Wahab Oba, chairman of Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, spoke with OLAIDE ADEKUNLE about himself and what he does on a typical day
Q: How do you start your day?
A: My day starts early, as my wife, who wakes up at 5 a.m., always wakes us—myself and the children, by 5.30 or 6 a.m.
Q: What do you do after that?
A: We pray together, get the children ready for school and because I know I may not have time to spend with them for that day, I make sure I eat with them in the morning.
Q: What time do you set out?
A: It is determined by my appointments. When I don’t have anywhere to go, I engage in indoor exercises and when I have any appointment to keep, I go out around 8.30 or 9 a.m. Because I am the head of my Lagos office, I do one or two things that may need my attention after which I go to NUJ office to do whatever I have to do there.
Q: What makes your day?
A: What makes my day lies in making others happy. I feel fulfilled and happy when I sit back at night and remember how many people I have affected positively because I love putting smile on people’s faces and make them happy. In fact, my hobby is to make people happy.
Q: When is your happiest moment?
A: My happiest moments are when people come to appreciate whatever I have done for them. The day I will never forget in my life was the day Chief Gani Fawehinmi said it publicly how much he appreciated me when he came back from his treatment trip abroad, and for people like Gani, who does not praise anyone to appreciate me, I was very grateful to God.
Q: Any embarrassing moment?
A: I have a lot. I feel embarrassed when people don’t trust me, especially those I expect to be my right-hand men. Do you believe that one has to do some things in their presence, not because it is right, but to be trusted and they still go to my back to say what I don’t do, so I get embarrassed.
Q: Do you relax at all?
A: Yes and no. I hardly have time to relax, so the only time I can say I have for relaxation is when I do my exercises. Apart from that, I don’t have any time; even I find it difficult to read newspapers, so I read them on weekends except when I glance through them in the car on my way to the office.
Q: With your family?
A: Ha, that’s a difficult question to answer because the only time I have for them is on their birthdays, especially my children, they sing it to my ears when it’s a day to the day, then I close early at times and go to mosque with my family, relax there, discuss and gist before going back home.
Q: Your best food and drink?
A: My best food is pounded yam with vegetable soup and fish. My kind of fish is either fresh, fried or roasted and for my drink, nothing satisfies my thirst like water.
Q: Any favourite movie?
A: I don’t have time for it, so I can’t say my favourite. I don’t watch any, even when I pack them on my trip out of Lagos, I may not even touch any till I come back.
Q: If you are to make a wish now, what will it be?
A: The only wish I have ever made in my life is long life and good health. I never prayed to acquire wealth and never wished to be a millionaire, but I have asked God to test me with good money and see how I will spend it because I love catering for the poor, the orphans, widows and destitute. I visit their homes from time to time, so there had never been a time when I had up to N200,000 in my account. I spend my money on those in need. So, I pray to live long in order to do more.
Q: Any place of interest?
A: The only place that interests me is the needy’s homes and that is only when I take my children out to see the other side of the world and to appreciate Almighty Allah for the opportunity they have.
Q: What will you love to be remembered for?
A: I will love to be remembered for helping people and putting smiles on people’s faces. If I don’t do it now, I may not be happy when I die, so I will love it if I can be remembered for affecting people that cross my way on earth positively.
Q: When do you retire back home?
A: I love to manage to get home around 6 or 7 p.m., but it is sometimes later than that.
Q: When do you go to bed?
A: Before I became the NUJ chairman, I made sure I went to bed immediately after 9 p.m. News and I still try to maintain that now. Although it doesn’t work at times, I manage to do so.
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