OLADELE OGUNSOLA
About the headline:
I consider this an auspicious opportunity to reflect and acknowledge a robust relationship of over five decades. While reflecting on the life of the subject, Asiwaju Samson Olugbenga Falope, I found it difficult to ignore the society, nay the Nigeria of his time and how it enabled him to manifest his true being as a complete family man with love and regard for our cherished age- long value for communal living. This is being done vis a vis our Nigeria of today as I do apologize to the late Prof. Chinua Achebe whose title of one of his books forms part of the headline. Who knows, the present and the coming generations may pick one or two things from the enviable life of the octogenerian in case Nigeria gets better. So, if the headline looks somehow, pardon me, it is self understanding (temi yemi).
How our paths crossed:
In the real and practical sense, we are inlaws, though we never related as such and that relationship is well over five decades now. Precisely, as a young man, working with the Western State Government as a Fireman in the state’s Fire Brigade Service, he met my sister, the now eldest child of my mother, Aunty mi Idowu in Ibadan in the late 60s while serving apprenticeship as a sewing mistress. By 1970, the relationship was consummated in Imesi-Ile and that was when we first met. Shortly after, the then young man was transfered to Ado-Ekiti, the present capital town of Ekiti State. Then, the present Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti States made up the Western State. There they had their first two children, Olufemi and Olukayode respectively. I remember vividly that my mother went there to do ‘omugwo’ on those two occasions.
Back to Ibadan:
Shortly after the birth of the second child, the couple relocated back to Ibadan with the transfer of the Fireman.I remember I came to spend my second term holiday with the couple in 1974 in Ibadan. Then, early morning on 18th September, 1976, our relationship could actually said to begin as that was the day I fully joined the family, not as a visitor, but a resident member of the family at N6/669B, Adenle Avenue, Mokola in Ibadan.
Shockingly, that same day, by evening time, a Niece of his from Ile-Ife, Toyin, accompanied by her sister, Aunty Alice arrived. The day was Saturday, so by the following morning, Aunty Alice went back to Ife and that’s how we all became residents of the single room apartment accommodation of the couple. By that time the children had become three in number with the arrival of Olubunmi about a year before our arrival.
The Modern School Leavers:
Myself and Toyin had in our different bases completed our Modern School education in June of the same year, awaiting the release of the final results upon which our going forward educationally was predicated. So, the idea was that of us getting engaged and earned some money ahead of furthering our education. But, amazingly, our host, the Fireman was a level four or five civil servant. Yet, our daily three meals were non-negotiable, no soaking of gaari as part of our main menu and we won’t eat without protein! But, again, when the children became of school age, they all attended C&S New Eden Primary School, a public school and a walking distance to our residence. So, the idea of running helter skelter for Nursery and Primary School fees was never part of the monthly budget.
No to idleness:
Perhaps our host had secured our place of work ahead of our arrival as we barely waited for a week or thereabout before we got engaged as Clerks at Nisile & Sons, (electronics store) along Queen Elizabeth Road. In addition to electronics, our organization was also into sales and services of motorcycles, directly dealing with Boulus Enterprises which was the sole distributor of Suzuki series. Aside Suzuki motorcycles, we also engaged in the sales of Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki. Our monthly salary then was N20.00 (Twenty Naira). The Ile-Oluji born owner of the business was a top- rated civil servant and being that Ondo State was shortly created then, his wife was the one supervising the business as he only popped in once in a while. As a high ranked civil servant (doubt it much if his position would be lower than that of a Director going by the kind of government vehicles in his possession), the family was quartered at Jericho. What could have served as a relief for our host, when the wife of our boss requested that we be released and allowed to reside with her in their Quarters was turned down. The Fireman told the woman that we were not brought to Ibadan to come and be house helps.
