One society patriarch whose personality towers above many others is Chief Victor Odofin-Bello. Odofin-Bello is a gigantic and gregarious personality who became the Social Secretary of the Island Club many years ago and he was regarded as one of the best Social Secretaries ever produced by the most social club in Nigeria, the Island Club. He has always been referred to as Social Secretary Emeritus of this acknowledged premier club of the nation.
Chief Victor Odofin-Bello was born into the Odofin family of Idoani in the present Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria in 1933. His father was the late Commissioner of Police in Western Nigeria who was a gentleman to the core but due to the exigencies of his time got himself entangled in the politics of Western Nigeria in which he played a part that was unpalatable to the mainstream of Yoruba politics which was definitely pro Chief Awolowo. Consequently, the late policeman took a heavy knock and retired not too gracefully from the Nigeria Police.
Victor is the only offspring of his father who took on the hyphenated Odofin-Bello as his surname Hobbesian to his father’s wish. His brothers simply used the name Odofin and we recall that his younger brother, popular city lawyer and culturist, late Chief Remi, the Odofin of Lagos, used only the Odofin name. Victor or Pa Odof, as he is popularly known, attended the iconic Igbobi College, Lagos where he was an outstanding science student and a great athlete. On completion of his secondary school education, he joined an oil company and continued his athletics activity. He was a great sprinter and was one of the quartets that broke the Nigerian 4X100 yards spring relay record. Also in that team was another sprinter, ex Baptist Academy, now current President of the Lagos Titled Chiefs, past Chairman and current Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Island Club, past President and current Chairman Board of Trustees of Lagos Lawn Tennis Club (has attended every Roland Garros French Tennis Open since 1970), past Chief Executive of CFAO Nigeria, French National Medal awardee, Nigerian Bank Chairman, a socialite extraordinaire and father of Jumoke, a 3rd term member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives. Chief Odofin-Bello was a fantastic sprinter in the days of great athletes like A. K. Amu, K. A. B. Olowu, Oladitan the specter of sequiturs like Erinle, Victor Ojutalayo, Violet Odogwu, Asiodu and Egom.
It was during his sensational sprinting achievement that Chief Victor was sent abroad by his oil company to train as a manager in oil and gas in Scotland, England and the USA. He performed so well that when he returned to Nigeria he became one of Nigeria’s foremost oil company executives and retired many years later as the Supply and Marketing Manager of one of the major oil marketing companies in Nigeria known as the Seven Sisters. On retirement, he was awarded the franchise of the biggest petrol station in Nigeria situate on the Marina in Lagos and he moved to a second franchise on Awolowo Road which he has now retired from. Most Lagosians acknowledge his great munificence and assistance in purchasing petrol during those dark days of “petrol shortage”.
Victor became very popular as a socialite, a member of the Yoruba Tennis Club, the Chairman of Centre Club and, to crown his social epiphany, he defeated the immensely popular and humongous socialite, now Oba, Olu Falomo to become the Social Secretary of the Island Club in a hard fought battle epitomizing the Akerele versus Akintola battle for the Social Secretary of the Island Club. In recognition of his social prowess, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, the leading Nigerian Juju music crooner of those days in 1977, recorded an LP in his honour and that LP is today still being regarded as the second recording by the maestro second only to the “Board Members” recording. In the last ten years, Chief Odofin-Bello has quietly located his social activity to the Waka Club Lagos where his father was a member and he is still a patron. Many of his friends like Mr Angus Abayomi Macgregor and “Baba Gbosa” Abiodun Ojo have passed away and among his good friends also is Chief Rasaq Okoya, the Aare of Lagos. It has been said that in the past few years, the Chief has been reclusive due to a bout of diabetics, the sad loss of his wife, Abiola or as some gleefully speculate, due to “Pecunianemesis”. He had lost a son to the sea many years back and lost a wife to unacceptable dalliance and one of his children had had a child for the late ever vibrant, “Naira Power” Lolu Foresythe.
Chief Pa Odofin-Bello is a titan of our time and is celebrated for his past achievements and when he goes to the Great Beyond, as we all will one day do, his memory will be ever-radiant and perpetual.
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