Tell us more about your family?
I am the last of four girls; my eldest sister lives in the United States, another lives in Canada, the third lives in Ibadan, Oyo State, while I live in Lagos. I am an information professional and also the creative director of a clothing line. I am a wife and a mother.
What was your childhood like with your father?
My childhood was great. I can say we have the best father; he made us feel like princesses. He did not care that we were not boys. My father loved our friends and enjoyed taking us out.
He always opened the door for us whenever we wanted to go out. My childhood picture of my father depicted he was divine. He wasn’t the regular kind of dad.
We enjoyed the kind of relationship that he had with his girls. He taught us to get a life for ourselves before getting married. He trained us to have an identity for ourselves before having any man. He says, ‘Don’t marry a man and lose yourself.’
He believes we should all have an opinion but not be rude to people. He is always supportive of us and optimistic. At my age, if I call my dad and tell him I am nursing the idea of being an astronaut, he will say, “No problem, go girl!’
He is a good cheerleader. He is always supportive. I call him babe; I am close to my dad. My dad has done so much for me that sometimes I wish I could just travel with him somewhere and spoil him.
Since you love your dad so much, did you (his children) see him as the standard for any man you would marry?
We kind of did. All our husbands have traits of our dad. My dad is a quiet person, he prefers to observe rather than talk. My husband is exactly like that. Someone has once knocked on my door and asked why I was talking to myself. I told the person that I wasn’t talking to myself and that my husband was with me. He is that quiet. People kept wondering how he was able to ask me out despite his traits. That is exactly the way my dad is.
He talks only when he should talk, he is a deep person. He is the first person I talk to whenever I’m confused and my husband is also like that. Good enough, they have a good relationship, same with my sisters’ husbands.
How did he discipline any of his children who misbehaved?
He wasn’t strict on us. I can’t remember my dad beating us; my mum was the disciplinarian of the house. My dad’s silence killed me whenever we offended him. I remember one time when I was at the university and I offended my dad, he just went quiet. He would really go quiet and one would feel so bad for hurting his feelings. We cringed whenever my dad fell silent because of something we did. My mum could shout at me the whole day and it wouldn’t move me.
What are some of the lessons you learnt from your dad?
My dad believes that one only lives once and what one needs to do at any moment, one should do it well. He tells us he is not a rich man and that if he dies today, he doesn’t have property for us to share. He trained us to work hard, have money and enjoy ourselves. He doesn’t put himself under undue pressure and he advises us not to do the same.
He believes that one does not need all the money in the world to be happy. He trained us to have a good name; ensure that our name is written in gold. He tells us to make a name for ourselves through hard work and not ride on his name to make it in life. He tells us to take care of our nuclear family first and advises our husbands to do the same. He said we should care for our extended family but not at the expense of our immediate family.
How was growing up for you as Farounbi’s daughter?
Growing up was normal for us; my dad never pressured us into anything. We only knew that there were many politicians who came to our house from time to time. It was only in school that our friends saw our dad and got star struck. But to me, he is just my dad. I look at him like someone travelling with me in one small car. My mum did the bulk of the job in that area.
She protected us from the whole public thing of being a politician’s daughter. She tells us from time to time that ‘e je ki ori yin pe (be of good behaviour).’ We led a regular life; went to regular schools, ate regular food and the rest.
The only time I knew my dad was popular was anytime I saw him in newspaper or on television. I chatted more with him and he is my friend. I wanted to say I am the closest to him but I realised that he is also close to my sisters. The same way he chats with me is the same way he chats with my sisters. For instance, he doesn’t discuss politics with me but he does that with my eldest sister.
How financially comfortable was his family before he became a politician?
I cannot say much about that. He was already a politician before I was born. When the Premier of Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, died, I think I was four. I remember seeing my mum cry. I knew my dad was close to uncle Bola Ige. We used to eat lunch in his house; he was the godfather to one of my sisters. I know they used to host many political meetings in my house. I don’t know the pre-political life of my dad.
Would you be able to tell the changes about him after becoming a politician?
One thing I knew about my dad was that he never slept outside the house except for days when he travelled out of the state. He was always in the house latest by 10pm. I don’t know how convenient that was for us but he kept to the time to make the ‘family time’. When I was in the university, my dad visited me almost every weekend. The only time he didn’t come was when he was down with diabetes and after recovery; he would come to visit me. Also, I think another thing that worked for him and my mum was that they understood each other. My mum was diplomatic; she handled the people who visited our house daily.