A working system:
Then, the civil service was structured in such a way that one could live a well planned, progressive and meaningful life. From Grade Level Four to Six then, there was a motorcycle loan of Seven hundred and fifty Naira (N750.00). Doubtful if people lobbied to access the loan and it was more than enough to purchase any brand of the motorcycles. If my memory won’t fail me, I think the costliest of all the motorcycles then was Suzuki 125 and it was less than N400.00. From Level Seven, one was entitled to a vehicle loan of N4,800.00 and that was the era of Panel van, a Datsun product which was around N3,000.00. So, it was not out of place then seeing people throwing parties to ‘wash’ their motorcycles or vehicles from the balance of the loan obtained. How the Fireman networked Nisile remained a puzzle as he was a commissioned agent for the organization and through that brought a lot of civil servants to the company for the purchase of their motorcycles. He himself had bought for himself a Suzuki 125 before our joining the company.
Society for all:
I got an unforgettable experience on how people of the old would in their respective little ways ensure that the fabric of the society was not ruptured. How? Chief Falope was still pulling strings in his own little way to get us better job, even while at Nisile & Sons. I remember one of such efforts yielded my being invited for an interview as a Waiter at Onireke Guest House under the supervision of a government ministry then. The interview was held at the Agodi Government Secretariat. I suppose our interviewer must have gone for a meeting ahead of the scheduled time for the interview as we had waited for hours before he came. He expressed shock to see me among the applicants and curiously asked for my mission which I told him of. He checked through his file and found out that I was Mr. Falope’s candidate.
I thus became the first person to be attended to. After asking about my qualification and I told him that I was awaiting Modern School final examination result. He asked about my chances of passing the examination which I affirmed, lacing it with “by the grace of God”. Thereafter, he made a profound statement that somebody like me should be in the school and not at work. He even said if he could boast of a hundred Naira (N100.00), he would send me back to Grammar School. Before dismissing me, he picked the phone, called Chief Falope and told him that it would be a disservice to the society to expose a young person like me to such a life of a Waiter. He said in addition to the attached salary, the accompanied tips would derail me. He said the moment I started getting money, I would not want to go to school again and that it would be like killing the future of the country. With that, he dismissed me.
System that could bury glory:
Quite unlike the previous years, our Modern Three final examination results for that year was released earlier than expected, around late November or early December, I think. Anybody conversant with our then system would attest to the fact that ‘oriboriyee’ was the perfect name for the Modern School final examination. Or how could one explain that only 14 out of 117 candidates in my set made it when the result was released? I was among the few lot, but Toyin was not. What a system! You fail in one subject, you fail in all. No rerun, no resit. The following year, you must sit for all the papers again and that’s how some were writing the examination three, four or more times before they could make it. Along the line, some dropped by the way side. The irony of the whole thing was that some of my classmates that were found unworthy of passing the Modern School Leaving Certificate Examination, but whose parents could afford sending them to Secondary Grammar School eventually made it educationally. I met some of them in the university offering science courses! Back to my narration, the implication was that Toyin would have to go back to Ife to retake the papers which she did and came back thereafter. Not long after her return, by November 1977 or thereabout, our host family changed accommodation to a room and a parlour at Alafia Street in the same Mokola. Let me add that armed with my Modern School result, I applied for admission into the Wesley College, Elekuro that year. Chief transported me on his motorcycle to the examination centre. I was however not admitted as my score was four marks short of the cut-off mark.
Planned and progressive life:
While at our previous accommodation in Adenle Avenue, the Fireman, unknown to us had perfected the setting up of a more spacious accommodation, keeping all those items- settee, dinning table and chairs among others with a brother and colleague, late Mr. Sunday Akinloye, living in a two building away from us and when it was time to move, it was with complete necessary home furnitures. I had changed jobs twice in that same 1977 after having engaged my boss at Nisile in fisticuffs. The two jobs were in hotels and both were trekking distance. While the first one, Pimenco Hillside offered me N30.00 and just a month after my salary was increased by N10.00 after about six months or thereabout, I left for Lizzy Guest House where I was employed as a Receptionist and offered N45.00. Then, one could only be idle by choice, there would always be something to do irrespective of one’s qualification. Toyin too got employed by Jumak Store at Veterinary, the same Mokola on her return. In the process, the Fireman became Fire Officer and later Station Officer on Grade Level Seven. I eventually left the family in 1978 for Ikirun on admission at Divisional Teacher Training College (DTTC), though, most of my holidays were spent with them. Toyin too left even before me, not to school immediately but back to Ife and later, she too got admitted to DTTC, Ipetumodu.
