We would like to know what this your new
project is all about?
Aquatic Jungle is an idea that was born few years ago when I took my family on holiday abroad. We went to Disney World, Sea World and the likes of them. I actually noticed that they were quite a few number of African families that were there.
Also over the years with my experience on air, I also noticed that whenever we get to some of our national airports, I see some kids that come on excursions.
But painfully, they are not allowed to come inside the airport to see what a plane looks like. These kids must have paid a lot of money, ranging from one thousand to two thousand or even more. I used to feel pity for the little kids, who must have gotten so excited about being in an airport, yet they can’t even come into a functional plane, they just stand and look.
So I said to myself, why can’t we have a Disney World or a Sea World or stuffs like that in Nigeria.
In Africa it is only one country that comes close. That is South Africa. They have their own Disney World but in a small scale. They don’t have an Aquarian where you will be exposed to lots of sea mammals.
If we can have that in Nigeria, that would be very great achievement because how many families could afford vacations abroad or even South Africa. We could also be a centre for tourist attraction. Even as at the time I went with my kids, I knew the stress it took us getting a Visa. We had to wake up as early as 4.00am to head to the American Embassy. Beat the long queue and other protocols just to arrange a trip for my kids.
I don’t need it because I have toured round the world. But what about millions of other Nigerians that can’t even afford a flight ticket to Abuja, not to mention flying abroad.
I decided that the time has come for me to put my money where my mouth can feed. So I thought of having a one-stop entertainment centre that encompasses everything you want in entertainment. We went ahead and bought one hundred acres of land.
We have been able to develop one and half acres for now. So you see, we haven’t even started. We also decided to start with a mini airport. Because that’s my background. Generally everybody is excited about airplanes especially the kids.
Luckily for me, it was at that time that the government decided to do away with crap airplanes. So it was a lot easier for me to get my hands on working aircrafts.
We plan on having a mini-airport, an out-door aquarium, a zoo, water parks and a five star hostel. It would be a complete entertainment centre.
The whole idea is to bring people from different parts of the world, especially those who are not opportune to travel abroad. People that have issues with visas.
Not all African countries need visa to come to Nigeria. If the federal government know that we are running such a huge project, they will be making it easier for visas to our country.
So how far have you gone with the project?
We just did the dedication. So that the pastors will come, pray and dedicate the place to the hands of God. We will still do the normal launching soonest but for now because of the schools that has been disturbing us, we just had to formally declare the place open.
The airplanes are fully air-conditioned. We have satellite dish, DVD players and lots of other gadgets for schools, companies that would love to use here as their meeting place, presentations, etc.
The inside of the airplane can also serve as a mini cinema hall. Where families can come and see any movie of their choice. Maybe during the holidays or weekends, you can take your families on a trip. We can give you all that only for a small price. We treat you special and also serve you food on board.
This is indeed a huge capital project, how have you been able to raise funds?
We have been able to get funds from one bank; Stanbic IBTC but majority of the funds came from my personal savings. We have promises from some finance houses. They insist that they will come when they see how far we have gone with the project. I have gone to banks but because of the economic meltdown that happened years ago, they are very sceptical about financing huge projects.
When exactly will this project be completed?
It comes in different phases. We are in the first phase out of the four phases. After the mini-airport, comes the indoor and outdoor aquatic, then the zoo which would be well equipped with exotic animals that are not common to us in Nigeria. The fourth phase would be the rollercoaster, which is also so capital intense. The real rollercoaster that would contain between 20 to 50 people.
Why the choice of Badagry for all these beautiful plans?
Badagry has its unique position in Lagos and also has lots of history tied to it. It is supposed to be a tourist attraction on its own. But because of the type of government we have had, they don’t believe that we can actually make money with tourism. But they are lots of other countries, especially the Caribbean, they depend solely on tourism to raise revenues. I might not make the money in a day, so it is a gradual process. It will also create job opportunities for people and lots of fun and excitement for families.
Some Nigerians, go to Benin republic every weekend to cool off from the heat of Lagos. While indigenes from other nearby African countries come to Lagos to have fun because their countries are too boring and quiet for their liking.
