MEMORIES: Banks ruined me but friends came to my rescue

-Businessman and Top Socialite, Otunba Jide Shonubi

Otunba Jide Shonubi

(We bring back memories with this interview that was conducted in Lagos, some few years back when friends gathered at Waterparks, Toyin street, Ikeja, to honour Late top socialite and businessman, Otunba Feyi Winfunke, who had just passed on then in far away America.)

For decades now, socialite Otunba Jide Shonubi has been a recurrent name in society circles. He was a regular face at popular clubs around Lagos in the days when the late Afrobeat King, Fela Anikulapo Kuti hit the Lagos music scene. "Victor Olaiya's jump" was also at this time, already being looked forward to on particular days of the week at particular spots around Lagos. Juju music had also come up. And had exponents in Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and others, as the growing popularity of the genre, established a formidable social life in the city. Otunba Jide Shonubi knew all the popular musicians of the day. And as God will have it, fortune favoured him, increasing the bond between him and his friends in the entertainment industry.

According to him, his love for the entertainment industry, involved him in the musical growth of many artistes who also sang his praise in some of their songs. In the 90s, Jide Shonubi ran into financial troubled waters, and his fortunes dwindled drastically. He maintained a low profile but bounced back soon after, through
the help of his powerful friends in the corridors of power.

At 73, Otunba Jide Shonubi spoke to Paul Ukpabio about his fame and fortune, how the banks made him broke, how friends rallied around him and how he is presently enjoying a good life as a septuagenarian. Excerpt:

Sir, how do you feel being in your 73rd year of life?

I thank God, it is Him who has kept me all this while.

How has your health been in recent times?

If you can remember, last year all I had to say and think about was that I was going for surgery. I had a knee problem, I was to go to India for the surgery operation but something occurred and I didn't go to India, instead I went to a top hospital here in Lagos for the operation. The operation was conducted by the hospital consultant named Abudu who used to come from London to consult for that hospital. He was the one that came to do the operation.

About that time that I went for the surgery operation, my friend Feyi Winfunke too, went for an operation in America. So I was in hospital when I was told that my friend is dead. You can imagine how I must have felt hearing the news on a hospital bed, as I recuperated from my own just concluded operation.

You seem to have been attached to the late socialite and businessman Feyi Winfunke before and after his death

Yes he was a nice man, very simple by nature. He always respect me because socially we always go out together. I'm a very social person, so we used to go out a lot, Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey follow me along. We had a mutual understanding among ourselves. He was a good friend to me, he stood by me and without him, I wouldn't have known the place that is today called 'Abuja.' He was the one that took me to Abuja.

I used to think of Abuja then as America, a far away place, a place that I could not reach. The place was way beyond my reach. But to God Almighty, Otunba Feyi Winfunke told me that the downfall of a man, is not the end of his life. I took him up on that. Since then again, we have always had a cordial relationship. He encouraged me to look for my friends like Chief Mike Inegbese when I was down.

You were so successful, how come you fell on bad times

It's the banks, Amicable bank, and National bank. So when they became distressed, I was affected. Also, all those shares that I bought and lost out on, affected me. Some of us had kept a whole lot of money in those banks and shares, thinking that towards our end, we can enjoy our money which we have kept there. But the banks fell us down with cracks like rock of gibraltar. (Shakes his head) Hm, North-South bank, National Bank and Amicable bank, even some other banks like that, affected my fortunes then. I was a contractor for these banks, I was supplying them air conditioners, so I had my money there with them. And I had no hint that they were going on liquidation. The distress of these banks came abruptly towards the 90s and after.

Tell us sir, how you bounced back and ruled the social scene again

It was by the grace of God. It is through people who liked me. It is the good that I sowed in other people that helped me. Like I told you about Feyi Winfunke, he took me to Abuja. People had been going to Abuja then when they encountered bad times and still did not hit any fortune there. But Feyi told me to pack my bags and baggages. I have been very close to the family. Even when his first son was having his wedding, I played the role of the father because, he called me and told me to do so, if he happens not to be around. All his family members know me. So at the wedding I had to represent him as the father of the celebrant, as if he was alive and also help to organise and ensure that all is well. That should show you how close we must have been. I have learnt in life that one good turns deserves another, that whatever we do today is for tomorrow not for today because posterity will judge everybody.

It was Winfunke who told me that I should not stay away from my friends. The first time that I left Lagos to Abuja was at the push that I received from my late friend, Otunba Feyi Winfunke. We were all together with some friends when he challenged me by asking why I have not moved to Abuja. But I quickly replied that I do not know anybody there. But he challenged me again that I know people there. And he went ahead and mentioned some notable Nigerians who I knew lived n Abuja. He was the one that gave me that push.

