Alhaji
Muibi is a man of many parts. He is a man who, in his younger days, was
immensely gifted with the ability to do whatever business venture captured his
fancy. As a young man, he was very determined and focused. He was not the type
of man that waited for people to feed him crumbs falling from their table. He
wanted to be his own man and make his own money. He started off as a typist,
then, he went into pools betting business. At some point he worked as a pools
agent and also produced publications on pools betting and sports. One of his
publications called Pools World, was hugely popular back in the day. People
wondered who the publisher was, only a few knew he was the one and he liked it
that way. He enjoyed his time in the pools business before subsequently
plunging into films and Arts promotion, a venture which brought him to
interface with film legends such as late Hubert Ogunde and Ade Love. He was
particularly loved by Hubert Ogunde with whom he enjoyed a flourish in his film
promotions business. Alhaji Muibi spoke woke with Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL
(08037209290) and revealed his humble beginnings and the many ventures he had
to do to survive. But most importantly, he shared with us the pains and the
joys of old age. Enjoy it.
I am highly honoured to be speaking
with you, sir. You are somebody I hold in very high esteem, somebody I consider
to be a father, we want to share from your wealth of experience and learn a lot
from you. So, perhaps you can begin by telling us how you started life from the
very scratch and grew to become the man that you are today.
Okay,
let me try and start from the beginning. I was born and named Mohammodu Muibi
or Moibi, because Ijebu people don’t call the name Muibi, they call it Moibi
and I am from Ijebu-ode. I was born in 1934. My naming ceremony came with some
controversies because my father was one of those early adherents of Ahmadiyah
Jamat. And we believe that the naming ceremony is on the 7th day
and not the 8th day. So, the Alfa that conducted my naming
ceremony was arrested by the Police for trying to erode the doctrines of the
Ahmadiya. But he was able to explain himself using some Quran chapters and
Hadith to back his action. So, as I grew up, my senior brother, he’s now late, began
to take responsibility for my well being. But I gave him a lot of hassles. He
educated himself. Whenever he went to villages around to conduct his business,
I would insist on following him and then, mid-way, into the journey, I would be
feeling dizzy and he would have to carry me on his back and carry his load on
his head. And we were doing that every week. I think he simply got fed up with
the stress I was giving me and decided to come and dump me in Lagos. This was
in 1943, he said he was going to Badagry, then it was known as Agbadarigi and I
said I would go with him. When we got to Lagos, he dumped me at number 27,
Olusi, Lagos where we had some distant family members. I am talking about the
Diyas who are from Odogbolu. So, that was how I started a new life in Lagos.
I
had difficulties getting into a school because of my name, but Ladi Lak
Institute, Alagomeji, accepted me. This was in 1944. Around 1948 to 1949, I
decided I was no longer going to school, that I had gotten enough education, so
I went into bakery, not in Lagos, but in Ijebu in a place called Mamu. It’s
like a border town between Ibadan and Ijebu. So, it was while learning bakery
in Mamu that my elder brother came back again to pick me up. People were always
surprised that I regard him as my father even though it’s just eight years that
separates us. He was working with the UAC in Ibadan as a clerk, so he took me
to Ibadan and registered me in Salvation Army School in Ekotedo. It was a
school established by redundant or retired soldiers after the First World War. The
school is still existing, there is one at Onipanu there. So, after a few years,
I did my common entrance and was given admission at Government College, Ibadan.
I had no money to pay for the admission, but some of us who came from Salvation
Army School were fearless. We would go to school and join them in class. After
a while, I left for Jos to join my elder brother who had moved to Jos
then.
While
in Jos, I went to a company that was newly established within the town, it’s
called UTC motors, in Jos. I wrote an application that I wanted to join as an
Apprentice mechanic. The security man did not permit me access into the
premises, he said there was no company. Reluctantly, I walked a few meters away
and saw a building with signpost, Northern Nigerian ministry of lands and
survey. I made my enquiries and thought about how I could fit into the
establishment. Meanwhile, my name, Muhammodu Muibi, I changed it to Muhammadu
Muibi, and it confused the Hausas into thinking I was also a northerner. I also
took off the Olatunji in my name. I asked who was in charge and I was told it
was Mr. John Paul Ward. He was the man in charge and he was actually in acting
capacity for the Surveyor heading the ministry who was on leave at the time.
So, I went to see him, his door was opened when I got there. He took one look
at me and asked me what kind of work I wanted and I told him I could do any
kind of work. He called the chief clerk and asked if there was a vacancy and
the man called Mr. J.O. Bolumole, told him the only vacant job was that of a
typist and that somebody had been interviewed already for the job and had
passed the test and his letter of appointment had been written. So, the man
turned to me and asked, ‘do you know how to type?’ I said, ‘yes. I’m a typer!’
instead of saying I’m a typist. Back then, in Agege, I had learnt a few things
about typing then. The man simply smiled. And I got the job.
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