Long before hosting a radio programme became a byword for vainglorious
display, Bunmi Sofola’s Woman to Woman was a weekly highlight for most
listeners. Add the fact that she had before then shot into limelight as a
high-flying journalist whose brilliance and youth shone as beacon for
several other aspiring female journalists and you would understand why
Sofola is such a delight to speak with. Funke Olaode recounts a recent
encounter
A peripatetic childhood
II was born in Lagos on May 6, 1949, into the Sofola family of
Iperu-Remo of Ogun State. By the time I was born my father was working
with the Public Works Department and my mother taught briefly before
veering into sewing. My father was on frequent transfer and we were
always moving from town to time. At a time, my father was in the north
and we came back to Lagos in 1956 when I was about seven years old. My
father had two wives with six children on both sides. There was no
problem in our polygamous setting because by the time the other woman
came in, we had already been established. We didn’t experience the
rancour associated with polygamy. We were already adults and most of the
time we were in boarding house so there was nothing to contend with.
Memories of old Lagos
Growing up in Lagos of those days was fun. We lived on Wakeman Street,
Olonade Hughes Avenue in Yaba where you had all the fashion houses,
night clubs and all that. Lagos wasn’t as populated as we have now but
everything worked. There was electricity, there was water,
transportation was okay and the traffic wasn’t as bad as this. Opebi
area didn’t materialize until late ‘70s or early ‘80s. I remember a time
in the ‘70s when plots of land were being sold and everybody wanted to
be part of it. The only Lagos that was in existence then was Lagos
Island, Ikoyi, Surulere, Yaba area (was occupied mainly by the civil
servants) and there was Agege. Ikoyi was for the expatriates and
government officials. Surulere was New Lagos because my late father
completed his house off Adelabu Street in the 60s. And when I came back
from school the building was the only structure around because there was
bush everywhere. Again, Lagos wasn’t as chaotic as this with noise
everywhere. There were record stores and if you were interested in any
music, you entered the shop, you listened to the music with the earphone
and bought what you wanted.
A tomboy
It was a privileged beginning and I am grateful. My father was after
our education and it was a must to excel in your education. Whatever you
asked him to give you, money wise, for your education he would give.
With modesty, we (my siblings and I) were always among the first to pay
their school fees. I didn’t have problem except to sit down and read.
So the influence was enormous. And when I was in the boarding house my
father was always the first to pick me up. You know the others would
always have this big lorries hired by the school to take them to their
various destinations. And it would be more fun going with co-students
than chatting with my dad all the way home. But it was good. I was a
tomboy as a child. I was a happy child, inquisitive but adventurous and
had several friends.
Days in school
I began my early education at Baptist School, Kaduna, in the ‘50s. I
couldn’t recall much of my first day at that early stage because there
were loads of pupils and we could get so many things to buy. From
Kaduna, my father was transferred to Zaria and we all moved and we later
ended in Jos and we came to Lagos in 1956. After his stint with PWD my
father transferred his service to LADP now LSDPC. I was six years going
to seven when we came back to Lagos. I was re-enrolled at Methodist
School, Yaba, for my primary education after which I proceeded to
Methodist Girls’ High School in the same premises. I went to Ijebu-Ode
Grammar School for my higher school certificate. I was a bit
apprehensive leaving Lagos for Ijebu-Ode for advanced level. But when I
got there, I found out that the school was a cosmopolitan setting and 80
percent of the students came from Lagos. So it was home away from home.
Though it was a boys’ school, but the HSC was mixed and we were like
top-notch.
Becoming a journalist
Ironically, journalism chose me; I didn’t choose it. You don’t start
dreaming about career until you get to the mid-secondary school. In my
case, I was dumped into the arts class. And by the time I finished
secondary school, the principal told my dad that whatever I did it
should be English or nothing else. I was even angry that you can’t limit
my ability. I wasn’t thinking about journalism. After my advanced
level, I was waiting for admission to go into the university when Happy
Home (a publication of The Punch) was looking for a features writer and I
applied. Uncle Sam (Amuka-Pemu), publisher of Vanguard was in charge of
recruitment. He said I should write one or two things and he was
impressed and asked me to start immediately. This was October 1972. And
from being a school teacher I was thrown into the high society because
all the embassies and corporate houses were in Lagos and they were
functioning round journalism. I was doing interviews and meeting these
people you have read or heard about and it was fun. So, in a way, my
career chose me. While waiting for my admission into the university I
was teaching and didn’t like it a bit. Like I said, my principal spotted
me. I was good in English and was always carting away prizes for the
school all the time. That was how I began my journalism career with
Happy Home and after one year, I took study leave for one year. Daily
Times was looking for the first batch of graduates and professional
journalists to train free of charge. I went and did the interview and I
was chosen. There were only 15 of us with three women: myself, Tayo
Adetola and Tokunbo Gbadamosi. We had the one year stint in 1973/74.
