The Metropolitan Club on Victoria Island, Lagos can
legitimately claim to be the most exclusive club in Nigeria (and perhaps West
Africa). However, the story does not end there. Thirty years ago (on the 30th
Anniversary of the Club), I was selected to write a brief history of what had
already become a national (possibly international) treasure and institution.
Shortly afterwards, Mr. Joe Brandler invited me to
lunch at his private club in London – “The East India Club” at 16 St James's
Square, London. Consul Brandler (or “Joe” as he preferred to be called) was an
excellent host. The food was excellent; and the superlative champagne plus fine
wine were provided in generous quantities by the ever so attentive uniformed
waiters. Among the other guests were several “Old Coasters” – an appellation
reserved for those Britons who had served in Nigeria while it was a British
colony and stayed after Nigeria gained Independence on 1st October 1960. A
handful were in the civil service but the rest were in banking, insurance,
accountancy, law, shipping, industry and commerce – mostly under the aegis of
the British High Commission and British Council as well as the multinationals
such as the United Africa Company Plc (now known as UAC of Nigeria Plc); Lever
Brothers (now known as Unilever); BEWAC Ltd; Paterson & Zochonis Limited
(now known as PZ Industries Plc); Nigerian Tobacco Company Limited; Nigerian
Breweries Plc; 2 Guinness Nigeria Plc; British Petroleum (BP); Shell Petroleum
, John Holt Plc. etc. Anyway, when we retired to the members’ lounge for cigars
and coffee as well as cognac the discussions became more animated.
The major subject was The Metropolitan Club of which
Joe as well as many of his guests were founding members or very early joiners.
What was most fascinating were the antecedents or more correctly the preamble
to the founding of Metropolitan Club on 13th October 1959 as: “A Club for
gentlemen” Membership would be shared equally between Nigerians and
expatriates. It was quite a revelation to learn that as far back as 1932, the
Lagos Dining Club had been founded with the same ideal, ethos and dynamics in
mind - monthly formal dinner rather than the weekly Tuesday lunch as is the
case with the Metropolitan Club. However, as a kid I was aware that in the
1950s the crème de la crème of Lagos would assemble for lunch daily/weekly at
the residence of Mr. Santos (a Brazilian descendant) at 52 Odunlami Street,
Lagos to savour his legendary culinary skills. At the top of the long dining
table would be seated Sir Adetokunbo Ademola (an old boy of King’s College) and
he would, be flanked by the likes of Dr. Flavius Akerele (an old boy of King’s
College); Mr. V.O. Munis (an old boy of St. Gregory’s College) who lived in
Ikeja (but his law office was just across the road on the corner of Campos
Square and Bamgbose Street); Chief Ebenezer O. Okunowo (businessman); Mr.
Bamidele Oyediran, Principal of Methodist Boys High School (and an old boy of
King’s College); Chief Ernest Ikoli, editor of The Daily Times (and an old boy
of King’s College); Mr. Mobolaji Odunewu 3 (journalist); Prince M.A. Ogun
(businessman); Mr. Oladipo Odunsi (a lawyer); Chief Oladipo Moore, QC (lawyer);
Dr. Ladipo Oluwole, Chief Medical Officer of Lagos (an old boy of King’s
College);etc. My father, Chief J.K. Randle (an old boy of King’s College) was a
staunch member of what was clearly an informal club for men only. However, I
must add that late Dr. Moses Adekoyejo Majekodunmi (an old boy of St. Gregory’s
College) was younger than the others who sat around the table. They all adored
him immensely. He drove a Jaguar car and smoked a very elegantly carved pipe.
He had swagger. According to Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon, the United States based
basketball legend (Star player in “The Dream Team” at the American 1996 Atlanta
Olympic Games) his mother had lost eight pregnancies before coming under the
care of Dr. Majekodunmi at Massey Street Clinic, Lagos. It was the great doctor
who safely delivered Hakeem, the miracle baby on 21 January 1963. That same
baby was 6 feet 6 inches tall when we shared the same hotel (Omni Atlanta
Hotel) in the same complex as the Headquarters of CNN. Sadly, Mr. Santos lost
his house to Dr. Majekodunmi from whom he had borrowed money in a private
transaction and pledged his property as security. It used to be a single
bungalow with a spacious compound. It was demolished and replaced with a block
of high rise apartments. All the main characters departed long ago but the
Santos house is firmly included in the Estate of Chief (Dr.) M.A. Majekodunmi.