Did he share some of his political experiences with you?
Like I said, he doesn’t really discuss politics with me. But I know my dad to be a diplomatic person. He can blend with anybody in his camps. He never had issues with anybody, he was cool. I also think because of the way he positions himself, people respects him. He doesn’t have many friends. He has many acquaintances but not too many friends. He tries not to ask for any favours from people so that when it is time to repay, he wouldn’t have to compromise on his stance.
Would you say your dad did well as an ambassador to the Philippines?
I would say my dad did well, he did his best. Just that Philippines isn’t a developed country like the United States or United Kingdom and others. It’s not a place where you work and get results immediately; you will need more time to get things done. My dad worked hard when he was in that position. I remember that he worked even on weekends. I feel my dad would have done better if he got more time but he did all he could do.
Your father opposed government borrowing many times. How prudent is he?
He is a simple man, he doesn’t have dramas. He keeps a simple life, he doesn’t believe in wastages. He is concerned about basic needs; he says one doesn’t need much money in life to be happy. He would tell us then that he paid our school fees with co-operative money. He advised us to keep our money and that the only thing he wants from us is a wine for prayer.
For instance, when we complained about the state of the country’s economy, he told us to live within our means. He said we would cope despite the hardship. My dad lives within his means.
How has his name opened doors for you and your siblings?
The thing is that when people find out that we are his children, they tend to treat us better. But we don’t go out telling people to do this or that for us on account of who our father is. He doesn’t use his connections to get favours, rather he would tell us to go and try on our own. Most times, it turns out better if we go by ourselves rather than use his connection which he wouldn’t agree to.
Another thing is that we are all married and we don’t bear our maiden names. So people can’t easily associate us with him except people who know us well.
What is his favourite food?
He likes fufu and eba with okra soup (Ila alasepo). My dad likes garri a lot. He takes garri almost every day. Not because of garri but its water when soaked. He used to say he wishes that people could bottle garri water for sale. I told my mother-in-law to buy Ijebu garri for him but I always tell his steward not to give him much because he is diabetic.
What are his likes and his dislikes?
He likes people who are God-fearing because he is also a God-fearing person. He reads the Bible a lot not because he wants to judge anyone but for his understanding. He reads many religious books to be knowledgeable. He likes people who are truthful. For instance, when you tell him you need money and he asks what you want to use it for, you either tell him the truth or keep quiet. He is also kind; he enjoys giving to people who don’t have. He likes it when people do the right thing.
He doesn’t talk too much; one can know what is going on in his mind. He doesn’t speak about people in a demeaning way. He thinks deeply and he is wide. He is very hard-working. At his age, he still works hard. I think he will probably break down if he doesn’t work.
How does he like to dress?
He loves wearing white attire. It makes him prestigious. He usually looks good when he wears black attire too, especially the one with the collar. But he wears white every day. If you open his wardrobe and see his white clothes, you would be shocked. He loves to dress in white native attire.
Who are his best friends?
He doesn’t really have many friends. One of his friends is a former education minister, Prof. Tunde Adeniran. They have been friends for long. Another good friend of his is uncle Kola Adeniyi. His best friend was the late Uncle Bayo Oladele.
Is any of his children following in his footsteps?
My dad’s background is mainly in broadcasting and mass communications. He is grounded in that area before he became a politician. I also studied Mass Communication and International Relations for first degree. I am following in his footsteps. Hopefully, I will someday be an ambassador like him.
What kind of books does he like to read?
He likes to read a lot; he had many books that he used to establish a library in the village. He didn’t want to keep many books anymore since he no longer stays in the village. He reads a lot just for knowledge’s sake.
How does he relax?
He hardly rests but what he does to relax is to read a book and take a cola drink. There are times that we would have agreed to see a movie together but by the time one gets to him, he would be reading. Then, he would apologise and say we should plan it for another time.
What sports is he into?
He doesn’t do any. The only thing he does is to walk around his house. But he eats healthy. He is diabetic but one wouldn’t know because of his healthy diet.
Copyright PUNCH.