The immediate past president of the Association of Professional Bodies in Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ajanlekoko, shares his experiences with ’NONYE BEN-NWANKWO
How does it feel to be born on Oct.1?
Nigeria should feel privileged to have her independence on Oct. 1 because my own birth preceded the birth of Nigeria by a decade. Anyway, the fact that my birthday coincided with Nigeria’s independence was very instructive. It compelled me to take challenges a lot more seriously than I should have done. It is not by chance that I am linked with the fortune and the future of the country. I have had to be a little more circumspect in taking my assignments and leadership positions very seriously. It has helped to put a burden of responsibility on me to tell people that Nigeria can be a good place. It has sobered me to be more conscious of my actions and attitude. So, many friends don’t eat in their houses on that day. They depend on me to take care of them and if I ask why, they would say they didn’t tell me to be born on a public holiday.
Do you still remember the activities that took place on the 1960 Independence Day?
I was about 10 years-old at the time. I know there was a lot of celebration. The Queen of England had arrived in Nigeria before that day. She was here on that day. I was inside one of the caravans of the Nigeria Breweries and I waved at her. Those of us who were born on that day received special gifts. I was happy that the day was like Christmas Day. People were celebrating and they were happy. I came to realise the importance of my birthday.
You don’t look like somebody who has clocked 60 years.
I owe it to my genes and the grace of God too. My father was 90 years before he died. My mother died at 80. There is longevity in my family. Your body depends on the balance you maintain in life. Don’t do anything to the extreme. Once you know your body, it will speak to you. You must avoid anything that is injurious to your health. I do everything in moderation. I am at peace with myself. I don’t get worried easily. People overburden their bodies. I am contented with who I am. When you are satisfied with what life offers you, you will be okay with life.
Some people retire when they turn 60.
I will never retire. A professional doesn’t retire. Retirement is retrogression. Life is in perpetual motion. You must constantly engage yourself. The word retirement doesn’t exist in my dictionary. As long as you are alive, you must be in motion.
Did the fact that your father worked as a manager with Nigeria Breweries affect your life?
My father was not an alcoholic. For him, drinking was out of social politeness. I took a cue from him. I was always guided. I am a social drinker. I don’t go out to look for alcohol. In fact, his job at the brewery made me drink responsibly.
What motivated you to study quantity surveying?
It was curiosity that drove me to study quantity surveying. I love challenges. It wasn’t popular in Nigeria, unlike the United Kingdom where it originated from. I was a pure science student in school. I studied science subjects in my A-Level in view of my ambition to become a medical doctor. After passing my A Level subjects, I sat down to think about the future. I asked myself if I really wanted to be a medical doctor. That question started agitating my mind. In the process of thinking about it, I felt that I needed an independent profession that would give me the freedom to be what I want to be in life. I was about to make a decision when somebody suggested to me that I should study accountancy. It seemed fascinating to me, but I found out that we had many accountants in the country. It was a popular profession. I wanted something that was unique. In the course of searching, I met an uncle who was a chartered quantity surveyor. His name was Apostle Oduntan. He was a member of my father’s church. He advised me to embrace the course. The title, quantity surveying, sounded very interesting to me. I asked him what quantity surveyors did. He said they were important to the building industry. I felt a compulsion to embrace that course. In life, there are pointers, but you have to be discerning and alert enough to pick them. So, I grabbed it. More than 15 per cent of my classmates opted to study medicine. Others that I met during the period I was studying for my A-Levels chose accountancy. But I wanted something out of the ordinary and that was how I settled for quantity surveying. I think I made the right decision. I have a passion for it. It is like a hobby. I have been able to traverse the whole world through one appointment. I am pleased that I made the decision at the age of 19.
Is it true that you were one of those who built the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort in Cross River State?
I was one of the consultants to Tinapa. I was invited by the former governor, Donald Duke, to be the Nigerian consultant. The other consultants were from South Africa. It was a project that I thought was a masterpiece. We need to create landmarks. I saw it as one of the landmarks that Nigeria could use to market itself. So, when I was given the challenge, I had to embrace it. I had to work with South Africans. We were under a tight schedule because the governor wanted the project to be finished before he left office. He had a clear picture of what he wanted. It was easy working with such a person. His vision was very clear and he had put in a lot of planning prior to that time. So, we were able to see that dream materialise. It is not all the time you get such challenges and sail through. It took a lot of guts and dynamism.
Your father worked in a brewery and eventually became a prophet of one of the biggest churches back then. What do you think may have inspired him to take that decision?
