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The FUNKE MOORE Interview
Funke Moore is a popular broadcaster who has made a big name for herself in the broadcast media. She has worked in Radio. She has worked in TV. And she has managed a hugely successful state-owned media empire in Lagos, before she retired a few years ago.
The big news is that Funke Moore is 60. She turned 60 a few days back, and she is celebrating her milestone age. But this bundle of talent does not look that far gone in age.
She has remained blessed with her pencil-slim frame and her youthful look. She is trendy and has been able to maintain her beautiful look. She still keeps her low cut.
How does she feel as she turns 60? What is going through her mind? “I am very, very grateful to God. I thank him for everything I thank him for where I am presently. I thank him for my family, myself, my friends, even professionally, I thank him. I thank him for everything. (Laughs). I am happy.”
“I am in good health. I am okay. I don’t have a lot of money, but that is neither here nor there. I am satisfied. I am contented with everything”.
What are the various changes and phases in her life.? What has been the growth pattern? We got her to tell us about her life in broadcasting.
How did her career start? “Talking about my professional life, I was in broadcasting all my life. I started at a very young age. I started at the age of 20. Immediately I left N.I.J, I started at Lagos Television. Even before then, I had something to do with Journalism. I was at the Daily Times Journalism Training Institute. I was there. I worked with the Evening Times in those days. Later I joined Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation. They own Lagos Television and Radio Lagos (Eko FM). I rose through the ranks. I became General Manager Radio Lagos and also General Manager, Lagos Television”.
“So, its been a beautiful journey. I loved every moment of it. I learnt a lot of it along the way. It was okay. It was good”.
At the time she retired, many people wondered why she chose to retire so early.
She wasn’t 60 yet. Why did she decide to sign out at the time she did?
“Number one, I was very close to retirement. I started at the age of 20. After 35 years in the public service, you have to retire, statutorily, because of age. But before I could get to that point, the Governor, then, Mr, Akinwunmi Ambode redeployed me back to the secretariat. If you were asking me this like 3 to 4 years ago, I would be very bitter, because I left unceremoniously. It affected me then. It did a lot of things to my ego. But after that, I have since let go. You know what they say that Time heals all wounds.”
“After a while, I got out of it. I said to myself: what is the big deal? Yes. He removed me. So? He put me there. He wanted to remove me. And so he removed me. He didn’t post me any where. I was idle for many months. I was loitering in the corridor, in the public service office, no office, no deployment”.
“With the benefit of hindsight, I believe I should just have resigned. But I wanted to finish everything to a logical conclusion. Thinking back, to what end? Why did I want to wait until I retired. They no longer wanted you, so you leave”.
When you now pause and you reflect on things which General Manager has Lagos Television retired the way he would have wanted to retire? The most brilliant of them were removed in one way or the other. Its like a Banana peel. I just pray that the newly appointed General Manager, Mrs. Sola Kosoko, will break that jinx. From the days of Mr. Bisi Lawrence, they have always been removed in one controversial manner or the other. So why did I think I was special? Why don’t I carry my bag and go home to my children.” I was so bitter then, but what for? It is not a big deal. Somebody appointed you, he didn’t want you anymore, so you should just carry your bag and go to your house and see it as an end of an era. And look for something else to do. It was rather childish of me, feeling that my ego was dented. Oh! I was disgraced. What is the disgrace there? Everybody will leave whatever position at one point or the other”.
“Now, I am more matured. Now, I have a better understanding of life. I don’t take too many things seriously. I accept things that I cannot change. I don’t struggle too much any more. I just do my things”.
We also asked her why she doesn’t look 60. “Haa! Thank you very much for that compliment that I don’t look 60. (Laughs). As I got older my perspective of issues changed. I used to take things so seriously that I allow it get to me. Now, I don’t. I don’t know why that is so.”
“I don’t really take anything seriously. I just live one day at a time. And I leave everything to God”.
“Look you don’t have control over anything. All these I want to be this. I want to be that. What do you have control over? Nothing God blesses those he wishes to bless.”
“I just believe that we should just live one day at a time. I just live my life. I am very happy. I choose to be happy.”
“And I am happy. I am very happy that I raised my children, well and other children that I met along the way. I was able to impact positively on them.”
“I am just living my life and I think that is the best way, for us to live our lives.”
“Not to take anything too seriously, not to take ourselves too seriously. What is life?”
“Over the years, I used to like going to parties. I still do. But not as much as I did before. If you are my friend, you are my friend. And if you are not my friend I am not bothered. I don’t keep malice. I am not an Angel.”
“There is no point in keeping malice.”
“But I think I have grown to become a better person. I love everybody. I don’t think everybody loves me, but that is their business. I don’t care what anybody says. I dress the way I like. I don’t dress to impress. In the past, when I was growing up, oh I would not want to leave my house dressed in a certain way. I used to tell my children: you are addressed the way you are dressed. People used to make fun of me. Now, so long as I am decently dressed, I don’t have to dress in a gengen way. I am off to where ever I want to go. I don’t dress to impress anybody”.
“I just do my thing and life has been good. I have learnt to count my blessings, because if you don’t count your blessings, you will not be grateful.”
“There were times, I will sit down and look back and say to myself: I wish I had this. I wish I had that. I don’t do that anymore, because for the little that I have there are millions of other people coming behind me, begging God to have half of the things I have. So, I am grateful. I count my blessings. I have 2 children. I have 4 grandchildren. I have a decent apartment.”
“I have one car. I am listing my blessings. I have contentment. I am okay. And I thank God for giving me that”.
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