He is likely to have cruised past you on his power bike on one of those warm evenings. Of course you wouldn’t recognise him because he is well kitted with safety gear, protective helmet etc. As President of Nigerian Table Tennis Association for almost 16 years, he used to play table tennis more regularly. But not anymore. Lately, he prefers to jog or ride his power BMW model K1600 GTL six cylinder bike, a new addition to his fleet of three. Mr Cosmas Maduka, the brain behind Coscharis, lives an austere but modest lifestyle unimpressed by the grandeur of his wealth. Though his massive compound, tucked away in highbrow old Ikoyi, speaks of a man with taste, means and class, his simple carriage and attitude to wealth belies his worth. He still flies economy and mixes free with people. According to him, wealth has not detached him from his humble beginning. In this interview with Shaka Momodu, Maduka talks about the story of his life, the joy and frustrations of growing up without his father, his business, his plans on retirement and more. It is compelling, gripping and riveting ……..
What was growing up like for you?
Growing up for me was quite rough and challenging but it laid the foundation of who I am today. My story is somewhere out of the ordinary. I was born in Jos and my parents lived there for many years.
Growing up for me was quite rough and challenging but it laid the foundation of who I am today. My story is somewhere out of the ordinary. I was born in Jos and my parents lived there for many years.
How old were you when your father died?
My father died when I was four years old. I remember that it was like a big festival going on in the house and people gathered in the premises and were shooting guns. There were different masquerades around and I saw my father lying on a bed lifeless in a black suit. My mother was barricaded in a corner where she cried helplessly and people tried to hold and comfort her. One thing that made that day very special to me was that, everybody was very kind to me. Rice that was not usually an everyday food was readily available. I ate all the rice that I could. And I was wishing a day like this would never end. Little did I know at that time that it was the death of my father they marking.
My father died when I was four years old. I remember that it was like a big festival going on in the house and people gathered in the premises and were shooting guns. There were different masquerades around and I saw my father lying on a bed lifeless in a black suit. My mother was barricaded in a corner where she cried helplessly and people tried to hold and comfort her. One thing that made that day very special to me was that, everybody was very kind to me. Rice that was not usually an everyday food was readily available. I ate all the rice that I could. And I was wishing a day like this would never end. Little did I know at that time that it was the death of my father they marking.
But from then on, life became rough. My mother became a single parent and frankly, I don’t know how she did it. My parents had four children in quick succession within 5 years. I have an elder brother, two younger brothers and a sister. So, for my mother to make ends meet and take care of all of us was a tough call. I was born in 1958 and it wasn’t long after my father died that the Nigerian Civil War broke out. It was very challenging. But in life your difficulty can be your dividend and your problems can turn to your opportunity.
How do you mean?
The death of my father brought a lot of discipline in my life that many young men at my level could not develop. We all slept in one bedroom with my mother. We ate from one plate and fought over portions of fish and meat. If there was still food in the plate, don’t just touch the meat (laughs). If you do, one of us will stop your move.
The death of my father brought a lot of discipline in my life that many young men at my level could not develop. We all slept in one bedroom with my mother. We ate from one plate and fought over portions of fish and meat. If there was still food in the plate, don’t just touch the meat (laughs). If you do, one of us will stop your move.
So, I know what poverty is all about. That is why I keep encouraging people that your background is not an absolute deciding factor of what you are going to become in life. In spite of your background you can work your way to that which you want to be in life. In those days we happened to live at the back of a big forest and Lions will jump inside our compound to pick a goat. That’s how dangerous it was for us. So, going out in the night was very frightening.
