A man of Integrity.. A man of honour

It was a Saturday afternoon in 2015.

I was very livid.

These were the early days of Friska. We were just a Moringa farm and it was our third harvest. We still hadnt figured out how to monetize it. I couldn’t even call it a business. At best an expensive hubby that was drilling a hole in my pocket and messing with my mental health.

I was having issues with one of the workers. I wanted to fire him but my mother had refused. That’s one of the draw backs of setting up a business in your village and having your mother oversee it.

Me: “Mama, I no send wetin anybody go talk. That man no fit work for me again. If you no agree then I go leave everything for you. Make you take am. I dash you”

Mama: Wetin dey worry you? Na me you dey follow talk? You dey even shout? You no go collect work for him hand and when month end you must send money unless no be me born you!

She was screaming at the top of her voice. We were matching each others energy. My father heard and collected the phone from her.

Baba: Shehu…

Me: Sir.. I recognized his voice and immediately calmed down

Even crase man sef get him bus stop…

I waited for him to give me the tongue lashing of my life. My father was a no-nonsense man and we all feared him. He was the one person (Apart from my very difficult boss at that time) that I couldn’t talk back to.

But surprisingly, for the first time in my life, he disappointed me

Baba: His voice was gentle.. Shehu Calm down. I don’t want you to be arguing with your mother. You are a muslim. Paradise lies at the feet of your mother.

Me: Still shocked at his calm countenance and afraid of the lashing that might still be coming ahead… . But Baba… the workers are just collecting money and I am not making anything. E just be like say I dey waste money and Mama no want understand.

Baba: I know… but this is not the time for you to make money. Just be patient. As long as you keep at it, it will be successful eventually and when it will be successful, I will not be here

Me: Baba I get you but I want to find a way to…

He didn’t allow me to finish..

Baba: I say don’t worry. Just let your mind be at rest. When it will be successful, I will not be here.

Me: Okay Baba. I will not argue with Mama again

He ended the call after praying for me. He did not allow us to continue with the conversation

That was my last conversation with my father. He passed on 2 weeks later. Today makes it 7 years since he passed on. It still hurts but the memories of his last words keeps us going at Friska.

My dad was a retired military officer. He was drafted as a store man during the civil war and he saw his fair share of battle. He went on to build a career in the military and retired as a major in the Ordinance corp. His last unit was CODY (Central Ordinance Depot Yaba) very close to our corporate office. I still feel some kind of nostalgia when I see the gates.

My dad was not a friendly person. Growing up now I can understand. There were 10 of us and I was the youngest. There was never enough money and we had to make do with what we had. Top on his priority was education – after that you were on your own.

He was blunt, Very straight to the point and honest to a fault. He was very particular about integrity. He was always ready to go the extra mile to people. Once he was your friend, he was loyal but will never fail to tell you the truth to your face.

When he left the village at the age of 14 to seek for greener pastures in Lagos, his dream was to make money, come back to the village and set up something that will create value and employment for his people. But as he grew older with more responsibilities, he found himself stuck and unable to bring it to reality … well up until when I casually presented the idea of setting up a farm in the village to him. That was probably one of the few times that I can remember my father being REALLY excited. Truth be told, I had no intention of following through when I asked him. I only did so out of curiosity. But 1 week after our first conversation, he called me to say that he has spoken to elders in the village and the land committee were meeting to discuss my land request. At this point there was no going back. He practically pushed me to get the land and set up farm.

I remember siblings warning me about going to do business in the village. One of my siblings even warned me.

People dey run from village, you dey go village.

But my dad would have none of it.

My son, your life is not in any human beings hands. The person that wants to kill you will also die one day. Nobody can kill you in your own land. He was fearless. I take after him.

He saw the vision even before I saw the business and he pushed me. It was his own way of living his dream and I was happy to help him actualize it.

Today, Friska has grown bigger. I am doing it full time. We have 79 workers and our products are on shelves across Nigeria. We are still growing…not there yet but I am sure that my father will be proud. I wish he had seen our first product. Diabetes was one of the causes of his death. Everytime I get a testimonial that a patient sees result from our anti diabetic tea, I remember him. I am happy that our product can help but also pained that the product didn't come when he needed it.

Rest in peace Baba. A man of Integrity and Man of honor