The connecting thread between the Lago Dining Club and “Santos Luncheon Club”
was that they shared similar aspirations. Besides, both had common membership
who were the driving force, (Sir Adetokunbo Ademola in particular) in midwifing
the Metropolitan Club. Anyway, back at the East India Club when it was time to
depart (carriages!!), it was Professor Alex Maxwell-Dunt who got a double first
from Cambridge in physics that delivered the following verdict:
“I do not know much about the Metropolitan Club or
Nigeria but going by the principles of quantum physics my summation is that
while the Metropolitan Club has been bristling with massive intellectual
capacity, it is surrounded by idiots – and that is why Nigeria is in big
trouble. Hence, what the Metropolitan Club must do is bring Nigeria up to
speed. The alternative is a short route to the “Black Hole” which my colleague
Professor Stephen Hawking of Trinity College, University of Cambridge has
correctly defined in his book: “A Brief History of Time” Before we went off to
hail taxis to our various destinations it was Colonel Kevin Windham (Baliol
College, Oxford University) who served under Major-General Sir Christopher
Welby-Everard, the last British Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army who
disclosed that before Independence was granted to Nigeria, the British became
somewhat apprehensive that considering the seething ethnic tensions and
simmering rage together with primordial rivalry, a military takeover could not
be ruled out. In order to forestall such a catastrophe, the British offered
Nigeria a Defence Pact in addition to extending the tenure of the British head
of the Nigerian Army.
Nigeria refused both offers. Fortunately, there was an
alternative soft option – The Metropolitan Club where the emerging elite in
Nigeria – both expatriates and indigenes could as 5 gentlemen set the moral
tone for the nation; enthrone transparency; and uphold the tenets of
civilization as gentlemen – no histrionics or division along religious/ethnic
lines. In the event of trouble, these gentlemen would be there to offer advice
and counsel restraint. Thirty years later, while the Metropolitan Club is
celebrating its 60th Anniversary, the challenges are undiminished. Neither is
the mission diluted.
Even if we dispute the suggestion that the club is
surrounded by idiots we cannot fail to recognise that the nation is under
threat from serial political upheavals. Whatever standards prevailed when the
club was founded have been subverted and compromised. Everything around us has
deteriorated. What has set in is PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as we
grapple with decay, decadence and infrastructural collapse – without boundaries.
Is it conceivable that even before the founding fathers exited in glory, the
foundations were already fraying at the edges. From the internet, Google has
availed us of the outcome of case studies, carried out by “The Asian
Aspiration”, of ten countries in East Asia – • China • Indonesia • Japan •
Malaysia • Philippines • Singapore • South Korea • Taiwan • Thailand • Vietnam
There is not much evidence that The Metropolitan Club has directly intervened
in the management of Nigeria’s economic or financial affairs. Hence, if guilt
is 6 to be ascribed to the Club as an institution or the members as
individuals, it can only be by default!!
According to Dr. Kingsley Moghalu, a former Deputy
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (non-member of the club) and a
presidential aspirant at the last elections: “Nigeria is a good example of
development statis and retrogression. The country’s average nominal GDP per
capita between Independence in 1960 and 2018 is U.S. $1736 according to the
International Monetary Fund [IMF]. It is ranked 157 out of 189 countries in the
Human Development Index of 2017.
