- Reveals The Secret Of His Youthful Look @ 57
+How He Stopped Taking Alcohol & Partying
For years Mr. Anthony Kojo Williams has kept a great athletic figure. He was the former NFA boss.
At 57 this hunk of a guy continues to excite a lot of people who admire his athletic figure.
In this rare interview with City People, SEYE KEHINDE & GBENGA ASABE, Kojo talks about his life and how his late dad and mum shaped his world view.
What is the secret beyond Kojo William’s young looks; even at 57?
No, no, let me tell you something. If I say it you won’t believe but honestly, it is the grace of God because without the grace of God I cannot have good health. I can’t buy health. And I thank God that God is giving me good health and with the good health I can now take decisions on what to do; I know, ok, look, to take good care of myself, I have to eat well, I eat fruits more, I have to do exercise. Without good health I can’t go into the gym and train. I train four times a week. Intensive training, I kick boxes, I do my weight exercises and eat light food and I am a contented man. I am not chasing shadows, I am not going crazy. I don’t drink alcohol. I stopped drinking Champagne, I love drinking Champagne, and I stopped drinking my Champagne ten years ago. I am alcohol free. Without alcohol, everything comes free. So, I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t womanize. When you do that, it kills you as well. When you are sleeping around, you are a dead man. So, those things kill. Eat good food; eat well and engage in good exercise. And your spiritual life is very important. You have to have a very good communication strategy with your God, it doesn’t mean you have to start shouting in the street so that everybody knows you are worshiping God; you are praying and you are disturbing your neighbor. No, no, that is not worshiping. Your relationship with God is private and that alone makes you to radiate but the bottom line is His grace because if you don’t have grace you can’t have the health, you cannot eat, you cannot go to the gym and do exercise. So, God’s grace is what is keeping me young and I am very grateful to Him. You can’t buy peace, you can’t buy health and you can’t buy sleep. I sleep very well, I wake up, I look and I am happy. You can’t buy joy.
HOW MY SECOND MARRIAGE BROKE…
Last year, news broke that you had remarried. Then, came the sad news that the marriage was not going the way you planned. What is the truth?
Let’s leave that issue for another day. My relationship with the lady has been stunted for a while, so, I am not going to say more than that.
But how was she able to arrest your heart knowing you as a very strong personality who does not suffer fools gladly?
Well, well, she had the qualities and she was able to come close but at times you just found out that, sometimes, women change. I wouldn’t want to say more than that. Yes, for her to be able to get me, she had her own qualities. But sometimes, women can be very funny, people change. So, you have to manage them.
But why are marriages becoming short-liven these days, especially among celebrities?
The most important thing is study your woman very well, study your woman. Spend a longer time, don’t rush into marriages. Take time, let’s be friends first. Know the mentality, understand her and take your time. Don’t enjoy the rush. When you say you want to marry, marriage is a very, very tough institution. First thing is, be friend with the woman, know that woman very well. Because when you bring her inside the house, she can change or you too could change. But then if you are friends, it is a different ball game. First, friends; you could be friends for years. If you and a woman are friends, you are already there. The point is to understand each other, when you flick an eye; she understands where you are coming from, the key is friendship. It is always the opposite here, they marry for different reasons and when you now get in there, you are not friends. That is why when they are driving on Sunday, the woman will be looking to the right the man will be looking to the left. When they are in church, they will be looking at different directions. But when you have a friend in her, you exchange ideas because you are always cracking jokes. You have fun together. You have to learn how to have fun; it is not just about sleeping with the woman. It goes beyond that.
What would you say you learnt from your dad in the area of being generous and kind to the women folk?
Yeah, I learnt a lot from him, he was very good with women. Yeah, he had his own weaknesses but if you talk about being generous to women, he was extremely generous to women, not only to women but to everybody. He was a kind soul. He gave without pain, he loved humanity and in anything you do you have to love humanity. Of course, you need to love yourself if you don’t love yourself you can never love humanity. So, all those people that are busy stealing, looting and hiding, they don’t love themselves because if you love yourself, you give out, willingly because you exude what is in you, which is love, that you give to people but if you don’t love yourself you can never give back to society. It is as simple as that; and that is when you look at people and they will say ‘This one should suffer, I am going to make this one suffer’ and then you become an oppressor. But when you love yourself, that love comes, it radiates from you and transcend to others.
Can we say you are practically single now?
Seye!!! (Shouts the name of City People Publisher)
No, we are just trying to guard against people speculating wrongly in town?
