Iyiola Omisore: I Wanted to be a Catholic Priest   But My Mother Stopped Me

Super Saturday

Senator Iyiola Omisore, former deputy governor of Osun State, is an engineer, businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Nigerian Senate representing Osun East between 2003 and 2009. In this interview with Bayo Adeoye, he talks about his background, bitter-sweet experience in politics and idiosyncrasies, among other issues

•   You Should Develop Your Society, If You‘re in a Position of Power

You bagged a Ph.D in Infrastructure Finance from the International School of Management, Paris, France, could you tell us what really spurred you into that?

As a core professional in engineering, the higher you go, the more you master your skill.  At the Bachelor’s degree level, you are an engineer; at the Master’s level, you specialise; and when you go further, you become an authority in your area of specialisation. It is not like Law or accountancy that you have to be a chartered accountant or a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, at the end of it. Engineering is a day-to-day course. It involves invention; you can’t invent without research and you can’t research without a Ph.D. It makes you more exposed and get professional jobs more than your colleagues. So, the more you study engineering, the better for you.

What sacrifices did you make to bag the Ph.D.?

The Ph.D. class is in two parts: the course work, which comprises the seminar and dissertation. A Ph.D. holder is a body of knowledge. The Ph.D. means doing things that nobody has ever done. It took me about eight years (2006- 2013) to complete it. Luckily, when I left the Senate in 2011, I was already half-way, so I worked two years fully on it. For my course work, I had about 16 courses. It’s so difficult to lie! Getting a Ph.D. is not so easy. I am sure in Nigeria; it is also the same rigorous process. You must account for yourself, you can’t pass by chance. I read three hours a day. For a Ph.D. student, any book is a material that can be useful.

How has your faith as a Catholic impacted your lifestyle?

Catholicism is a very strong creed. There is no way you are raised in a Catholic family that it will not show in you. In those days, some parents would take their children who were stubborn to the Catholic Church in order to change their ways of life. But today, everything has changed. It’s just a normal creed, and that is why you would find Muslims in Catholic schools in those days. They would learn faster because most of the teachers are Reverend Fathers who are not married and the students are their children. They apply their own lifestyles to their students. It gives you some orientation and determination while growing up.

So, did you see yourself becoming a Reverend Father while growing up?

Of course, yes. It was a common thing among young Catholic kids then. I wanted to, but my mother resisted. I lived with Reverend Fathers and was involved in Holy Communion, altar management and so on. I wanted to follow that trend because my role models were the Bishops and Reverend Fathers. I attended a seminary school and a number of Reverend Fathers now were my classmates .It’s like a family thing.

What were the things being an altar boy that changed about you?

As an altar boy, it was very difficult to play pranks. I attended the morning mass with the Reverend Father at 6.00a.m.  Then, I would move from church to school. On Monday, I would attend altar rehearsals; on Tuesday, I would attend choir rehearsal; on Wednesday, I would go for the Bible service… So, there was really no time for other things because I was always pre-occupied with church and school activities.  But trust me, it was very rewarding.

What would you describe as the greatest lesson you learned from that experience?

One of them is hard work.  It taught me that there is no short cut to glory; and I also learned the virtue of dedication and determination.

You are a blue blood; so, what has that status conferred on you?

Being born into a royal family and Catholic religious background balances my mood. Indeed, it has positively changed my temperament and conduct. With the royal background, I try as much as possible to take off pride. Besides, I find a balance to everything. So, the royal background teaches me how to listen more and argue less. Generally, it has helped me learn more.

Looking back now, do you have any regrets going into politics, especially in Nigeria where it is regarded as ‘a dirty game’?

It’s not a mistake; it’s a call to service. When I joined politics, I learnt to come down to everybody’s level. Some say that I am arrogant, but it is abstract. I see politics as a game to assist people. Most politicians are jobless! Check out their backgrounds; they want to retain power by all means because they don’t want to come back and mingle with the masses. Those are the kinds of people who have flooded the Nigerian politics. But for me, whether I am in or out of politics, I am doing my job.

How then do you manage business with politics?

As a businessman and a professional, every business must be handled by different people. I have partners who run the business, while they give me feedback. I am just a principal partner, so the managing partners do the jobs on management and smooth running of the business. Before politics, I was active in my business, but when politics came in, I had to let people handle them for me.

