F R O M T H E H O N O R A R Y S E C R E TA R Y
Blessed Generation THE TRUSTEES • Mr R.L. Kramer • Mr Alaba Okupe • Engr Akin Laguda GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS OFFICE BEARERS • Chairman – Mr Richard Giwa-Osagie • Vice Chairman – Mr Babatunde Akinleye • Honorary Secretary – Otunba Abiodun Olufowobi • Honorary Treasurer – Mr Oludayo Olusanya • Golf Captain – Mr Ebiyemi Pinnick Other Members Chairmen of Sections • TennisMr Billy Joe Ekwunife • Swimming – Mr Freeborn Okunowo Erherede • Squash – Arc Sanya Akindele • Table Tennis – Mr Tony Owolabi • Billiards, Snooker & Pool – Mr Adediran Benson • Badminton – Reginald Ezebube Udeagbala • Other Sports – Mrs Ify Onukwuba • Entertainment – Mr Olatunji Okesola • Premises Adviser – Engr Sunmade Agbe-Davies • Bar Adviser – Adeniyi Adesegun Sowemimo • Catering Adviser – Olabimpe Esho Publications Sub Committee Chairman: Otunba Abiodun Olufowobi Members: Segun Afadama, Lanre Idowu, Ted Iwere, Taiwo Obileye, Tony Onyima Editorial Consultancy, Design and Production: Harpostrophe Limited, 2 Anifowoshe Close, Surulere NG101211, Tel: +2348023130829, 08186935900 email: info@harpostrophe.com. Printed in Nigeria by Printpro Projects Limited, 2 Anifowoshe Close, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria NG101211. Tel: +2348120168147
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he Rules of Ikoyi Club 1938 defines a juninflict any form of CP may attract a warning letter ior member as a person between the ages from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (intervention of 12 and 25 whose parents are members with Human Right to dignity, liberty and security of the club. However, a person, nay, a junof person and freedom from torture, and inhuman ior member, may elect to join the full membership or degrading treatment or punishment etc). We (ordinary member) of the club from the age of 25 can “stroll” from Ikeja to Lagos Island; they cannot years if all other requisite conditions for membereven cross the road and the driver has to take them ship are met. “around the corner.” We eat from the fringe of the At every Membership interview, I see intimidatplate and only take meat when we are full; they feed ing resumes of these multi-competencies – (“ma from the centre of the plate and start off their meal people-will-talk-to-your-people”) generation of with a mouthful of assorted meat. We started enjoying life at maturity by drinking beers; they start by junior members and I am convinced that: Nigerians quaffing crystal champagne attended by are intellectually endowed; Nigerians caviar. The few lucky ones amongst us love and covet high quality education; the future of the country is secured if its Welcome started driving with a Volkswagen Beetle; manpower can be efficiently harnessed; to the their first cars are from the Honda “end discussion” to an AMG equipped with our leaders (or rulers) spend a significant world of of “run flat” tires and other aviation-like proportion of their “soft-earned” wealth our youth. gadgets. Most importantly, my first day at on the education of their children in Ivy We are of Ikoyi Club was as an adult guest whereas leagues around the world. a different the club had been an extension of their This cadre of Ikoyi Club 1938 membership parades a kaleidoscope of intimigeneration home from the cradle. dating classroom-earned qualifications Welcome to the world of our youth. and disposiat very tender ages and I am confident We are of a different generation and distion but we position but we share the same heritage. that the Club leadership and Nigeria share the We pray that they become more successful will not be in want of worthy heirs, gosame her- than we are and though the elders say that ing forward and in their lingo, it’s “No itage. We even as the child may have more clothes, shaking” for the Club and Nigeria. In the pray that he has fewer threadbare ones than the world of work, it is also gratifying to note they become that in corporate leadership, particularly elder; but if you ask me, of what moment in Telecommunications, Banking and more suc- is a collection threadbare clothes to a Finance and the Energy sectors, top spots cessful than wardrobe of Balenciaga, Armani, Gianni are gradually and steadily being yielded we are. Versace et.al ? Pardon my indiscretion. to this category. These are our Children. However, like it or not, the young They are our Youth. They are a Blessed must become old and the old will become young. History is replete with what Generation. Really, even if we excused our elders born before changes the youth have occasioned. For instance, Nigeria’s independence, taken from those born the celebrated Martin Luther King lived for just from 1960, we are of a different and distinguishable 39 years. He became an icon for civil rights, was the generation and the divide is evident and sharp. We youngest Time magazine Man of the Year, and won the had Lactogen; they have Gerber. We had rusty stag1964 Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35. nated water that we shared with cows but they have In Ikoyi Club 1938, we celebrate and indulge a multi-swimming pool section and the home pool our youth within the Rules of the Club becausethe to play with. We had the wardrobe type black and youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow and, like white TV (that takes forever to come on) that we it or not, it is unto their hands we shall commit the watched from the window of our fathers’ parlours; future of the Club. I salute this category of members they have multi-system LCD flat screen TV in every as we devote this issue to them. room of the house. We had school boxes made of Please enjoy and treasure it. disused tin plates; they have fanciful backpacks. We Otunba Abiodun Olufowobi never had suya; they eat it at will. We had groundnut (PABIEKUN) and gari; they have nutrient-filled sandwiches. We editor-in-chief/Honorary Secretary, had four figure table; they have electronic scientific Ikoyi Club 1938 calculators/iPods/iPads/iPhones/BBs’. We cut grass; pabiekun@yahoo.com. Mob: 08060934000 they watch the mower cut the grass. We were fagged and received corporal punishment; any attempt to