People have actually asked me why I didn’t take it to Lekki. But I think Badagry is so quiet and close to the ocean. The serenity is quite perfect for what we are working on. We pray that they will still keep it this way.
Talking about capital, like how much has it gulp?
As at the last check, we have spent over 162 million Naira of personal funds. The 100 acres of land is yet to be fully paid for. We are paying it gradually. The terminal building for the mini-airport has taken 30 million Naira. The airplanes, the equipments and some other things cost lots of money.
Since this is a very huge project, don’t you have plans to partner with international bodies?
Exactly! I have been on that for some years now. I have been to Spain, London, USA to talk to them about partnership. Few of them have been down here to see this place and to be honest, they really loved the environment. But the problem has always been the Nigerian government; instability.
If I had known, the money I used in travelling round the world seeking for funds and support, I would have used it to start up something. If I did, we would have gone past this stage now.
I am still so sure and convinced that they will key into it in the near future, because it is a first of its kind.
You won’t believe that by the airport statistcs, it is only 5 percent of Nigerians that travel. So this will broaden the Nigerian entertainment.
As a trained pilot, what do you think should be done to curtail incessant air crashes?
I think it is funding. The airlines are not well funded and the owners are cutting corners. The second major problem is corruption. The regulators are cutting corners and risking the planes and lives of Nigerians. Until that is properly taken care of, the aviation industry will still be in a mess.
We are sure that your love for entertainment must have triggered this huge project?
Yea of course, I am married to one. My wife is African’s number one actress. I also want to use that avenue to give the Nigerian child fun and excitement. Most of the things that they see on TV would be brought to them live.
They are lots of money bags in this country that could have done this project without much stress but they won’t because it doesn’t involve oil.
We pray and believe that within the next two and half years we would have completed some of the phases of the project. After the advert we did few weeks ago, we got lots of responses.
Veering off from Aquatic Jungle, what is the secret of your 17 year old marriage to Omotola?
I won’t say we have been good because I am a fine boy (laughs), but it is just the grace of God. I am so lucky and also blessed by God to have married my God given partner.
That is a very important thing about marriage, you have to find and marry your God given partner. That is why a lot marriages breakup. Some men marry women because of their hips, their boobs, legs and some other side attractions. But after sex with her so many times, what happens next?
Does she have a good attitude, character or good human relationship with others?
I am not saying we are perfect couple, we have our own differences but we are compatible. We have been married for over 17 years with four beautiful kids.
One thing that has been working for us as a couple is that I always encourage her to be who she wants to be. I give her full support always.
Lots of married women that are caught cheating on their husbands could be traced to the fact that some of their husbands don’t allow them explore their talents. I encourage my wife and kids to be what they want to be.
Most of the influential men and women we have in this world didn’t even go to school. So it is all about exploiting your talents.
Some women love acting but their husbands won’t let them believing that other men would touch or exploit them sexually. It is all about discipline. Those that want to cheat will cheat; it is all about self control.
So when you see your wife kissing on set, you don’t get jealous?
No! Not all. My wife tells me about her acting. Most times she even complains that some actors she acts love scenes with have mouth or body odour that she can’t wait to leave this scene. So I even pity her on what she has to go through and endure being an actress.
This acting thing is just some minute acts and that is it. Will she follow the actor home? Lots of homes have been broken because of too pressure on the wife or even the kids.
How about celebrity marriages?
In Nollywood how many of them in my wife’s age are really married. Just very few of them and yet we still get to hear stories about them. I don’t really know what the problem is. It could be either that they got the wrong spouse, compatibility or maybe they are not humble enough to handle their homes. I don’t live with them, so I can’t really say. Because it has become so rampant.
Are any of your kids taking after their mother?
No! My two boys want to be pilots, and then one of the girls wants to be a fashion designer and the other a journalist. I don’t think they want to act. We are encouraging them to be what they want to be.
For the 17 years that you have been married, what are those special moments you can’t forget in a hurry?
Hmmm! Truly and honestly, I can’t forget the very first day I made love to my wife.
Can you describe your wife in one word?
Yes!
