I never knew I will live up to 70

• Prince BISI OLATILO Reveals His COVID Experience

One of Nigeria’s most accomplished broadcasters and seasoned media guru, Prince Bisi Olatilo, is in a joyous mood at the moment. The very articulate and widely connected chairman of BISCON television will be 70 in the next few days. As you read this, plans are already in top gear to celebrate Prince Bisi Olatilo in several parts of the country.

For those who know a thing or two about this distinguished gentleman, this is not new about him. His friends celebrate him all the time. He has an extremely high network of the high and mighty as his friends. They all love and respect Prince Bisi Olatilo not just because of his accomplishments in the industry, but because of his uncanny ability to cultivate friendships and sustain them for decades running, in some cases. Prince Bisi Olatilo respects his friends and celebrates them all the time. He never takes them for granted. This is possibly one of the reasons why his friends don’t joke with him. And they are all eager to show him love and support when he clocks 70 in the coming days.

Two weeks ago, Prince Bisi Olatilo was honoured by City People with the Media Icon of the Year award. Shortly after he picked up the award, City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) had a brief chat with the media giant and got him to talk about his expectations for his birthday and why this particular is special to him. Enjoy excerpts.

First let me begin by congratulating sir, you on your forthcoming 70th birthday.

Thank you

How do you feel sir, reaching this milestone?

To be honest with you, I know I’m still going to hear more when the day comes, but it’s been encomiums, accolades all over the place from everybody. And they are all basically saying two things; you mean you’re seventy and you are looking the way you are looking? And you have done so well for the industry, and they are so impressed that I still keep rejigging the whole thing because if you don’t do that, you will be left behind. So, that is what we decided to do and I must thank God for this, that I’m looking the way I’m looking, the grace of God, that is what I call it.

So, for the event, there are two events actually, one in Abuja. It’s my friends in Abuja, they all came together and said “ you are a Nigerian figure” a party, a celebration without Abuja? You will have to repeat it, so they have chosen 14th of December, which is a Thursday in Abuja for me at the Sheu Musa Yar’adua center and it was interesting to know that the chairman who actually asked for this position is the Seriki Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayaro.

What’s the story behind it? The first 13 years of my life, growing up, was spent in kano. I was born in Kano, you can even call me a bonafide kano son and he has been very proud, he has been following my trajectory and he is very happy about it. So he said he will be the chairman and I’m hoping that the first lady and the president, who are the first family of the country will also honor me because I have been with them all along and I know that they will also be there to support me.

Sir Kesington Adebutu is like a father to me, there is a memoir that I have written that is a chronicle of my life. How life started for me and the rest of it, he will be the one to present it for me and I know that the grandfathers of the day, Sultana of Sokoto, will be there, Ooni of Ife will be there, and Obi  of Onitsha because he knows my story, so they’ve all decided that yes, they will come and celebrate my birthday but the chief host will be my friend who’s been with me for a very long time Otunba Senator Gbenga Daniel, he is a representative of  Ogun East senatorial district, he’s the Chairman of Navy, he is the one who is going to coordinate all of that. So that is for Abuja. So for Lagos, you know we are having it at 10 degrees, it has been my place for a long time, that’s where it’s going to be.  But what are we doing on the 20th, it is just going to be praise all the way. Pastor Dotun Ojelabi will lead people like Pastor Ighodalo and my father in the Lord Pastor Wole Olaniyi, it will be prayer all the way, we will be having B-jay Sax and of course the young man they call Sugar. They will be the ones to be in charge. But my friends, my Igbo friends, my Hausa friends, they have said, just leave us, you have done well for the country, so they will be the one to celebrate me. So, I’m waiting to be celebrated and I thank God for that but I cannot forget my wife. After God, it is that woman, she has been everywhere. Igbo’s will say “ she has surrounded me”. You remember my Covid story, she snatched me away from death. She was covid negative but I was covid positive yet she was with me for about a month. She took care of me, God will take care of her. She is the champion of the family, I must tell you that. I have goosebumps just listening to you speak so glowingly about your wife. That is what she is. That’s what the whole family thinks about her. She is the one that is going left, right and center, just so we are good.

