Her aged but dreamy, resolute eyeballs sparkle as she recalls those delightful and dreadful moments that determined her destiny – a life course of ingenuity, serendipity, honesty and perspicacity. A woman of many parts, resolute in thoughts and vigorous in actions, she trod paths most women were unlikely to consider during her generation. Her pedigree stands her in good stead but she has triumphed solely by her own vision and capability. She is a beauty to behold and a brain to listen to; the first female Nigerian to be an executive director in any bank in Nigeria and the first female deputy governor in Nigeria. She is a woman driven by passion as well as excellence and fairness. For Alhaja Aderoju Sinatu Ojikutu, former Lagos State Deputy Governor, who turned 70 on October 23, life seems to have just begun. In this interview with Funke Olaode, Alhaja Ojikutu narrates the episodes of her childhood defiance and repercussions, her triumphs as a truthful and straightforward public official, her marital pains of long wait to have a child and then the loss of her beloved hubby. Ojikutu looks up for a moment and sees a new vista. Find out what it is
Born on Lagos Island…
Iwas born in Massey Children Hospital, Lagos Island, on October 23, 1945. My parents were living at No. 1 Eletu Iwase Street, Lagos Island. I thank God for sparing my life. Turning 70 is like a dream because it is like being talked about somebody else. The lesson I have learnt in my 70 years of existence is patience, the fear of God and perseverance. God has been good to me in my endeavours. I will say I have had more than many and I thank God. I remember growing up; I didn’t have a clear-cut idea of what I was going to be but knew what I didn’t want to be. With modesty, I have always been a brilliant child and everybody knew I was going to become somebody right from school. I loved to read English which was my best subject. Because of being a bookworm, many perceived I would end up as a librarian; I was always in the library reading all Shakespeare’s books that were available. After the higher school certificate (HSC), I worked briefly as a library clerk in Lagos City Council.
I felt working in the library was a restrictive life for somebody who was like a tomboy. I consulted with family and friends who were educated to guide me on career path. Actually, the family wanted me to study law because my late father was a lawyer and I had brothers who were lawyers. I knew by nature it would not be suitable for me because I would not compromise. So I would not get clients. My mother tried to persuade me that my father read law but never practised it based on his principles. But a friend came up with a suggestion that if I wanted a profession that could be applied anywhere, I should study economics. She said with economics I could be in any field. I approached an experienced person who had been in the field for years, he also encouraged me. When it was time for me to apply to the university, I applied for economics in the University of Lagos and was admitted.
My parents would not spare the rod
Mine was a privileged beginning because my parents had enough to take care of us. But they – particularly my mum – didn’t allow this to get into our heads. She would not spare the rod. Her teaching actually shaped my life while growing up because she was a very strict woman. Also, I went to a Catholic school where the Reverend Sisters took special interest in the students and they were good role models. So religion and parental upbringing played a key role in my life.
I once trekked 11 miles to avoid punishment…
I walked to Iyin Ekiti to live with this woman who was married to a prominent man, Chief John Olubobokun. I remember when I was coming from Lagos in a lorry. We passed a night in her place before going to Ado-Ekiti. So I loved the atmosphere and all that. When my base wasn’t too friendly because of her high-handedness with children I decided to run away. I perfected my plan and kept to myself. We had a game after which I stopped by at another relation’s house in Ado-Ekiti, Chief Oye and was playing with the children. I didn’t know that time had gone. I was still in my P.E. uniform. I folded it and kept it in my metal square box and headed for the house. When I was about to pass the street something just told me that this woman (my guardian) would beat hell out of me today for coming home late. I remember that particular day this woman gave me 36 lashes of cane for coming home late from school.
Having realised the punishment that awaited me, my little mind couldn’t bear it. So fear gripped me and I decided to go to Iyin to meet my aunt whom we spent a night with the first day I was brought from Lagos. The sun was still up there so I started trekking towards Iyin which is about 11 miles. As I progressed I was asking people on the way who sympathised with me. Half way through my journey it was nightfall but I kept going because my mind was made up. When I got to lying they had gone to bed. Interestingly, my auntie had gone to Lagos on business trip because she was also into textile trading. The husband asked me what was the problem and I said I didn’t want to live in Ado-Ekiti again. When my auntie in Iyin Ekiti came back two days after and saw me, she went back to Lagos to inform my parents about the latest development. My parents just told her that if it was what I wanted she should respect my wish and keep me. It was a tug of war the day she accompanied me to Ado-Ekiti to tell Mrs. Osanyin that I was no longer staying with her. That was how I ended up in Iyin Ekiti.