In 2018, The World Bank ranked Nigeria 152nd out of 157
countries in its Human Capital Index and Nigeria is now ranked the “poverty
capital” of the world by the World Poverty Clock, with 92 million of its 200
million people living in extreme poverty. All of this is largely due to poor
governance and weak, market unfriendly economic policy and business
environment.” The Metropolitan Club is not guilty. No plea bargain!! I have
been advised by my solicitors that since I did not join the Club until 9th May
1983, I cannot be held personally liable for whatever the club did (or failed
to do) between the date (13 October 1959) when it was founded and the date I
was accorded a membership number (R24). Over the last thirty-six years of being
a member of the club and having had the privilege of interviewing and engaging
the founding fathers, I must give them kudos for their foresight. Ab initio,
they appear to have limited their role in the affairs of our nation to being
referees or umpires in the expectation that everyone would play by the rules.
Within the premises of the club they accommodated different points of 7 view
without letting matters deteriorate into a vicious and toxic environment. It is
to their credit that they appreciated that national institutions constitute the
anchor of democracy and good governance. Hence, they must be protected and
nurtured. As the founding President of the Club, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola (a prince
of the realm) wore a second cap - as the Chief Justice of Nigeria. Hence, law
and order were right at the top of the list. It was not by co-incidence or
happenstance that amongst the other founding fathers were Sir Louis Mbafeno
(Supreme Court) and Justice Charles Dadi Onyeama (Supreme Court) both of them
were old boys of King’s College.
The Founding Fathers, without exception were
sufficiently alert to appreciate that Nigeria was in the cusp of history and
that what the British handed over on 1st October 1960 was a fragile nation and
the democracy that came with it was already labelled with “fragility” stamped
all over it together with the health warning: “Fragile. Handle with care.
Breakage is dangerous for the health of the nation.” They also assessed the
other risks accurately – Democracy may fail and the institutions may
malfunction. Conflicts would arise – some would be trivial while others would
be really serious. Rage may insist on hoodwinking and bamboozling outrage. it
may rapidly deteriorate – no longer a case of two kids (or two generals)
quarrelling. It is tempting to believe that democracy is impregnable and
sacrosanct. However, the Greek philosophers Plato, Socrates, Aristotle etc.
were the first to beam their search-light on its frailties and its
vulnerability especially when invaded, captured and assaulted by a demagogue
(or several demagogues operating across vast territories in various
jurisdictions).
Incidentally, long before the upheaval on 15th January
1966 when the first military coup took place, the warning signals were already
flashing. In choosing the first Nigerian to head the Army, Brigadier Babafemi
Ogundipe, the most senior in rank and most “professional” among the contenders
was the preferred choice of the British. The Sarduana of Sokoto, Sir (Alhaji)
Ahmadu Bello, Premier of The North plumped for Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari (a
fellow Northerner) or Brigadier-General Samuel Ademulegun while Rt. Hon. Dr.
Nnamdi Azikiwe, the President of Nigeria chose his kinsman, Major-General
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. Apparently, it was one of the founders of The
Metropolitan Club who broke the deadlock – and Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi
emerged as the winner. That was the outcome of the respective consultations by
the Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa; Sir (Alhaji) Ahmadu Bello and
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe with the one person each of them trusted absolutely. It was
the late Chinua Achebe who has succinctly captured the essence of the Tuesday
Lunch at The Metropolitan Club, even though he was never a member. I have no
recollection of his ever being a guest either.
“A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so
to redeem them from starving. They had food in their own houses. When we gather
together in the moonlight (or broad daylight) village ground, it is not because
of the moon (or the sun). Every man can see it in his own compound. We came
together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. Therefore, let us continue
with the team spirit and enjoy the power of togetherness. Let’s smile not
because we don’t have problems but because we are stronger than the problems.”
However, the challenge is where do we draw the line?
Dr. Kingsley Moghalu has thrown down the gauntlet by
reminding us that: “Asia achieved rapid poverty reduction and transformed
hundreds of millions of lives within a generation. Africa has a population
problem, with 1.3 billion people, projected to double by 2050 and with 70 per
cent of its youth population unemployed. Without real development, the
continent’s youth bulge could explode with extremely negative social and other
consequences.”
- Bashorun J.K. Randle is a former President of the Institute
of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and former Chairman of KPMG Nigeria
and Africa Region. He is currently the Chairman, J.K. Randle Professional
Services. Email: jkrandleintuk@gmail.com
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