Obafemi Anibaba:At 80, I Feel Good, Praying for Grace to Keep My Faith Till My Sojourn on Earth Ends

At 80, his mind is as sharp as ever, with a sense of humour. He’s always up for a good laugh and lively debate. With a lifetime of experiences under his belt, he’s a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. He’s always eager to share from his fountain of wisdom and insights, and his stories are both entertaining and enlightening. Dr. Obafemi Anibaba, a former two-time Minister of Works and Communications under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, speaks with Adedayo Adejobi about his life experiences, the loss of his wife and best friend and his faith journey. Anibaba feels there is more to his life than struggling with the absence of his beloved wife. Excerpts:

What were your influences growing up and what values and principles have shaped you?

I have very fond memories of my early years living in Idumagbo, Lagos Island; one of the best communities you could grow up in. Living in close proximity to Isale-Eko,  a high squalid neighbourhood close to the coastal lines of Lagos and notorious for its crime rate, it was a blessing to have very disciplined parents.

My mum was a disciplinarian and invested her time instilling discipline in her six children – two girls and four boys. Unlike my dad who pampered and barely disciplined us, our mum was a major influence in my life and ensured we performed well in our academics. I was very brilliant yet playful in primary school. I loved football so much and even though my mum punished me for playing without her consent, it never discouraged my love for playing the game. We looked forward to going to Church on Sundays with our mum to listen to the word of God. After service, we were required to tell her what we learnt from Sunday school, or else we would be in trouble. She was very intentional about us learning Bible stories, memorising the Psalms and this helped my spiritual growth.

Leaving university what did you decide to do and how do you feel about the choices you’ve made so far?

I owe my career choice, journey and success to the grace of God. Shell was one of the best employers of engineers at the time and I was fortunate to have been sponsored by the company to the University of Ibadan to embark upon a one-year course in Petroleum Technology and Engineering.  Due to my very good results, the University of Lagos reached out and gave two of us scholarships to embark on a postgraduate programme in chemical engineering in the United Kingdom, with the view that we would return to start a department of chemical engineering as pioneer staff. However, upon completion of my program I opted to work with the Lagos State Government instead of pursuing a career in academia due to the gaps I saw in the public sector. Even though this didn’t appear to be an attractive option at the time, I was able to distinguish myself in my role and this earned me multiple promotions in my role in the state government.

What significant changes do you see  growing up then and now?

There appears to have been an erosion of values and support to ensure that young people thrive in society. For example, in my time, there was free university education, with three square meals. On Sundays, we ate a quarter chicken and jollof rice and even had ice cream after lunch. We had tea or coffee with breakfast and all these were free.

Today, students go 0-0-1, 0-1-1 or even 0-0-0. Meaning, students go hungry while trying to get an education and those in public universities are sometimes only able to afford food once or twice a day. In our time, when the police stopped and searched cars and saw we were students or youths, we would be allowed to go. But now, only elders are let go, whilst youths are stopped, searched, and scrutinised. Upon graduation, you had multiple job offers waiting as employers were in search of talents. Immediately after my graduation, I decided to work with Shell BP in the oil and gas industry. The job came with a 3-bedroom flat bungalow, a car and a driver. These days, graduates job hunt for years. With technological advancement came the rise of social media. This has helped to improve the quality of our lives. It has also provided an avenue through which some idle youths have undertaken cyber fraud and other social vices. To that extent, we were privileged to have had a society that supported our growth and development. 

So, at what point did you meet your spouse and how did you meet her?

I met my late wife of inestimable value in 1969. It was my second year at the university and I was at a departmental UAC store on Broad Street in Lagos. She had just finished her A’levels and was doing a vacation job there. Luckily, I also saw my elder sister’s friend at the store, whom I greeted, after which I exchanged pleasantries with my late wife briefly. As it would turn out, she ended up coming to the University of Lagos where I was already, so we started a relationship. We got married in 1974 after five years of courtship. She had an unflinching love for God. Her parents were committed Christians and her faith helped my dedication to Christ.         

How did you feel about raising your children? What was the best and hardest part?

We are blessed to have three obedient, loving, studious, brilliant, level-headed and united children who followed our guidance. We are proud to have brought them up in the way of the lord, and they haven’t departed from it. Out first is a  Chartered Accountant. The second is a Medical Doctor and the third is a Software Engineer, and they are doing brilliantly well and are happily married with loving children. They are united, peaceful and content.

