•Arc. ADEWALE OLUWAFUNMI BAMKOLE Opens Up
Arc Funmi Bamkole is the President of Lagos Country Club. He assumed office 11 months ago and has settled in nicely with his team. Many see his election as well deserved having put in quite some quality service for the club over 25 years running. Let us tell you more about Arc. Funmi Bamkole. managing director of Holdman & Dot Nig Ltd. He holds a Masters Degree in Architecture from the Obafemi Awolowo University (formally University of Ife, Ile Ife). Before the inception of the company, he has risen to the post of General Manager of Hortico Works Nig. Ltd, a Landscape Construction Company in Lagos where he had supervised projects on behalf of the company for such clients as Mobil, Chevron, Wapco, Nigeria German Chemical Company Ltd. and Nicon Noga Hilton, Abuja among others. He remains a Director in the Company till date.
Holdman & Dot was incorporated in 1996. It is a multidisciplinary outfit consisting of a team of dedicated Architects, Engineers, Landscape Architects, horticulturists and Technicians. Since its inception, the company has been involved in design and construction of Buildings and Landscapes with a client profile consisting of private respectable individuals, Corporate Organizations, State and Federal Ministries with whom the company has always maintained a mutually benefitting working relationship. His other business interest includes being a director in Funland Event Centre and Chairman Board of Directors, Ultimate Micro Finance Bank, Lagos.
Architect Bamkole is married with children and enjoys sports and social activities. He is a member of several Social Clubs and Societies including the Unilag Staff Club, 100 hours Club (past chairman) and Lagos Country Club (passport secretary). He is currently the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Nigeria Squash Players Association of Nigeria.
In addition to sport and social associations, he is also currently the Chairman, Environmental Committee Omole Phase 2 Housing Estate, President Government College Ikorodu Old Student Association and Vice President, Fountain of Hope Society of Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral Ikeja.
Two weeks ago, the team of City People Publisher, DR. SEYE KEHINDE and Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL engaged this brilliant man for close to 2hrs. Here are excerpts.
Tell us a bit about yourself, sir. Where were you born, where were you raised?
Well, I was born some 56 years ago. I was born in Agege, Lagos. We are from Ipaja, so we’re Lagosians. But my dad was the landscape horticulturist for the University of Ife and he was invited then from England, so we moved to Ife at a very young age. I attended Staff School, Ife. I attended Government College, Ikorodu but I finished in International School, Ibadan, so I attended two secondary schools. I proceeded to the University of Ife and then I now attended Obafemi Awolowo University for my Masters in Architecture. And I dare say that I did not work for anybody from the first day I finished school. I started my struggles. I was a very restless soul. I worked with my dad for less than a year before I decided that I wanted to be on my own. I partnered with a friend for about two years and since then, I’ve been on my own. I founded my own company called Holdman & Dot Nig. Ltd. Of course, I’m still an integral part of my Dad’s company, Hortico Works Nig. Ltd. I’m also still an integral part of my mum’s company, Funland. I am the Chairman of Ultimate Microfinance Bank.
What part of your background prepared you for the position you’re holding now, especially your ability to socialize and mix well?
Yes, I mix well. I’m a sportsman. I participate in a lot of sporting activities. I play table tennis, I play tennis, I play squash, I play snooker, I swim, I play badminton. These are of course what propelled me to be Sports Secretary as at the time. You know, sportsmen, we have a special bond. If you go into tennis with somebody and you both come out, both the victor and the vanquished will respect each other. So, sports create that kind of bond and I have cut across. My service record has put me in the position of leadership at various times. Right from even when I was Captain, it’s the captain that leads the team out for events, so I’ve been in the position of leadership for a very long time, even when I was in secondary school, that’s why it didn’t come too difficult for me at this time. When the people know you are transparent and they believe you have some little semblance of integrity, they are very likely to follow you. I have an open-door policy. I don’t lock my door, I don’t keep anybody waiting. If not that we are having an interview now, anyone who wants to see me would’ve been allowed to come in and sit with us and we’ll listen to each other’s conversations. There’s no secret. And that has helped a great deal. That way, people believe you don’t belong to any camp, you don’t belong to any caucus. You’re neutral and unbiased in your decision making. That’s what I think has put me in good stead.
And what are the other principles that you hold dear?
Ah! (Exhales sharply with a smile) I’m a tough person o. I will be frank with you, I’m a man of principle. When you occupy a position of leadership, you’re going to have people who are going to try to influence you to their own way of thinking. That is not abnormal, that’s why you have got to have a listening ear, but as a leader, you yourself must have a sense of purpose, of direction and idea of where you want to go and how you want to get there. So, when you listen to everyone, you combine A, B and C and get a D, that’s how I try to operate. I want to believe I deal with people even-handedly irrespective of who you are. I have no close friends anymore. I’ve told my close friends, as far as I am on this seat, you’re as close to me as my opposition if any. That’s my principle now and luckily for me, my closest friends are very understanding. They know that while we’re still on this seat, I’m going to relate to everybody by the same rules, by the same standards, by the same guidelines. That is how I have been operating and that is why when somebody said it’s a disadvantage, I said no. It can only be a disadvantage if you’re not consistent with that behavior. If you’re consistent with that behaviour, there are certain things that past presidents have had to deal with, they didn’t even bring it to me because they know that if they bring it to me, it won’t fly, which has reduced my headache. And that is satisfying enough to me. I’m very blunt on issues. Like I tell my council, I’m not the kind of president that is only going to take the deciding vote, no, I’m participating in the debate. I’m going to make my case, I’m going argue, if at the end of the day the vote goes against me, I’m going to comply. But that you will not hear me out clearly or that I’m not going to have an opinion on any issue, that will not be me. I don’t cast the only deciding vote, I influence the vote.
I’ve been to the Squash section a few times. I remember a little over two years ago, I was there and I noticed a few people were calling you ‘elder’. You were not even in a native attire then. And I remember thinking, this man is not looking anything like a grandpa, yet they were calling him elder, how did that name come about?
Oh, that’s very interesting because a lot of the club members too don’t know. You know, that’s what you gain from being a militant. It was many years ago, I think Muyiwa Williams was president then. It was at an AGM. The president was going through some protocols and was mentioning past presidents, council members, elders of the club, so I just felt like making a little bit of trouble that day, so I just got up and demanded to know the definition of elder, that who is an elder? Is it somebody who is old in age? Is it somebody who is old as a member? How are we recognizing an elder under our protocol? So, the president picked up his mic and said, see, Banky is complaining about elder, do you want to be an elder? And I said, why not? Then he turned to the AGM, should we make him an elder? And everybody said, yes, and that has been the joke since then. I’m sure I was not even thirty years old then when I was called an elder. So, it was in a lighter mood then that the AGM and entire club gave me the title of elder.