You just want to hear me say a word? Yes, officially, on paper I am married, is that not what you want to hear? On paper, I am married.
What about real life?
In real life, I am not married. I am separated. That is what you want to hear? Are you happy with that?
Sir, I am confused, you left me more confused?
That is why I said I don’t want to talk about it.
Because last year we broke the story that you re-married
Yes, I did. I did. But it didn’t work, so, it is ok. It happens. But you take the lesson and you move away with it. Is that what you guys want to hear?
WHAT PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME…
You are also somebody who has been misunderstood over the years…
(Cuts in, referring to City People Publisher) But you know me very well; I have known you right before you set up your newspaper. When you were in The News Magazine, then you will dodge and come at night. So, I have known you or you want me to also tell you something about you (Laughter)
No, no, I am just asking for the sake of our readers?
So, I am telling readers too, that I know you; (laughter) So, we have come a long way, you know the kind of person I am. I am a very simple, very easy going person. I am very quite. As much as people think that I am an outgoing person. I am very, very private. Any woman that is around me knows that I am a very private person. I keep to my mood, yes; I am a bit of an extrovert. I don’t really party that much but I love dancing. If I go out I dance, I don’t go to club. I hardly go to parties. But if I go to your party, that person must be very special to me, and I always dance. I don’t go to party for drinks; I don’t go to eat, if I am welcomed, I dance. I can dance for forty five minutes non stop then I go home, have a shower and have a sleep. Socially, I love kids, I love being around children a lot. So, I spend a lot of time with kids, take them out, and have fun with them; they are angels, hey are fun to be with. I do a lot of reading, I have time to do my reading, I am a very private person I like my quite time. I have my spiritual connect and I do a lot of reading. I am not a Television person. For me, television is total distraction, I will rather spend more time reading and meditating and I am okay. I don’t have so many friends but I have a lot of acquaintances because when you say somebody is your friend, that person must be very, very special to you. I have many acquaintances and I have some people that mean a lot to me. When I say ‘mean a lot to me’ they really mean a lot to me, those that really mean a lot to you are those that are always with you in the times of trials, they stand by you, those are your true friends. I am not into any social media; I am not into all this media stuff. So, that is basically me.
Can you say age has equally mellowed you down?
Yeah, every time, if there is anything in life that measures you it is age; you will be very foolish to go on off when you get older. With old age you become a Rolls Royce. So, I am a Rolls Royce now, the Yorubas will say ‘Moto Ayokele’. So, I just glide. I don’t need to be rough, I am not a Ferrari. I am a Rolls Royce combined with Bentley; in fact the Rolls Royce phantom is what I am. So, I am calmer. I don’t make too much noise. But anybody that comes close to you will enjoy those qualities you have. With age, with time, you are much calmer but those special attributes you have will never leave you.
ABOUT MY DAD SB WILLIAMS
Your father the late Chief SB Williams was larger than life, how have you come off his shadow to become a larger-than-life personality. I mean, how were you able to leave beyond his looming image?
You see, my father and I always had those issues right from when he was alive and when I came into Nigeria to start working, I didn’t work with him for so long. I decided I wanted to have my own image I wanted to have my own identity. So, we always had those issues but he was my best friend. But then, he gave me the freedom of rising to my own self. I have always liked my independence; I have always wanted to be myself and not Chief SB Williams’ son. But there is no way you can run away from that, you will always be his son and I am very proud of that fact because he was a great person but then, I always loved to have my own identity and I was able to create my own niche, start my own thing and had my own business and not under the supervision of dad. Yes, of course I go to him when I need advice but it is always good to be yourself and that is what I have been able to do. Be myself, do my own thing and create my own niche as God gives me the capacity coupled with the exposure that I have; but no matter what he (SB Williams) is the one that has given me the opportunity of knowing the world, and he gave me the education and exposure to get those things. So, with those things you develop and build yourself with respect. But no matter what, all his friends and even his women, the lovely ones I know, whenever I run into them they will say ‘You are just exactly like your old man, you talk like him, walk like him and look like him’
His is gone for how long now?
It is going to be 20 years next year.
DAD’S PRINCIPLES THAT STILL WORKS FOR ME
19 years after your dad’s demise what are those basic principles that he inculcated in you that is still working for you till date?
Always belief in your self; Stay away from klepto, don’t steal. Stand by the truth. Love humanity and always be who you are and stand by what is in your heart. Stand by what you say and you know, don’t deviate. Stand by the truth and respect people; he always told me ‘Always respect people’. Weather the poor, the rich or average. Pick the best among them; ‘the ones that are genuine learn from them’ and he always says ‘be humble’.
