J. M. Akinola

CHIEF JONATHAN MAYOMI AKINOLA (1928-1990)

By

Seye Adetunmbi

There was a period in Nigeria that the well trained career civil servants that got to the peak of their career made public service so attractive to the ambitious members of the younger generation. The personality, character, carriage, exposure, professionalism and integrated disposition of these senior public servants made them to standout in their community, province and the region from which they came from. In essence it was not uncommon to see working class and other educated Nigerians, aspiring to join the civil service with the ultimate goal of becoming a Permanent Secretary or School Principal especially in the post colonial era. The top civil servants that succeeded the colonial masters were essentially well educated and exposed to good quality training which prepared them adequately for the administrative job after the exit of the British officials. One of the distinguished public servants in the old western region was Chief Jonathan Mayomi Oke Oguntolu Akinola who was popularly called J.M. Akinola and oga Jona (Jonathan) by his younger Ekiti kinsmen. He was among the prides of Ekiti people at home and abroad in the civil service of the old western region who were admired by many because they got to the peak of their career.

My memory of the famous Chief Jonathan Mayomi Akinola (JMA) was more like someone I first knew by his notable reputation. I was able to see him in few occasions whenever he visited Ekiti from Ibadan and stopped over to pay a courtesy call on Chief D.O. Adetunmbi at Ifaki and whenever he attended functions in his hometown and one happened to be there. Ido-Ekiti is another home for the Adetunmbi family by virtue of my father being among the pioneer teachers of Ekiti Parapo College that worked between 1954-1957 closely with Chief Ade Akomolafe before he co-started Ifaki Grammar School in 1957 at the instance of his kinsmen. It was during his stay in Ido that the lasting bond evolved with Oba Olojido Olayisade, the families of Pa Jerimiah Akinola a respected community leader, Adewa, Ade Akomolafe, Familoni, Fakuade, Ogunruku and Ogunmiluyi. Naturally I warmed up to some his children, Dr Akinjide Akinola, Akinyemi Akinola and Dotun Akinola when we met as well as his nephews that we met in the secondary school.

Hull University Law graduates, 1956, standing 4th from left was Chief J.M. Akinola

    Chief Akinola was born in Ido-Ekiti on Tuesday, 7th August 1928 into a Christian family of Pa Jeremiah Aina Akinola and Mrs Comfort Aina Ogunjolagbe Owolabi, nee Familoni. He started his primary education at Ido Public School in 1937-1940 and completed the then standard six at Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti in 1940-1942. He gained admission into Christ School, Ado–Ekiti for his secondary education with the school number 43/065 and was in the famous school 1943-1945 during which he displayed a distinct aptitude that earned him a double academic promotion. He completed his secondary education at Ondo Boys High School, Ondo between 1946 and 1947. He worked for two years before gaining admission to the University of Ibadan to study Classics. He later gained admission to study Law at the University of Hull Yorkshire, UK in September 1952. At the University of Hull, he excelled, finishing both a Law degree and obtaining a postgraduate certificate in Public Administration in 1956.

1st Republic South Western Region House of Assembly in the early 1960s

    JMA had a remarkable career in the civil service of the old western region. He was Clerk Assistant in the Western Regional Legislature until 1960, when Nigeria became independent. After independence, he became the first indigenous Clerk of the House, a post he occupied until 1966. Subsequent to the political unrest of the 1960s, he was absorbed into the Regional Civil Service, firstly as an under-Secretary in the Military Governor’s Office. Later in the same year he was promoted to the post of a Permanent Secretary. In this capacity, he served in various ministries, including Works and Transport, Establishment and Training, Lands and Housing, Finance and Health. He worked tirelessly to set standards in these ministries. His job took him outside Nigeria to many European countries where he represented the regional government positively and secured working partnerships with foreign useful partners to secure industrial development in the western region. Chief Akinola was a proficient, kind and dignified public servant. He extended this attitude of service to many people outside of his work environment. He gained respect and recognition from both high and low for his exemplary kindness and outstanding generosity.

    JMA was a handsome and suave family man who left lasting impression with his children and wards that he gave his best. He took up the responsibility of educating not only his immediate biological family, but extended and distant relatives as well. He was instrumental to facilitating academic scholarships for many people. After retiring as a Permanent Secretary, he was nominated and contested for the governorship seat in the then Ondo State under Great Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP) in 1979. He later consolidated his legal practice and business interests at Ibadan which he sustained until his transition on the 11th of March 1990. To the glory of God he obeyed God in witnessing the Gospel of Christ till his time came. He was survived by his wife, seven children and thirteen grand children.

