Continued from last week.
Time and space will not allow me to dwell on how government threatened to demolish my residence at Victoria Island (based entirely on false and totally spurious allegation). Regardless, I was compelled to pay for the drainage/channelisation of a canal which served no purpose whatever. It has since been overgrown with weeds and virtually submerged by rubbish. Strangely, we were coerced into paying into a specially designated account which turned out to belong to the “unofficial government” of the day!
I am yet to fathom why the government would take it upon itself to intervene in a matter which involved a former member of my staff who plundered my firm’s bank accounts and was duly handed over to the police for prosecution. The Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General fabricated a non-existent partnership agreement in order to justify entering a “Nolleprosequi” rather than allow justice to run its course.
Perhaps I should add that my cousin Madam Esther Bakre decided to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors by bequeathing her property at Bashorun Street, Ikoyi to the Lagos Central Mosque. It was my duty as the surviving Executor to ensure that the property was duly handed over to the legitimate beneficiary in accordance with her wishes. It took a fierce battle through the courts and the final decision of the Supreme Court before I succeeded in delivering the property to the Chief Imam of Lagos, Alhaji Garuba Akinola Ibraheem. We do not need to invoke rocket science to alert us that heavy storm clouds are on the horizon. It is entirely our fault that we chose to ignore the warming signs regarding the confiscation of our land and property along with our heritage. It is not too late to press the reset button to reclaim our legitimate inheritance and sacrosanct heritage. As for the land, it has been sanctified as that is where the spirits of our ancestors have carved out for their successors. As of now, the demolished properties look forlorn and reminiscent of Aleppo!
The concluding paragraph is devoted to my Curriculum Vitae
BASHORUN J.K. RANDLE is a scion of the illustrious Randle family whose progenitor Dr. J.K. Randle was a pioneer medical doctor, philanthropist and founder of Nigeria’s oldest sporting competition – the Dr. J.K. Randle Swimming Competition founded in 1928. He also donated the Onikan Swimming Pool as well as the “Love Garden” (now known as the MUSON Centre) to the people of Lagos. He also founded Nigeria’s first political party – The People’s Union in 1908.
Bashorun J.K. Randle’s father was late Chief J.K. Randle, Lisa of Lagos, Sportsman, philanthropist and Chef-De-Mission of the Nigerian Team to the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia in 1956. Several landmarks in Lagos such as Randle Memorial School, Apapa; Randle Health Centre, Randle Road, Surulere, J.K. Randle Road, Onikan, etc. are named after him.
Date of birth: 13th January 1944. Nationality : Nigerian. Qualified as a Chartered Accountant [England and Wales] in 1969 and served in Gambia; Cote D’Ivoire [Ivory Coast]; Sierra Leone; and Dahomey [Benin Republic] as a volunteer with Voluntary Service Overseas.
He joined the London office of Peat Marwick Mitchell [KPMG] in 1970 and was transferred to the Lagos office in 1971. He became a partner in 1977; Chief Executive in 1992; and Chairman & Chief Executive of KPMG Nigeria in 1993 followed by retirement on the attainment of the age of 60 in 2004. At various times, he was the Chairman of KPMG West Africa and Chairman of KPMG Africa. He also served as a member of the Council of KPMG International.
He has a practising career spanning more than 50 years during which he has been engaged in the audit and provision of accounting, taxation and management consulting services, including training to small, large and mega companies as well as banking and finance; manufacturing; oil and gas; service; distribution and retail; Government sectors of the economy and International organisations such as World Bank, IFAD etc. At KPMG Audit he served as Client Service Partner on several audit, tax, consulting and training engagements in both private and public sectors.
During 2003/4 he was the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. He also served as a member of the Professional Accountants In Business Committee [PAIB] of the International Federation of Accountants
During his career at KPMG, he had direct responsibility for the audit (and consultancy services) for major oil clients such as Shell, Elf, Agip, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Total, National Oil (now known as CONOIL), and Schlumbergerin addition to handling the prospectus/public offer of major companies, which were successfully floated on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. He also handled the investigation / dispute over Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited [SNEPCO] Bonga Field Project – a Floating Production Storage and Off-loading vessel which was completed at about U.S.$4.6 billion, as a consultant to the Nigerian Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).
He also served as Client Service Partner on the audit of World Bank funded FADAMA I and II projects in Nigeria as well as financial monitoring of the World Bank assisted projects in Nigeria.
He also served as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Lagos State University; Member of Council, University of Benin; Chairman of the Musical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of Eko Hotel Limited.
In recent months, my firm has carried out numerous assignments – Audits, Consultancy, Taxation services, Due Dilligence and as Reporting Accountants as well as Financial Advisers for major clients such as Union Bank of Nigeria Plc; Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc; Ecobank Nigeria Plc; Unity Bank Plc; Alliance Bank Plc etc.
We also served as the Financial Management Specialist to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Programmes in Nigeria in respect of:
- IFAD/FGN – Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN);
- IFAD/FGN/NDDC – Community-Based Natural Resource Management Programme in Niger Delta (CBNRMP-ND); and
- IFAD/FGN funded Community Based Agricultural and Rural Development Programme (CBARDP).
Bashorun J.K. Randle has held numerous positions some of which are as follows: Chairman & Chief Executive, KPMG Nigeria; Chairman, KPMG, West Africa; Chairman, KPMG Africa; Member KPMG International Council; President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (2003/4).
In addition, he has served in the following positions: Chairman, Eko Hotels Limited; Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of Lagos State University; Member, Governing Council of The University of Benin
Board Member, Lagos State Transport Corporation Trustee / Treasurer Musical Society of Nigeria
Technical Training
1991-1992: While in KPMG, Nigeria, training assignment was carried out in collaboration with Petroleum Development Institute (PDI) University of North Texas for the members of staff of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. The project was sponsored by the World Bank.
1997 and 2001: KPMG Consulting in collaboration with Petroleum Development Institute (PDI) University of North Texas organized first and second oil & gas seminars with full participants drawn from oil industries and civil society organisations.
2004: Training programme for the staff of office of the Auditor-General for the Federation on the revenue generated by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Bashorun J.K Randle is also a accomplished author with 15 books to his name.
J.K. Randle, OFR; FCA
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