MY MUM INFLUENCED ME A GREAT DEAL
Your mum was another very powerful influence on your life, it is four years she is gone away now. How would you define her?
Very beautiful, she is a spiritual person, very cultured human being. Beautiful soul within and out and very generous to a fault, both parents were very, very generous people, they were generous to a fault. And I am ever so proud of that, they were kind. My mother was a very kind woman and extremely intelligent with wonderful memory. Her memory was immensely great. I have never seen any one that has that kind of memory. My mum will tell me what she did when she was 8 years old, the day, the time and how it happened, she had that memory; it is a gift from God. But the most important thing is that she was a kind soul and when I say kind, mum was a kind human being. Rarely do you have genuinely kind souls like that, the beauty she had physically, she also had the beauty within which she gave to humanity. I am very proud to have come to this world through a mother like that.
HOW MUM AT DAD DIED…
How did you receive the news of both dad and mum’s death?
When my mum died I was driving and I missed the way (U-turn) twice. I kept missing my way because I was trying to go to the hospital and I was confused. I was shocked. It is very funny, I kept missing my way because I was never expecting mum to go so soon. I love my mum but it is okay. My dad; my dad and I spoke a night before he passed on. We were on the phone for like 3 hours and I said ‘Good night to him’ I remember we had a lengthy discussion and I said ‘Dad, you know what? I think you need another woman around you’ and he said ‘Ok, yes, sure’. He had just gone through a divorce and we spoke because he and I were very close and there was nothing we won’t discuss. Then, he went to bed and the next day his chauffer called and said he was trying to open the door but he couldn’t open the door to his house. I knew straight away that there was something wrong. I asked them, what was the time, thy said it was 1pm in the afternoon. I said ‘you know what, just get the ambulance and the police and let them gain access into his house’ so by the time they got in there, he was in a coma.
HOW MY DAD DIED IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE
Yeah, yeah, my dad died in the South of France. He had retired at 60 after he made enough money. He was not a greedy man like the present crop of political thieves we have around us now. He lived a quality life and he told me ‘Son, I have no regret I have lived a good life’. If a man can look into your face and tell you ‘I have lived quality life’ you should respect that man. So, he had a quality life.
Some of the things you do and say, could we say you picked them from your dad’s life style because you are equally contented with what life gives you.
Of course, of course, of course, I am very, very contented. I am not chasing money, whatever comes your way, manage it but don’t go and start chasing shadows because that is going to kill you. When you have faith you will be contented with what you have, what God is giving to you, you should take it, earn it. If God want to make you the wealthiest man in the world, He is going to do it at His own time but if you say you want to do it by yourself, you are going to die. You will be a dead man. Then, you don’t go stealing people’s common wealth because you will be cursed. But if you live that quite and contented life, where you can wake up, sleep, eat what you want, smile, walk on the street and nobody is chasing you. You are not carrying bullet proof cars around you, you are okay.
I think you are one of the golden voices who have continuously castigated the nefarious activities of people of your generation at the political level, what gives you the courage to be so different?
It is a natural thing. Honestly speaking, it is not that I disagree, it is a natural thing, and it is part of my training. It is part of the thing that has been inculcated in me at a younger age; a thief is a thief, weather you are an executive from the bank or a politician from the soap box, you are a rogue, simple. Weather you are wearing Agbada or suit, you are a rogue, you are a thief. I don’t have regard for you. You steal and you still want to come and rule me, no mater your pedigree, I do not have regards for you because you are a criminal. It is only in Nigeria that criminals get away, in civilized societies where some of us grew, they are put behind the bar or shot. Put them to the gallows and blow them off. They are criminals. A thief is stealing and he is calling other people thieves; the bagger has stolen billions but he is blocking other people’s luck and signing up people’s death but the bagger is a criminal.
Can you recall anything about Jiji Williams?
Why are you talking about my brother?
I know you share some emotions with him?
Yes, he was my brother, we were like twins. May his soul rest in peace, how wont I remember him? I always remember him everyday. The day he passed away I spoke with him on phone, I was in Abuja I was coming for a meeting and we were supposed to sign a cheque together. So, I spoke with him on phone, he was in the hospital, he wasn’t feeling too okay. He had malaria and I told him I will be in Lagos in the evening. By the time I arrived he has passed on, may his soul rest in peace.
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