His personalty represents doggedness and determination to be the best available. It also gives vent to the fact that hard work pays. Ask Kenny Martins, the Coordinator of the Police Equipment Foundation and former board member of NICON Plc, and he will certainly tell you that the beautiful plots that make up the story of his life are products of this virtue he learnt from his equally hardworking parents. By sheer dint of hard work and some mixture of luck, paying attention to details and focus, Martins has done well for himself. On the Nigerian political terrain, he is an enigma and has dined and wined with the old generation politicians right from the military era to the attainment of Nigeria’s recent democracy. Not only has he been in politics for almost his life, he has been founders of several Nigeria’s popular political parties, which is still running till date. FUNSHO AKINWALE recently had an encounter with him in his posh office at Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos State, where Martins, who is on the board of over 20 reputable companies, speaks candidly on the state of the nation, his political life and why he has chosen to maintain a low life style. Excerpts:
Tell us about yourself
Kenny Martins is my name. Born in Lagos on the 15th January, 1956 to the family of Pastor J.O. Martins and late Mrs. Susan Martins. I had my secondary school education at the famous Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro ,Yewa, Ogun State, the very first American type school in Nigeria. After my secondary education, I proceeded to the United States of America to further to my studies. On my return to Nigeria, I joined my father’s printing business as an executive. Later, I was posted to the Premier High School, Yaba Lagos, also owned by my dad, to work as the school administrator. After the long tutelage in the family business, I established my personal businesses, including vehicle distributorship, refined petroleum products marketing, shipping and aviation. During the transition programme of the late General Sani Abacha’s administration, I along with others established one of the recognised five political parties by the name National Centre Party of Nigeria, of which I was elected as the National Secretary. Also during the transition programme of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, I and other eminent Nigerians established another recognised political party, the All Peoples Party, now called the All Nigeria Peoples Party after some mergers with other political parties. Also, during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s second coming as president of Nigeria, I and along with few of my friends and associates established another political party by the name of National Democratic Party, of which I was elected as National Publicity Secretary. As a result of my concern for the problem of security and police reform in Nigeria, I also with others established the Police Equipment Foundation, of which I was appointed the National Coordinator. I piloted the foundation, leading to the raising of billions of naira, both locally and internationally, for the Police and other security organisations in the country. I mobilised the entire country on the plight of the Nigeria Police and other security apparatus and advocated the allocation of more resources to the security sector to enable them to perform optimally in their constitutional responsibility of maintaining security in Nigeria in a modern and professional way. My organisation purchased and donated over 1,000 units of vehicles to the police and other security agencies as well as purchase and donation of 54 housing units in Abuja to the police, purchase and donation of 1,500 body armours and ballistic helmets to mention but a few. I’m a responsible family man, married with children. I’m a member of the board of directors of over 20 reputable companies and I was until 2008, a member of the board of NICON Plc.
You have maintained a low life style for some time now. Why?
I have never been a media person. It’s only circumstances: politics, social-political dynamics that get me involved in politics. I’m a very quiet person. However, my reason for silence I think is borne out of the fact that some of us are studying the political happenstances in the country and we have the reason to be worried. I have so many friends, usually who are in high places in Nigeria, but I can’t start mentioning names. Having played politics with eminent Nigerians very early in life and seeing what is happening now, I think it needs a lot of concern. And I tend to think that the reason why the trend is like this is that many of the active participants either do not have sense of history or they were not involved in the pans and pains of this democracy of which we are all enjoying today. Collectively and beneficially, some of them don’t have the clue of what it took us to arrive where we are now. Looking at the current democracy, I can see tension in the build up of 2015 general elections and I have the apprehension that things are not going well. Everybody seems to be taking a position of either me or nobody and that has never been the way to sustain democracy. So, asking me why I’ve been quiet, it’s just that we need to sit down and appeal to all the key players that there is need for give and take, there is need for a lot of concessions and consensus. And this hardline position where every issue is politicised must be stopped. Security is policised, economy is policised. I thank God the only thing that has not been policised is Ebola. Everything else has been policised. It’s either you are for or you are against regardless of what the issue is. So the question under this circumstance is: what do you want to say? Where do you start from? And who do you start addressing? And are we going to start with the party in power, the Peoples Democratic Party? The government in power? President Goodluck Jonathan? The All Progressives Congress? Then, you go back to the level of the governors in their individual states? They have their own plans for succession, their plans to engineer their own successors is their major plan now. It’s only in Nigeria’s democracy that everybody engineers their successor. And I see this is not good for our democracy. Men are just playing God.
You seems to have slowed down a bit in politics, while some of your contemporaries are still active. What necessitated this?
I have played frontal roles in politics so many times. At my age, I have resolved not to contest in any election again because I have learnt a lesson from the late M.K.O. Abiola. Contesting for that 1993 election was Abiola’s greatest problem and mistake. I have been in politics for several years and I have seen what has been happening in those days of the military junta, leading to the attainment of our democracy. So far, I must confess, the current state of Nigerian politics has not really interested me to contest for an elective position. I am a PDP person, no doubt about that, but I still want to do what is needful for my party. Right now, I try as much as possible to advice, counsel and push quietly to ensure that the kind of Armageddon that will be awaiting for us will not happen to us as a nation.
Are you satisfied with the measure Mr. President has taken to checkmate insecurity in the country?
As I rightly said earlier that everybody is now busy playing politics with the economy, insecurity, welfare, wellbeing of the country and this portends something abnormal or not really good for our democracy. And I think nobody should be fooled that democracy will stay forever with the ongoing scenario. Democracy can only stay provided the atmosphere is conducive for the sustainability of the current democracy because the cost to us of the loss in democracy will be akin to what I told M.K.O. Abiola then when he wanted to contest. Though the rest is history now. I’m not satisfied with what is going on now. Nobody is satisfied and the President is also not satisfied either with the foregoing issues but I pray God sees us through this turbulent period.
As a PDP stalwart, you seems to be very close to Obasanjo’s caucas than President Goodluck Jonathan’s….
There is no caucus in the PDP. The only caucus that once existed was Kawu Baraje, Atiku Abubakar caucus and they have moved to APC.
With your experience and exposure in politics since the military era, leading to our democracy, why did you choose not to vie for an elective position?
I see myself more of a king maker than seeking any elective position and I’m satisfied with the honourable position.
So what do you derive from this king making?
I derive a lot. So you want me to be flexing muscle with the likes of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro for PDP governorship in Lagos State? I will rather support him as a leader and as an elder statesman than contending with him. And secondly, our politicians are not being sincere and they don’t pity the 200 million Nigerians who are suffering from degrees of poverty. I believe I have chosen the right path as a king maker. I will not like to toy with my integrity that I have built over the years.
How rich are you?
In terms of money, I am not rich but in terms of people, values and assets, God has been good to me. You see, I like friendship and relationship. I always feel bad when I can’t be there for my people when they really need me. It’s not as if I have the money. No, I don’t, but the little are in people I have been of help to.
Outside work, how do you enjoy life?
At my leisure time, I spend quality time with my family. I am golfer, so I go around the world playing my golf.
As a man of style, what determines what you wear?
My mood determines what I wear. And occasion also determines what I wear. And I don’t do it extravagantly.
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