Kunle Bakare … 15 years of showering Encomium

BY CHUKS NWANNE

TO some, the man is a strict disciplinarian, a ‘one-man riot squad,’ who will never take any excuse for failure; while to others, he’s an accomplished journalist, who rose through the ranks to become the publisher of one of the country’s most respected soft sell journals. No matter how you view him, Kunle Bakare has made a name for himself; he will always be remembered for his efforts.

   

TODAY, Lagos, will stand still as Encomium Weekly, one of Nigeria’s leading society magazine and awards company, marks its 15^th anniversary with a special party tagged White Gig. Holding at The Haven, GRA Ikeja, Lagos, the celebration will not only play host to achievers from all walks of life, but also kick-off a series of activities marking 15 years of excitement, adventure, achievements, hardwork and God’s grace.

   “Celebrating any major event like anniversaries is a very important thing in business. Before now, the people that measure business told us that in the first year of every 10 businesses, more than half of them die. Luckily, the environment for business is becoming more favourable today with more businesses surviving.”

    To Bakare, nothing guarantees success than standing firm and strong.

“However, our own line of business is a very high mortal sector; many businesses die, not because they are not professionals enough. Sometimes, the environment and time are not just right. So, every year you survive in business, we believe should be celebrated. We are aware that luck, perseverance, long suffering, smartness and diligence count in one’s success; but the grace of God and your Karma fortify it.”

    Right from its first anniversary, Encomium Magazine has always adopted celebration as part of the company’s calendar, giving celebrities every reason to take a second look at their wardrobes.  

  “We’ve been celebrating in one way or the other; I remember we started the special edition on our fifth anniversary. With our 10th anniversary, we did the 900 page special publication and started the White Gig as well. So, this is the 5^th edition of the White Gig. It’s a very important event for us, especially to say ‘thanks’ to our public, advertisers and associates for their support to the brand over the years.”

     While other similar publications are more interested in repositioning to compete in the already flooded soft sell market, Bakare insists Encomium Magazine is not in any form of competition with anybody.

    “For students of business, a product is not supposed to compete; you must differentiate your product in a way that it’s not one or the other. It must be something different from other products available in the same category.

  “Generally, you compete with anything else, but when you look at it, you cannot say, ‘if I buy Encomium, I won’t buy other magazines.’ What is in Encomium is different from what you find in other magazines; if you buy other magazines without buying Encomium, you are missing something.

  “We have adopted a lot of principles; all businesses have rules, so, we follow the rules to the letter,” he said confidently.

    Over the years, the magazine has taken different approaches, with the aim of distinguishing itself in the market. Some of these initiatives, according to Bakare, are aimed at giving values to readers.

    “A long time ago, we discovered you should not do something other people can do; that means you are in a direct competition with them. We do things differently here; we might be in the same category, but what we do is entirely different. If you pick our weekly magazine, it’s different; our Lifestyle magazine is also different,” he said.

   At a time when it became a popular for people to have photographs of personalities wearing different attires at events, Encomium came up with Lifestyle — a magazine that deals strictly with life and style.

    “Immediately that trend became popular, we started doing something like that, but in other to be different, we interviewed people in those lines of businesses. We did something extra, trying to teach people the tricks of being fashionable; we normally go the extra mile.”

  Bakare’s success story in publishing business is as a result of a particular ideology that drives him.

   “One business editor in the UK was asked his opinion about how to excel as a journalist, he told the guy: ‘you should work harder than your competitor and dress properly; nobody wants to talk to a tramp.’ So, there are many elements to being a successful journalist.”

   He continued: “We operate a system that is different from other journals; we resume at 8am everyday. Journalists usually want to come to the office whenever they like, but we are trying to bring a change in our own little way. So, there are lots of things we do here and if you cannot fit in, no matter how brilliant you are, we will throw you out,” he said.