Honestly, that rural and communal living actually shaped my life because I had a free hand. The love was there; it was a close-knit family and the people showered me with a lot of love. I learnt so many things about tradition and all that. I remember after me my parents took some of my siblings to the place. They only stayed for two weeks and ran back to Lagos. One said he was looking for a switch to put on the light and couldn’t find it. Another person said he was looking for a tap. I enjoyed putting the local pot on my head; learnt how to balance it on my head and even mastered how to draw water from the well. So, it was an interesting childhood.
I began primary school at age four
I started school before the stipulated age at Ereko Methodist School in Lagos. At that time everyone was going to school and I would be left behind. I would be crying that I wanted to join them. So my parents made a special stool for me and my teacher then, Mrs. Fowode, put my stood beside her table. I was not registered but was going everyday. Eventually, I was registered the following year. I studied Class One and Two and was promoted to Standard One before I was moved to Ekiti. I completed my primary education in Iyin Ekiti, came back to Lagos and went to Our Lady of Apostles, Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, for my secondary education. I went further and enrolled for my advanced level at Ilesha Grammar School. From there, I worked briefly as a library assistant before going to University of Lagos where I studied Economics graduating in 1969/70.
Going into students’ politics…
I was dragged into running for Vice-President of the school’s students’ union government. As a student I wasn’t a great eater and I always had meal vouchers. We had indigent students who couldn’t pay most of the school fees or afford the meal vouchers. I had some of them as friends and I used to assist by giving them my meal vouchers. I didn’t know that my kind gesture was being noticed by some male students. Before our time the school authority used to appoint vice-president female from among the girls. When it was time for campus politics, the ladies protested that they didn’t want any selection that they wanted election the way it was done for the men. My very good friends, Aina Kayode and Toun Fagbayi, were both contesting. For one reason or the other, the students came to me that they didn’t want both of them to run that I should join the race. I said they were my friends but they convinced me that it was politics and whoever the university students wanted that would be chosen. They told me about my responsibility as vice-president and I got interested. I saw it as an opportunity to serve on a larger scale what I was already doing privately. We drew out a campaign chart, manifestoes and were on the campaign train for about three weeks. That was how I was voted in and my votes doubled that of my competitors. That was in 1967 – my first encounter with politics.
Kicking off my career with National Bank
After my graduation from Unilag in 1969/70, I got employment with the defunct National Bank. I was the first female university graduate employed by the National bank on Broad Street, Lagos. I had a wonderful time with the bank working under the tutelage of a wonderful boss, Mr. J.A. Adebayo, a chartered accountant who instilled discipline in me. We were more into research with the bank. And Mr. Adebayo had a unique position as special assistant to the general manager. I only spent three years and left in 1973 to pursue a master’s degree in Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus in New York, United States of America as a part-time student. While there I worked with Action Centre under the New York Department of Human Resources and Administration. It was an interesting life. I went to school during the day and attended my master’s class at night. I finished my studies in one-and-half years and came back to Nigeria. Before I left New York, Central Bank of Nigeria came over to recruit staff. On my return to Nigeria I joined the research department in Central Bank of Nigeria. Right then, I started agitating for women to be employed in other departments other than research. I said I wanted a transfer to Operations. They told me women didn’t work in Operations because if they wanted to redeploy them to that department they refused. The late Mr. Ola Vincent was the Governor of the CBN then. We had a chat and he promised to look into that agitation. He said it wasn’t the CBN tradition. I thank God that after my agitation women were being employed in operations. My agreement was to spend one year in CBN. At the expiration of that one year I left.
Getting into the Lagos public service
After my one year stint with the CBN I was actually looking for something else to do. There was an advertisement in the newspapers looking for somebody to run the Lagos State Transportation Corporation. When I looked at the job description I realised it was something I could do. I applied and against all odds without Godfather or Godmother, I got that offer because of my performance at the job interview. Lagos State Transport Corporation then was a really turbulent place to work. The drivers were something else and they were stealing like rats. For a long time I didn’t have a general manager and I was acting as the GM. I tried to straighten up the place and as a result they downed tools for 21 days. The then Governor Lateef Jakande set up a commission of enquiry and when they found out that I was right, he closed down the place and made them to reapply. Right then I had made up my mind to leave. I voluntarily left and went back to CBN. And the management said they didn’t send me away that they would be glad to have me back.
