Aside his political exploits which brought him under the spotlight, his activities in the area of uplifting the less privileged cannot be underestimated even though he’s not making noise about it. The dark skinned and athletic Ladilu of Oyo Kingdom, Chief Bisi Ilaka, a tax expert, in this interview with ORUKPE NELSON opened up on his passion for charity work, life as a politician, lessons from his dad and family life.

You became a High Chief at a relatively young age. Can you let us into how easy it was for them to convince you based on your exposure and refinement?

I was installed the Ladilu of Oyo Kingdom. It must have been, if my memory serves me right around 2005, 2006. And I think the title had been vacant for about 20 whole years and Kabiyesi deemed it fit to install me the Ladilu with consultations as we always do in Oyo with our people. I had a foundation that had done a lot of charity works; I had impacted the lives of people in Oyo. I was also part of the vanguard looking to revitalise, re-energise the town itself and I think in that spirit and in acknowledging my commitment to the town and its people, the Alaafin deemed it fit to install me as the Ladilu. I come from a titled family as well and there are titles I can get from my own people but on the other side, I said let me put myself forward for service.

What responsibilities does this title put on you?

The responsibilities it puts on me…it means I am a permanent fixture in the activities of the town. I am there to support the Alaafin, to support Oyo Mesi and to support the people of Oyo in their sociocultural development. As an Oyo High Chief, I have various designated duties that really are to promote and advance the town and its people.

I don’t think the title is even the challenge. The challenge we have in Nigeria, in Oyo State, in Oyo town is preponderance of our people, the larger part of our people are poor and as such, making a living is a challenge to our people. There are not enough industries; there are not enough job opportunities for our young boys who are highly educated, they have been to schoo…they are ticking time- bomb. A lot of them are hanging around, drinking from morning to night, they are idle and they can be engaged in all kinds of mischievous activities. Some may get something to eat eventually but creating an existence is a bit of a challenge for our people and as a prominent person, it means there is no amount of money you have that is really enough as an individual to fix the problem of our people and that is why it’s important that we get governance that is right.

Would it be right to say it’s the zeal to impact your people more directly that has kept you contesting for the senate repeatedly as it’s obvious it has not worked out?

You see, if I wanted to go to the House of Representatives, I am sure I would have done this by now but that would have been because anyone of us from the federal constituency which is Oyo would be one of my brothers or my sisters that would represent us. We need a voice at the biggest stage. Oyo town being one of the primary provinces prior to independence, we need a voice at the higher level. The people who represented us, in my own view, their representation has been pretty woeful. We can describe it as no representation whatsoever, and that has been our problem. Our people are quite enlightened and informed but the people we get to go and speak for us do not fit. That is why I put myself forward time after time to try to represent our people. I think one way or the other we have tried to articulate a vision and I am sure a lot of people in Oyo now get it. We are inching closer and closer and I am sure that one day we will get to the promised land.

How does it feel that you have attempted the senate about three times and it has not worked out?

Each time, the challenges are different. There was a time when I was in PDP, the challenge was we just had the franchise of the party and we had to do his bidding, so to speak .There was a time when we had this whole ACN/APC foisting elections that have been fraught with a lot of malpractices. In the hearts of these people, I won those elections, but they were fraught with malpractices. The last time we were in court, a lot of technicalities, we did not have our day because they did not let us air our case, we ran out of time. We are back there and this time around, we have no doubt that the people of Oyo voted for us in Oyo Federal Constituency and I find it really absurd that they claim that the people in Ibadan voted for another party and two weeks later, they returned to vote for our party, somehow, it does not stack up. We are in the tribunal, the truth will reveal itself.

Did you go into charity to pave way for your political ambition and the chieftaincy title you got?

No, no, no. You see the challenge you have in Nigeria, whether we like it or not, per head, we do not pay enough taxes. The revenue collecting machinery in most states is pretty redundant or not effective. We depend on the government for a lot of things, even the most enlightened and the most benevolent government cannot attend to all our needs. There are some of us who feel closer or share stronger bonds with our people and I think as citizens, we have to do our own bit and that’s why we started various programmes to lift our people out of poverty. We had a lot of programmes where we provided boreholes across the senatorial district, we have run a football competition on an annual basis, and we run a kids football team. We have granted scholarships, we have afforded grants and we also have a healthcare tagged charity for asthma sufferers and we do plenty. For me and my family, wherever we are, we are thankful for what God has done in our lives and for that reason, we believe we should reach out to those people who are not as fortunate as we are and we are thankful for whatever we have.

You do not believe there are impossibilities.  Can you highlight situations where this mindset has helped you?

We run marathons and marathons are not for the faint-hearted. For me, the marathon running is a metaphor because life itself is a marathon, it’s not a sprint and we have to pace ourselves. We have to be focused on goals and targets that we have and for that reason, I think it’s important to set up one’s brand, one’s sets of values and to stick with them. It’s important there is an element of consistency in what one does. Our politicians are probably the most inconsistent bunch. Yes, we can say the sound of time will ever change from time to time because parties may change and configuration may, but the individual remains the same, the actors remain the same. So, it’s important that they demonstrate steadfastness in the things we see with them, particularly with regards to what they stand for.

You were so connected to your father in his days. What would you say you got from him that has helped you?

