Business woman, Apostle Folorunso Alakija, has narrated how she got into the oil business, contrary to what people believed.
According to her, she has heard over the years another story of how she got into the business. She said people thought she got the access because was making blouses for the wife of the former president, Mrs Babangida.
She spoke in an interview on Thursday, narrating a different story. She also stated that Mrs Babangida only helped her to mentor a meeting with the Petroleum minister at that time.
Apostle Alakija said her journey started on a plane when she got introduced into the business by a friend.
”We got back to Nigeria and she came knocking at my door, gave me some documents. She had some clients that were looking to lift crude oil form Nigeria and she wondered whether I might be able to speak to some of my clients, one of whom is the late Mrs Babangida.
“I said Okay, I would go and see her and see how she can help. I got there and she (Mrs Babangida) said Okay, I can book an appointment for you to see the Petroleum Minister. I went to see the Petroleum Minister.
“What they (my family friend) wanted was to lift crude and the Petroleum Minister said ‘Listen, the current administration at the time really wanted to move away from that and prefer Nigerians to be more involved in that rather than giving that out to foreigners.”’
”So we parted ways. I said to myself, now that I have an inroad to that place, why don’t I find something I can do. All I wanted was a contract to boost my pocket. I still wanted to carry on doing my fashion, I love it.
“So I went back. I asked Mrs Babangida to help me book another appointment and I went to see the Minister and I told him that I was interested in finding something to do with the NNPC.
“I was given all soughts of different options- catering for those offshore, transporting crude from one location to another, stuffs like that.
“So, I would sit down, write my letter and take it there. Sometimes I had to wait six months to get the appointment. Sometimes four months. I would go back and he would punch holes in what I had come to offer and I would go back, dejected, and I would go and do some more homework and then I would get Mrs Babangida to book another appointment.”
Mrs. Alakija revealed how she was disappointed everywhere she turned because they all rejected the offer. According to her, after she returned, she put a call across to Mrs. Babangida who told her businesses like this take years.
”I came back home and I cried my eyes out. My husband comforted me and I called Mrs Babangida and I said this is what I came back with and she said, well, all she knows is that that kind of thing takes years and we left it at that and I carried on licking my wounds.”
”I decided I was going to go back. So I called Mrs Babangida and I said Please, I would like that you please book me one more appointment and she did. She was kind but that was all that she did concerning this license matter. She kept on getting me those appointments and the rest was what God wanted to do.
“So I went back and I said to the Minister that I really wanted to apply for this. He said okay, you go and do your homework because it is Nigerians that the government of the day wants to encourage now.
“We have had a lot of multinationals over the years. We want to encourage Nigerians. We want our resources and our wealth in our own land rather than have it carted away by foreigners all the time.
“I applied for the license three times and that took three years. The Ministers changed hands twice and it was doing the time of the last one that I eventually got it.”
”I think I was one of the women to get the license and it is very painful when you listen to what people say that ‘oh it’s because she made blouses for Mrs Babangida’, ‘Oh it’s because she was one of them.'”
She also narrated how was shoved aside because of her gender and the inequality she got while pushing through. According to the billionaire, she paid her dues in every aspect.
“How about all the others who got all the license and who weren’t in the oil industry at the time that they got the license? So because they are men, they have two heads? Is it fair on womanhood? Why relegate us to the background? Why say we can’t when we can?
“When all the prerequisites could be ticked, I made all of them available. I had technical partners, I went here and there. I supplied everything. I did my homework. I leant on the job, I went for courses as well, to build me up, to be able to seat in the board room and face others,” she concluded.
