Nollywod actress, Funmi Bank-Anthony, has said that her grandfather had 48 houses in Lagos but willed none to her and her co-grandchildren.
According to her, the wealthy man, Sir Mobolaji Bank-Anthony, who was a philanthropist, willed all the houses to the needy.
Funmi recalled this in an interview with ‘The Sun’, in which she narrate how she decided to build her own brand and passion.
She said, “It started with my grandfather, Sam Mobolaji Bank-Anthony. When he died, he wrote in his will that all his belongings be donated to the less privileged, even including the spoons. He had about 48 houses in Lagos and he declared that all be given to the motherless (children) and that is so huge for me, because I see it that he left us to suffer. If he had left the houses in Lagos for us, I would be a multi-billionaire today, even as a grandchild. He was one of the richest men in Nigeria and he didn’t leave anything for us. That was deep for me. I see it that the things you boast of today can be taken away from you within the twinkling of an eye. It then dawned on me that I could lose the things I have. So, philanthropy came out of the fear of losing the things I have. So, I would rather give it out than lose them when I am gone, though some people take you for granted when they know you are excessively nice.”
Among other interventions Bank-Anthony made, he donated the faclity on which the Lagos State Government built the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja. The place is named the Ayinke House.
As part of its appreciation to him, a major road between Maryland and Ikeja is named after him, while his essence resonates in several other areas.