    JMA can be described as an uncommon personality who was an outstanding technocrat, public servant, entrepreneur, philanthropist, academic, and a very caring family man. To his children he was the world's most charming, dashing, dignified and loving man. Some of them grew up under the impression that their father was larger than life, bigger than all the superheroes in the comic books he bought for them. In fairness, he was a modest man; a very polished, suave, warm and intelligent Nigerian who bestrode his environment, like a colossus. The children had it all: protection, peace, plenty and harmony in a large home full of happy people where discipline and love endured.

   Akinyemi Akinola said about his father and I quote: “Daddy had all the answers to all the questions we asked, and inscribed on us sound moral virtues. Confidence; no one alive was better than us. Humility, God made all people equal (the difference between the beggar and the prince is grace & divine appointment). Respect for others as an expression of self worth. My father was truly a wonderful fellow, very special. I look at his early years and wonder how a man with so many challenges could grow into a philanthropic titan and a bastion of love and compassion particularly to his children and at large to anyone in need. I am in awe of the warmth and enthusiasm he displayed solving problems and helping people and most of all his quick temper and then the speed with which he forgave and reconciled. He is my role model to the core. Not many could have impacted on the life and values of the people around him like my ‘super Dad’"

    Dotun Akinola captured his role model father in his fond memories thus: “My Father was always there for me. He always knew my needs and never failed to solve them. He was there for me at home, where I could always hop on his lap and tell him all the silly things I did at school; or just to report my older siblings and ‘ina (Sina) when they disciplined me. He was there to take me to school on my first day at secondary school and tell me I could be the best. He was always home at my birthday parties for me to show off to my friends. He was there to take us all out on Saturdays to Kingsway and the pool. He was there to drive us to music lessons at Mrs. Santos. He was always there when it mattered. He was always there when I needed him. I could always hop on his lap and just talk with him. He was there to pick me up and take me to bed when I fell asleep on the sofa. He was there to kiss me goodnight every night. He was there to love me. I remember I once told him that I would like to be just like him when I grew up. That was a tall order but now At least I know what to do; which is half the task.”

    I have longed to write about Chief Jonathan Mayomi Akinola. This is why I took advantage of the anniversary of his transition after I have got vintage photos to do this modest pictorial tribute. May his gentle soul continue to rest in peace, Amen.

Seye Adetunmbi

11/3/17

Apostle Babalola

APOSTLE JOSEPH BABALOLA

Apostle Joseph Babalola was one of the progenitors of the early revival fire that swept through Nigeria in the early 1930's and 40's. Those who knew the man said he was on fire for God. There was not so much noise and razzmatazz. With his bell in his hand and a mismatched 'babariga' and 'sokoto' and a pair of sandal standing on a make-shift pulpit, the anointed servant of God strode through this world like a blazing comet. He didn't need to scream and shout yet he was anointed to the teeth. His simplicity and humility is simply enchanting.

    He was a terror to the kingdom of hell. He put many herbalist out of business and expelled demons who had the forest as their place of domain. Times without number it was reported that they brought the invalid to his meetings and lay them right in front of the alter where he ministered and without getting distracted from his message, the sick will get up and walk from where they have been kept.

    He turned the mountains to his Prayer gym and on one occasion, it was said while he was praying, a snake crawled over him and never cared only to get up after prayers to discover the python lying dead by his side. His sweat dropped on the reptile it dried up. I remember my boss telling me this because his father, Pa Ibitoye of Sosan, Akoko was among his lieutenants.

   The life and time of Apostle Babalola is a challenge to Christians of these days. Someone said and I quote:

"His life is a reprimand to many of us. God is seeking for men who He can invest His unction to trigger another flame of revival in this depraved world. Thank God for the world in which we live in and praise Him for the advancement of technology but this will never take the place of prayer and the Holy Spirit."

As said by John Wesley; "set me on fire Lord and cause the world to come watch me burn." This should be the prayer of believers.

Ade Ojo

UNITY: THE ELUSIVE PANACEA FOR THE DOWNTURN OF THE FORTUNES OF THE YORUBA

By
Professor Sam Ade Ojo
A lecture delivered to Ipade Egbe OmoYoruba ti Europe in April 2018

1. WHO ARE THE YORUBA?

The Yoruba, who are majorly from Nigeria, are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. They make up 21% of Nigeria's population and constitute 40.9 million of its population. They are the third largest Nigerian ethnic group and demographically dominate 8 states, of whose 46 million, 39.8 million, were, as of 2006, Yoruba (National Population Commission, 2006).