She is my everything.Aquatic Jungle is an idea that was born few years ago when I took my family on holiday abroad. We went to Disney World, Sea World and the likes of them. I actually noticed that they were quite a few number of African families that were there.
Also over the years with my experience on air, I also noticed that whenever we get to some of our national airports, I see some kids that come on excursions.
But painfully, they are not allowed to come inside the airport to see what a plane looks like. These kids must have paid a lot of money, ranging from one thousand to two thousand or even more. I used to feel pity for the little kids, who must have gotten so excited about being in an airport, yet they can’t even come into a functional plane, they just stand and look.
So I said to myself, why can’t we have a Disney World or a Sea World or stuffs like that in Nigeria.
In Africa it is only one country that comes close. That is South Africa. They have their own Disney World but in a small scale. They don’t have an Aquarian where you will be exposed to lots of sea mammals.
If we can have that in Nigeria, that would be very great achievement because how many families could afford vacations abroad or even South Africa. We could also be a centre for tourist attraction. Even as at the time I went with my kids, I knew the stress it took us getting a Visa. We had to wake up as early as 4.00am to head to the American Embassy. Beat the long queue and other protocols just to arrange a trip for my kids.
I don’t need it because I have toured round the world. But what about millions of other Nigerians that can’t even afford a flight ticket to Abuja, not to mention flying abroad.
I decided that the time has come for me to put my money where my mouth can feed. So I thought of having a one-stop entertainment centre that encompasses everything you want in entertainment. We went ahead and bought one hundred acres of land.
We have been able to develop one and half acres for now. So you see, we haven’t even started. We also decided to start with a mini airport. Because that’s my background. Generally everybody is excited about airplanes especially the kids.
Luckily for me, it was at that time that the government decided to do away with crap airplanes. So it was a lot easier for me to get my hands on working aircrafts.
We plan on having a mini-airport, an out-door aquarium, a zoo, water parks and a five star hostel. It would be a complete entertainment centre.
The whole idea is to bring people from different parts of the world, especially those who are not opportune to travel abroad. People that have issues with visas.
Not all African countries need visa to come to Nigeria. If the federal government know that we are running such a huge project, they will be making it easier for visas to our country.
So how far have you gone with the project?
We just did the dedication. So that the pastors will come, pray and dedicate the place to the hands of God. We will still do the normal launching soonest but for now because of the schools that has been disturbing us, we just had to formally declare the place open.
The airplanes are fully air-conditioned. We have satellite dish, DVD players and lots of other gadgets for schools, companies that would love to use here as their meeting place, presentations, etc.
The inside of the airplane can also serve as a mini cinema hall. Where families can come and see any movie of their choice. Maybe during the holidays or weekends, you can take your families on a trip. We can give you all that only for a small price. We treat you special and also serve you food on board.
This is indeed a huge capital project, how have you been able to raise funds?
We have been able to get funds from one bank; Stanbic IBTC but majority of the funds came from my personal savings. We have promises from some finance houses. They insist that they will come when they see how far we have gone with the project. I have gone to banks but because of the economic meltdown that happened years ago, they are very sceptical about financing huge projects.
When exactly will this project be completed?
It comes in different phases. We are in the first phase out of the four phases. After the mini-airport, comes the indoor and outdoor aquatic, then the zoo which would be well equipped with exotic animals that are not common to us in Nigeria. The fourth phase would be the rollercoaster, which is also so capital intense. The real rollercoaster that would contain between 20 to 50 people.
Why the choice of Badagry for all these beautiful plans?
Badagry has its unique position in Lagos and also has lots of history tied to it. It is supposed to be a tourist attraction on its own. But because of the type of government we have had, they don’t believe that we can actually make money with tourism. But they are lots of other countries, especially the Caribbean, they depend solely on tourism to raise revenues. I might not make the money in a day, so it is a gradual process. It will also create job opportunities for people and lots of fun and excitement for families.
Some Nigerians, go to Benin republic every weekend to cool off from the heat of Lagos. While indigenes from other nearby African countries come to Lagos to have fun because their countries are too boring and quiet for their liking.
