‘I Believe Politics Is About Service’

Jimi AgbajeMr. Jimi Agbaje, the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) governorship candidate in Lagos State in the last general election had a chat with Adewale Ajayi on how he made it to the top.

How was it like when you were growing up and what influenced your decision to study pharmacy?
I was born and bred in Lagos, I was born in Olorogun part of Lagos which is now referred to as Isale Eko, and I spent part of my childhood, with my grandmother, also in Ido Oluwo Street in Isale Eko. I went to primary school in Lagos. I started with Saint Mary Private school. I didn’t go to nursery school which was in Broad Street,I went to Coroner Private School, to complete my primary education, from there I went to Saint Gregory College to complete my secondary education. I went to Federal School of Science for my Advanced level, from there I proceeded to University of Ife to study Pharmacy.

It was fun.We mixed a lot, played pranks, that was the Lagos I grew up in. You could even play in the gutters. The gutters were mainly dry and clean, except during the rainy season, when we even picked up tadpoles from the gutter. That was the Lagos of my childhood. Then, families knew each other. As a Christian you had to go to church every Sunday with your parents,because my father was very active in church. And you had to be well dressed when going to church unlike today that you could be casually dressed. Sunday Church service was a real outing.

My decision to study pharmacy: I was a science student in school, that had already put me in the path of Science. I was more comfortable with biological science than the physical science. I then made a choice, whether I wanted to study medicine, pharmacy or microbiology.I was in love with a television programme titled “Dr. Ben Kacy”. It was a television programme that illustrated a doctor at work; the doctor worked very hard, and was comfortable. At that time, when I was to choose, I remembered that programme, and I thought medicine could be good. That was even the time we had problem of Medical doctors going on strike, and their complaint was on not being properly paid.

The medicine course was to take five years then. I told myself that medicine in Nigeria was different from that of Dr. Ben Kacy; I couldn’t relate the two, so I decided I would not study medicine I decided to study pharmacy. At that time, there were few pharmacists. We had Chief Akoni, now late.He appeared to be a very comfortable person then we also had Adebowale Commercial Medicine store. So, I could see those as examples to emulate. And then,pharmacy was as a three year course through direct entry. I wondered I should go in for a five-year course that would not bring me the kind of dream I had. It didn’t take too much time for me to decide, so that was why I filled pharmacy for university education.There was no JAMB, so one was free to choose his courses for different universities. I filled pharmacy for University of Ife. University of Ife at that time was the university for the young.Why I say it was for the young was that I had a lot of friends that kept discussing the school. Even though, I had not been there, they talked of how beautiful it was, and how much fun they were having there. That guided my choice of university.

What informed your decision to take part in politics ?
I believe politics is about service , and the truth is that, I tell people that anybody who is open to service at different levels, can easily catch on the bug of politics . That a person played politics in his university days , that the person accepted to serve in the university faculty level, shows he is interested in politics. People who serve in the Rotary Club , it’s all about service to the people. As for me, I have been a very active person , not a passive person .In my school days , even in my primary school days , I was a senior prefect , in my school. In my secondary school , I was a social person, I was a prefect in the university. I was in fact cooler in the university. Though I was social , I didn’t play student union politics , but I had always played one role or the other .

After university , I was very active in my professional association. I played nearly all the roles possible as far as pharmacy was concerned. That opened my eyes to service .Serving in one’s profession is the ultimate , because it requires that you are above board , responsible. It is also a thankless job , you learn a lot. That opened my eyes to politics .You learn a bit of politics because there is a lot of politics in trying to satisfy people. During the MKO Abiola/Bashir Tofa election in 1993 , I was not interested in voting , I just wanted to be a passive person , but when I watched the debate of the two presidential candidates, I decided that there was a wide difference between the two candidates , and that I would vote for one of them. That I did, only for the election to be annulled . The annulment of the election to me was like a slap in the face , and I just thought , we should not be taking things lying low. When the issue of concerned professionals came up, I joined the concerned professionals at the early stage. There, I was very active , all through the pro-democracy struggle .I was very much involved in political activism.

I remember , for example , a few days before Tai Solarin died , we were involved in the match from Yaba to Race Course , and such other activities .And of course, in 1998 , when the ban on politics was lifted , it was a natural flow to move from political activism into politics , and I have remained there .

What determines the kind of dress you wear , is it the occasion or what ?
It is comfort, and, of course, the function . By nature , I am a very casual person. As much as possible, I like to be very casual. Before I became involved in politics , I would normally be seen in shirt and trousers , smartly dressed . But you would not likely see me in tie or in suit , I was very comfortable in my shirt and trousers . When I came into politics, I had to change. Rather than wearing shirt and trousers, I would wear buba and sokoto or agabada , depending on the occasion.

Do you wear perfume?
Yes, I wear perfume. I have all kinds of perfume. I have perfumes that have been with me for ten years and I have not even opened. My wife makes fun of me that the effect of the perfume will be gone .

Who is your favourite designer ?
I don’t really have a designer , I am not very much into designers. I just want clothes that are smart .

How do you relax ?
My relaxation has changed over the years . I love watching films, I love movies , I have not had much time for that. I am a news freak, I can watch CNN, Channels , MBI, read the newspapers. I love reading books when I have the time. I love traveling , I have not had much time for that also. I do socialize, and like good discussions .You are not likely to see me dancing all night , you’ll find me in lively discussions.

You wear necklace , what impression do you have of others who do not wear it?
Men that do not wear necklace ? I don’t have any impression , I have worn my necklace since I was a child. My father gave me my first necklace, and ever since, I have always worn it. That you wear or you don’t wear, I don’t have any impression. But I always want it simple.If the necklace is too loud, I may not like it. I believe it should be a simple one for a man .

Most successful people have women swarming around them, how do you manage to cope?
I think you need to have time for it ,if you really want to make women your business , you have to devote time for it . Time management is my greatest challenge, I don’t really have the time for it. am too occupied time is not my friend to add business of women to my agenda.