As a Station Officer, the status changed and our host was transfered to Ogbomoso in 1980 or 1981 to head the Ogbomoso Fire Station. It was there he obtained the vehicle loan. Interestingly, his new position had exposed and opened doors of interactions with who is who in Ogbomoso then. He disclosed how the late business mogul of Alata brands, Chief Alata? I can’t remember the real name offered to give him a Peugeot 504 salon which was then sold for N6,000.00 with the deposit of the loan of N4,800.00 obtained from the government while he would be paying back the balance gradually. As tantalizing as the offer was, it didn’t gel with the Fire Officer. Why? From the loan obtained, he could conveniently purchase the popular Datsun Panel van which was around N3,000.00 and deploy the change on something else. But, as for the offer, aside the monthly deduction the state government would be making from his salary, he must be looking for extra money to balance the outstanding with Alata Motors. The Fire Officer opted for the purchase of Datsun and I still recollect that we both went to Ife on the 22nd December, 1981 to register the vehicle with the plate number OY 3344 FA.
Loyal and dutiful Fireman:
Chief was very loyal to his bosses and colleagues at work, some of whom I became conversant with like the late Chief Fadipe, brother Ojo, the late brother Sunday Akinloye among others. He had a special relationship with Oga Egunjobi as he fondly referred to him and though we didn’t get to know him at home, his name was always on Chief’s lips. Oga Egunjobi, now late later became Oniroko of Iroko during which period I got to know him. Asiwaju was so married to the safety job that anytime he heard of fire incident, either on duty or not, he would race out to join his colleagues at the scene of incident. The same thing with road accidents, he won’t drive bye an accident scene without stopping to see how he could help, this I witnessed on occasions during our weekend trips to Ile-Ife.
Home coming:
The idea of settling down at home (Ile-Ife) must have been something ingrained in Chief’s subconscious for a very long time. I can’t specifically say the exact year he began the construction of his first building at Iloro, Ile-Ife, but one thing I’m sure of is that the decision was taken far ahead of when the opportunity of coming to work at Ife surfaced. Though, I was posted to Ifewara in Atakumosa Local Government area upon the completion of my Grade Two course in 1981, I only stayed there for two years. Even at that, my holidays were always with the family. By 1983, I was back in Ibadan on transfer and because I was desperately seeking for university admission, I opted staying with the family again at the same Alafia Street residence without bothering to look for accommodation. Anytime I was around either before or after my transfer to Ibadan and Chief was going to Ife on inspection of the Iloro building project, I would always accompany him. It was while at Ogbomoso that the job offer as the pioneer Head of Fire Unit, University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile- Ife came, that was in late 1983 and by mid- 1984, the family relocated back home, Ile- Ife. I inherited the accommodation at Alafia Street and it became a rendezvous for me and my friends. With the burden of children’s education becoming lightened, the idea of constructing another building and the present residence at Opa surfaced.
Test of loyalty?
As noted earlier, Chief and I never related as typical brothers-in-law but purely as brothers. And it is not strange to hear my sister saying ‘ko seni to le ri aarin Sunday ati Baba Femi’ (nobody can know what goes on between me and Chief). It was one of those weekend Ile-Ife trips by Chief and myself that we visited his female friend. As if the lady knew one of my favourite menu, I was pampered. As a matured young man, I knew quite well that the relationship was nothing but platonic. We came back to Ibadan the following day by evening time and early Monday morning, Chief was away to his station in Ogbomoso. Anybody can imagine my dilemma, to brief his wife or keep quiet? I chose to keep quiet in order not to rock the boat. But, with a little bit of psychology lesson I obtained at the College, I prepared my sister, using her job as focus. But, somehow, my sister got the information very much later from another source entirely and she shared it with me, including her source. I however just dismissed it as nothing to fret about, but I was relieved. However, what was thought just a fling metamorphosed into real and full relationship, albeit with another person when the family finally settled at Ile-Ife. And like Job 3: 25-26 says that “For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid has come upon me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, And I am not at rest, and yet trouble still comes”, Chief went into polygamy. But, it was not a trouble and it has not been, in actual fact, it turns out to be a model that one can even pray and long for if that’s how it is everywhere. Lucky Chief!
