Meaning “I'm not Darocha”. This usually happens when you try to ask or convince any of your parents into spending money. Or put another way, when a group of friends tries to lure one of them into spending money as if there is no tommorrow. The person would resist the trap by saying " do u think I am Da Rocha"
So common was this saying then that when we hear this, we simply think our parents had spoken in one of their general dialect. In fact, they pronounce it more as “Da Rosa” than “Da Rocha”. But little did we know that it's the name of the first Nigeria’s Millionaire; CANDIDO JOAO DA ROCHA
Name sounds “UN-Nigerian” or that he's not a Nigerian, right?. Well, you are right. But then again you are wrong.
And so, it all started when the father, Jao Esan, a native of Ilesha, Nigeria, was captured by slave traders in the 1850's on his way to school and was ferried to Brazil. And while he was there he learnt the art of retail trading, as this was the major stock-in-trade of Brazilians at the time. His master’s name was ‘Rocha’. As it was the common norm for slaves to take on their masters name wherever they go. We have the Da silvas, Da costas, Lopezes, Augustos etc.
From this, he eventually became a prosperous trader in Salvador. In 1870, he returned to Nigeria with several other freed slaves in what is called Emancipado(freed slaves).
This enormous fortune was eventually passed down to his son C. J. Da Rocha after the death of the father in1891 when he was only 25 years old.
Sometimes, when life gives you lemon, you turn it to lemonade. Candido was the first born of his parents and you know what that means for a boy of that age whose mother had died earlier. It means huge responsibilities
When it seemed the whole empire of Da Rocha would fall due to the demise of his father, he single handedly as a young man requested he took over the estate and business empire of his father who died intestate.
In other words, Candido da Rocha stepped into his father’s business empire, which he later expanded and consolidated into a multi-million pound financial empire, straddling agriculture, hotel, trading, real estate, banking and financial investment. After leaving school at the age of 16, da Rocha never wanted to work as a clerk as it was common in those days. He went to work with a German firm on Lagos Island where he learnt the rudiments of the export and import business.
Contrary to many believes that Da Rocha got his wealth through diabolical or fetish means as its being held in so many quarters, providence fell on him when he struck a nice gold deal with an English gentleman who wanted to dispose off the gold bars with him as he was planning a travel back to England. A deal amounting to billions of Naira today.
At such age, you would wonder what a 24 year old would do with money. Trust me if it were to be today's “when lambo, when moon...”. The money would be soon gone into frivolities and party merrying. But Candido as a serial business man who invested into different chains of businesses
He was a modest capitalist and it was said he was the first African to own a bank in 1907 called the Lagos Native bank. He ventured into lending business under the auspices of Lagos Finance Company. He was said to have properties both on the island and the mainland.
One of the popular businesses he ventured into that gave him such a wide acclaim was the water business.
He was said to have owned and operated the Iju water works that served the entire Lagos. According to reports, Da Rocha laid pipes from Iju to Lagos Island, Yaba, Ebute-Metta and other communities in the state where there are high demands for pipe borne water.
Family life.
It was reported that he didn't have it much as a family man. The way of business wasn't the way of family. The opportunity cost of the Midas touch in businesses is the family forgone. He had a fall out with the only son one of the three women (who is a Ghanaian) gave him. A fall out which led to a “no love lost” relationship between father and son. Other children were female and obviously had a change of name. The only son found and entrenched his roots in Ghana.
Thank you for reading
Cartoon by @camzy. Thank you