So I reapplied to join CBN. I discussed with the Chairman of Lagos Transport Corporation, Mr. Soetan, about my next move. This man went behind and told Jakande that I was planning to leave. The following day there was an announcement on the radio that Mr. Governor had appointed me as controller of estate in the Land Use and Allocation Department. The announcement read thus: ‘Mr. Governor has appointed somebody who knows her onions. The Certificate of Occupancy the citizens has been looking for would be things of the past.’ I was in Ibadan when that was going on. And somebody called my uncle. I said I was going back to CBN. My uncle said I shouldn’t turn down the offer that I should take it.
Changing the geography of Lagos…
I took the offer and worked with Chief Fanimokun who was the permanent secretary in that ministry. That was what changed the geography of Lagos because Jakande insisted on us producing more than 1,000 C of O in a month, whereas only 15 or 20 C of O were being produced in a month before. That was how Lagos expanded and Iyana-Ipaja, Agege and all the existing towns now came to being. So Alhaji Jakande is the father of modern Lagos. This great man opened up everywhere by constructing road networks. He gave us a target of amount of money to be made and we were looking for people to buy land. It was a moment of achievement for me and I identified with Alhaji Jakande in Lagos especially in the areas of land and development. We were still basking in that euphoria when the military struck. I still stayed back but realised that my effort was not as appreciated as it was under Jakande. I decided to approach the then Lagos Military Governor Mudashiru that I needed sometime to myself in the family. He graciously agreed and I came out of the system. In those days, after collecting their certificate of occupancy, people usually came back with various gifts which I humbly turned down. I had prepared my CV and would go to my corporate clients that I was looking for a job.
Somehow, the CV got to the presidency; that was during Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. By that time all the boards were dissolved and new ones were constituted. That was how I was invited to the presidency and was appointed an executive director in charge of operations in the Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry in 1985. If you are a straightforward person you are not likely to go far. We got many projects approved which we were able to see the takeoff. In-between, government decided to dissolve the board and used one term that I did not like for us: ‘incompetency and corruption’. I said I wouldn’t be tainted with this brush. I wrote to the Minister of Industry then, Alhaji Yaya, expressing my grievances. I even threatened to take them to court. After writing the letter I travelled out of the country. I was still abroad when my husband called me that the then Permanent Secretary, Chief Adetunji, said I should take it easy that when another board was being constituted I would be considered. When it was constituted I was made a part-time director in the bank. This gave me a room to do my own thing by setting up a consultancy outfit.
Becoming Nigeria’s first female deputy governor
I was still with the bank as a part-time director when the nomination to be the running mate of Chief Michael Otedola, under the National Republican Convention, came up. My nephew-in-law, Dr. Fadipe, was in politics and we were supporting him. I was recommended for hard work and diligence and they wanted a female Muslim. That was how I became the first female elected deputy governor in Nigeria. By the grace of God, I paved the way for others by taking a lot of knocks so that women can be there. I am a silent absorber because I took things that I would normally have absorbed. If I had fought probably they wouldn’t have considered another woman. Whatever that was coming I was very firm but I ignored it because it was a tested ground.
Funsho Williams’ murder scared me out of politics
I have been in politics close to three decades but I have slowed down since Funso Williams was killed. I was clamped in detention for 18 days before I was released. And before Funsho Williams was murdered, the Peoples Democratic Party suspended (me) from the party for telling them the right thing to do. So PDP saw the failure coming long time ago. And that is why those who made up the PDP left and when they were there they were after their (own) interests. I tried to see then President Goodluck Jonathan at a stage that things were not right but (I) was blocked by powers that be. His Chief Security Officer said I must discuss with him first. Right now, I am not active in politics.
My best moment
I have had many best moments. When I got married to my best friend and, when I had my first child. Career wise: when I got my first employment at National Bank and the CBN. I happened to be the first female executive director of any bank in Nigeria. I capped it all by becoming the first deputy female governor in Nigeria. I thank God for helping me to score many firsts.
Low moments in life
My low moments were when we were unceremoniously removed by the 1983 coup when I was working with Jakande. Again, in 1993 as a deputy governor; we had great plans for Lagos that were abruptly terminated. Jakande was the best that has ever happened to Lagos. Family-wise: was when I lost my husband, my best friend, my mentor. We were many things to each other. I am yet to recover seven years after his demise.
Waiting for Nigeria of my dream
Considering my journey through life in the last 70 years, I can’t say all my life aspirations have been fulfilled because I am waiting to see the Nigeria of my dream; to see an average Nigerian being able to see what is right from what is wrong and embrace the right thing. I got the feeling it was going to start happening when Buhari became president. I am still praying that I will not be disappointed. Though I have been a victim of back-biting, envy and jealousy by those who think you are better than them and could not do anything about it. It was something I have lived with over the years and I thank God that I overcame. All in all, I have no regrets about life because God has been good. Thisday
