Babatunde, son of the slain governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Funsho Williams, tells GBENGA ADENIJI the kind of father the late politician was

 Can you give a brief background about yourself?

I am Babatunde Williams and a management consultant by profession. I attended King’s College Lagos for my secondary school education and later proceeded to the United States to study. I am the second son of engineer Funsho Williams.

How would you describe your late father?

Contrary to what he was known for later in life when he entered politics, my father was a very private person. As a civil servant, for many years in Lagos State, he was very dedicated to his job. He was a very quiet man and loving father. He was also very close to his family.

Don’t you think there is a contradiction in describing him as a quiet and private person?

There is no contradiction in it. It all depends on the individual. Having served the state in several capacities, he became very passionate about further development of the state. He was a civil servant before rising to the position of permanent secretary in the ministry of works. He later became a commissioner in the same ministry. Politics for him was a means to an end for him to continue his contributions towards the development of the state, particularly in the area of infrastructure.

Did he discuss with his family when he was entering politics?

He did not necessarily have to do that. Going into politics was something natural for him. Like I said earlier, he was interested in his continued service to the state. That was exactly what spurred him to take that decision.

How often did he visit his children in school?

There was a time he was visiting us in our schools abroad. But as a politician, there was not much time for him to do that later. But he was always talking to us on the telephone every day. He would ensure he know how we were faring with our studies. Each time he had the chance, he visited. For instance, when my brother graduated, he visited despite the fact that he was very busy. He also visited when my sister and I graduated.  He was very interested in the universities his children attended because he also did a graduate programme at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, courtesy of the Lagos State Government.

Our education was something that was much discussed in our house when we were planning for university education.

Since he was very concerned about the universities his children attended, did he also influence their career choice?

Of course, he was interested in the courses we intended to study and he encouraged us in whatever we planned to do. But he neither forced any career on us nor influenced us. He encouraged my sister to study medicine and also encouraged my elder brother to study chemical engineering. He supported me in every way when I decided to study finance.

What was his idea of home training?   

My father hardly talked much. We knew that whenever he was angry, the child who erred would have seen it on his face without being told that he or she was in trouble. The fear of him not uttering a word was enough to scare the erring child. For my father, correcting a child was done through eye contact and occasionally, firm words. We knew better than to repeat that thing he condemned with his firm gaze. He did not spank us or use the cane on any of us at any time. He would just be firm in his look and the message would sink. That was my father’s own way of training and discipline.

Did he have any special meal?                                         

I remember correctly that my father ate eba with efo riro everyday. Sometimes, he would rotate efo riro with egusi soup to eat the eba.

What type of drink did he often take after the meal?

He had no special preference for any kind of drink but he never drank alcohol. He liked drinking water after every meal. I cannot remember seeing him taking anything apart from water.

How sociable was he?

Being a government official for many years, he was invited to a lot of functions and he always created time to attend them. He could be invited by fellow commissioners, family or friends.

What was his favourite sport?

He was into tracks and field during his younger days. I believe he held a record at St. Gregory’s College, Lagos. My father also loved football, tennis and basketball.

Did he have any form of dressing?

I would not say he had a particular dress style because when he was in the civil service, he was always dressed in suits. But when he entered politics, he started wearing native attire.

What values did you learn from him? 

Being a very special father, his children learnt many values from him. But most importantly, I learnt to be patient in everything I do. He taught us that there is time for everything in life. He also taught us to be diligent in whatever we do. Besides, we learnt from him that we should be honest in dealing with people. He was particular that we should constantly have it in mind that there is no short-cut in life; hence we must do anything we do well without leaving room for mediocrity. These are some of the values I learnt from him.

Did he create time to take his children out when they were young?

The idea of taking us out did not happen quite often but my father ensured that we had private moments together. In those private moments, we necessarily did not have to go out or do anything. All we did was to spend time together as a family.

How did he spend his day whenever he was indoors?

Each time he was at home, he would be busy working on files which he brought home from the office. He always continued his office work at home. I remember him working on files most times he was indoors. I must say that really helped us too as children because such habit prepared us well to be dedicated to any duty we are given to do. I recall that when we were younger, he used to crack jokes with us sometimes whenever he was at home. If he was in such a good mood, he would tell jokes.

With his children schooling abroad, did he put emphasis on African values?

He was quite firm about our imbibing African values. Of course, he did ensure we learnt core African values because he was born and raised in Lagos. My father absorbed many values which he also impacted in us just like my mother. For us, those values formed part of our early childhood. They are still assisting us till today.

You were in Nigeria when he was murdered in 2006. Can you recall what happened?

I was with him a few days before his death. I had just returned from the US that night and I went to his house straight from the airport. We talked and after our conversation, I went to my house. It was two days after that the incident happened. After the shock and disbelief of facing the reality that he was dead, I found time to sit down and thought of so many things. I still feel lonely about his death and miss him because it is not like an event that will one day fade away. It is always a mixture of the different dimensions.

Did his death leave you with any lesson?

Definitely, there are many lessons to learn from it. But I will keep the lessons to myself.

In what ways have you benefitted from your father’s success and popularity in the society?

My father’s name has greatly helped me in many ways. In his lifetime, my father touched many lives more than I ever knew about. He was not just a man known by the political class or the upper class in the society. My father was someone that was known and loved by all classes of people regardless of their religious or ethnic background. From time to time, I come across people who tell me stories about what my father that I did not even know of. A lot of the stories they tell me are very touching ones.

They are quite interesting because they border on how my father positively touched their lives individually, including what he did for their families. I hear these stories quite often and I think it is the greatest honour any child that has a great man like my father can have.

These are the kind of stories that make any individual feel proud. They also come as examples which one should emulate in order to positively impact on the society.

Would you have wished he never entered politics?

I could not have wished he did not go into politics. Like I said earlier, politics for him was a natural progression. It was a means to an end for him and not an end in itself. The passion to continue public service was the driving force for him. After serving as commissioner, he felt the only way to realise his desire to further develop the state and touch the lives of Lagosians was through politics. He left a good name and legacy for us.

7 things you didn’t know about my father

-He was an athlete in school.

-He ate eba with efo riro every day.

-He wore suits throughout his civil service career.

-He never beat any of his children.

-He loved soul music.

-He had passion for the arts.

-He never drank alcohol.