They are also found in the northern-central Nigerian states of Kogi and Kwara, of whose population, the Yoruba constitute 34%. In the South- South of Nigeria, such ethnic groups as the Edo, Esan, Afemai and Itsekiri, who are ancestrally and culturally related to the Yoruba, share convivial affinities with the Yoruba and most of them proudly present themselves as Yorubas.

The Yoruba are also found in other African countries. They are in Benin, where they are known as the Nago and also in Togo. They are in Burkina Faso and in Cote d'Ivoire. In Sierra Leone, they are known as the Aku. They are in Liberia and the Gambia. While they are among the dominant ethnic groups in Benin and Togo, where they are prominent in every facet of their lives, they are predominantly conspicuous in the retail business at major markets in the other West African countries. Beyond Africa are those generally referred to as the Yoruba diaspora, which consists of three groups.

    The first and most significant group is made of those who are the offspring of those uprooted from Nigeria by the Atlantic slave trade from August 1619, who constituted 69.1% of all slaves whose ethnic origins were identified as coming from the Bight of Benin and who are now in the South American countries of Brazil, particularly in Bahia, where the religion of Candomble has striking resemblances to some Yoruba religious practices. They are in Venezuela, the Dominica Republic and the West Indian islands of Haiti and Cuba, where they are known as Lukumi. They are in Jamaica, St Lucia, Grenada, Belize, British Guyana, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago. In Surinam, they are known as Yoruba.

    The second group is made of the offspring of the slaves brought to North America who are found in large numbers in almost all American States, where they are today making significant impacts on the academic, economic, political and entertainment landscapes of America. The effect of Yoruba religious practices is, for example, strongly recorded in Miami where the syncretistic religion known as Santeria is practised as a Yoruba religion and in Oyotunji African Village in Beaufort County in South Carolina that operates like a mini version of the great Oyo Empire

    The third group is made of relatively recent migrants, majority of whom moved to the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Germany as a result of the economic meltdowns, political upheavals and social unrests that have become prevalent in Nigeria since the 1980s.

2. THE COMMON BONDS THAT CONNECT THE YORUBA

What are the connecting cords that have linked and continue to bind together all these Yoruba, who are found in more than 30 different countries and nationalities across the universe and who feel encouraged, compelled and intuitively bound to believe that they share characteristics and qualities that bind them together as a people who belong to the same global ethnic family? What are the common features of these multinational people who are found in all the continents of the world, including Australia and Asia, and who are responsible for the spread of Yoruba culture across the globe, through the combined avenues of the Atlantic Slave trade, voluntary self-migration and the magnetic beauty and seduction of various aspects of Yoruba culture and civilisation, particularly its art, music and dance?

    The foremost of these shared cementing and magnetic factors is the deep conviction of the people that they are part of a history of a common ancestry that links them to Oyo as their political cradle and/ or Ile- Ife as their spiritual fountain. These factors are knitted to form a pan-Yoruba identity that is founded on specific shared cultural values that are validated by certain cultural and civic contents.

These contents consist of a shared space which is Oyo and Ife as common ancestral origins of the Yoruba or/ and the locations where they are normally geopolitically associated with. They are linked spiritually and ancestrally to Oduduwa. They are authenticated by a common history, in fact, a mythological history that traces the Yoruba to one ancestor, Oduduwa, whose grandson, Oranmiyan extended the Yoruba special frontier to the Edo people in the former mid-western Nigeria and who founded the Oyo Empire that became an imperial kingdom between the 14th and 17th century. The contents are galvanised and oiled by a political system that is focused on the Yoruba being governed by credible and proven leaders and making their states to set the pace among other Nigerian states and ethnic groups as the best ideal in development programmes, modernization, welfare programmes and a competently administered government that is headed by a real leader. Such a leader is one that is distinguished by exemplary and unspotted leadership qualities, intellectual excellence, foresight, creative resilience and such moral values as credibility, integrity, selflessness, endearing dignity, distinctive comeliness and dignifying refinement that attract respect and admiration from the led. These are the distinctive virtues which make such a leader to deserve to be emulated and to win admirers across the political divides and opponents

    The contents of the pan-Yoruba identity are particularly greased by the political aspirations of the Yoruba within the Nigerian federation that are based on ensuring that the Yoruba are worthily, ably and honourably represented in all the tiers of government and be assuredly guaranteed by their representatives that the deserved and proportional share for the Yoruba from the national treasury for their security , the sustenance of their ethical values and the defence of their security is not denied them. Their political aspirations are also to ensure that the best of the Yorubas are voted into the state and national assemblies and are appointed to federal positions on the basis of the constitutionally agreed quotas per state and the ethnic ratios in government, civil service, armed forces and other federal appointments.

