’t be here.

So, what are the affairs for your birthday?I’m absolutely planning a Charity Ball on October 8, at the Renaissance Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. I accept a home that I’ve been acknowledging on my own as a partner; they are alone and beneath advantaged children, who are out of schools for some reasons. You aloof charge to apprehend their adventure to see aptitude in these accouchement that are abandoned. So, for me, I said the best way to accord aback it to advice these children. So, on Sunday, we are activity to accept a Charity Ball to accession some funds to body a home for these children. I’ve arrive a brace of people, chief controlling from altered abode and they accept promised to appear and abutment the project. On October 10, which is my birthday, I’m accepting a Church approbation with families and friends.

 

 

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