By Prof A.O. Obasohan
I feel privileged to be called to do a review of this book by my friend, Chief Lawson Omokhodion, amidst his multitude of friends and associates over the years and before this audience of the elite, if not the glitterati of society.
While it is true that we have been closely associated for over 55 years, I praise his courage for choosing a university based academic to do his book review, because the typical academic requirement and responsibility is to do a rigorous critical review, pointing out not only the strength but also the weaknesses of the book under consideration with recommendations for improvement. So, he has dared me, and I intend to do just that.
But in reality, there is also a lot of strength and few weaknesses in this book which demonstrate admirable memory recall, record keeping and good use of language. These attributes in addition to the technical knowledge displayed make the book a reading material, for many people, such that the writer of the prologue Osaro Isokpan recommends the book as a text in secondary schools and international agencies.
The book: ‘Powered by poverty’ is a 400-page book which talks about the life of the author from childhood to retirement.
The prefix is a little summary of the book detailing the chronology from his prodding and motivation to write the book and highlighting the main issues of the chapters ending with his recent experience in AAU Ekpoma.
Chapter 1 covers a bit of the genealogy of the family, he is able to go back to three generations which is remarkable for the average Nigerian family, indicating the intelligence running in the family. It covers the birth of the first three children and the early sojourn of the family from the village to the city, first to Ibadan briefly and later to Benin City where most of the family life has been spent.
Chapter 2 talks of early life in secondary school and contact with Catholicism, although he didn’t emphasise it in the book, he was baptised on his tenth birthday 25th of July 1962, the same birthday as his nativity and into Christianity. He describes in detail his primary school days and the opportunity to be available to the catholic priest who he assisted as an altar boy and gained knowledge, travel experience and spiritual growth.
Chapter 3 focuses on his admission to secondary school which was disrupted by the civil war that ensued following the 1966 coup and counter coup and the pogrom that followed. During the period he was taken to the village Ekpoma to run away from the fighting that as likely to occur in Benin City. Paradoxically, there was more fighting in the village than in the city he ran away from. The benefit of his stay in the village and the affinity to his roots are well spelt out in the book.
Chapter 4 chronicles the war effects which though was a misfortune for the country turned out as fortune for him as he became opportune to move from a village and new second rate school to a first-rate city college Immaculate Conception College (ICC), which had made its name for over thirty years at that time and over seventy years now. That’s where our paths crossed and he came to meet us as students of the school. There his intellect was challenged and he rose to it finishing well and got admitted for higher school at the other first rate secondary school in the city, Edo College where he also excelled.
A testimony to the effect is that nearly fifty percent of his friends present here were contacts made from those schools and the city. No wonder, he states in the book how much he relishes the city of Benin, where he was raised with his coterie of permanent friends. The details of his escapades in these schools were well detailed in the book and make for interesting reading and would enable the reader to know about his character formation.
An interesting revelation in the book is the fact that the period of waiting to gain admission to the university enabled him to teach in a secondary school close to his village ACC Irrua only a few kilometres from his village roots in Ekpoma where he himself groomed some younger boys who remain friends and associates till today.
I particularly note the comments of one of such mentees who later became Professor of Chemistry at the University of Port Harcourt, after finishing with a first-class degree of from the same University of Lagos where the author attended earlier. He wrote in a letter to the author on the 26th February 2018, and I quote-this extract,
“I enclose herewith, for your sightseeing only, a post card you sent to me in 1979 to remind me of the need for excellence in my final degree exam at UNILAG, the postcard is still as Spartan and pristine today as it was in 1979. I made sure I preserved it that way because it was and is still very important to me. My children have had the privilege of seeing the postcard and oftentimes, I have had to regurgitate the contents of the post card to them without any modifications i.e., as is (plagiarism).
Another extract
You may be surprised that I am writing about the event after 37 yrs. It is because it gave me at the time, the verve, gusto and courage to dare academically and to push gently, yet forcefully at the frontiers of academic attainment. Furthermore, I recall your rather rascally mode and mood as a teacher during your brief stay at ACC shortly after your HSC exams. I am glad you passed through ACC at the time you did. Please know that I have always admired your world- weary wisdom and your superlative imagination together with your urbane and cosmopolitan swashbuckling. With the benefit of hindsight. I can posit without equivocation, that you were always quietly resolute and sensibly stubborn. You may not recall this narrative that during your stay at ACC, there was a debate as to whether or not Ishan division should be balkanised into two administrative centres. Late Matthew Imoisili and I represented ACC. The debate was a competition among all the secondary schools in Ishan at that time. You rejigged my linguistic sensibilities and retooled my self-esteem preparatory to the debate. I spoke in near flawless grammar (at the risk of being immodest) during the debate
All thanks to you and we came tops. Thereafter we proceeded to represent the whole of Ishan at the State level and the debate was televised. At the level of the competition at Ishan, the late Chief A. Enahoro was the Chairman of the occasion and he enquired to know who my father was and it turned out that they were friends. He told my father about my performance at a later date. My father was so full of pride and wished I had invited him to the occasion.
