Elder statesmen and former Managing Director of Joseph Symms Ltd, Prince Joseph Oladipupo Fafore, turned 80 last Thursday. He spoke on his life, career and national issues in an interview with ONYEDIKA AGBEDO.AT 80, the mascot of the Fafore royal family of Odofin Iloro compound in Igbajo, Boluwaduro Local Council Area of Osun State, Prince Joseph Oladipupo Fafore, is still worried about how Nigeria can become a great country. His countenance and expressions clearly pointed to that as he responded to questions thrown to him by The Guardian in a relaxed atmosphere in his expansive Lagos sitting room. But he knows exactly where the current problems of the country lie.'People are only looking for money in this country without giving a thought to the future. What is killing Nigeria is the 'how much have you acquired' syndrome. This our present way of life started when people without good home training started finding their way into positions of power. Thank God that we can change government from time to time. If not, there would have been no hope for Nigeria,' he noted.Fafore, who was full of praises to God for granting him longevity, submitted that finding solutions to the problems of the country should start from the family. He said: 'If you move on well, your children will always follow you provided you have made serious efforts to give them the right training. This present generation want money and not many of them are entitled to be rich. Only those of them that have been given the right training deserve to be rich. So, we need to equip the younger generation with the right kind of character and attitude to life. If that should happen, everybody in the country will benefit. But that is not happening currently. But God may help to see that we get to that point where every Nigerian would be proud of Nigeria.He added: 'We should try to control our unnecessary needs; if it is controlled Nigeria will be a happy country. Yes, those in the seat of power are trying to get things right, but what they are trying now is a thing that they should have tried decades ago.'Born to parents with not-so-much favourable disposition to education as to commerce, Prince Fafore's quest for education and desire for a white collar job set him on a tortuous path which later became the foundation of an educated Fafore family with several First Class graduates and professionals in different endeavours of life which include Medicine, Law, Engineering, Architecture, Accountancy, Communications, Banking, Business and Academics.Like a typhoon, his vision fuelled his passion; he subjected himself to rigorous self-study and passed his examinations through correspondence courses, which later qualified him for a job as a Confidential Secretary at the Nigerian Tobacco Company (NTC) before joining the Western Nigerian Housing Corporation as a Principal Secretary.In spite of the economic comfort that came with his employment as a Principal Secretary, Baba Fafore as Prince Fafore is fondly called by every member of the family, after a few years resigned because he was displeased being a Secretary and proceeded to the United Kingdom for education in Sales and Marketing. His resignation astounded many because the job offered excellent remuneration and great welfare conditions but these were not enough to dissuade Baba Fafore from his quest to self-fulfillment and self-actualisation.This sojourn amplified his strength-of-mind and vision because the decision to embark on the journey; resigning from a high-paying job was unthinkable.Upon his return from London, Baba Fafore worked briefly with I.B.M, Western House, Lagos as Commercial Manager and later resigned to commence private business which would later extend to freighting, real estate, hotel, farming and auctioneering. The first seed of his personal enterprise named Joseph Symms Ltd housed on the ninth floor of Development Building, Apapa, germinated impressively to reflect Baba's excellent business acumen and managerial dexterity that singled him out for different recognitions and awards in his professional career. Money came; women arrived, but Baba Fafore's self-discipline and near-perfect sense of judgment guided him.Fafore selflessly gave his children and extended relatives the best support he could afford. And as he marks his 80th birthday, tributes have been coming his way from those who reaped from his benevolence.One of them, Olusegun Michael Fafore, who made his tribute available to The Guardian, wrote: 'He is a man desired by all; faultlessly handsome, huge and healthy; mirroring the image of the great Shaka Zulu. Baba Fafore is trendy, personable and royalty personified even though his exposure and sophistication usually put those around him under intense pressure.'I recall your asking me during one of our numerous conversations if could have resigned from a high-paying job if I were in my shoes. This question could not get an answer then because I really needed to fully appreciate the situation. The delay is attributable to the contributions of some of your friends in the esteemed league of seventy-something years old which evidenced the fact that the decision was not really necessary for your survival at that period but a question of personal focus.'Armed with enough facts, Baba, now I reply thus: 'I or any other person in my generation within the family will not have to contemplate such an idea because you have laboured for us to have basic education that serves as the foundation for a good future.''As a younger friend, son and privileged associate, I have been tremendously blessed by my interactions with you. You taught me courage and determination, even though the circumstances of learnings were not particularly palatable. First, was on the painful loss of your wife, Mrs. Matilda Ige Fafore, your companion on the journey of life. The agony that came with her demise was huge but you demonstrated courage and faith in God. About a decade after, the cold hands of death stole Michael Adeniyi Fafore, your first son and my amiable cousin. You loved him like a father would love his son and wanted him to excel in life by positioning him to take the baton of success from you in the next phase of the race of life. But death never allowed that baton exchange. How much you loved Adeniyi was evident in the level of deprivation to which you subjected yourself, but our joy is that he is resting peacefully in the blossom of our Lord.''In your characteristic manner, you saw the brighter side of life and told us in an emotion laden voice, 'To God be the glory. Death will no longer occur amongst the youth of this family. None of you will die prematurely. You will live long and prosper in life. Let us allow Adeniyi to rest'. These words bellied the agony you were going through until death stealthily took away Engr. Olabode Adio Fafore, your immediate younger brother early this year. The grief was too much to bear as evidenced by the bleeding from your heart. Engr. Olabode Adio Fafore, now late, is the first product of your vision for the family. You proudly told me how he distinguished himself at Ibadan Boys High School and enjoyed Western Region Government scholarship for his undergraduate and graduate studies in Agriculture and Production Engineering in Israel and United Kingdom respectively. According to you, ''Bode is exceptionally brilliant. He had three Distinctions at Higher School Certificate Examination in Maths, Physics and Chemistry,' adding that we should all be like him.'Ba'ami Oladipupo, Olowori Margret Olayinka, saying that your life has been an inspiration to many, particularly this present generation of Fafore family will understate how we adore you. The impact your selflessness and generosity has had on our lives is inestimable.'On this unique occasion of your 80th birthday, we celebrate you and wish you good health with many more years. We pray that God in His infinite mercies strengthen and make the remaining part of your sojourn on earth more fulfilling and rewarding. Happy birthday, Baba Fafore,' he concluded.
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