MRS. WONUOLA FOLAMI (RETIRED CIVIL SERVANT) I Was a Silver Spoon Kid But Not Spoilt

Interviewed by Funke Olaode

At almost 77 you still look agile, beautiful and fashionable. What is the secret?

The secret is my faith in Almighty God, laughter and the ability to do what I want to when I want to do it. I enjoy the company of loving family and friends. That is what we need basically to succeed in life when people around you make you happy and at the same time loyal. Again, I eat well. I stopped eating meat 25 years ago. I eat shrimps, snails and lots of fruits and vegetables. And being fashionable is part of me. I am not a slave of fashion though. I wear what I am comfortable with, what I am happy with and that gives me a lot of confidence that I am my own person.

How would you describe your growing up in Lagos of old?

I was born at Messy Street Hospital on Lagos Island on December 25, 1938. I was told I got a special present for being born on that special day from the colonial representative at the helms of affairs then. Living in Lagos of old was wonderful. I loved Lagos then because it was clean and it was a communal living where everybody watched over you. And whatever you did wrong you would be punished there and when you came back home another severe punishment awaited you. There was refuse dump put in strategic locations. In Lagos of my time the drainage was clean, we moved around freely without fear of being attacked. Today, Lagos is crowded; it is filthy in some areas and clean in other areas. Growing up I didn’t know there could be a power failure and even if there was going to be a power failure Electricity Company of Nigeria (ECN) as it was then called would serve you notice that there would be a power failure (for the refurbishment of their plant). And it would be brought back in due course. There was water supply and there were public taps for those who didn’t have taps in their homes.

What fond memories of those days do you still remember?

My father Chief Alhaji Sule Oyesola Gbadamosi was in business and politics. He was also an industrialist. He was one of the Nigeria’s early industrialists. My father was from Ikorodu but we were born in Lagos. Lagos was a work place and we used to go Ikorodu and by the early 50s he retired permanently to Ikorodu. He was one of the founding fathers of Action Group and was close to the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. My father was also number four on the list of founders of Lagos Island Club. Chief Awolowo, Chief S. L. Akintola, Chief H.O. Davies, Pa Solanke, Chief Olu Adebanjo, Chief Ganiyu Dawodu used to come to our house in those days for their political meetings. They would send us to bring soft drinks and we would serve them. I remember an incident when my father, Chief Awolowo and others came for a constitutional conference in England when I was a student. I went to their hotel to see my dad. I greeted them warmly and all of a sudden Chief Awolowo and others asked me to walk some distance and come back and I did. And they started laughing. And Chief Akintola said ‘who walks like that?’ And all of them chorused ‘It is S.O.G. of course’. My father would come and regale us with some stories of when they travelled on political meetings and they had to deal with highly-educated personalities and stark illiterates. He would say in politics you have to accommodate all.

How has your privileged beginning helped your journey through life?

I was privileged to be born to who believed in girl-child education. They gave us a home environment that helped most of my siblings to succeed in life. My parents showered on us a lot of support and love growing up. We were given everything that we needed as children as we never lacked anything. We learnt to respect good behaviour because we were privileged early in life to mingle with the elites of the country because my father was in politics. They used to come to our house and we interacted with them and their children. One thing we have to bear in mind is that it is one thing to be privileged, to be given everything with silver spoon but you have to seize the opportunity yourself. You have to build yourself and decide at an early age what you want out of life. This has helped me a lot because I knew very early in life what I wanted to be. I was privileged to go to the best schools in Nigeria: I had my primary education at CMS Girls’ School on Broad Street then. I later went to Queen’s College Lagos and from there I went to Portsmouth in the United Kingdom for my ‘A Levels’ after which I proceeded to the University of London where I studied Law up to Master’s level.

Your parents believed in education. Was there opposition from any quarter?

Not really. My father was a businessman, an industrialist and politician who was well exposed. Nothing could have stopped me. I remember he had businesses in Germany and in the UK and in some of those trips he would always drop by to say hello. The only opposition I had later was from my father. You know after my first degree in law I wanted a second degree but my father didn’t believe in it. I insisted, registered for a master’s degree in law and started funding it. I picked a job in the UK and was going to school. When he realised that I was determined he turned around and supported me.

What influenced your decision to study law, considering the fact that your father was a businessman?

My late uncle Justice Michael Adeyinka Odesanya came back as a qualified lawyer in 1952. I have always been fond of him long before he went to Oxford University to study law. So anything he did was attractive to me. Fortunately, he had his law office right opposite our house in Lagos. When I go there to sweep and clean up the office, I was attracted to the huge law books in his office and right there I made up my mind that I would be a lawyer one day.

When did you kick off your career as a lawyer?

I finished my first degree from University of London in 1963 and came back to Nigeria for the mandatory three months law school. I went back to the UK for my masters. At my masters level I got involved with student and world politics. Having been vocal against apartheid as a student, I decided that I would go and work in Zambia which was just coming out from apartheid. It was a natural place for me to go. I worked in Zambia for two years and came back to Nigeria and joined my uncle’s chamber: Samuel, Chris and Michael Law Chambers, S.L. Samuel Akintola, Pa Chris Ogunbanjo and my uncle, Michael Odesanya. I later joined the Nigerian Institute for Continuing Legal Education funded by the Ford Foundation. The aim was to keep Nigerian lawyers abreast of the law. After it stopped being funded I joined the Federal Ministry of Justice where I had the opportunity to serve in different ministries as legal adviser. From there, I became the first woman to be appointed as Director of Public Prosecution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I was also Director-General of Legal Aid Council after which I became the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State where I retired in 1999.

If you were to turn back the hands of the clock, were there things you would do differently?

I would have loved to complete my doctorate degree which I started and abandoned in the UK. I kept remembering the fact that my father was opposed to my second degree. My second degree was on taxation and I collected some materials with hope to work on taxation of mining companies in Nigeria. But I gave it up. I have no regrets because I reached the top in my career. What is your philosophy of life? Do unto others what you would like them to do unto you. I hate to see anybody in distress; it gives me some feelings. And sometimes when the feeling is abused it can be very daunting. It has not stopped me from doing good to people in my own little way. I love being appreciated as a person. I tend to move away from friends who don’t see anything good in me maybe out of jealous I will keep them at bay. I still have my good and close friends who are my confidants. I am surrounded by a solid family, which showers me with love and affection. What lesson has life taught you? Whatever your goal in life you must be focused. You must have respect for people’s ideas and thoughts. You must be able to love freely and to give without expecting a return; believe that it is Almighty only that can reward and compensate you.