By Florence Amagiya

One time PMAN’s chairman, Dr. Omatshola Oseli, aka Tee Mac, is {MFR) an accomplished musician is an artiste who is more famous abroad because of his style of music.

He made  so much money arranging and conducting for super famous star, Shirley Bassey who  did the soundtracks for some of James Bond movies, ‘Diamonds are forever and Golden Finger’.

He also has deep interest in various businesses, especially solid minerals. Although, partly Caucasian, he was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Tee Mac had an unfortunate experience as a child when his dad was assassinated, he was only three years old.

In this edition, we introduce to you, a grand Flutist who has taken his band virtually everywhere in the world and rakes millions of naira.

Tee Mac was born on 17 May, 1949 in Lagos. His mother is a princess from Itsekiri named Suzanne Gray Fregene and his father, Theo Manfred Iseli, was a Swiss Diplomat sent to Nigeria in 1946. His dad became very successful in business but his life was shortened by an assassin in 1951 in Lagos. Tee Mac and his two sisters went sent to Switzerland to start life all over again.

At age 8, Tee Mac got his first flute and began private music lessons until he entered the Music Academy.

He was studying music and other subjects at the same time. He attended Rudolf Steiner School, Primary and Secondary, passed his A level subjects at the Burgholf School in St. Gallen, and went to study economics at the prestigious University of St. Gallen. Eventually, Tee Mac mastered the flute in 1969 after studying music for twelve whole years.

Tee Mac learnt something early in life from his paternal uncle J.J Derendirger. He learnt that you can lose everything you have, but you cannot lose your education. Tee Mac ended acquiring 3 different degrees from the University.

He returned to Nigeria in 1970, worked as a manager at a Swiss company known as UTC as against working for his step-father as his mother has remarried and given birth to three other children.

While working at UTC, Tee Mac formed a musical band called Tee Mac and Afro Collection with notable artistes like Tunde Kuboye on bass guitar, Berkley Jones on lead guitar, Laolu Akins on drums, Johnny Haastrup on keyboards, Friday Puzzo on congas, Steve Black and Lijadu Sisters on vocals. His band was later joined by the world famous drummer, Ginger Baker, who came to Nigeria to jam with Afro Collection in 1972 at their base on Broad Street.

Tee Mac landed in London with his big dream of making a name in the music world amidst making so much money, but he was at first disappointed because money wasn’t coming as he had expected.

He concluded that his step-father may just be right, that music cannot put money on the table. So he planned to return back to Switzerland and possibly become a banker and rake in the millions he had always dreamed of.

He was having that thought when he and his producer recorded a couple of singles under the name of Silver Convention. The name was derived from his silver flute. His two songs became instant hit: Get up Boogie and Fly Robin fly.

It became a blessing in disguise because he toured several countries extensively with his new band. Along the line, he became an arranger and conductor for Shirley Bassey, a notable female performer who also has Nigerian roots that he had always admired.

The great Shirley Bassey released her world hit songs, Gold Finger and Diamonds are forever. With Shirley Bassey on board, Tee Mac got exposed to lot of money and fame.

Tee Mac returned to Nigeria so wealthy that he bought over Surulere Club and renovated it. He also opened another club in Yaba.

As a true lover of music, he pumped money into record investments and formed another band called Tee Mac Collection. With his new band, Tee Mac toured the whole of Nigeria and recorded his First TV series on NTA known as Tee Mac show. He left the shore of Nigeria to Hollywood, Los Angeles where he worked as a composer for Cidi Croft Enterprise.

Investments

Tee Mac, like his late father, has head for good business. This is evident in his several investment projects. Today, he has 11 mines, and he is the chairman and major shareholder to notable companies and investments. He is the owner of Allied Minerals Limited with office in Apapa.

Tee Mac has concentrated on mining of solid minerals and took up leases of zinc, lead, tin and copper since 2001. Tee Mac has used his platform as a notable person in Nigeria to meet with people in government and got himself introduced to emirs who are the custodians of lands rich in minerals. Tee Mac also has a multi- million naira factory in Jos, Plateau state.

Charity

Tee Mac is indeed a lover of children and through his foundation has sent and still sending more than a thousand children to various schools and endeavours.

Properties

He has quite a few properties both in Lagos Island, in Ikoyi and on the main land. He is also the owner of the office complex where Allied Mineral Limited is situated in Apapa. He also has another impressive property in Okota.

Cars

Tee Mac is a lover of blue colours, which may be a carry- over from his boyhood or because the colour of the sound produced by the flute is described as blue by music theory. It is no wonder, therefore, that more than 50% of his SUVs come in blue colours. He has a blue SUV Fore runner, a Mercedes SUV and others, too numerous to mention.

Pets/Wears/ accessories/ style

Tee Mac loves dogs so much, in his house alone he has about seven Alsatian dogs living with him. He also loves wearing simple traditional wears despite his mixed blood. He is crazy about native Nigerian clothings that he has been designing by himself since 1987.