One year after, what do you miss about your late wife?

 I didn’t really lose her. She went to a better place than I am. The last year hasn’t been easy without her, but I’m getting comforted with each passing day.  For young ones with wives, take care of and appreciate your wives.

You were appointed as a  minister of works in 2006, later deployed as minister of communications in 2007. Can you share your experience?

Working in government wasn’t strange to me, because I worked with Lagos State government till 1982, where I left as a deputy chief engineer. If you want to have a balanced training, work in both the private and public sectors. As minister for works, it is a technical and unpopular ministry among the people, because people were of the opinion that you were there to award bogus contracts and not work. When I got there, I changed things. Workers called me radical, but because I am an engineer, they respected me and appreciated my contributions. I succeeded in cutting down on bogus contract costs. I later moved to Communications, which is also a technical ministry, when we were deploying the Global System for Mobile Communications. It was during my tenure as communications minister that the corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) was inaugurated by former President Obasanjo in 2006. In all, it was a good experience working as a minister and I count myself privileged to have contributed to the nation’s infrastructural development.

Any regrets, and lessons learned during your tenure?

I have absolutely no regrets. I did what I considered best and in the interest of the country in those two positions. What I couldn’t defend, I refused. I faced opposition from vested interests but didn’t cave to their antics.

With interests across engineering, manufacturing, importation and real estate, how did you pull it through?

When I left government, I went into business and started a company called Femo Engineering. we are into the construction of buildings and roads. We did a lot of road projects and built federal housing corporations all over, especially in Lagos State. I did the importation of goods until regulation changed in that regard and also made investments in the real estate sector.

What do you owe your success to?

I owe my success to focus, leadership, honesty, integrity, godliness, contentment,, and the fear of God. I don’t keep malice or offense in my heart. If anybody offends you, tell the person. Whether he apologises or not, just move on with your life. Everyday is a gift from God, and don’t allow anybody to spoil your joy. I have also taken a stance to be committed to God.

 What’s your typical day like? 

My day starts when I wake up. I contact my Personal assistant, Tayo, whom I give instructions on workflow for the day. I then sleep again. When I wake up, I do my prayers and read the Bible. Then I come down for breakfast at noon. Because I’m the Regional Chairman/Coordinator of the Elders in Region 20 of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God, if I have a meeting I have to attend. I go briefly and come back.

One form of exercise I must do every day is play table tennis. And it has healed me a great deal. After that, I have dinner at 6 pm and go to bed. I also make sure I drink at least 2 litres of water daily.

What things are most important to you now and why?

To impact my society by helping people in need of support. I have a Non-Governmental Organisation set up for this purpose that is responsible for the empowerment of youths through scholarship programs and empowerment schemes. God’s ministry for me is the help ministry, and that gives me great satisfaction.

So how do you feel about attaining the milestone age of 80?

I feel good. I’m just praying for the grace to continue to keep my faith until the end of my sojourn on earth.

What’s the hardest thing about growing older?

The fact that you are not as agile as you were when you were young. The fact that you have to be careful on the staircase. Growing older conditions you to eat less and healthier—herbs, vegetables, fruits—and drink a lot of water.

You have been a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and partnered with the ministry for over 25 years. How did you join the church, and why are you so committed?

I was in the highest committee in the Anglican Church, until God directed me to move to RCCG in a dream where he showed me Pastor Adeboye and instructed me to support the ministry. Since then I have taken up leadership roles in the church and supported the vision of the General Overseer in the best way I can.  I don’t like to be seen. I love to do my things secretly. My duty is to support his ministry by donating as a partner to the mission and also to pray for him and his family.

When you look back, do you feel fulfilled? 

Yes, I am. I’m the happiest man in the world because I have peace around me, my children, and grandchildren. And there is peace in their homes.

How would you assess the state of the nation? 

Because I travel a lot, I see what is happening in Nigeria. Inflation, currency devaluation, general instability, are not dissimilar to what is happening in other countries in the world. We, no doubt, have our unique challenges in Nigeria, and are all going through stress and difficulties. However, our responsibility is to pray for President Tinubu and all those in authority for wisdom to turn things around and as citizens we must play our role in building this nation.