It was an evening of frank national talks and political exposes at one of Lagos numerous relaxation centres, where All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Niran Moyosola Oladunni take friends through the intricacies of Nigeria politics just as he pinpoints the kernel of Nigeria’s lingering developmental stunt, reports GBOYEGA ADEOYE
The environment dons a corporate toga. High rise and sundry architectural masterpieces housing banks and other high flying business concerns dominate Oba Akran Road in the heart of Ikeja, the capital city of Lagos State. But at the threshold of the road is an array of banks which gives away the road as the choice of financial institutions as well as other corporate businesses. Save the two filling stations that dotted the road, one not far from the threshold and the other at its tail end, Oba Akran Road in Ikeja is known to be a nest of multinational companies like Longman Publishers, Guinness, Dunlop, Textile and other manufacturing companies and financial institutions.
But even as corporate business seems to have choked the street to the brim, equally corporate Lagosians have created a way of having fun and socialize around the busy road. Welcome to “Intro Launch”, a high profile joint located right beside the premises of one of Nigeria’s big names in banking.
The atmosphere is serene. The entrance is free of the normal human traffic that characterizes many Lagos joints. Save the chef that ditches out barbecue goat meat at the entrance, there is no trace to betray the zone as a relaxation center.
Good music, yet you strain your ears to hear, perfect security yet almost invincible, Intro Launch distinguishes itself as a home for the corporate and the easy goers in Lagos. This is a place where the Chief Executives of companies, the egg heads and the visionaries chose to seat in circles, by affiliations, to unwind after the day’s work.
Dateline was Friday, 19th September, 2014. Spotting a white T-Shirt and jeans with sneakers to match is Niran Moyosola Oladunni, an APC gubernatorial aspirant in the last Ondo State governorship contest. Oladunni is the CEO of I-Cube Nigeria Limited, the concessionaire that handles the toll gate at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMA) in Lagos and he is still consulting to have a second trial to occupy the Ondo State Government House, come 2016.
Sandwiched by three friends who gaped at him with a kind of bewilderment you see in the face of a child who suddenly discovered a wasp that has just stung him, Niran mutter out almost impeccable solutions to the myriad of problems besetting the nation today. From politics to sport and entertainment, the Akoko born politician who seems to be in his late 40s, took his audience through the lapses of some early politicians and the military which has brought us to the sorry state the nation now found itself.
“We are a people without past. We have forgotten our glorious past as handed down to us by our founding fathers. Today the education sector is in shambles. And unfortunately, when a nation failed in getting the education sector moving, there is bound to be substantial developmental lull. We missed it the moment we could not sustain the old primary school order where discipline, hygiene and academic work went hand in hand and with serious commitment and dedication on the parts of teachers and the students respectively. That is where you learn to cut your nails, birth early in the morning and ensure punctuality. This is followed with dogged monitoring by teachers and you can be assured that same standard is maintained across board with utmost dedication.”
Niran bemoans the lingering societal decadence and youths’ gradual sink into the abyss of emptiness and academic nonchalance. He attributes the inability of some governors, particularly in the south west, to key into the legacies left behind by Late Pa Obafemi Awolowo to lack of commitment, vision as well as administrative incompetence. “It is difficult for a person who is not an administrator to be a governor and govern well.” An administrator, according to him, is a person who has once held a position of authority before becoming governor, a person who will not lose sleep in connecting with the masses, “because he sees himself as part of them and as such always identify with them.”
From politics to sports and from sports to entertainment, Niran displayed a rare talent and mastery of the society. He convinced everybody under his voice that he would make a good leader if he could be given a chance to prove his mettle. With a very soft voice laced with humility but so rich in humour and confidence, Niran convinced his audience that all hope is not yet lost for the country to be revived and put back on track. As he speaks, the asun (roasted goat meat) served his audience lost steam and went cold while the chilled beer and soft drinks on table suffered attention.
Time out! Niran who seems to have noticed the coldness on his table, compared to others where talks were going on, yet with activities, eating and clicking of glasses, disengaged and beckoned at a waiter in a white and black uniform to change the drinks and also replace the asun order.
Merry began with light reactions and comments on the day’s epistle according to Moyosola Niran Oladunni, MNO, as he is being fondly called by friends, political followers and other admirers.
From one table to the other, it was one interesting topic that engages all or leaving one to deliver the talk while others listen with rapt attention.
When Niran was asked to comment on why he chose a place like Intro Launch to “hang out,” his tacit answer is “this is a quiet place where you see people of high moral standard and discipline, converge to unwind after a hectic day’s work. We relax here to ease off the hustle and bustle of Lagos. For me, I come here once or twice in a week and I do come early so that I can also leave early to go and relax with my family.
Bunmi Akomolede, another guest at the joint has these to say: “Lagos is a place where you need to plan your time because there is always something to do. If you are not careful and you allow life to go without proper planning, you are likely to misplace priorities and get things muddled up. After work, relax. And in trying to relax, it is pertinent to look for a place where like minds and decent people patronize. I found one in Intro Launch; one, because it is accessible, it is open and to a very considerable extent, lively.
As the hands of the clock ticks away and the day grew older, patronage at the joint swells. In batches, fun seekers troops in as others call it a day as they move towards their cars and zoomed off into the night.
Others who close late to fellowship with few bottles of beer and asun, to ward off tension as they prepare for an envisaged hectic driving back home, do so religiously. These set of people hardly talk. They sit down quietly, order for beer and drink solemnly, oftentimes not interacting with any of their companion on table.
Wale Aregbesola, CEO of Reliable Travel and Tours in Opebi, Ikeja, who was also at the joint that evening had a different reason for patronizing Intro Launch.” I am over 50 years old and I will only be deceiving myself if I say I can absorb the rigours Lagos entails. I have my office in Opebi and the traffic there is much towards the evening. I have no closing time, so on days when I realize I have closed at a time the traffic towards my route would be tough, I chose to come here and relax over a bottle of wine till around 10:30pm when I know the traffic would have calm down,” he said.
Different strokes for different folks. But for whatever reason these fun seekers found themselves in Intro Launch, it has been fun and a time well spent to keep life moving in Lagos where stress and struggle combine to form a way of life.