   

“Any endeavour you do and succeed, it’s not because you are the smartest or most hardworking; it’s by the grace of God. I tell people, I don’t even think I’m smart; I don’t work hard. I try to follow the rules in everything I do. In this world, the people that succeed the most are the average people; they learn the rules, do things other people are afraid to do and are successful. Some brilliant people take many things for granted; there are many talented people roaming the streets. Talent counts, but hard work, being smart and the grace of God count more.”

FROM being just a publishing company, Encomium has become a platform for major entertainment events. From the Green and White Groove to Black and White Ball and White Gig, the outfit has made a statement in the showbiz circle as part of its brand extension.

   “There are many reasons we do our events. People do events all the times, but your event must be easily recognisable; it is called brand extension. It’s not enough to just publish journals; you have to do extra work. Aside from the social responsibility events, you have to do things that would make your public have a very good relationship with you.

  “A lot of celebrities and entertainment personalities are busy; they don’t get to meet one another. So, at our events, we try to bring them together to have warm relationships. By extension, we are encouraging the fashion industry. As I speak, more than four designers have been here today over the event. So, we do a lot of thing for brand extension as well as for the benefit of our audience.”

     For those who know the history of Encomium Magazine and events, venue is one agenda that is always seriously considered.

   “We try to bring people to places they’ve never been. We also try to encourage events places in Lagos. Stars are very familiar with the environment because they play around, but we also try to discover new places for them to visit. Besides, we try to change the environment with decoration; when you see our arrangements, you will understand what I mean. We take out time to plan, which is why we don’t take gate fees for our parties; people just come and enjoy. Once you pass our colour code, you are free to come and enjoy yourself at our events.”

  When Kunle Bakare talks about passing colour code, you have every reason to take him seriously. At one of the events, the publisher had no option than to take a very hard decision, which he recalls:

   “We invited Pa Fatai Rolling Dollar, he was over 80 at that time, and was wearing red asoke. The most we could have done was to give him another white agbada to wear; we could never have allowed him to enter. The man turned back, he did not understand us. The next party we did, as an old man, he obeyed the dress code.”

    To Bakare, there are rules for everything.

   “Even sitting down has its rules; there are ways of doing everything. Our own principle is, if I invite you to my house as a guest, you have to follow my rules. I’ve invited you; if you accept my invitation, you should obey my rules. So, if we invite you to a party and had told you our rules, just respect it. It’s just a party; if you don’t like the rules, you can stay away. We are trying to create a special ambience, so, what are you trying to prove by flouting the rules; there’s nothing to prove. We try as much as possible to give people a minimum of six weeks notice ahead of any of our events. And we are not saying you should buy expensive items; all we say is buy the most expensive item you can afford.”

  

“If we invite you to a party and had told you our rules, just respect it. It’s just a party; if you don’t like the rules, you can stay away. We are trying to create a special ambience, so, what are you trying to prove by flouting the rules; there’s nothing to prove. We try as much as possible to give people a minimum of six weeks notice ahead of any of our events. And we are not saying you should buy expensive items; all we say is buy the most expensive item you can afford.”

LOOKING back to the early days of Encomium, Bakare feels humbled and cautious as well.

   “Any endeavour you do and succeed, it’s not because you are the smartest or most hardworking; it’s by the grace of God. I tell people, I don’t even think I’m smart; I don’t work hard. I try to follow the rules in everything I do. In this world, the people that succeed the most are the average people; they learn the rules, do things other people are afraid to do and are successful. Some brilliant people take many things for granted; there are many talented people roaming the streets. Talent counts, but hard work, being smart and the grace of God count more.”

   

AS a young man, Bakare dreamt a career in the sciences, but along the line, that dream changed.

   “I didn’t always want to be a journalist; at 14, I wanted to be a medical doctor. But as you choose your subjects, you know the direction you are to go. So, along the line, I knew there was no way I was going to be a medical doctor.

   “I wanted to be an architect; up till my final year in secondary school, I liked technical drawing, but that was not enough to be an architect. When I was younger, I used to argue a lot, so, some people felt I should be a lawyer. But by the time I was doing my A-levels, I discovered, I wanted to be a journalist.”

