I never thought I'd be 60, but I'm 85 today —Koleosho

His father was 105 when he died and his mother was 103. He is a strong believer in equity, fairness and justice. His political career began as a councilor then in the House of Assembly and his later appointment as Secretary to the Government of Oyo State between 1999 and 2003. Chief Michael Adeniyi Koleosho, popularly called Babalaje of Sakiland, tells DARE ADEKANMBI what life at 85 feels like, thanking God for all he has accomplished in life as a mortal.

You will be 85 years old on earth on April 30. How does it feel to reach this milestone?

I feel very fulfilled and I am so happy. I thank God for giving me the privilege of seeing another birthday again. I'm delighted and I have no regrets. It has been a blessing throughout and I thank God.

Looking back, would you say Nigeria is where it should be in terms of the vision of the country you had years ago as a political leader?

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Well, I won't say yes and I won't say no. I will say that as a country we try, but we can do a lot more to make the country great. Many of our leaders have traveled out of the country to places like England, the United States and other countries and they see what is happening there. They should buckle up and make Nigeria great. They have a lot to do.

Growing up, do you remember a time when you set goals for yourself to achieve at a particular age and if those goals were achieved at the set time?

My life is such that every time I sit down and look back, I thank God because I never believed I could live to be 60. But here I am today. So God has been so good to me. He has blessed me all along. At 85, I haven't been in a hospital for over 50 years. Every time I travel to England or America to see my children, I check. But I have never been in a hospital for over 50 years. God made it and I'm so happy about it.

There is no doubt that God's grace is upon you for this milestone and the good health you have enjoyed. Other than that, people would say you have a good lifestyle that translates to your good health, maybe you eat particular types of food, avoid others, etc. At 85, you're still strong. What's the secret, sir?

That's a whole other story. For me, if my tea is not very sweet, I will not take it. Although I no longer use sugar as I have since switched to honey, my tea must be very sweet. I will not take tea that is not sweet. If there is no honey, I will use sugar. The story that at a certain age you shouldn't take sugar doesn't apply to me. This morning I had my tea and it was very sweet.

Do you train?

I do it in my compound. I walk around my compound about six times, depending on the time. I train in the morning and in the evening. That's all I do. Apart from that, I still work every day. When people see me there, they'll say, 'Dad, you're still doing all that.' I will say 'yes, there is nothing stopping me from working.' Once I'm done with you in this interview [Friday morning], I'm going to one of our sites where we're constructing a building and I'll be there until about 4:00 p.m.

How often do you go to Saki from Ibadan?

I go to Saki at least once a month. I also have projects I'm doing there.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Some people will say that old people barely have time to sleep. It's not for me. I sleep so well. This morning I woke up around 7am. When I wake up, I'll say my prayers and then I'll do some exercise, I'll have my tea and then I'll take a shower. Thirty minutes later, I'm going to have my breakfast and then go there. Around 5 or 6 p.m., I'll have my dinner. I eat twice a day and also have lots of fresh and canned fruit. If you see my store now, it is full of such things. People bring me a lot of things.

You were once a very active player in the politics of Old and New Oyo State. How did you view the outcome of the last state election?

About five years ago, I quit partisan politics. Today, I do not belong to any political party. But when Seyi Makinde arrived, I decided to pitch my tent with him. I do not hide it and I say to those who want to hear me that I belong to Makinde and to no political party. The result of the last gubernatorial election in Oyo State is a testament to good governance. It showed that the governor behaved very well. The margin of victory...