He told me that my friend Alhaji Alao Azeez Arisekola is there that I should go and meet him. He said, how can I have a friend like Arisekola in Abuja and then be suffering in Lagos. He encouraged me. So I landed in Abuja and saw Arisekola. It was as if Arisekola had been waiting for me. God has always been using this man for me. He took me around Abuja, he told me that I have to open a workshop in Abuja so that I can start to make money again. He was anxious that I put back the pieces of my life together again. When I got to Abuja, the first contract I made from that city was N9million.

But I have been back from Abuja since 8 years ago, I have retired. Abuja is a different place now. Things are not as it used to be, and at my age there are things I cannot do again else I may make myself an object of ridicule. Wherever you go to sojourn anywhere in the world, when it is time for you to go back home, if you do not return home, you'll just become a nuisance there. You know we are careful not to damage our name but though it is not so with younger boys of today.

Over the years you have been a regular in social circles, what do you remember of your early life?

Ha, as I remember it, I used to dance a lot. As a matter of fact, my knee problem could also be adduced to my early dance habit, which I used to do a lot then. I grew up in Lagos, I was born here. I grew up at Epetedo. Those days, we used to shuttle clubs, 'the Ambassadors' and a lot of others then. I rocked! I really rocked in my growing up years. And now the knees are now rocking me (laughs). But I thank God that I enjoyed my life. I have always loved Jazz music. Particularly I enjoyed myself but you can not be too cautious or too perfect when you are enjoying yourself.

Do you have regrets?

The only regret I have is that I have not served God enough, the way I would have loved to serve Him. When you are at this my age, there are things that you should not do and can not do again. Somethings which you must have been doing, which you ought to stop by vita of your advancing age. I can only be thankful and prayerful to God, because the end is coming. I have already told God that I don't want Him to keep me when I am in pain. I don't want to suffer old age diseases. People pray to have long life but as far as I am concerned, there are different types of long life.

Would you want to grow old and still be able to move around and enjoy your life, or would you want to be old and can only be spoon fed and carried to the toilet? So there are different types of lifestyle in old age. I told God that by the time you are taking me away, let me be aware of myself. I prayed to God that I should not be that old that I cannot carry my body.

So I thank God for making me be alive even after my knee surgery. A lot of people have gone through that kind of surgery and they did not survive it. I don't want to go through agony as I get older. I don't want a situation where I am so old that I defecate on the bed and the children say, 'ha baba has messed up.'

At your present age, do you still have friends and how do you hangout or enjoy yourself?

I have lost many friends, but I still have some friends, we move around, we go to each other's houses to enjoy ourselves. Then also I attend parties of younger people too. Though when I do so, I take precautionary measures. If I dance for sometime, I sit down. I do not dance for long. I am also always careful of what I take and drink at such parties. I don't consume alcohol, I take water unlike in those days. Now I take softer drinks. But I enjoy music, all kinds of music. Once it is music, I enjoy it. Even the up-coming musicians too are good, I see them as very hard working but unlike their counterparts in London or other developed places, the musicians here, make everything by themselves which shouldn't be so themselves. They are the composers, producers, mixers, distributors, so you can imagine. But it is not so abroad.

If you were to have your way, what would you have liked to change in the music industry

Yes, I will like musicians to play meaningful songs. Music is suppose to create fun not just to create sound but sound with meaningful words. During those days there were good songs about the current happenings in society, marriage, love and so on. For instance Michael Bolton sang in one of his lyrics, 'Babe, you don't know what it's like, to love somebody, love somebody, love somebody…'  Also there is this one, 'Omo pupa o,  omo pupa ni emi nfe, omo pupa o, jowo mo fe ran e o…' And you find out that such music becomes evergreen in people's minds. Sunny Ade for instance is a good composer and so also is Ebenezer Obey. Musicians should pay more attention to the words in their music.

As a socialite, how have you been able to handle the women

I thank God I have a good wife, who loves me very much. I do not over do anything. Women of course can admire a man, but it is the man who should know where he is going and also know his pocket. There is a song which says love cost money. Women are expensive to maintain so when God has given you your own then stay by her. This is because you need to know that if you punish your wife, when you get to old age, she will punish you back. In most cases, 70% of men die before their wives. So she is likely to be the one to take care of you at your old age. So if you had been mean to her, that time she could retaliate. Unfortunately, if your wife dies before you, too bad because, nobody can handle you like your wife. So if you punish her while you were young, too bad because the children will follow her, take her side of the matter, when you are old. And at that point, you are left alone, 'baba pele o.'

Tell us about your fashion sense

I had a fashion sense right from the day I was born. I keep money to buy things. I had always known and loved good materials. Everything is not money, people have always over priced me, but of course that is God, It is only him who keeps somebody going. Once the glory of God shines upon you, people will over-price you. It is you that will know within you that you are nothing but for God.

Now, what else do you ask from God?

I ask God to give me wisdom to serve Him till the end of my life. Give me good health, give me long life not with suffering and sickness, but with money. I tell God that if I am to suffer, then don't let me stay long.