The Bola Tinubu that I know from my Mobil experience — by Francis Kolade

I joined Mobil Oil in the year 1987 from Sketch Publishing Company Ibadan as Management Trainee after graduation from The University of Ibadan 1984 and National Youth Service at the news room of NTA Sokoto in 1985. As Management trainee I was saddled with responsibility of acting as the secretary for Mobil’s Foreign Exchange Allocation Committee, the then Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu doubled as the Treasurer of Mobil Oil Nigeria as well as the Treasurer for Foreign Exchange Allocation Committee FEAC while Mr Colins Ur Burns, a European served as the Chairman of FEAC Committee. The FEAC meeting was held first thing in the morning every Monday and gave the opportunity to start working closely with the man Bola Tinubu who l noticed worked smarter than most members in the group. The work of FEAC meeting started every Monday with the Treasurer declaring in the meeting how much Foreign exchange Mobil Oil had to allocate to the various departments to buy things they needed to import for use during the week, Operations and Manufacturing Departments used to get the largest allocation weekly because of the need to buy various additives and machine parts needed for Manufacturing of Lube Oils , Insecticide ,Petroleum Jelly etc. I was always the youngest and most junior person in the meeting that featured employees like Akin Leigh, Toyin Abass, Olu Onakoya , John Akinniyi, Adelufosi, Gbabe, Olabode and others I can not remember their names now but I was able to notice the way BAT analysed issues. He remembered vividly how much had been allocated to each department to date, how much of it had been spent on what and how much was remaining, throwing light on those departments that truly needed Allocation amidst scarce Foreign exchange.

After every FEAC meeting, the Chairman M Collins Or burns looked around to select the best dressed Committee member and the tie of the day, BAT always won the best dressed position because of his love for expensive silk shirts while I always won for the tie of the day.
FEAC meetings only ended formally in the board room but continued informally at the lift lobbies where the senior managers Exchange jokes and since I was just a “small boy ” in their midst they called me “okunrin jeje abijawara” while making jokes. BAT was a workaholic in Mobil, always working till late in the night and like he and his friends will like to say that time “we work hard and play hard.” No wonder he was lover of Fuji music particularly Sikiru Ayinde Barister. He also loved Roy Chicago when highlife music was reigning in the sixties/ seventies. He once admitted in an interview he followed Roy Chicago from a Lagos party to his hometown in Ado Ekiti.
One incident happened in Mobil House in the late eighties when we were still in Bookshop House on Broad Street. The incident showed the human side of BAT. A female employee who was trying to exit the elevator had her leg slipped into the side holes of the elevator and employees struggled to free her, BAT played a significant role to help the female employee back to good health after the leg was amputated. Miss Olutoyi Jinadu our female telephone room coordinator who is blind also talk of the wonderful supports she receives from time to time from BAT when every other employee seemed to have forgotten her.
BAT’s lunch time period in Mobil? I can’t remember if i ever saw him in Mobil canteen but I know he was occasionally going to “Ori yanrin” with top managers like Pius Akinyelure for lunch. To most employees who are now retired, BAT was someone affable, with concern for accuracy who was willing to help others particularly the vulnerables.

• Kolade, PhD is a retired Mobil Staff