hello there.: I like to dress gracefully

Meeting Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas for the first time was like confronting a character from a story book. Though many have read about him, not many people have had the privilege of a close encounter with him. Although he refrained from discussing politics when he was approached for an interview, the first question still took him by surprise. He was asked to talk about his childhood. He obliged.

“I grew up as a privileged child,” he begins, as he set about unveiling an interesting background. “I never had any difficult moments and I had a parentage with a pedigree that dated back many centuries. When I was born, my parents gave me everything but they died when I was 10 years old. After their death, my older brothers took charge of our education. It was a lucky family that consisted of doctors, engineers and many successful people.

“I attended the Baptist high school here in Abeokuta. Most of us who attended Baptist High School grew up with high moral values and discipline. I studied Botany and Zoology at the University of Lagos. It is a wonderful institution and we mixed freely and there was no cultism, incidents of sexual harassment or cheating. It was a very neat society and we had an upbringing that still has an impact on our behaviour today.”

Though from a privileged background, Graham-Douglas was quick to note that his family name did not necessarily open doors.

“My family name did not pave way for me. In our days, companies employed students as they were writing their final exams and I had a lot of offers which all came with official cars, houses and servants. It was difficult to choose in those days but I eventually settled for a job in the oil industry.

“I rose very fast in the oil industry because I underwent several professional courses abroad. In a few years, I became the first Nigerian administration manager of the Nigerian Petroleum Refinery Company in Port Harcourt.”

In later life, he served as a federal minister in four different ministries including Sports, Aviation, Labour and Productivity and Culture. But in the midst of these, he recorded a major low point in his life.

He would not forget in a jiffy, the deaths of his four siblings. He painfully reminisces: “The most traumatic period of my life was when I lost four of my brothers in quick succession within a short period of time.

“After the death of my parents, they became the only parents I knew. One of them, Napo Graham-Douglas, who was the first indigenous Attorney-General of the Federation, was ill and I took him to London for treatment. He was convalescing in the hospital when I left him on a Thursday and flew back to Nigeria. I needed to arrange for funds from Nigeria for the payment of our new house in Portland place, London. On Sunday I went to church and as I came back, I got a phone call from the Nigerian High Commission in the UK. They informed me that my elder brother collapsed and died that Sunday morning. I suffered from shock for a long time after that. From that moment, I could not think, I was moving on the road and was crying. As old as I am now, I still weep when I remember the incident.”

If he thought that was all, he got another shock 18 months after the first death.

Recalling another death among his siblings, Douglas says, “Then, my brother, who was a surgeon, also died. Four years after that, another one, a chief judge, also died. Nine years later, another one died.”

Quite a traumatic time for him, he says he is lucky to still retain sanity. “I am lucky I did not develop mental issues.”

“I had to see a psychiatrist in London who slapped me. While I was talking to him, he kept slapping me. He told me that I was living in a fantasy world. He said I needed to face the reality that my brothers were dead and gone forever. After the series of slaps, I broke down and cried, then got over my grief.”

Graham-Douglas would, however, regard himself as a man, especially blessed by God, as he has also escaped death a few times. Recalling a few major instances, he says, “When the old air force base in Port Harcourt was under construction, our plane overran the runway when it was about to land. We were lucky that it did not explode. Another time, the pilot of an airbus I boarded, miscalculated the dropping point while trying to land due to heavy downpour and power failure. He crash landed in the swamp and all the engines of the airbus went off. God helped us and the plane did not explode because of the ambience. Apart from the accidents, I have also narrowly escaped death by road.

“One day, the car I was in skidded off a bridge and plunged into the river. I swam out. They also brought out the driver alive. These things have increased my faith and I believe that God has a purpose for me. This is why I feel that I should continue to live an honest and truthful life,’’ he says.

On the other hand, the high point of his life involves an amusing account of his experience and perspective on politics. He says, “The high points have been going into politics and seeing intrigues, manipulations, people plotting to kill the opponent and other things at play. The game is very interesting but I contested the presidency because I felt the nation was impervious to the injustice meted to southern minorities.”

On a lighter, more romantic note, Graham Douglas is blessed with a very beautiful wife. Recalling their first meeting, the 74-year-old says. “I met my wife in the church. I was attracted to her because she is a very religious girl. When we started dating, I found her to be a very good cook. She is an Ijaw woman but she grew up in Lagos and she speaks Yoruba fluently.”

On his fashion and style sense, the man, who said he pioneered the Niger Delta style of dressing popularly called ‘Resource control,’ says, “I am a very cultural being. I come from a family of people who are very cultural. We like to dress in our indigenous costumes. I feel that our woko is very graceful. Worn with the cap and accessorised with the walking stick, the style makes the wearer stand out and get noticed in a crowd.”

His favourite fashion accessory happens to be wristwatches. He also uses studs as his dress buttons. “I get precious and exclusive stones and diamonds for the studs. They are specially made by my jeweller.”