Is it not true that you, like some others, also went into politics to make more money?

It’s not about money. When we started in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), People Progressive Party, PPP, and Alliance for Democracy, AD, we spent less. Later, people brought money into it and it became expensive. When we were in government, our allocation for Osun State was N153million before it was later increased. So, it’s a call to service and not because of money.

It was reported that some of your friends backstabbed you during your trying times. Have you forgiven them?

In life, you have to be philosophical. That is why the Bible comes in; it guides us on the right path in our journeys in life. The heart of human is desperately wicked. I don’t expect anything from anybody; just live your life the way it comes. Who are we not to forgive? Anger must not be in your mind before sun set; so, I have forgiven everybody.

As a respected politician in Nigeria, what new things have you learnt?

Now, I realise that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has merged with the All Progressives Congress, APC. But I never knew it was possible. This is one of the things I never knew was going to happen.

What is your dream for Osun State, as another election approaches?

My dream for Osun State is the one we had in 1990, where poverty will reduce, where infrastructure will be optimal and citizens will enjoy the dividends of democracy.

Are you contesting for the 2018 governorship election in Osun?

Yes, I am, but the election is still far off. So, we are making our plans, in order to make every move become a reality.

Your wife and daughters are all lawyers. Was it planned?

Ordinarily, I would have loved my kids to be in the engineering profession, if I could to force them to be. But my advice to them is that they must be professionals in their fields.

What is the way out of the current leadership tussle in the PDP?

The party is in court at the moment. There are two factions: the Sheriff and Markafi-led factions. But I belong to the Markafi faction. I think the case will end at the Supreme Court, where the final decision will be made on the leadership issue. There is no other solution, unless we go to the Supreme Court for pronouncement.

What is your political ideology?

It is to do better or greater things for the people in the society. You should develop your society, if you are in a position of power. When I was in the Senate, I drove many positive developments to my senatorial district. So, that’s my ideology-doing greater things for the empowerment of the masses. I know what my people in Ife want, so I drive the Federal Government to invest in them.

You come across as a simple and very receptive person, but some say you are arrogant.  So, are you a misunderstood person?

The fact is, when you are far off, you can’t conclude on the personality of the person you are seeing. If you consider the way I grew up; how I was able to build my first house at 22;  and how I have over 30 staff members, including expatriates, working for me, the general perception is that I am going to be proud. Some can’t access or reach me. So, knowing me really will be pretty hard for them. I, therefore, devised a means of reaching out to people. In fact, even among the elite, I face such issues.

What kind of father are you to your children, given that you are into business and politics?

All you need is planning. You can be jobless and not be a good father. You need good time-planning. I am very particular about their welfare and I even put them through in the selection of courses during their university days. I know better than they do in the labour market. My daughter wanted to be an entertainment lawyer, which I know cannot work here in Nigeria; so, I advised her and she took to my advice. In all, I am a loving and caring father to my kids.

Every January 1, you visit hospitals and motherless baby homes to donate different items. What is the motivation behind this?

You must find a way to affect your society, positively. Even as Nigerians and Yoruba, we have a culture of helping one another. In those days, you were your brother’s keeper. People would come to your house, sleep and then go the next day, even when you didn’t know them. We would bring our friends from school to sleep in our house; and we would feed them well. So, I realised that I needed to make people happy. To do that, I must deny myself of some things and humble myself. I have been doing it for 10 years. I spend the first day in January of every year going to motherless baby homes, schools for the blind and hospitals. So, I start the year with a lot of profits because no one does business with God and loses. I sow into people’s lives through charity. I give generously, so I am blessed. I have not regretted it. Besides, I have a number of students under my scholarship scheme as well.

What does style mean to you?

Style is comfort for me. I dictate my fashion; I don’t follow any trend. I have carved a niche for myself, so people follow my trend.

What do you do in your leisure time?

I play lawn tennis and golf too.

You are kind of reserved at social gatherings. Is there any specific reason for this?

It’s my upbringing. I mean that is the way I was brought up. I am now growing old; so, I just maintain my cool nature.

You were close to the late Ooni of Ife.  So, what do you miss about him?

He was a father and a brother to me. He was my cousin. I gained a lot from him, even in the business world.

Could you tell us about your relationship with the current Ooni of Ife?

We have a cordial relationship, and we have met several times. In fact, we even chat on the phone.