In life, we all come with a baggage. If you are spiritually alert, you will find out that, beyond the physical things we see, life has a purpose. I think he was able to listen to his calling. Coincidentally, it was his calling that gravitated him to meet the founder of the Celestial Church, the late Pa Joseph Oshoffa. They formed a perfect union through what he was able to give to the church. My father just accompanied his barren wife to the church. He was told that Oshoffa had spiritual powers that could make the barren become pregnant. According to the story he told me, when Oshoffa saw him, he told him that he must accompany him on this journey of establishing the church in Nigeria. My father refused. My father told him he was a patron in the Catholic Church. My father said there was no way he would be walking without shoes. My father told him that he had a friend who would be interested in working with him. Oshoffa saw his friend and told him that his friend would not stay. He insisted that the task of piloting the church in Nigeria rested on my father. My father told him he was a socialite and that he drank beer. Anyway, my father eventually joined them. The elite became members of the church because of my father. But he was still working in Nigerian Breweries. But it wasn’t until he retired from Nigerian Breweries that he was able to become a full evangelist with the Celestial Church of Christ. It was a period of growth for the church. The elite were trooping in. The church exploded and became a household name. The three of them who founded the church used to be known as the OBA dynasty – Oshoffa, Bada and Ajanlekoko.
Why didn’t you follow your father’s footsteps?
Everyone has his path in life. You must choose your path just like he chose his own. He moved on from being a Catholic to the CCC. At a certain point in life, you must decide the path you want to take. You alone will be answerable to your creator and not because of a family bond. The journey to paradise doesn’t know wife, husband or children. You will be the person that will make the journey. In the same manner, I found my own path.
How was growing up?
Growing up was good. We were privileged. I will not say that I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. But I would say we had all the necessary things that we needed when we were growing up. I was particularly more privileged than my peers. I had my education via scholarships. I got a scholarship from the Nigerian Breweries to attend St. Finbarr’s College, the Idowu Taylor scholarship to study at the Yaba College of Technology, as well as a Federal Government scholarship to study in the UK for my first degree. My father didn’t have to pay too much money for my education. My mum used to tell me that I was a lucky child. My father had his first two children from a different wife. Then he married my mother who became his legal wife. My mum gave birth to seven of us. I was the first son of my mother, but the third child. I grew up among women. I was always the peace maker among them. You know that women will always fight. It shaped my life in a way.
Was there bickering among the children of the first and the second wives?
I don’t know how my father did it, but he managed it well. We were a monolithic family. My father had up to 20 children. He placed a premium on education. We were all properly educated.
Were you stubborn when you were growing up or was it your father’s religion that made you to be well behaved?
I was a very peaceful child. I have always been very peaceful. My teacher at St. Finbarr’s College used to say I was not a rascal. I grew up as a quiet child. In secondary school, I was relatively very obedient. The only time I was caned was when everybody in my class was caned or punished. Our class was filled with very brilliant students. We had the best result in 1969. There was no reason for me to be punished when I was in secondary school. As a pupil, so much hope was pinned on me. When I left school and later, returned, my teacher couldn’t remember my name. But he remembered the rascally ones. He told me I wasn’t troublesome and that was why my name didn’t ring a bell. After we completed our A-Level course, we were rascally up to a point. We had felt as if we were big boys. We wanted to show off and all that. Apart from that, I have always had to toe a spiritual path in my childhood and that helped to guide my footsteps and my path in life. As the son of a pastor, I wasn’t expected to behave in a certain manner. Then again, I attended a day school. We were controlled. We had a routine. I was a bookworm. I loved to read a lot in those days because St. Finbarr’s College was a competitive school. It was the tradition for everyone to choose a favourite subject, excel in it, and beat everybody else in it.
Did your father ever punish you for any reason?
I grew up as a very calm and peaceful child. I had no worries. I grew up among girls. My elder brothers were already out of the house. I was very close to my dad. When he started to attend Celestial Church, I was the one who had to accompany him. Maybe my spiritual background influenced my behaviour. I attended a Catholic school that had great disciplinarians. I never had altercations with my dad until I was about to leave secondary school. It happened when I had an urge to drive a car. My dad was away on a tour. He didn’t go with his car. In my youthful exuberance, I told my mum that we should go out with the car. My mum asked me if I could drive and I said yes. We took the risk and we went out with the car. I drove. I could drive locally, within the neighborhood but I had never taken the car to a far distance. My father came back and was very furious.
Did you bash the car?
No, I didn’t. But one of my friends drove the car subsequently and the car got bashed. My father was quite upset about it. But my mother reacted as well. My mother asked him why he should be so upset over a car. My mother asked him if the car was more important. My father quietly walked away after my mother said that, but you could still see he was very upset. He kept asking why I should drive the car even when I didn’t have a licence. That was the only time I experienced his ‘wrath.’ Apart from that, we had a very close relationship. We were not well off. My father was just a middle class man. He was a salary earner. He was able to work in a place where his true worth was recognised. Being born to a family is not determined by circumstances. I believe there is a previous life and it is this factor that compels you to incarnate and be born into a particular family.
Did you ever let the knowledge that your father was a co-founder of the Celestial Church of Christ get into your head?
No. In fact, I wasn’t too happy about it. We were going from an elite area to an area that was bumpy and you have to take off your shoes and wear white garments. I didn’t like it but I was compelled to do it. But it helped to shape my future and made me get a clear picture of what I wanted to be and how I was to take religion. It was an experience I had to go through. It taught me to decide how I want to live my own life. The church started becoming richer in the 1970s. There was an explosion and all the top people in Nigeria started attending the church.