    Central to the binding links that connect all Yoruba is the Yoruba language which is the verbal, written and artistic means of communication for expressing themselves, their moral and aesthetic values and their literature. It is in fact that language that confers on them their ethnic identity and serves to identify them among themselves and as human beings who are ethnically different from those belonging to other ethnic and language groups. It is the ethical language that is used for communicating with themselves, express their thoughts and philosophies, sustain their values, keep the record of their history and preserve their past . It is one aspect of their identity and ethnic consciousness and distinction that marks them out from other human ethic groups as unique and distinctive.

     Closely linked to language as a binding cord to all Yoruba are the cultural values that are shared by all the Yoruba within and outside Nigeria. Culture is to be taken as the combination of the distinctive aspects of the daily life and ways of life: ideas, customs and social behavior that are peculiar to a people, that were initiated by their ancestors and that are consciously and unconsciously sustained and updated by the people from the past to the present to enable them live the way that is convenient and agreeable to them, that help them to maintain discipline and order among themselves, and perpetuate their ways of life ethical values and morals. The Yoruba grow with these shared customs, ideas and social behaviour which distinguish them wherever they are, either in Nigeria or wherever they are found in every nook and cranny of the world.

    One other factor that the Yoruba share together is their moral and ethical values which are the treasured qualities which make the Yoruba proud of themselves, which are deeply valued as the iconic ethics that are raised to the highest level of excellence with regards to character, attitude, preferences, choices and as positive and morally defensible responses to the issues of life, responsibilities, roles, dependability, morals, public image, trustworthiness and Yoruba sensibilities and consciousness. These values are relied on as the ideal for judging every Yoruba as being good or bad and for identifying those who are adjudged qualified to lead as secular, traditional and political leaders and in other sectors of life.

3. UNITY AS THE DESIDERATUM FOR DERIVING OPTIMUM BENEFITS FROM PAN-YORUBA NATIONALISM

In the context of the different locations of the Yoruba within and outside Nigeria with the diversity of the millions of Yoruba in their distant geopolitical locations across the globe, their diversified shades of opinions, the multiplicity of Yoruba sub- groups (for example, the South- western Nigeria has 18) which are distinguished by diverse peculiarities, with each claiming a distinct identity and with the increasing consciousness of ethnic commonality among the varied Yoruba global communities, there was a very greatly felt need by leading Yorubas to find a strategic way of finalising the interests of all Yorubas across the globe. Uniting all Yorubas as a global socio-cultural entity was identified as the best strategic option.

     It is universally accepted that unity or oneness with others who are related with one another, who are connected to a common purpose and who share common interests, values and past, has been accepted from time immemorial, even from creation and with example of the Trinity, as the best human arrangement and the best interpersonal synergy to appropriate the blessings of the multifarious talents, skills and special advantages of individuals in a group. It is through this that common problems are easier and better solved together. Best solutions, best strategies and best alternatives are also readily and expeditiously arrived at for the benefits of all. 

     This is so because, in unity, "the joy of one is the joy of all''," the problem of one is the problem of all", "a person is a person because of other people", "the weak become the strong," there is strength, power, victory and vision, "there is hardly any problem that cannot be solved".

    The above reasons authenticate the deep truth and existential reality in many African proverbs, among which are the following: "Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable." "Cross a river in a crowd and the crocodile won't eat you.” “Many hands make light work.” “Where there are many good counsels, nothing goes wrong." "Two ants do not fail to pull one grasshopper.” “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Psalm 133:1 summarised all the above, by saying, "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity."

    It is not surprising therefore that many members of the Yoruba elite, saw in unity the long-awaited panacea that could make the Yoruba truly one, reach their promised land of individually gaining from being part of a pan- Yoruba community. In order to make unity to be pragmatically explored for the benefit of all Yoruba, the option of forming social-cultural groups was accepted as being the best way to unite the Yoruba. This option started attracting the Yoruba elite as from the 1920s.

