Yemi Sonde is the National President of FIBAN. He is a seasoned radio broadcaster who has had an accomplished career. Since he took over the running of that huge organisation he has moved it forward. Why did he accept to run for FIBAN presidency? How did he become a broadcaster? A few weeks back, he spoke to City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE about his life and career.
How does it feel being the National President of FIBAN which is a large organisation?
To be very honest I never thought I would become the President. I wasn’t looking in that direction. I was just doing my own. By nature I am a very abstract person. I don’t like going the popular way. I like doing things my own way. I don’t compromise professionalism.
Thats my job. The journey started when after sometime, some of our members started putting pressure me that after Ambrose Somide this is the time we need you. I didn’t think much of that. I wasn’t thinking in that direction. Somebody had been there, contesting, campaigning. He even told me he was going for the post of the Presidency, I wished him well because I felt I was busy and anything the Association needed from me I was ready to give. But when the pressure started coming in from all angles, I decided to give it a thought that if a lot of people from different states or different corners, different angles and levels and broadcasters are saying Yemi, we need you now and I tell them I am not ready, it means I am not responsible or I don’t respect them.
It was the voice of the people which in turn is the voice of God.
I sat down and thought about it. Fortunately, I know a lot about the association. I was part of the first 5 people that founded the association. Late Gbenga Adeboye was there, I was the youngest. Alhaji Olalomi Amale was among. Ologbojo who is Niyi Akinboade was there. I was the 4th person. I can’t remember the 5th person. We were 5. I was just fortunate.
The association started about 14 years ago. At the start of the group it wasn’t as if we called ourselves to have a meeting. It was a spontaneous thing, that at this point, we needed an association that will speak for us, and speak volume about our vision and mission and who we are, brand essence and all that.
So, I was just fortunate to be part of the 5 people and when we had that meeting to start the association I had been the 1st Chairman of the Association in Oyo State, two terms for 7 years. The very first 18 seater bus the association got was part of my achievement then and we held a lot of workshops and seminars. I believe in workshops a lot. I believe in training. So after the 7 years I decided to rest and face my work and someone else should go. Thats in Oyo State. So, I withdrew from active participation but I do my own underground. I faced my job, I faced my company.
I did a lot of rebranding for my company. My company was suffering while I was doing the 7 years tenureship. Now that this was over I needed to do a lot of rebranding and repositioning. That made me not to be too loud at the association level. But I do what I do underneath.
So after Amrose Somide, there was pressure, and I said okay. Of course from my knowledge of the association, I felt I should know the next needs of the association or the next direction that we should go.
During the time of Ambrose Somide, I was part and parcel underground of his administration because he is a brother. He will always tell me what he had to do. And I will give him my little advice. So, I was already in the know of the next need and the next direction the association should go. So, I xxx to pressure and I decided to run.
What were your campaign points?
I had just 4 cardinal points the 4 major ones were in my manifestor. It made me feel good. It made me feel challenged. Its a call to duty. Right now there are so many eyes are on me. Will he succeed? Will he not succeed? This is because Yemi Sonde is a name that will elicit attention. It’s a name many people look up to and they feel he should do it right or do it professionally right. The name is bigger than myself. By age, I am younger. But by responsibility its very large and very very demanding.
So, right from the outset I knew I was going for a very great challenge and responsibility and I was so ready for it. It made me feel good. I love challenges. When I am not active I am sick.
So what does Yemi Sonde do?
I present programmes on several radio stations and TV across the South West Nigeria. Apart from that I run a media agency. I do a lot of media buying I do PR/Consultancy. I do Corporate Event Management. I anchor corporate events basically. My major area of programme anchor is corporate events basically.
People know me via my programmes. Thats where I started. I started from radio presentation. But aside media content production, I do a lot of media agency job. I run Yemi Sonde Entertainment Limited (YSE Limited).
What has kept you going all these while? Why have you not quit broadcasting for something else?