Your covid story is one that resonates well with every Nigerian. The thoughts and prayers of everyone were with you at that time and people were excited, they were thankful to God when you walked out of the hospital, unscathed, well and alive with us.

What lesson will you say that entire experience taught you?

There is just a minute between life and death. How did I escape it, when those who could actually buy life, if life was buyable with money , could not do it. So what story do I have other than to praise God. I have lost count of how many of them, very rich people, some of them were my close friends, shared the same environment at the hospital and all that, only to be shocked to hear that they have given in. You said one thing that, the whole Nation showed me the kind of love they had for me and I have not quite come to terms with it. I mean, there is a story that Tunde Osinowo told me, Tunde shine, you know, before the real truth came out, there has been all kinds of fake news, that i died actually. It was broadcasted. So, when his wife heard, Honorable Folake Olunloyo, she burst out crying, she now phoned Princess Vicky Hastrup to confirm, they now told her that it is true, they now both started crying. She was busy crying from Nigeria here, so when they now heard it, that I was alive, you would have thought they were my wives, they felt so happy about it, that just shows you that, I mean, is it money we have? But what we give to the public, they appreciate it and that gives  you another way to begin to look at your life, now i cannot do any other job than this my job. Somebody said you bring a lot of happiness and joy to the world and that is why God has kept you, just retain the job, I see all that you are doing, it is not time yet.

One of the things that has always impressed me about you sir, is your network of the high and mighty, you have them at your fingertips but that in itself is not the inspiring thing, the fact that you still stay humble about it, they all love you, you’ve managed this relationships, thousands of relationships, spread across the country, over the years and it is almost difficult, totally impossible to meet with one single person who has a negative thing to say about Bisi Olatilo, how have you been able to do this?

Hearing this from a colleague, I will sleep with my eyes closed tonight. I can understand if it is coming from any other person but from a colleague of mine in this same business, with the way you couched it, may God bless you. You will be bigger than me, you will be older than me, i give you another 50 years in this business.

My story is an inspiration and an aspiration. Inspiration in the fact that for those who want to come behind me, it inspires you and you want to aspire to either get to my level and even surpass my level and this is what I hear all over and everywhere and because of this my 70th that is in the air, people are having an opportunity to actually say more about me. I’m just soaking it in and thanking God for it.

I’m hoping that the younger ones will also learn some lessons.

What should we expect from you sir, now that you can officially be called Baba 70 by your peers, what should we expect?

What I can tell you is this, I think the prayers of my wife and children, God has answered them and what my wife keeps saying to me is that, yes, you have done very well, this is the time to slow down and I will try and see if that is possible. How can I slow down? This is what I have been doing in the last 50 years. Somebody said, if you slow down, it may work negatively but I will try to see how I can balance it.

Is there still one little thing that you still want to achieve, whether personally or career wise?

I have said this and I’m beginning to sound like a broken record in it. How can a Bisi Olatilo who has spent all his life in broadcasting, radio and TV not have a television station or radio station of his own? That’s Biscon TV as Biscon TV not aligned to any television or radio station but anyway I will like to congratulate our former president, President Buhari, he gave me a radio station which will start operating from Port Harcourt very soon. The TV one, they are supposed to have given me but it is still hanging in the air, I don’t know why. Maybe someone is listening, you can make that a special surprise 70th birthday present, I will grab it with both hands, maybe you will be the one to help us blow it out.

Thank you very much sir.

Congratulations once again sir.

But you guys have the most humble person in this business, Seye kehinde, a wonderful person. That guy is loaded with all kinds of talent but you don’t get to see him showing that. As I said, when I was collecting my award, he is humble to a fault. He will almost go down to greet you. I mean, I’m just 70 years old and he is almost 60 years very soon but that is what he does. I’m hoping you guys are picking one or two things from him.

Absolutely sir

Welldone

Thank you, sir.