The Metropolitan Club on Victoria Island, Lagos can legitimately claim to be the most exclusive club in Nigeria (and perhaps West Africa). However, the story does not end there.
Thirty years ago (on the 30th Anniversary of the Club), I was selected to write a brief history of what had already become a national (possibly International) treasure and institution.
Shortly afterwards, Joe Brandler invited me to lunch at his private club in London – “The East India Club” at 16 St James’s Square in London, London. Consul Brandler (or “Joe” as he preferred to be called) was an excellent host. The food was excellent; and the superlative champagne plus fine wine were provided in generous quantities by the ever so attentive uniformed waiters.
Among the other guests were several “old coasters” – an appellation reserved for those Britons who had served in Nigeria while it was a British colony and stayed after Nigeria gained Independence on 1st October 1960. A handful were in the civil service but the rest were in banking, insurance, accountancy, shipping, industry and commerce – mostly under the aegis of the British High Commission and British Council as well as the multinationals such as the United Africa Company Plc (now known as UAC of Nigeria Plc); Lever Brothers (now known as Unilever); BEWAC Ltd; Paterson & Zochonis Limited (now known as PZ Industries Plc); Nigerian Tobacco Company Limited; Nigerian Breweries Plc; Guinness Nigeria Plc; British Petroleum (BP); Shell Petroleum etc.
Anyway, when we retired to the members’ lounge for cigars and coffee as well as cognac the discussions became more animated. The major subject was The Metropolitan Club of which Joe as well as many of his guests was founding members or very early joiners.
What was most fascinating were the antecedents or more correctly the preamble to the founding of Metropolitan Club on 13th October 1959 as: “A Club for gentlemen”
Membership would be shared equally between Nigerians and expatriates. It was quite a revelation to learn that as far back as 1932, the Lagos Dining Club had been founded with the same ideal, ethos and dynamics in mind – monthly formal dinner rather than the weekly Tuesday lunch as is the case with the Metropolitan Club.
However, as a kid I was aware that in the 1950s the crème de la crème of Lagos would assemble for lunch daily/weekly at the residence of Santos (a Brazilian descendant) at 52 Odunlami Street, Lagos to savour his legendary culinary skills. At the top of the long dining table would be seated Adetokunbo Ademola (an old boy of King’s College) and he would, be flanked by the likes of Flavious Akerele (an old boy of King’s College); V.O. Munis (an old boy of St. Gregory’s College) who lived in Ikeja (but his law office was just across the road on the corner of Campos square and Bamgbose Street); Ebenezer O. Okunowo (businessman); Bamidele Oyediran, Principal of Methodist Boys High School (and an old boy of King’s College); Ernest Ikoli, editor of The Daily Times (and an old boy of King’s College); Mobolaji Odunewu (journalist); M.A. Ogun (businessman); Oladipo Odunsi (a lawyer); Oladipo Moore, QC (lawyer); Ladipo Oluwole, Chief Medical Officer of Lagos (an old boy of King’s College);etc. My father, Chief J.K. Randle (an old boy of King’s College) was a staunch member of what was clearly an informal club for men only.
However, I must add that late Moses Adekoyejo Majekodunmi (an old boy of St. Gregory’s College) was younger than the others that sat around the table. They all adored him immensely. He drove a Jaguar car and smoked a very elegantly carved pipe. He had swagger. According to Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon the United States based basketball legend (Star player in “The Dream Team” at the American 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games) his mother had lost eight pregnancies before coming under the care of Majekodunmi at Massey Street Clinic, Lagos.
It was the great doctor who safely delivered Hakeem, the miracle baby on 21 January 1963.
Sadly, Santos lost his house to Majekodunmi from whom he had borrowed money in a private transaction and pledged his property as security. All the main characters departed long ago but the Santos house is firmly included in the Estate of M.A. Majekodunmi. The connecting thread between the Lago Dining Club and “Santos Luncheon Club” was that they shared similar aspirations. Besides, both had common membership who was the driving force, (Sir Adetokunbo Ademola in particular) in midwifing the Metropolitan Club.
Anyway, back at the East India Club when it was time to depart (carriages!!), it was Professor Alex Maxwell-Dunt who got a double first from Cambridge in physics that delivered the following verdict:
“I do not know much about the Metropolitan Club or Nigeria but going by the principles of quantum physics my summation is that while the Metropolitan Club has been bristling with massive intellectual capacity, it is surrounded by idiots – and that is why Nigeria is in big trouble. Hence, what the Metropolitan Club must do is bring Nigeria up to speed. The alternative is a short route to the ‘Black Hole’ which my colleague Professor Stephen Hawking of Trinity College has correctly defined in his book: “A Brief History of Time”
Before we went off to hail taxis to our various destinations it was Colonel Kevin Windham (Baliol College, Oxford University) who served under Major-General Sir Christopher Welby-Everard, the last British Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army who disclosed that before Independence was granted to Nigeria, the British became somewhat apprehensive that considering the seething ethnic tensions and simmering rage a military takeover could not be ruled out. In order to forestall such a catastrophe, the British offered Nigeria a Defence Pact in addition to extending the tenure of the British head of the Nigerian Army. Nigeria refused both offers.
Fortunately, there was an alternative soft option – The Metropolitan Club where the merging elite in Nigeria – both expatriates and indigenes could as gentlemen set the moral tone for the nation; enthrone transparency and uphold the tenets of civilisation as gentlemen – no histrionics or division along religious/ethnic lines. In the event of trouble, these gentlemen would be there to offer advice and counsel restraint.
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