Broadcasting is my world. Its my life. Broadcasting is just me, right from my childhood. That is the truth. I knew this is what I was coming to do from a very early age, when I was 7 to 8 years. By nature, I was a very positively xxx person. It means I was very inquisitive.
I know what I want at anytime. I am not a push over. I will never be. I have a mind of my own. I work towards my dream, nothing changes that. I am not stubborn, but I am focused. I don’t derail. For instance when I was growing up I told my parents this is what I wanted. But my dad wanted me to go and need something else. When I was in my primary school, I will always be the person to do major drama in our school. I went to secondary school, at Anglican Grammar School, Oke-Nla, Ifo in Ogun State. But I was born in Lagos State. I was moved to Ifo, because my dad moved to Ifo. So I went with him. I was born and bred in Mushin in Lagos.
From my 2nd year in secondary school, that is class 2 I started representing my school in Poem Recitation and Debating and in Quiz Competition. I never came 2nd. That was where it started from. Then, I use to listen to Yemi Adeyemi, that used to read the news on OGBC. And my name is Yemi Sonde. Youthful as I was, I wanted to be like him. He used to read news on Ogun Radio. I love Literature. I love English Language.
Those were my best subjects. In Class 4, I was made the Social Prefect. I chose pure Arts because I wanted to be a broadcaster, or a Theatre Artist, or, a Poet like Prof. Wole Soyinka. My dad wanted me to be a Medical Doctor, because the women in the house use to refer to me then as Dokita meaning Doctor.
So my dad said he wanted that to come to reality. What a xxx reason. He wanted to be a father to a Doctor. That was all. For that reason he went to the Principal and changed my subjects to pure Sciences. I was very sad. I burst out crying because I was the best Arts student. I was leading in my class. It was like changing my destiny.
So, I changed to the Science class and the Principal allowed me add Literature to my list of courses. I had to beg my mum to pay for that subject because in those days you paid by subject. Of course I knew my dad won’t pay. Thank God I did that when my results came out and my dad saw that I had added Literature to it he said what is this? I then told him it is because I want to be a Broadcaster. He said over his dead body.
I collected so many forms of Polytechnics, College of Education, UNAAB. I had several admissions but not from a University. I had several admissions from Ogun State College of Education. I was to pay N277,050. He gave me that money but he said I should go and spend it. But he won’t let me go to that school. Thats my dad for you. He didn’t let me take up other admissions. The universities didn’t take me to do the medicine he wanted me to do. I kept falling short of the cut off mark. On the 3rd attempt he changed my course to Agric because I could not make medicine.
From Agric, I went into Broadcasting and Social Activity in school. I was a politician in UI. I was the clerk of the house of my hall. I was the PRO of my department and Faculty of Agric and Forestry in UI. At a point, I was the Chairman of my hall. Administrator-General of Independence Hall.
From 1989/90, I went into Broadcasting.
How?
Through Toba Opaleye. I went to him at OGBC. Then OGBC FM was very new. And I postrated to him. I said Oga Mi. I introduced myself. I told him what I wanted. Before then I was part of this local station in our school. I was always talking on it. I told him I wanted to be like him. He said you are so bold and confident. And he took me up and he trained me personally.
He took me into the studios. Everything about Toba Opaleye was broadcasting. That is someone I admire so much. After God its Toba Opaleye. Apart from my parents. Toba Opaleye led me into broadcasting full fledge. I was in the University of Ibadan. But I was always leaving my school on Wednesday, I won’t come back until Saturday.
I will go to OGBC. My dad didn’t know I was doing this. When he got to know, he called me one day and he apologised to me. He said “Yemi, I am very sorry because I have disturbed you, really. You told me when you were 7 that you wanted to be a Broadcaster but I didn’t encourage you.
I didn’t take you serious”. I now told him that Daddy what you made me do is an added advantage. Now as a broadcaster I can talk Sciences. So, I think scientifically. I also think literally. So broadcasting has been my life. It has kept me going. Its like if I don’t do this job, I won’t enjoy my life. Its not about the money for me. Its about the love for the job.