    By his second year at the Mass Communication department of the University of Lagos, young Kunle encountered the National Enquirer, which shaped his love for the pen profession.

   “A friend of mine used to travel a lot, so, he brought some and I fell in love with them. But when I came across Prime People I exclaimed, ‘oh, this is similar to the Enquirer; I would love to work here.’ So, in 1988 while undergoing the national serve; I applied for a vacancy in the Prime People and was successful. As I was serving in the old Bendel State, the company facilitated my transfer to Lagos.”

    After a boardroom crisis in the company in 1989, many staff moved and Bakare pitched tent with Muyiwa Adetiba’s Vintage People.

     “We all followed Adetiba; he’s the godfather of soft-sell journalism. From Vintage I went to Classic Magazine; I worked there briefly and went back to Vintage People from there to GQ Magazine. I worked there briefly before we started Fame in July 1991. I was with Fame till May 1997, when we started Encomium.”

    From all indications, Bakare is a jounalist for life.

    “As a human being I am capable of doing many things… I love journalism. People have beautiful stories to tell and there’s a lot to learn from people. I like interviewing people a lot; I love learning from people, especially from renowned Nigerians. For instance, I was happy to have interviewed Akintola Williams. Sometimes, when you meet very great people, they are very humble; the greatest people are the simplest people. I always tell people, no matter how talented you are, you can only reign for a short time; other people will come. Fame is not forever; fame is for a shot time. You must learn how to respect people.”

     To the publisher, being a journalist has lots of advantages.

   “One of the advantages of being a journalist is that you are allowed to read far and wide. When you are on a regular job, you need to take permission to read.”

    As for having time for himself and the family, “I don’t need to make out time; my job is enjoyment. Aside from the time I spent writing, the other one are for enjoyment. My wife is a busy person and my children are all in school. By the nature of our life, it is difficult for the whole family to be together for a very long time. But in-between, we find time to relax together.”

“Sometimes, when you meet very great people, they are very humble; the greatest people are the simplest people. I always tell people, no matter how talented you are, you can only reign for a short time; other people will come. Fame is not forever; fame is for a shot time. You must learn how to respect people.”

No matter the achievements so far, Bakare sees Encomium as a work in progress.

    “We are going to do the Green and White Groove, we are planning an end-of-the-year party and we intend to launch a book. Journalists have a lot of thing to contribute; we are described as people that capture history as they unfold. So, expect more from the stables of Encomium,” he said.

  Trivia

When you meet Kunle Bakare, especially at major events, the first thing you notice is his great fashion sense; the man is on top of his game when it comes to fashion. Though he dresses for the occasion, the father of two sure knows how to look good; his wardrobe is very rich.

    “To a very large extent, the occasion determines the way I dress; I obey dress code a lot. However, I like wearing different things for different occasions, so, my style depends on the event I’m attending.”

    As for office, “I like wearing natives because I stay for long time at work; I need to feel free.”

     But for informal events, “I wear more of blazers and shirt, but without tie. When it’s a formal gathering, you would probably see me wear a suit and tie. Basically, life is all about how you carry yourself; you are addressed the way you dress.”

Meeting Mrs. Bakare

KB, as admirers fondly call him, belongs to the lucky group of young men, who found their missing ribs without much hassles –– no endless searching and long preaching.

    “Actually, I met my wife in the Prime People; both of us were interviewed for the job the same day. Of all the applicants that came for the job, only both of us were selected,” he recalled.

    Being the youngest among the staff members, it was natural for Kunle and Adesola to become close associates.

    “It was natural that we became closer since other people in the establishment were much older.”

    Having built a healthy relationship for years, the issues of marriage became natural for the two lovebirds.

    “We dated for four years, so, we knew ourselves very well. At a point, it became almost natural that we should get married. In fact, when I told people I was getting married in 1992, it wasn’t a big surprise to many; people knew us together those days,” he enthused.

   Asked what attracted him to his wife, KB simply said, “We are soul mates; we are like a pair that cannot be separated.”

   The union is blessed with two kids, 18 year-old Gbeke and 15 year-old Mofe.