Community service:
When Chief Commander, Ebenezer Fabiyi Obey waxed a record some decades ago in which he sang that before somebody could be given a Chieftaincy title in a community, such a person must be worthy in character (ka to feniyan joye laarin ilu, o ni lati je eni rere), he was very apt and much on point. Mind not that some characters of questionable pedigree that seem to put a question mark on that assertion now found their ways into the highly respected conclave of people of high pedigree. One is not oblivious of a monarch alleged of wrapping Indian hemp even in an ancient palace or another one currently in the custody of FBI in the far away United States (US). Yet, it is part of our cherished refrains that a crowned- head does not sleep outside (ori ade kii sunta).
Even, among the holders of lesser chieftaincy titles, traditional or honorary, there are hordes of men and women of shady characters parading different titles across the land. However, in the midst of these rots, there are still highly respected, honoured and honourable personalities, who fit well into Baba Commander’s indisputable assertion that they were genuinely and truly found worthy of the Chieftaincy titles bestowed on them. On the roll call of those who duly merited the honour of being given recognition as a chieftaincy title holder is Chief Falope, the Asiwaju of Opa community in Ile- Ife. His being made an Asiwaju was not shocking to me because he has ever been a community person since I knew him. Then, as a young fireman, both in Ado-Ekiti and Ibadan, every new recruit from Ile-Ife and environs was his brother automatically and would house such a person for as long as the person wished. His Iloro residence while in the service was a Mecca sort of to young men and women in search of security job at the OAU and countless number of them till date owe him gratitude for their employment in the institution. His love and passion for Ife is undying and immeasurable.
A core Anglican:
While at Ibadan, Chief was a member of the Choir at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Inalende. He was so devoted that nothing could make him miss the choir practice and other mid week programmes. Then, unless there was emergency fire incident or road accident that warranted being out of office outside of official hours, his itinerary was predictable- after office hours, Chief would come home, take his lunch, serve siesta and off to the Church there after from where he would be back home by 6.30/7.00 pm.
Celebration:
In a country, where life expectancy is said to be roving between 45 and 50 years, making it thus far naturally calls for celebration and celebration Asiwaju will surely do with a Thanksgiving service at his Church, St. Philips Cathedral, Ayetoro, Ile-Ife from where guests proceed to Gboye Hall, along Ife-Ilesa Road for reception on Sunday, 13th April, 2025, marking his 80th year on earth. What else can one say than to pray for good health in the upcoming years for Asiwaju to enjoy more the fruits of his labour. I know how painful it was to him when he lost his very loving kid brother, brother Laolu, who died as a bachelor in Ado- Ekiti in late 1978 or early 1979 and it is my fervent prayer that no matter how long Chief lives, he won’t suffer the loss of any one that would bring him such sorrow and pain again in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. His joy on the children will remain undiluted.
Appreciation:
I thank God for the life of Asiwaju and I appreciate him for his perseverance and understanding. I learned a lot from his life’s simplicity. His love for me was boundless as virtually all my close friends became part of the family and benefitted from him one way or the other while we were on the OAU campus. He never for once treated me coldly, rather, he would defend and caution my sister’s high handedness during my early days with them. Even, as an adult, Chief would stand up for me on any issue the way he would do for ‘Femi or any of his siblings. He understands and trusts me and ever ready to follow me anywhere. The existing bond between me and the children attests to this abiding love between me and the family and I could
not have asked for more. May the good Lord sustain and strengthen the family love and cause Chief and his two wives to live together for many more years peacefully and peaceably.
Congratulations and 80 Hearty Cheers to the quintessential fire officer!
