If you ask too much from a human being, you ask for havoc - Prince Adeyinka Bakare

Prince Adeyinka Bakare is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of De Potter Nigeria Limited; a soft-spoken person with a high level of humility. His pastoral calling might be responsible for why he doesn’t take advantage of his natural endowment and blessings. Even though a Prince on both the father and mother’s families, he remains cool-headed. His carriage and disposition to life are worth emulating.

He shared part of his lifestyle with our correspondent Segun Oladipupo here.

Enjoy the piece.

How do you relax?
I am a sports person; I try as much as possible to play squash I watch football but I am not a football fan. I prefer to watch tennis than footfall.

Your favourite colours
I love blue colour. I can’t explain why I like it but I think I am a blue person. I just like the colour because it is cool.

Your favourite food.
I am a local person but the truth is that I can eat rice a lot. I don’t mind which colour you made it either green or red or whatever. I just love rice.

Where were you born?
I was born in Lagos. I am a Lagosian. I was born in Shomolu and my primary school was in Agbowa Ikosi and my secondary school too. I had my National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Lagos Polytechnic. I had my Post Graduate Diploma from Ladoke Akintola University, my MBA and MSc from Benin Republic and my PHD from Benin Republic too. I have a Diploma from Lloyd Maritime and other Diplomas and I’m a Fellow of many Institutes.

Family
I have one wife with three children. A boy and two girls.

Your relationship with women around you.
It is normal for women to come around someone but I think God is helping me to be able to do what I can do. Women coming around you is not something you can push away but God has been helping me to be myself.

How did you come into the business of freight forwarding?
I worked with the Nigerian Ports Authority from 1997 to 1999. Then I used to see people around and I am the type that likes helping people. So, when Obasanjo took over in 1999. The issue of concession was coming in and we knew that a lot of people would go. I was in traffic department then and luckily for me, I was working at the gate. NPA shed six at that time was ECOWAS shed and I was later transferred to NPA gate. There, I started learning to assist some people and one thing that is lacking in this job is honesty. I met my first client there.

There is this University of Kanra City that has affiliation in Lagos where I went to do international trading at BSC level which exposed me to international trade.

That was when I started with Open Gate Venture. We were exporting Agro commodities like ginger sesame seed. We tried to register the name but found that somebody else had used it and we tried to look for another name and De Potter came. De Potter means the one that moulds me.

Are you a pastor?
Every one of us is a pastor as long as you are doing the work of God.

What’s your perception of life?
That is something that has kept me going and no matter how you look at it, human beings will remain human beings. You hardly can do what will surprise me because I know you are a human being. If someone does something and another is telling me that you are not angry, the only thing I will say is that he is a human being and that he can’t do more than he can do. If you are asking for more, you are asking for more havoc.

Tell us about your royal relationship
My father is from a royal house called Ifesanya royal house. My mother is from Ire in Osun state and she is also from a royal house. Both from my father and mother sides, I am from a royal home.

Do you see yourself becoming a king someday?
I am a pastor.