Hmmm… more than anything else, my father was a person who believed in what was just and what was fair. He was also a very principled human being and he taught me simple but ever present virtue -the meaning of integrity and that has been an abiding virtue. He paid a major premium on education, knowledge and in my household, I think we replicate that. Primarily and more than anything else, it’s the issue of integrity and principle. I have learnt and understood that much more. He was his own man and I think I have imbibed a lot of that. What you see is what you get. I am Bisi Ilaka and Bisi Ilaka is not trying to be anybody else, I am only trying to be the best Bisi Ilaka possible, and I tell my children that I do not expect them to be clones of myself but their own individuals in their own right.

Can you recollect a memory of your dad that has lingered in your mind?

My father was a Company Director of National Bank and he was a Company Secretary for quite a while. He had issues and difficulties with them and I remember he was in court with them; his lawyer then was Chief FRA Williams. For quite a while, we had to tighten our belts a little bit. He felt he was right and he stood his ground…on the ground of principle. Bearing in mind that National Bank was a western region-owned entity at that point in time, he took on the institution and he won. He was vindicated.  And he said, ‘Okay, I will go into public service’ and he became a teacher and he remained so till he retired. In that way, particularly, to a lot of boys from Lagos Island and Lagos State in general, he contributed to their lives. I meet a lot of old boys of the school where he was a principal and they always reminisce many fun memories about him and to me, that is a reminder that he fought a good fight.

What was growing up like for you?

The Nigeria I grew up in is a very different one from what it is today. When I grew up, I went to a school in Ikeja called Grange School; most of my classmates were expatriates. We had a thriving industrial base particularly in Ikeja, even Ilupeju, which were run predominantly by a lot of expatriates. As a youngster, I could find myself wherever in Lagos; I could go from the Mainland to the Island, we were playing football all over the place. Life was a lot simpler, crime was not rife. Families were aspirational but corruption was not rife. I later went to school in Ibadan; I went to Government College, Ibadan. Again, Ibadan at that point in time was a very serene and beautiful city and that’s why when I go to Oyo State today, to play politics there is very easy because I remember how orderly, how beautiful the town was compared to the current mismatch we have today. It was a properly planned place. We used to go to Bodija, NTC Quarters, we used to go to UI and all that. Honestly, this seems a lot more civilised than Lagos but here we are where we have Oyo State grappling to find an identity of its own.  My childhood, I have a lot of fun memories about how things ought to be, I know what things are today are pretty different but childhood was great. It was a lot of fun.

What was your childhood ambition and what eventually made you study law?

Though I went to a school of predominantly science based, at no time did I ever think of becoming a doctor, an engineer. I never thought of becoming a banker but I have always been found to be vocal, believing in equity, justice, fairness and I think that belief propelled my interest in Law. I learnt the Law, I understand it so much though not in full time practice. My wife is a lawyer and she wonders how I recall a lot of things. I specialised in taxation because I understand the situation; I don’t have fear of figures.

At what point did you have financial breakthrough?

I have been self-employed for a better part of about 35 years and if you have been doing something for that long, you would have earned a piece of money. For me, that has not really been. My own has always been to eat what I want to eat, to send my children to the schools I want to send them and hopefully to have holiday every now and again. Thank God, I have been able to do that so, I feel fulfilled in that respect.

With your carriage, style and looks, you must have had your fair share of women as a young man. Can you recall your exploits in that area?  

(Slight smiles) Life has placed me in lot of, should I call it, funky cities? I started off in Lagos which in our time had a lot of nice spots, from Horse spot to Kakadu to Carban Babul and then I ended up in Ibadan. We had a lot of places where we could go to in Ibadan, where we socialised. When I left, I was in the University in Ife which was a major happening place at that time, in the late 70s and I then ended in United Kingdom where my first port of call was a town called Briten and it happened to be a ‘happening place’.

How easy was it for you to pick a lady to marry?

My wife and I have been friends for a little while and we are basically on the same page. And I think our marriage has lasted and endured simply because it’s built on friendship. She’s my friend and I think that is why we have survived and weathered a lot of storms. We can speak to each other heart to heart, that is the foundation on which we built our relationship.

But don’t you think your wife sometimes get jittery over other ladies?

She’s quietly confident and she’s quite sure of herself. She’s aware that women are generally around but she remains quietly confident that that is my man and I am his woman.

What excites you?

I get a lot of excitement out of politics. My family really fascinates and excites me. My other passion is trying to raise money for charity. In truth, I think all aspects of my life, I try to look for passion. I am quite passionate about what I do and I think it is key.

At well over 50 years, you still maintain an athletic stature and you look very fit. What is the secret?

On average of about four to five times a week, I run and I go to gym and I have been doing so for the past 16, 17 years. My children know that is what I do. I have a pair of trainers and for me it’s a way of life. I think I will be doing this way into my 70s because I can’t even imagine life without it.

What do you consider as the most cherished material possession?

I don’t have most cherished material possession.  What means the most to me are my children and my wife -my family. Those are really my most cherished possessions, everything else is pretty transient. I came to this world with nothing, I will go with nothing but the times I spent with people….memories are cherished. Times spent with individuals, friends who are here; friends who departed, these are very important to me.