5. VARIOUS SOCIO-CULTURAL GROUPS MOTIVATED BY YORUBA NATIONALISM

The first of such groups was a religio-cultural group of Yoruba political frontliners led by Herbert Macaulay. The members of the group were moved by the inhuman treatment of Nigerians by the colonial masters, to join other Nigerians across ethnic divides between 1920s and 1940s to militate against British colonialism. Though their focus was not Yoruba- centric, the activities of the group helped to raise the consciousness of its Yoruba members to the need to wrestle, from the colonial masters, the right of the Yoruba to govern their own region of Nigeria. This consciousness of independence and liberation of Nigeria from the colonial masters helped to sow the seed of the importance of self-government of Western Nigeria in the minds of Yoruba nationalists, of which Obafemi Awolowo was prominent. 

     It was not surprising that Awolowo was the arrow-head in the formation of Egbe Omo Oduduwa in London in I945. He launched it in Nigeria in 1949.This socio-cultural association, which was formed, among other objectives, to unite the various subgroups of the Yoruba race and foster the spirit of a single nationalism in Yorubaland, was the first association to be linked with Oduduwa, the mythological ancestor of the Yoruba. However, the association metamorphosed into a political party, The Action Group, in 1951.The party transformed later in 1978 into the Unity Party of Nigeria.

     The deduction from this development is that the quest for Yoruba unity, prioritized by Egbe Omo Oduduwa, gave way to the realisation of the political ambition of its founders in the context of the Nigerian nation. It must be admitted however that the two political parties helped to advance the cause and case of Yoruba- centric nationalism and politics. They also served as the organs of grassroots nationalist and political mobilisation.

     In January 1964 was formed another Yoruba socio-cultural group, Egbe Omo Olofin whose leaders were Sir Adetokunbo Ademola and Dr Adekoyejo Majekodunmi. The leaders of this association, whose objectives are similar to those of Egbe Omo- Oduduwa, were those who had a disagreement with Obafemi Awolowo.

     The same scenario played out with Egbe Afenifere, formed in 1993 by the core loyalists of Chief Obefemi Awolowo, majorly to protest against the annulment by General Ibrahim Babangida, of June 12, 1993 presidential election, won by M.K.O.Abiola, a Yoruba man. Not only did the association nurse into existence a new political party , the Alliance for Democracy(AD), but it equally attracted the formation of a rival socio- cultural group, the Council of Elders (Y.C.E), otherwise known as Igbimo Egbe Agba in 2000, by those who were excluded from Afenifere. The objectives of the Y.C.E include the realisation of unity of the Yoruba and the securing of a greater participation of the Yoruba in the affairs of Nigeria.

     It was later that another rival group to Afenifere was formed in 2008, bearing an almost similar name, Afenifere Renewal. It was floated to give a landing pad for visibility and prominence to some young Yoruba politicians who are associated with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

     Apart from such groups as Oodua Development Council and Oduduwa Assembly, which emerged from the mythological ancestry of Oduduwa, was Oodua People's Congress, formed in 1994, with the agenda of agitating for the convocation of Sovereign Conference, serving as a vehicle for restructuring Nigeria into a federal state, the achievement of regional autonomy and promotion of the interests of the Yoruba in the diaspora, among other objectives. Led by Dr Frederic Faseun, the OPC became eventually polarised with the breaking away in 1999 of a faction led by Gani Adams.

6. UNITY OF THE YORUBA: STILL A MIRAGE OR COUNTERFEIT PANACEA

From our examination of the various pan-Yoruba socio- cultural groups mentioned above, it must have dawned on us that , none of them could be certified as having achieved the lofty purpose of using their groups as an effective vehicle to give the Yoruba a pan- Yoruba consciousness of their ethnic identity and pride, to enable the Yoruba to derive substantial benefits from being members of a  Pan- Yoruba community and to enjoy the innumerable advantages that the unity of Yoruba within the Nigerian geopolitical landscape and outside it. In other words, the objective of using their groups to unite Nigeria, as touted by each of them, has been woefully defeated, due to many reasons.

Principal among these are the following:

● Apart from Obafemi Awolowo, the leaders of most of the groups were grossly deficient in exemplariness, distinction, selflessness, stubborn pursuit of carefully planned programmes, the inspiring virtues of class, integrity, astuteness, intellectual depth, resilience and versatility, respectability, trustworthiness and result- orientated approach to issues. With these sterling attributes, most of the leaders would have been able to lead their groups effectively.

