My Joy And Pains At 90

Q: Congratulations on your 90th birthday. How does it feel clocking 90?
A: I give glory to God for it, because it has pleased Him to spare the lives of all my children. I was praying to God that none of the children should leave me here on earth. I thank God that he has kept his covenant with me. So one can only be happy at old age.

Q: When you were growing up, education was not that popular. How did you have contact with western education when most of your contemporaries were still hunting, tapping palmwine and engaging in inter-village wrestling competitions?A: I believe that God had special plans for me. My parents were pagans and very ignorant about education because they did not go to church. But somehow, a friend of my mother’s–we were living at Igbehin Quarters, Ado-Ekiti–who was a convert of the Baptist Church, prevailed on my mother to become a Christian. I can’t remember her name now. But the cousins of my father would sneer and make jest of them when my mother and her friend would be going to the church. Fortunately, my mother’s immediate younger brother was converted to Christianity and as a boy, went to school and was baptised in 1916. But his father didn’t like it because they wouldn’t go to the farm on Sunday. He was not happy but was fortunate to have the advice of church members. One of them got him to run to Lagos where he learnt the job of a cobbler. When he was in Lagos, he was communicating with his sister, my mother. When their grandmother died in 1927, he and another relation from Ikole, from the Olatawura family, came for the burial festivities and persuaded my parents to send me to school. So early in one of the mornings of October 1927, he took us to Emmanuel School along with my own second brother.

The Headmaster, one Mr. Oni, a native of Imesi Oloja Oke, said we were late and told us to come back in January. My brother and the relation from Ikole were not happy. The relation promised to take me to Ikole. That was when I had my first experience of travelling in a lorry. I thought it was going to be a good experience but it was terrible. I vomited. He took me to another school there, but the headmaster once again said I was late and that I had to wait till January. But my Ikole uncle, though disappointed, arranged that boys of the school who were in Standard One would be teaching me at home in the evenings. I was going to the farm with him because he didn’t take me back to Ado, an arrangement that he advised I kept secret. He bought me some books and these senior boys were teaching me what they were taught in school. So in December, he brought me home to Ado Ekiti. The other brother, the cobbler, wanted to know how I was faring in school. He would ask me to identify parts of my body in English. I would do so and he was excited that in just three months I knew so much! He bought me some toys.

So I went back to Ikole and in January, my uncle finally took me back to the school and when we started Class One, the teacher found out that I had already known what they were to start teaching the other pupils. They then concluded that as from July, I should move over to Class Two. I was so happy and that year, 1928, I read classes One and Two and in 1929, I went to class three. Even there, I was ahead of my class all the time. So in 1931, I went to Standard One in Ikole. We were to go to Standard Three in 1932 but Ikole people could not find enough money to get teachers to teach pupils beyond Standard Two.

So I came back to Ado. The number for the class was supposed to be 30 and they were already 30. My uncle took me to Archdeacon Henry Dallimore, the Superintendent for schools in Ekiti and said: Here is my son. I want him to be admitted in Emmanuel but the Headmaster said that there is no vacancy. Ikole can’t help him. Where will he go?

Dallimore said he should not worry. He then wrote a letter to the headmaster, saying: Well, I now want your classes to go to 34 so you can admit this boy into your class because he is good enough. The embargo was lifted. And the next Friday, all the people who came for admission were given a test. The test was done and I came first among those going to Standard Three. In 1928, I had read my bible from Genesis to Revelations by the end of December. The teachers were surprised and wanted to know if I really was in Standard Two. I told them I was. In weekly tests, I came first and in June, I came first also. Then the headmaster said that they were wasting my time in Standard Three, I should go to Standard Four. So I went to Standard Four. Fortunately, that year, Dallimore decided to set up a new school called Ekiti Middle School, beginning with Standard Five and Six. While pupils in Standard Four sat for the examination to Standard Five, others in Standard Five in the school sat for the examinations to Standard Six. I was in Standard Four in Emmanuel School then and I took the examination. I was among the 13 pupils from Emmanuel School who succeeded. You can imagine 34 of us from Emmanuel School and only 13 succeeded. I was among the 13 who passed the examination and I was only six months in the class.

In the school, I was enrolled as number 55. We did the two-year course and did our Standard Six examination in 1934. In Christ’s School, I would have been made prefect but for my small stature. So the Headmaster gave me a very funny position, school secretary. We were encouraged to write letters every time, giving reports to students in Britain.

At the end of 1934, we passed out from Standard Six and in those days the job open to you was pupil teacher. I helped to coach some of girls who wanted to take examination to Idiaba Girls School, Abeokuta. All of them passed and five were awarded the Reverend Young Scholarship. They were surprised because the scholarship covered only about eight or so but five of them came from those I coached. Soon I became a source of wonder and the pastor said he would send me to Ogbomosho Baptist College. But I preferred Saint Andrew’s College, Oyo. So I went to my headmaster at Christ’s School and requested that I should be allowed to take the entrance examination to Saint Andrew’s with teachers in the CMS School, Ekiti. Those who were to take the examination were 78 but he allowed me and put my name down as number 79 - the last. He allowed me to take the entrance examination. To the surprise of Archdeacon Dallimore when he came back, the result was out and I came first .

Then the principal of Saint Andrew’s College sent a memo to Dallimore and his council in which he said: I rejoice with you that one of the candidates from Ekiti topped the list of this year’s examinations to Oyo here. I was the first and the person who came second was the late Justice Odumosu from Ijebu.

Q: What influenced your foray into politics?
A: I became the first Principal of Ekiti Divisional Teachers’ Training College in 1953 and I encouraged some of my people in town to enter that college. The people usually suffered from poverty. Even though they passed examinations, they usually didn’t have the money to proceed with their education. Then I encouraged the people to try and seek help from the church and some elderly people. I tried this especially in my area, Oke Ila. I did appeal to our people to help their children get beyond Standard Six and I asked them to sit for examinations. Many of them did but when they were admitted there was always no money. In 1954, there was an election to the council, Ado District Council. Some people in my quarters advised me to contest but I would have to join a party. Then I joined the Action Group, AG. I said I wanted to contest and when I put in my papers, the National Council of Nigerian Citizens, NCNC, and the other candidates withdrew. I went in unopposed. As a matter of fact, the NCNC candidate was a former pupil of mine in Emmanuel School in 1936 and he saw it as an honour to withdraw for his teacher. I was the only candidate returned unopposed. So when I got to the council, I said the council must do something to help education. I was asked to become the chairman but I refused because I had my eyes on higher positions. I wanted to contest for the Western Regional House of Assembly in Ibadan. One of my former pupils, Professor Sam Aluko, from Gboyin, was among those who wanted me to be the chairman.
For full details, demand the 17 November, 2008 issue of TheNEWS from your vendor now.

Foreign Operations: UK/EUROPE AGENT
Jay Magazines & Newspaper Distribution
Unit 21 Brockley Cross
Business Centre,
96 Endwell Road, London SE42PD
Contact: Julie Ugbowanko
Tel:020-7635-8888,07976-628-251
Fax 0207-635-5568
E-Mail: Jaymags@aol.com
Website: www.jaymags.com
QUALITY NETWORK SERVICES
Unit 9, Meridian Centre, 258 Kingsland Road, London E8 4DG
Contact: Abiola Fatai
Tel: 0208 525 1689, 0207 254 0371,  0956413 293
E-mail: fataiabiola2000@yahoo.com