Did your father’s name open doors for you?
Yes. The name Ajanlekoko became known all over the world through the Celestial Church of Christ. Before then, it was well known at the Nigerian Breweries. It became a household name during his stint with the church. The name has a way of opening doors. It fetched me a lot of goodwill. When I was climbing the ladder of life, people easily identified with me whenever I mentioned my surname. But then, when I am no longer an active Celestial member, the name can close the door as well.
Did you leave secondary school during the Nigerian Civil War?
Some of the people, who left school for the war, came back to the school. The war ended just before we sat for our school certificate examination. Some of them came back to join us, but they couldn’t cope because they had missed some classes. The Civil War didn’t distort our academic work. We were in Lagos. We weren’t a part of it. But there was an incident that happened that gave us a glimpse of the Civil War. After school, I would go home, eat lunch, and move to the British Council library. The library closed around 7 pm. But that day, we left a little bit earlier than we used to. As we were going, there was a big explosion. You needed to see the bonfire. A lot of people died. That experience jolted me. That was my nearest in experiencing the war. We were just lucky that we left earlier than we would have done. If we had stayed back, we would have been engulfed in the fire.
How was your first visit to England?
I never knew that I was going to study in England. I thought I would end up in a Nigerian university and study medicine. I was still thinking of the next step to follow in life when I won the scholarship to study in the UK. Already, I had a passport, which we used to travel to South Africa and other African countries. I had to travel to the UK within two weeks of getting the scholarship. I was already late. The schools had resumed. I took my passport and went straight to the passport office. I told them there that I wanted to see the chief passport controller. He came and I told him my passport had expired and I needed a new one to enable me go to the UK and start my education. He told me I was a very bold young man. He told me that he would ensure that I got the passport because of my boldness. He said ordinarily, it didn’t work that way. Within three hours, I got my passport and it speeded the processing of my trip. I got into England and the autumn had set in. Daytime was shorter. On arrival, I found out that it was already dark. My sister was already in London and she came to the airport to welcome me. I told her that the plane arrived very late because it was so dark. My sister told me it was 4.30 pm. I was dazed. It was bitingly cold. As part of our course, we had to do land survey. During that cold period, it was terrible; you would wish you were home. It was traumatic. But the place was more disciplined and organised, though Nigeria wasn’t that haphazard at the time. The people were committed and they believed in their government. During my sojourn there, I learnt a bit of patriotism. At a time there was drought in the country and we were told to use less water. The British people complied easily. But I was still taking my bath three times a day. I was in a place where I told the people there that I enjoyed taking my bath when I came back from school. They looked at me and asked me if I didn’t hear we were supposed to use less water. In Nigeria, we break the rules and laws easily.
How did you feel when you became president of APBN?
I felt great. I felt it was a huge responsibility, a position of trust foisted on me by a group of professionals who believed in me. I felt challenged that I must not fail them. I felt grateful that people recognised my ability to lead them. I was a bit apprehensive that I must not fail and be able to accomplish the task of a leader and meet the expectations of the professional body. Today, I look back and say that I have been able to exceed their expectations and I thank God for that.
What legacy do you want to leave for the members of APBN?
I made a valedictory speech recently and I told my colleagues that the time is not far away when professionals and technocrats will take the centre stage of decision making in Nigeria. We must be ready for that. Being ready means we must expand our field of competence; not only to boost our area of specialisation, we must have a broadened education. Education doesn’t stop with your profession. We can go for leadership training. We need to make sure that we have a sufficient plan for our practices. We must establish sustainability. I wish to be remembered as someone who has opened the doors of expanding your professional built beyond your core area of competence. I was able to set up an APBN foundation which will guarantee sustainability of professionalism. It is going to be a non-governmental organisation. The focus will be to help the up-and-coming ones to turn out as professionals. We have a programme that includes a career plan to help the young ones to choose a career path so they can choose the right courses as they are growing up.
At what point did you meet your wife?
I met her in England. I was in my third year in college. I was seeing off my sister who was leaving England and coming back home. She too was seeing off her sister-in-law. We met at the airport. Coincidentally, she and my sister used to do summer jobs at a computer firm in England. She used to be taunted by my sister who was always telling her that she would marry her brother. So, when my sister saw her at the airport, she told her to come and meet her brother. I looked at her, she wasn’t bad and I said hello to her. I asked my sister why she didn’t introduce her to me all that while. Anyway, we exchanged notes and it marked the beginning of our relationship. When two like minds meet, it is easy to kick-start a relationship. We didn’t have to sweat all year long to get to where we wanted to be. Ours was instantaneous. She is amiable and soft-spoken. She is also a great cook. During our years of courtship, I found out that she was great in cooking. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. We got married after two years of courtship.
How long have you been married?
We got married in 1979. So, that should be 33 years now.
How does she cope with your constant travels round the world?
She is understanding and caring, even more than I am. She is domesticated and homely. When we started having children, the children took the centre stage; she directed all her energy to the upbringing of the children. When you can, you must try to compensate for your actions. That way, you will have a very harmonious and successful relationship with your wife.