Ladipo Ladapo Eso

DISTINGUISHED NONAGENARIAN: The Venerable Archdeacon Ladipo Ladapo Eso 

Celebrating Baba L. L. Eso at 90 by Seye Adetunmbi, 25/8/2025

It is a thing of joy that Baba Eso marked 90th birthday gracefully and in good health on August 25, 2025 to the glory of God. Exactly 10 years ago, we gathered at Anglican Church of the Ascension, Opebi, Ikeja Lagos for a thanksgiving service marking 80th birthday anniversary of the venerable Archdeacon. Thereafter, his biography which I wrote was formally presented to the public at the reception for guests. To celebrate the nonagenarian on the anniversary of his 90th birthday, I have pulled out my write-up 10 years ago, marking his 80th birthday which was published in The Nation newspaper and embellish it with many remarkable pictures that further tell the story of a distinguished man of God and a statesman. This pictorial tribute is the least I can do to celebrate my beloved father in the Lord, a mentor, and an exemplar who had inspired me a great deal on so many fronts.

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Considering the background, adventurous lifestyle in his youth, professional disposition as a chartered Estate Surveyor, and his career as an ordained priest of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) as well as his tireless ongoing inclination to honourable ways in retirement; it would be most complementary to have such a remarkable lifetime journey documented in a book for posterity. Thus, when Venerable L. L. Eso first called my attention to his desire for me to put his biography together it was a welcome call to duty for me, with all humility.

I have worked on the biography of my very venerable father of blessed memory and a number of other historical books, yet writing the biography of a living mentor figure came with its challenges. Writing about him went beyond chronicling his early days in Ilesha up to his career as a chartered Estate Surveyor of repute and as a remarkable priest. The biography put into proper perspective his selflessness as a public servant in the early days of Nigeria Building Society, an appointment which took him to all the then states in Nigeria. He discharged his duties in the development of all established housing estates extending to all areas of land opened up by industrial property developers. His philosophy was that every qualified Nigerian must be able to own a dwelling place through the offer from the mortgage institutions. Throughout this period, he never acquired any property for himself until just before his retirement which by sheer providence he secured the place where he lives today. In fact his contemporaries couldn’t believe it that he never had a plot to himself before the time he built his plot in Ikeja GRA.

The distinct gift of the ability of Venerable Eso to recall events contributed to the depth of the book, his biography which I titled, "Like he that Serveth". His rich photograph collections made it possible for his biography to be distinctly pictorial with some vintage pictures that tell the story of Baba Eso as a multi-dimensional Nigerian with a remarkable lifestyle. The essence and authority of the book rest with when the narrative is placed in the wider cultural, economic and social context couple with analyzing other contemporary issues. Albeit, a good biography should relate good history and this is what I have tried to do with the book on Venerable L.L. Eso. Writing about Venerable Eso could not be complete without putting the rich historical background of his Ijesa root into proper perspective. Naturally the value of character that influenced and nurtured him in uprightness as well as fruitful independent-mind that runs in the Akomolafe Eso dynasty is characteristic of Ijesa culture to a great extent.

Of course with the privilege of my serving as a member of the Parish Church Council by virtue of my being a Synod delegate for many years and as an altar server in the Anglican Church of the Ascension, Opebi Lagos under his watch as the Vicar, I was able to put in perspective his sagacity as a church administrator and as a dedicated spirit filled man of God. As the spirit directed him while praying in English, he would buttress it with deep Yoruba prayerful words. I longed for his early morning call on my birthday anniversary as he did for all parishioners; to “su ire fun mi” (pray for me). This he kept doing after he has retired as my church priest and did it for my children and wife as well as many other co-parishioners that he has the records of their birthday anniversaries.

His amiable character notwithstanding, when it comes to spiritual and parish matters his discipline and firmness were not negotiable. Saying things the way they are, runs in the gene of an Eso and this is one of the things that stands Baba L. L. Eso out. The formal nature of delivering sermons in the Anglican Communion would not stop Baba Eso to call you to order before the congregation if you are caught dosing during service. As an altar sever, you have to be alert with him when on duty as the celebrant. His standing instruction for you as priests or altar servers and church workers is to be alert and never to lose sight of the flow of worship. The altar as a temple of God is held in high esteem by Venerable Eso, the no-nonsense quintessential priest.

Those who knew him when he worked for the Federal Mortgage Bank attested to the fact that his position ordinarily was strategic to attract all kinds of unsolicited money from Nigerians who came for mortgage finance. After he politely turned down the bribe of a highly placed Nigerian, those with such tendency got the message and let him be to sustain his enduring self discipline and innate lasting virtues. To the glory of God he finished well as an upright public servant in a tempting and corrupt public service setting. This singular path of dignity points to one fact that individuals can always make the difference in most circumstances they find themselves. These virtues were strictly maintained when he was invited by the then International Bank for West Africa (later Afribank) to establish a bank property company to cater for development of bank buildings all over the country. The venerable man of God is ever ready to serve and always accessible to all God’s children who need him for one thing or the other. The summation of his disposition as a professional in the secular world; in active service as a priest and in retirement culminates into a lifetime in the service to mankind. This essentially informed my choice of the title for his biography, “Bi eni ti nse iranse” (Like He That Serveth).

Venerable Eso was born to the famous Eso family in Ilesa, Osun State on August 25, 1935. The younger brother of the Justice Kayode Eso the legal luminary of blessed memory, attended Ilesa Grammar School and one of the early students of Nigeria College of Arts & Science, Enugu, which subsequently transformed to University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he studied Estate Management. He later attended University of London and qualified as a Chartered Estate Surveyor from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Buckingham Gate, London. He co-founded the Nigerian Chapter Royal Institution of Estate Surveyors and Nigerian Institution of Estate of Estate Surveyors and Valuers in which he served as the 8th Chairman of the professional body. The highpoint of his working career was when he became an ordained priest in the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion in 1995. Prior to this, he served as a Licensed Lay Reader and rose through the ranks to retire as an Archdeacon in 2005.

His ability to recall Ijesa and family histories is legendary and commendable. The facts gathering and manuscript review sessions with Baba Eso in his Ikeja GRA residence remain indelible in my mind. Baba Eso is remarkably thorough; he ensured that I got the facts in the book right. The healthy living of the Venerable L. L. Eso is remarkable coupled with a robust diet that he adhered to over the years. I must also state that Venerable Eso told the story of his life and events around him, all I did was to structure and package the biography such that we can put in proper outlook the lifetime pursuit of excellence to the best of the towering abilities of the exemplary priest. The historical book expectedly has inspirational and spiritual touch. Therefore it should make a delightful reading to those who are inspired by reading biographies and people who are inclined to learning from the experiences of others who have done well for themselves and mankind in their lifetime activities. The Right Reverend (Prof) Dapo Asaju wrote the foreword of the biography. The book was reviewed by Prof Wole Omole; Chief Dele Fajemirokun unveiled the book at the launching ceremony, while Chief Festus Fadeyi led the formal presentation of the book to the public....

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What else can I say than to appreciate God for granting Baba Eso a long healthy life and ask God to continue to uphold him in his old age. Ajinde ora a je l'ase Edumare. As family members, friends and all ranks of other associates will surround him on the anniversary of his 90th birthday, I wish the distinguished family man and quintessential priest happy 90th natal day.