People have actually asked me why I didn’t take it to Lekki. But I think Badagry is so quiet and close to the ocean. The serenity is quite perfect for what we are working on. We pray that they will still keep it this way.
Talking about capital, like how much has it gulp?
As at the last check, we have spent over 162 million Naira of personal funds. The 100 acres of land is yet to be fully paid for. We are paying it gradually. The terminal building for the mini-airport has taken 30 million Naira. The airplanes, the equipments and some other things cost lots of money.
Since this is a very huge project, don’t you have plans to partner with international bodies?
Exactly! I have been on that for some years now. I have been to Spain, London, USA to talk to them about partnership. Few of them have been down here to see this place and to be honest, they really loved the environment. But the problem has always been the Nigerian government; instability.
If I had known, the money I used in travelling round the world seeking for funds and support, I would have used it to start up something. If I did, we would have gone past this stage now.
I am still so sure and convinced that they will key into it in the near future, because it is a first of its kind.
You won’t believe that by the airport statistcs, it is only 5 percent of Nigerians that travel. So this will broaden the Nigerian entertainment.
As a trained pilot, what do you think should be done to curtail incessant air crashes?
I think it is funding. The airlines are not well funded and the owners are cutting corners. The second major problem is corruption. The regulators are cutting corners and risking the planes and lives of Nigerians. Until that is properly taken care of, the aviation industry will still be in a mess.
We are sure that your love for entertainment must have triggered this huge project?
Yea of course, I am married to one. My wife is African’s number one actress. I also want to use that avenue to give the Nigerian child fun and excitement. Most of the things that they see on TV would be brought to them live.
They are lots of money bags in this country that could have done this project without much stress but they won’t because it doesn’t involve oil.
We pray and believe that within the next two and half years we would have completed some of the phases of the project. After the advert we did few weeks ago, we got lots of responses.
Veering off from Aquatic Jungle, what is the secret of your 17 year old marriage to Omotola?
I won’t say we have been good because I am a fine boy (laughs), but it is just the grace of God. I am so lucky and also blessed by God to have married my God given partner.
That is a very important thing about marriage, you have to find and marry your God given partner. That is why a lot marriages breakup. Some men marry women because of their hips, their boobs, legs and some other side attractions. But after sex with her so many times, what happens next?
Does she have a good attitude, character or good human relationship with others?
I am not saying we are perfect couple, we have our own differences but we are compatible. We have been married for over 17 years with four beautiful kids.
One thing that has been working for us as a couple is that I always encourage her to be who she wants to be. I give her full support always.
Lots of married women that are caught cheating on their husbands could be traced to the fact that some of their husbands don’t allow them explore their talents. I encourage my wife and kids to be what they want to be.
Most of the influential men and women we have in this world didn’t even go to school. So it is all about exploiting your talents.
Some women love acting but their husbands won’t let them believing that other men would touch or exploit them sexually. It is all about discipline. Those that want to cheat will cheat; it is all about self control.
So when you see your wife kissing on set, you don’t get jealous?
No! Not all. My wife tells me about her acting. Most times she even complains that some actors she acts love scenes with have mouth or body odour that she can’t wait to leave this scene. So I even pity her on what she has to go through and endure being an actress.
This acting thing is just some minute acts and that is it. Will she follow the actor home? Lots of homes have been broken because of too pressure on the wife or even the kids.
How about celebrity marriages?
In Nollywood how many of them in my wife’s age are really married. Just very few of them and yet we still get to hear stories about them. I don’t really know what the problem is. It could be either that they got the wrong spouse, compatibility or maybe they are not humble enough to handle their homes. I don’t live with them, so I can’t really say. Because it has become so rampant.
Are any of your kids taking after their mother?
No! My two boys want to be pilots, and then one of the girls wants to be a fashion designer and the other a journalist. I don’t think they want to act. We are encouraging them to be what they want to be.
For the 17 years that you have been married, what are those special moments you can’t forget in a hurry?
Hmmm! Truly and honestly, I can’t forget the very first day I made love to my wife.
Can you describe your wife in one word?
By RITA OKOYE and NUELLA OGADILIM
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