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| By Olumide T. Agunbiade |Online Editor |
I
checked my watch for the umpteenth time as our Honda finally eased its way out
of the chaotic Lagos traffic on to the expressway en route Ibadan. As planned,
a man named Daniel came to pick me up the next day. Daniel was hired by Jibola
Akinyemi to drive me to Ibadan.
I
became perturbed when I began noticing road blocks at every 300 metres, but I
breathed a sigh of relief as Daniel--who was very friendly—assured me that it
was just the Nigerian Police mounting the blocks as checkpoints for security
purposes.
My
ease began to give way, however, when we arrived at a checkpoint along
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and the persons at the checkpoint—comprising of men of
the Nigerian Police—commanded us to disembark from our vehicle, which we did.
It
was barely a few minutes past 11am when I checked my watch. The Police Officers
that stopped us engaged in searching the booth, the engine, the car seats and
the pigeon-hole of the Honda, after which they asked for all relevant documents
of the car—drivers’ license, car registration papers, insurance papers,
certificate of road worthiness among others.
I
was relieved that Daniel presented all that they requested; however, they
refused to release us. The driver went into discussion in what seems like
eternity with them, and came back to inform me that they said we would not
leave, until we “settle” them!
I
wondered how much they need for the passage on a major highway of a vehicle
that had successfully passed all the test and tricks of a Police checkpoint and
was not surprised when they demanded for N3, 000.
We
pleaded for N2, 000 which they reluctantly accepted from me before moving to
their next victim. When we were finally on our way, I thought of the obvious infraction
of my civil rights, as well as the criminal implication of their demand on a
major highway.
“Thank you,” said the driver.
“Don’t mention,” I replied.
Two
hours later, we arrived at Ibadan. Ibadan the city at the junction of the
savannah and the forest is the capital city of Oyo state and the third largest
Metropolitan area in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano.
“At Nigerian independence, Ibadan was
the largest and most populous city in the country and the third in Africa after
Cairo and Johannesburg,” Jibola boasted as I was eating lunch at his apartment
in Ibadan.
“Tell me more,” I replied amused at his
knowledge of history.
“Ibadan is located in southwestern
Nigeria, 128km inland northeast of Lagos and 530km southwest of Abuja, the
Federal Capital and is a prominent transit point between the coastal region and
the areas to the north. Ibadan had been the centre of administration of old
Western Region since the days of British colonial rule, and parts of the city’s
ancient protective walls still stand to this day,” concluded Jibola.
“Wow! That was good!” I said with a smile
full of admiration of his wide knowledge of the history of his city.
“One of the clients that you gave my
phone number called me today,’ began Jibola, ‘he said that he is still
interested in the property if the price can be reduced and I promise to call
him after our meeting with the owner.”
“When are we meeting him? Please tell me
about him,” I said.
Jibola
assured me that the homeowner was an unpredictable person whose mood can change.
He narrated how surprised he was when the man popularly known as chief Kasali
insisted he had to invite someone to convince him to lower the asking price
from Lagos.
“Why did you choose me?” I asked.
“I don’t know. My mind preferred you and
am counting on you,” he said while smiling at me.
Few
hours later, we arrived at chief Kasali’s mansion. At the heart of the mansion
is a sophisticated covered courtyard, surrounded by three tiers of classical
arches resting on marble pillars. If his property at Ikoyi was a mini-paradise,
then his home is a PARADISE. From
the main security gate of the mansion to the main house requires a three
minutes drive through a well paved road and an exceptional landscape.
The
patterned Moorish tiles underfoot and central fountain provide cool relief from
the heat of the city, as do the enormous wicker crinoline chairs in the garden.
In the sitting room, sultry dark greys and modern designer pieces (plus the
hi-techery of iMacs and Loewe TVs) contrast well with the grandeur of
architecture. I couldn’t get enough of the ambience—luxury, first class
quality, longevity and heritage!
“Welcome, please have your seat. Chief
will be with you in a few minutes,” said chief’s Personal Assistant who was
holding six mobile phones. Few minutes became an hour, then two and three
hours!
“Gentlemen, sorry for the delay, chief
is ready to see you,” says Bola, the P.A, as he ushered us into the main
sitting room of the beautiful mansion.
Chief Kasali turned out to be a very friendly man.
He welcomed us warmly and apologized for the delay. He even insisted that we
should have dinner with him before commencing with our discussion. Later in the
evening, we sat in the garden of his luxury mansion and discussed over several
bottles of wine.
“What can we do to attract my asking
price?” began chief Kasali while sipping Hennessey from a glass cup.
“Sir, you can convert it to two or more
flats by reducing the number of bedrooms to 3-4 bedrooms,” I replied quietly.
“I thought that the price of mansions in
Ikoyi should have attracted more!” bellowed chief Kasali.
“Sir, the current price of luxury flats
in Ikoyi ranges between N5—N18million per annum and a similar mansion in
Bourdillon is between N15—N18million per annum,” I replied while Jibola nodded
in agreement.
“Ajibola, what is the current offer that
you have received?” asked chief Kasali.
“N25 million Sir!” replied Jibola.
“Olu, do you really think that my
property cannot attract a better offer than that?” asked chief Kasali.
I
knew this was the most important question. The answer to this question will
make or mar the entire discussion. I was calm and confident enough to even
stare briefly at Jibola who was visibly uncomfortable.
“Sir, your property is worth the asking
price. I would be lying if I say it did not. However, the current economic
recession has affected the property market which makes the current offer
received by your agent very reasonable,” I concluded.
The
meeting eventually ended well. Chief Kasali is either a very good politician,
or a warm and jovial person with no pretensions about him. He promised to think
about our discussion over the night.
Few
hours later, Jibola and I sat under the moonlight that shone brightly that
memorable night in Ibadan and got to know a lot about each other. Later that
night, chief Kasali called him to accept the offer and we both breathed a sigh
of relief. I returned to Lagos the next day with the memories of my experience
on my mind and a guaranteed five per cent of the deal in the bank.
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