Omolaw I have gone down memory lane to let you know how much you have influenced my life positively and I cannot thank you enough. I respect and revere you. I always have sweet sensation on recall of your name and some of your past youthful posturing, dispositions and muscular activities. Your lucky children may only just see you as a caring and loving father and not knowing in totality the depth of your finer being. You are simply a fine riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”
Omolaw thanks so very much for being my role model. I will forever remain indebted to your fine-tuning of my psyche and sensibility and this is from the deep. Please let me have the card back through the bearer of this letter Eng G, Okoyo”
Unfortunately, that young man Professor John Otaigbe passed away last year, otherwise he would have been here today. The act of growing children had been imbibed in him from childhood as second child and first male of seven siblings who he had to co-superintend along with his parents.
Chapters 5 and 6 detailed his life in the University of Lagos and his observation and involvement in the students riot of the mid-term of 1973 and 1974 session. The chapter tells how a lowly indigent student became a popular opinion leader in campus even after losing election into the student union government. It narrates his escape from rustication as was the fate of some others following a panel investigation into the student riot in his second year 1974/75. It is an interesting read and a reminder of the activities in the universities in the seventies. He eventually became Hall chairman (EL Kanemi) and won the Dr Shodende/ Senate gold chain prize which was awarded to a student considered by students and senate to have contributed most to student’s life on the campus. He ended up graduating with a second upper degree in Mass communication.
Chapter is a foray into the NYSC program and his interview for jobs. It’s notable that he shared fifty percent of his meagre stipend to his family of 9 to support their up keep during this period. Of the jobs offered him he eventually chose he CMD management trainee employment. The details of the selection process, makes interesting reading and reminds one of the meritorious societies of the time. Hs near miss of the flight to Lagos for the interview after missing three scheduled ones and sleeping in the airport to arrive late but good enough for the interview. The man who beckoned on him and gave him the boarding pass on the flight was the angel and the basis f the title of the chapter. After the interview he was one of the 7 employed after multiple interviews of over a hundred applicants.
Chapter eight, describes his period of orientation as a management trainee and his attachment to Cadbury company plc where he experienced a well-run multinational organisation as well as industrial crisis with ethnic colouration at the exit of the international staff. An interesting point revealed in this chapter is the fact that he got a car loan and purchased a car while a management trainee in the CMD which some of his friends in Benin didn’t believe even when he showed the keys to the car, as they said you can’t show the keys without driving the cars for the world to see. This chapter also highlights his admission for the NBA program at ASU Arizona in the United States of America. he travelled to the US after buying dollars at the rate of 80k to 1 dollar in the 1980. he has a successful MBA programme in two years returning back to Nigeria on the 23rd of January 1982.its notable that after his protesting for 28days, how was given a three-bedroom apartment which he proudly announced to his family in Benin and returned with his younger rother Bright and sister Patience to live with him in Lagos. While in America, he got hooked to an American lady who arrived Nigeria soon after but managed to stay for less than six months before returning for good due to the problems associated with individual and communal poverty. Of note in this chapter is the fact that as soon as he returned to America, he headed to Benin for the wedding of his friend on the 21st of August 1982 to join the groove following which he had an unforgettable experience after booze. That friend is yours truly reviewing this book, and the experience was one that landed him in the police post of UBTH following a bout of miscalculation due to one drink too many. Its interesting details are well covered in the book. In 1983, he was sent out on a fellowship training again to Australia for 4 months and returned on 4th January 1984 to a coup that had just taken place in Nigeria which enthroned Major General Buhari as head of state. The ensuing period was one of scarcity of all basic commodities like Sugar, milk, tyres, batteries etc the so called “Essenco” (Essential Commodities). Having served out the bond at CMD, one of the very few who did, he decided to move on. At this point he had become a comfortable young man, a Snr Mgt Staff (Consultant grade) and this reflected on the family.
