My work with Oba Otudeko, the Chairman of Chairmen, by Emeka Oparah
Those who have followed the history of the Nigerian mobile telecommunications industry will know the role Mr. Oba Otudeko played alongside Mr. Paschal Dozie and Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, amongst many others.
He was our Chairman at Econet Wireless Nigeria. He was also the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria at the time as well as the Chairman of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). His tenure as chairman of the company ended abruptly during the Vmobile era and resumed immediately after the company was acquired by Bharti-Airtel.
This is by no means a review or by any means an opinion on his time as chairman of the company but just a recall of a couple of incidents that happened during my official interactions with him.
In due time, when my memoir will be published, Chairman will most definitely get more than a passing mention in the book. For now, let me tell you a couple of stories.
During the preparations for the first and only edition of Airtel Nigeria’s Night of Influence, which was headlined by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, we spent considerable time together on the VVIP guest list, the floor or seating plan, the protocol list, the security arrangements and the speeches. A very meticulous man, he was not one of the easiest people to impress, an attribute I was mercifully forewarned of.
One day, he sent for me, as he would, to discuss one thing or another regarding the event. He directed me, on this occasion, to arrange for a private jet for the then Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy. The plane would fly her and her staff to Lagos from Abuja and be on standby to fly them back to Abuja the next morning. According to him, “your sister doesn’t fly commercial” and I completely understood him.
When I grumbled that I didn’t have money in my budget for such, he took a long, hard look at me, shook his head, smiled and said, “never mind, Oga. I’ll pay and send you guys (Airtel) the invoice”. Case dismissed.
Incidentally, the Minister who also had an Executive Suite and two extra adjoining rooms booked called the day before the event to cancel. Thankfully, the booking was at the Chairman’s hotel, the Radisson Blu!
Perhaps, the most significant aspect of our interactions during this event was when he asked me to deliver an invitation letter to the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was selected to be the Chairman of the occasion. That assignment marked the beginning of my father and son relationship with Baba.
Baba was then living in his Hilltop Residence, in Abeokuta. I met him playing Ayo with one of his friends. Those who know OBJ know that when he’s playing Ayo, literally anything else can wait. And if you are playing him and want to leave his house, you had better let him win or you ain’t going nowhere!
He’s known to ignore or rather abandon very important people because he’s playing Ayo. Which was exactly what he did to me, even if I wasn’t a VIP per se. I, however, decided to leave after waiting, watching and cheering him for nearly 2 hours, though Chairman asked me not to come back without his feedback.
As I kind of stormed out of the living room, one of his security details ran after me…! Obediently (not Obidiently) I went back and met the old man. Baba had apparently spoken with Mr. Otudeko previously and so it was merely a courteous formality more or less for me to have waited for his feedback.
Uncharacteristically, Baba pulled me aside and apologized for standing me up. He humored me by complimenting my “designer suit” and my “professorial bow tie”. He then invited me to come back after our event.
I did.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
–Oparah is Vice President of Corporate Communication and CSR for Airtel Africa
