Alhaji Muhammadu Muibi is a veteran publisher, a pools agent business man, a film promotions expert and many more. Back in the day, he was the man behind the promotions of many late Hubert Ogunde movies and also late Ade Love's films and many other legendary theater practitioners making waves back then. That was a long time ago. Alhaji is now a nonagenarian, he is 90 years old. He clocked 90 years on the 29th of November, 2024. He has retired from business and is now enjoying his old age. In the second part of this interview with Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290), Alhaji Muibi opens up the on his journey into movie promotions and the pains he feels as he turns 90. Enjoy the concluding part.
Some
of the senior officers did not like the way I was given the job on a platter of
gold. And they were a bit cold to me. They were calling me Muhammadu Muibi,
they even thought I was from Nassarawa. Most of the people were all bearing
Muslim names. Unfortunately for me, by the time I was to resume work on the
first day, I was hit by measles all over my body. So, I was asked to leave and
was given two weeks sick leave by the doctor. So, while at home, I used the
opportunity to look for a place to learn typing twice a week. Nobody asked for
my certificate. I was eventually taken to Records office upon my resumption and
I realized there were no records of my employment there. But I kept quiet. But
in 1957, there was a new policy that only indigenes would be employed at the
ministry. No letter concerning my employment came from Kaduna. But, eventually,
I voluntarily resigned in 1959 when I went for a course at the Federal Nigeria
School of Science and Technology, now Ahmadu Bello University. I went in to do
a diploma course in Public Administration.
By
then, I had become a member of Nigeria Pool Agent Association, in Plateau. So,
I looked at the salary I was earning and looked at the gain I was making within
the week and decided it was better I concentrate fully on the pools business.
And besides, I was also getting a lot of antagonisms from Mr. Boluwole, while
my other Hausa superior officers didn’t trouble me as much. So, I faced my
pools business full time.
When we started the pools business, it was very interesting. There were very few pools outfits at the time. The way we used to operate then is that we would advertise in newspapers such as Daily Times, Lagos Weekend, Sporting Record, etc. Then, we would say that maximum points obtainable was 24. There may not be anybody who would that would get up to 24. Maybe they were only able to get 23 points. It was quite a tough business but we were able to survive for a while. After some time, the business ran into financial crisis, so I reverted to agency operations. I became an agent. We started our pools business in 1960 but the federal government started its own pool outfit in 1961. It was called Naija Pool. Their headquarters was at Ijora crossway. They had three agents. Pools house group, Naija Pools agents Association and B & Y, owned by Lebanese. The likes of Baba Ijebu, Adebutu Kesington’s Face To Face pools business started after we folded up. But we thank God for everything. We are still alive.
So, when I returned to doing agency jobs, I became an agent to local pools companies. Later, I stepped up the business by going into pools publications, and I came up with Sports Man and Pools world. I was the one known as Pools World at that time. A lot of people knew Pools World but they didn’t know I was the one behind it. This was where my passion for journalism started from. I did Sports Man and Sports Kick Off. So, I was doing this business for a long while before I ventured into the film business. When I joined the business, I did so as a promoter, I was into promotions I started by promoting artworks at the national theatre. Immediately after the conclusion of the Festac 1977, from 1978, I started film promotion at the national theatre. And that’s why, till today, if you go to the national theatre and ask who is one of the most recognised film promoters or exhibitors they have had in the past, they will tell you FAPROMS.
It was late Baba Ogunde that helped me coin the name. He said my original name, FABULOUS ARTS PROMOTIONS, was too long. Then, I was the only one behind the many promotions of Baba Ogunde films such as Aiye, Jaiyesimi and others. Till now, I still have that link with the Ogunde family, there is no important event I want to hold that they won’t attend. Even the families of Ade Love will attend. I had a bus then that I was using to do my promotions. There was a school then in Oko Baba, popularly called Oko Oba, known as Progress College, it still exists till date, but it’s now known as Estate College. My late son, the Honourable, attended that school briefly. Even my wife, Alhaja, also attended the school briefly. So, the bus I was using to promote my business then was the same bus Progress College was using as its school bus. So, that also brought some little money by the side.
Anyway, that was how we started showing films weekly at the theatre, taking it to cinemas like the Glover Hall in Lagos, Casino cinema, etc. Then, people were calling me Baba Casino, its me, Alhaji Muhammad Muyibi, they were referring to. Baba Ogunde loved me so much. I had a cinema house here in Lagos at number 6, Idumagbo street, Lagos Island called FAPROMS cinema. We thank God for everything. A lot of water has passed under the bridge. I am always thankful to God when I look back at all that has happened and I am still here, well and alive.
I thank God that by November 29, 2024, I will be 90 years old. It can only be God. Other people my age may have controversies surrounding their actual age. But my senior brother, Awojobi, who took all of us to Jos, was well read. He documented everything. He had records of when our father was born, when our mother was born, when I was born. He had records of everything. The company he was running then, a lot of people thought it was owned by a white man because of the standard way he ran his company called ALL COMFORT company. He was highly educated.
How do you feel, sir,
having spent almost 90 years on earth, in fact, you’re just a few weeks away
from 90 and yet you are still able to walk unaided by anyone, you go to the
bathroom yourself, you eat what you desire, how do you feel about this grace of
God upon your life? What has life taught you at 90?
Yes, I really thank God for the long life and good health. But I have also had my own challenges too. In my 90 years, I have also had to endure some really heartbreaking moments. My first born is no longer alive. I have also lost my second born. In 2017, I lost my third child as well. It was a very painful experience for me. Then, I also lost her brother, Honourable Abdulateef, on June 21, this year 2024. So, you can see that my eyes have seen things it should not have seen. They console me and tell me that they left children behind for me, but can it be the same? I have asked God why he has not taken my own life instead of taking that of my children. Why has death not taken me away instead of taking my children away from in my lifetime?
But I still thank God for everything. I still have children who are taking care of me. My grand children are there. My wife, Alhaja, is there. I am 30 years older than her. She is still young and she has been a good wife. One day, I sat down and started counting, starting from myself, as number one, I counted the number of wives that have given me children, I counted my children and grandchildren and my great grand children, and I arrived at the figure, 75. We are all 75 in number, starting from me. Only me, alone, I am equal to 75, which is quite a large number. But we thank God. For you the younger ones, I will urge you to never do evil to anyone. Always do the right thing and let your conscience be clear that you have done the right thing. This has been my strongest principle in life.
0 Comments