He then moved on to Newswatch which at that point was set to hit the ground through contact with the wife of one of the founding editors (Ray Ekpu) who was a library staff at the CMD. He had critiqued a preview edition of the maiden issue with his comments and boom, he was offered a job as the Business Editor with emoluments almost treble what he was getting at CMD, thus with his education and training in journalism and business, he was given an opportunity to make money from his passion. He thus revolutionised financial journalism in Nigeria. The period was right for in depth analysis of IMF loan debate in Nigeria.
The chapter also provides information on the opportunities to meet the high and mighty in the society and one of such investigative journalism visits led him to meeting Chief Banigo who was then the MD of IMB who later became his lifelong friend and mentor and made him a banker where he spent most of his life rising to become Executive Director of ALL States Trust bank and later MD of Liberty bank.
Chapters 11 to 16 could well have been a book on its own as it deals with the intricacies of analysis of financial policies of Nigeria, the SAP and the Banking Consolidation exercise and the politics of the ADB with headquarters at Abidjan and the inter country envy and politics spearheaded by the superpowers. All who are in the financial sector must have this book to read as it is an expose as told by an insider.
Chapters17 to 19 deal with his serious challenges in life from a battle with cancer and recovery and the benefits of good medical care as well as the benevolence of Almighty God in saving him. He became closer to God and more spiritual in his dealings, also his trial at the EFCC, his detention and eventual discharge and acquittal are chronicled an important read for all successful people as there is a lot of lesson to be learnt. an innocent bye stander could be caught by collateral damage unless you have the grace and blessing of God often through Man. The details are interesting to read.
Chapter 20 illustrates his stint as Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council at AAU and describes his attempt to strengthen things which was a herculean task and led an abrogation of the tenure of the council and inability to appoint a substantive VC. People will be interested in the intrigues detailed in there.
in Chapter 21 which is titled the pains of Family love he expresses the essence of the title of the book Powered by poverty in relation to his family and the successful turn out of all his siblings from the initial poverty ad he gives the praise for his father’s decision to move out of the village and remain monogamous contrary to the prevailing situation in his time.
CRITIQUE
My assessment of the strength of the book lies in some of the following observations
1. The detailed information of the various records kept, the dates and even time of occurrences of past events, the names of associates of over 50 years give the impression of adorable record keeping. Did he have the training and ability at the time? It speaks of the ability and power of recall of the author.
The book is a chronology of events good for the library and for teaching.
2. The literary style of writing is easy and flows. Chief O is a good story teller and actually a gist master’. His literary training and experiences from childhood came to play. Reading through some chapters you cannot drop the book till you finish.
While many may have experiences and stories to tell, only a few can have the discipline of Time Management to write a book.
The Weakness/Pitfalls
This is a 400-page book and in my opinion much too long. Thus, the book is big. It contains the easy read of many chapters laced with complex financial and analytic reports of businesses and policies of government all in the same book. Nigerian do not read as a culture and some may end up only reading a part that is of interest to them. I believe that this is a combination of 3 or 4 books together.
1. “Empowered by Poverty” telling how he escaped poverty. 2. Revolution of Financial Journalism in Nigeria 3. Banking, Banking Consolidation in Nigeria and inter country politics at the African Development bank and probably a 4th. The Grace and Mercy of God, BUT it is an autobiography and therefore he tells all his involvement and so he is partly justified.
Finally like all autobiographies the story is told from his perspective.
Conclusion
This is a book that most elite, intelligentsia, journalists and bankers must read and keep and more importantly those who feel entrapped by poverty have a roadmap shown. Above all, is the demonstration of the power of family love and commitment.
I like to end his review by quoting a science fiction writer who was a Combat veteran and US Marine G. Michael Hopf in his fiction novel, ‘A post-apocalyptic Novel and I quote; “I’ve lived a long time and seen a lot of s XX.”
In my latter years i have become somewhat a philosopher and this is one truth that is indisputable, hard times creates strong men, strong men create good time, good times create weak men, weak men create hard times”, thus the theme of your book which I think should more appropriately be “Empowered by Poverty” is appropriate.
A similar quote is attributed to the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saheed aL Maktoum of Dubai, “My grandfather wrote a camel, my father rode a camel, i ride a Mercedes, my son rides a Land Rover, my grandson is given to ride a Land rover but my great grandson is going to have to ride camel again”. This should be avoided.
*Prof A.O. Obasohan, MD, FRCP, FAMed S.