● Weak and uninspiring programmes towards helping their members to be convincingly and encouragingly committed to Yoruba culture, civilisation, language and aesthetic values.

● Lack of attention on the integration of Diaspora Yoruba to the consciousness of Pan- Yoruba nationalism.

● Inability to work out and be engaged in evolving practical and peaceful resolutions to the perennials or occurring conflicts between various Yoruba subgroups, traditional chiefs and obas, and to intracity feuds.

● Proliferation of groups with similar objectives, underscoring the lack of coverage of the issues concerning the Yoruba unity and consciousness of ethnic commonality by the existing groups.

● The elitist composition of membership of many of the groups made it too exclusive to enable it to attract membership from lower socio-economic classes.

● The method employed by certain groups to carry out their activities is not acceptable to quite a lot of people. For example, the OPC’s reliance on violence and the use of black magic limit its membership to those who would not be averse to the use of such means of carrying out the activities of a social group.

● The use of some socio-cultural groups as stepping stones to the realisation of the political ambitions of their originators, as avenues to secure political relevance or as bargaining tools to corner positions and favours in the competitive ethnic politics of Nigeria.

● Hasty preparations, poor background work, inadequate consultation before some groups were formed, leading to misunderstanding among leaders and members and break-ups of groups.

● Formation of rival and antagonistic groups bearing same or opposing names. As the Bible says, "a house divided against itself cannot stand." This phenomenon cannot but weaken Yoruba unity, solidarity and cohesion.

     The result of the above is that the unity of the Yoruba is still a mirage. The panacea that unity should have offered for achieving the various objectives derivable from the formation of the socio-cultural groups is therefore consistently appearing as a counterfeit medicine. This makes its effectiveness not only suspicious but doubtful. This illusory efficacy of the panacea that unity would have produced is being made more illusory by the mercenary or monetary politics that has captured the soul of almost every Nigerian, who is being gradually disconnected from the Yoruba’s traditionally valued virtues of integrity, honesty and trustworthiness. This has condemned most of our people to be marooned in the cesspool of gullibility, corruption, deficit morals, the servile subjection to "the law of the jungle" or "survival of the fittest" and to the sheepish worship of money, which now answers everything in Nigeria.

PROFESSOR SAMUEL ADEOYA OJO: AN INSPIRATION

By

Seye Adetunmbi

 While growing up as a little boy in Ifaki-Ekiti, I was inspired by some special class of people apart from my parents. They included venerable men of God, exemplary public servants, distinguished teachers, school principals of repute and celebrated scholars. Professor Samuel Adeoya Ojo was among the few academics of note that I admired coupled with the fact that he married my pretty and adorable auntie Oyebisi, nee Omodele. The picture taken in September 1971 during their wedding service at Christ Church Cathedral in Marina Lagos where my venerable father was among the witnesses that signed the marriage register, was a constant reminder for me in the our family photo album of how special his family is to ours. I also noticed that he bonded so well with his beloved mother in such a remarkable manner. To God be the glory for what he has achieved as a university professor and administrator, as an outstanding family man and a community leader who continues to inspire the younger generation. The professor of French is by nature a polite character and pragmatically friendly to people who move close to him. He saw teaching as a calling and very proud to be a teacher without regrets because what his colleagues in other fields have achieved he did  it too in teaching.

He was appointed director of the French Village in 1992 as the pioneer chief executive officer of the institution. The take-off of the Nigerian French Language Village was a completely new concept in language education in Nigeria. He had to recruit the pioneer staff as well as re-train them when necessary to meet up with the needs of the new college. The school was born out of necessity. ​In the later part of the 1980s Nigeria recorded an economic downturn. The economy was very challenging in terms of foreign exchange in relation to naira. It was the beginning of the plunge in the value of naira to dollars. The compulsory one year French programme abroad for the university undergraduates in Nigeria became a serious challenge. It was mandatory for every undergraduate student of French to pay school fees and maintain themselves abroad. It was increasing getting difficult to send the required money abroad and Nigerian students were being embarrassed because they couldn’t take care of themselves because they found it hard to make ends meet. ​The difficulty of the Central Bank to remit money to the institutions that were hosting Nigerian students led to the government to create alternative options. This informed location of the school close to a francophone country so that the students can easily relate with people from the French speaking country. This also made recruitment of relevant staff easier and facilitated easy access established primarily for students to take care of their one year abroad for the French language immersion programme. The French Village accommodated the undergraduates of universities and colleges of education that had to come there for their studies.