When I finished my training, I went back to Happy Home Magazine and
became the assistant editor, woman editor and later editor of the
magazine.
From journalism to insurance and back
I felt I had satisfied my curiosity in journalism and needed to move
on. I quit my job and joined Great Nigeria Insurance Company in 1976 as
head of public relations. Again, I realised that public relations had
its limitations. In 1978/79, I took a study leave and travelled abroad. I
enrolled at College of Insurance in England where I studied insurance. I
came back and became life insurance manager for Great Nigeria
Insurance. I was in marketing and later switched to life insurance. The
advantage then was that apart from your salary, you would get commission
from whatever you brought in. I still maintained my contacts in the
media which really helped and was getting a lot of commission. Then
someone suggested that I could start my own brokerage firm. I yielded to
his advise and opened an office at 77 Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. This
was when I discovered that all these people that were encouraging you
also had their own attachment to other insurance brokers. So I forged
on. The firm was there, I was doing a radio programme, Woman to Woman,
for Radio Nigeria which I did for five years. I was writing for Trust
Magazine and had a television programme with Kunle Bamtefa on NTA. I
still found myself back into journalism when I got engaged with Vanguard
later. When I turned 50, I published a collection of my write-ups and
when I was approaching 60 I thought I would just relax and avoid
anything stressful. But here I am still writing columns. There was a
time I was doing four things at a time. I was writing for newspapers, I
was engaged with radio and television and still retained my job as an
insurance broker. I was young then and had all the time in the world.
Above all, my talents have kept me going over the years.
No regrets
Journalism is like fast food now with proliferation of newspapers and
magazines. If you don’t like this you go to the other. But when you
don’t have enough training for you to carry on there will be lapses.
Sometimes you pick up a newspaper reports or listen to radio or
television announcement and you feel sorry. I think your talents and
interest count to succeed as a journalist and not the glamour.
Journalism is like an old wine which gets better with age and with your
experience and talent it becomes a second nature to you. I didn’t go to
university to acquire a B.Sc in mass communication, but the one year
training at Daily Times Institute of Journalism was intensive. All the
professionals were called in to train us. There was Patrick Dele Cole,
Tony Momoh, Jaja and all the big wigs in and within the Daily Times. I
had the best experience from that training and that also prepared me.
When I pick up my pen it flows. I still write in long hand because we
were not trained with all these gadgets that you people have now. We
were also taught to have nose for news. How can you come back to the
newsroom and tell Uncle Sam that you couldn’t get a story? He would tell
you to knock on every door that something would come out of it. And
once they know that you are into counselling they are ready to open up.
It has been a fulfilling profession and experience for me and I have no
regret. Like I said, I always knew when the time was up for me to move
on. I got to a stage in journalism when I felt I had satisfied my
curiosity I moved to insurance. After sometime, I found out that you
couldn’t be more than public relations manager. It was a bit upsetting
because all you did as a PR person was newsletter, calendar and all
that. The then managing director advised me to acquire more training and
I went abroad to study insurance.
Best and low moments
Whatever satisfaction I got, I got it on the job all of the time. The
low moment was when I was leaving The Punch in 1977. I had the letter of
appointment from Great Nigeria Insurance and I thought they would call
my bluff and increase my salary. But they kept on saying they were
reviewing salary and why don’t I stay. But someone called me and said
you had better leave because that place would be better. And as soon as I
got to Great Nigeria Insurance, I was given a brand new Gallant 2000
GLS and had the option to borrow money to buy land and even a mortgage
to build it.
Getting personal
Where I grew up we had all the night clubs around and at night you see
all these ladies and you would want to copy. It was fun. And as one grew
older, I charted a career path for myself and I am still involved till
date. I was married briefly. I was Bunmi Fadashe for about four months
in the ‘70s but it didn’t work and I decided to stay off marriage since
then. But I am a fulfilled woman because I am blessed with a daughter
who is an undergraduate of University of Lagos.
I am fulfilled…
Looking at all life aspirations I couldn’t have chosen a better
profession. You know once you start working you want to create a life
for yourself. And like a popular saying that your later year must be
better than your early days. And once you lean to prepare for that you
can sit back and enjoy the rest of your life. So I am a fulfilled woman.
I started a career over four decades ago and till date I am still
relevant. It is God. I cherish God. He is my shock absorber. He is my
father because He has been kind to me.