Kudos to Professor Sam Ade Ojo for putting the institution on a good footing that was sustained for years. The world is a global village and language is one major cementing factor. French is the second most important language in Africa, and the second most important intra-continental language and the second most important trans-national language in the world. It is accepted as either the official language (or mother tongue) or second official language (or language of preference) in 68 of almost 200 countries of the world.  No doubt it was a very challenging experience for him because he started virtually from the scratch. His team started with a very low budget but they were not low in motivation. They were not poor in wanting to be part of a very exciting experience. It was their conviction that they had a privilege to build an institution that would defy all the myth of Nigerians not being able to do anything. He was to spend 2 years in the college but consequent to the enormity of the tasks before the institution, he stayed back and put a total of 12 years there before going back to University of Lagos in 2003. He took leave of absence to take up the French Village appointment.

​Despite the fact that Nigeria is surrounded by some francophone countries like Benin, Cameroun, Niger and Chad; most Nigerians have little or no knowledge of the French language. This was due to the inherited awkward colonial policy by Nigeria which favoured the learning of the language of the colonial masters but discouraged the learning of the language of their competitors. The consequence was that after independence, only very few institutions like University of Ibadan and University of Nigeria, Nsukka and some Colleges of Education were offering French as a course. Instead, they encouraged the teaching of Latin in secondary schools which was what Professor Ojo and his contemporaries in Nigeria studied and not French. ​Over time, in recognition of the importance of French, Nigeria became more conscious of the political and economic benefits of establishing a closer relationship with her neighbours. The renowned professor once said about this development:  “This was supported more by the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the ECOWAS. These two associations brought Africans closer to one another particularly the cultural factor. UNESCO was in particular very anxious to ensure that bilingualism was encouraged in Africa. But because we had a faulty background, we didn’t have institutions or teachers who could teach French. By the time I left the secondary school which was in 1961, very few schools were doing French. The change of policy actually started in 1962 and beyond”.

Professor Ojo put over 40 years into teaching before he retired as a professor in University of Lagos. To him teaching is one profession that allows one to leave a lasting legacy to generations yet unborn. It enables one to participate in grooming the young generation and gives you more time to be yourself especially the university system. So you are given the opportunity to be yourself. In the university, there is nothing preventing everybody from being a professor if you are good at your job. It is also one profession that allows you to see the practical example of godliness with contentment, the inimitable scholar remarked in his comments during an interview granted on his 70th birthday celebration in 2011. At some point in time, teaching in the university was probably the most prestigious profession in Nigeria when compared to the civil service in terms remuneration and accommodation for staff. The reverse is the case today which has resulted to the university hosting the 2^nd and 3^rd eleven of human resources.

Prof Sam Ade Ojo was born on 4^th of May 1941 in Ifaki-Ekiti. He attended Egbe-Oba High School, Ikole-Ekiti as one of the early set members of the school. He worked for one year before gaining admission for his further studies. He was very brilliant and good in virtually all the subjects in the secondary school. The man took initial interest in geography with the hope to study estate management among other reasons. Along the line he discovered that there was the possibility of people who had never done French to come in through a UNESCO-assisted project in Federal Advanced Teachers College, Yaba, to study and teach French. Because he was very good in Latin it was a good opportunity for him to continue with his interest in foreign language. He turned out to be one of the best in his class and luckily at the end of the programme his performance earned him the support of the stakeholders in the development of French in the country at that time that encouraged anybody who did well to continue. He was one of those given scholarship to study French abroad and was able to do the first degree, master’s and registered for PhD before he left France for Nigeria in 1970.

In 1966 he left Nigeria and passed through Toulouse University, France in flying colours. He joined the Department of Modern European Languages at University of Lagos in 1970 where he served meritoriously in joining others to develop the department and retired graciously to the glory of God. He later spent two years at Caleb University.

He first met his natural in beauty and charming wife in 1964 and the marriage has been blessed with successful children in their respective callings. The professor is a man of strong faith in Jesus Christ and as a devout Christian, his counsel to couples on how to keep their homes includes patience, contentment, shun of materialism, greed  and immorality. When asked what accounted for the success of his marriage since 1971 he said: the fear of God, belonging to the same faith, patience and mutual understanding by knowing that your marriage can only survive if two of you understand each other without any intrusion of in-laws. On contemporary national issues, his commentaries in Ekitipanupo intellectual roundtable as a prominent member point to one direction, that Nigeria can only succeed if it has committed leadership. The passionate Ekiti man is the President of Ifaki Progressive Union and has been dedicating his energy and goodwill for the benefit of his kinsmen and community. May God continue to make the distinguished professor fruitful in his retired through the grace of God, amen.

THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE

MRS BOLATITO OYEBISI OJO 

By 

Seye Adetunmbi, 28/3/17

Subsequent to writing about the early elitist front-line Ekiti men that got to the peak of their careers, I have always wanted to complement it by writing about the first set of female graduates that have done well in their careers especially in Ifaki-Ekiti where I know a few of them that I admire greatly. While the community recorded the early set of male university graduates in the 1950s, their female counterparts were recorded in the 1960s and early 1970s. These distinguished women are essentially children of the early elite and well exposed parents. In this category was Mrs Remi Adelusi, the wife of Professor Babatunde Adelusi, the daughter Chief J. O. Ojo aka Abudu and Mrs Bolatito Oyebisi Ojo, the first daughter of Chief Andrew Bamgboye Omodele. This is why I have used the opportunity of the 70th birthday anniversary of Mrs Bisi Ojo to celebrate her exceptional qualities that showcase the best of womanhood. Not very many people with a distinct pedigree combined outward and inner beauty with brilliance, elegance, inimitable placidness, remarkable career and outstanding home-front in married life to turn out to become a virtuous woman of substance as manifested in my beloved aunt.

    Mrs Ojo was born on Friday March 28, 1947 in Ilorin as the third child to Christian parents: Chief Omodele of Ifaki-Ekiti and Chief Mrs Joanna Olukemi Omodele (nee Fagbemi-Eboda) of Otan Aiyegbaju in Osun-State. She started her primary education at St Banaba’s Primary School, Ilorin in 1951, attended Girls’ Anglican Primary School, Offa in 1957 and completed the Primary Six in 1958 at St Banaba’s School, Ilorin. Between 1959 and 1964 she attended St Margaret’s Secondary School, Ilesha and passed West African School Certificate in flying colours at Ilesha High School in 1966. Mrs Ojo is a product of Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Lagos where she obtained first degree, 1967-1970 and postgraduate programe 1976-1977 respectively. As a devout Christian and committed ordained pastor, she undertook pastoral training in the Bible College between 1990 and 1994.

    She had a remarkable working career as a teacher, school principal and director in the Ministry of Education in Lagos State. Mrs Ojo worked in January to August 1967 at St Claire’s Grammar School, Offa; in July to September 1968 at Methodist Girls High School, Ifaki-Ekiti; July to September 1969 at Ilorin College and June to December 1970 at Baptist High School, Oshogbo. She worked as a teacher at Lagos Anglican Girls Grammar School, Surulere Lagos 1980 to 1992; Gbagada Girls Secondary School 1980 to 1992 and Principal of CMS Girls’ Secondary School, Bariga 1992 to 1997. The long years of fruitful experience as a teacher and a school principal took Mrs Ojo to administrative job in the Ministry of Lagos state government as a director in Kosofe Zonal Office, Maryland 1997 to 1999 and Surulere Zonal Office 1999 to 2001 where she retired after 34 years of meritorious service.

    Her devoted Christian upbringing made her to know God at a very young age which prepared her for future and active church works after retirement from the civil service. Auntie Bisi is exceptionally caring and accommodating, this is evident in the manner she took care of her siblings and nephews and other relations that lived with her family at various times while bringing up her own biological children. She is no doubt a living testimony of God’s beauty, love and power; His grace abounds around her as a grandmother and a truly blessed mother that all her children have turned out beautifully in their respective callings to the glory of God.

    No doubt Pastor Bisi Ojo and her darling husband, Professor Samuel Ade Ojo, they are just too amazing as a couple. Apparently auntie and Prof complement one another. They are practically inseparable, the two of them bond so well which makes their home to be an exemplary Christian home to the glory God. As auntie put it, Prof Ojo (husband) remains her omnibus companion, friend for life and her all season partner. This is Lord’s doing and indeed marvelous in their eyes and that of the loved ones.

    It is therefore a thing of joy that family members, relations, friends and other well wishers joined them on 28/3/17 to give thanks to God to mark the 70th natal day anniversary of a worthy woman that any discerning and God fearing man would desire to have as a wife. I wish auntie Bisi more years in good health and pray that she will continue to see more beautiful things happen in her household in Jesus name, amen. Happy birthday ma.
The 70th Birthday Party