Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Back To My Education

Uncle 'Safe and My Education

" I used to hold it against him (Ajiboye) for not completing what he had started in my life. But today, I am wiser. I now clearly understand that it was God, not Ajiboye's desire, who did not permit him to carry through his good intentions for me. OF COURSE, MY MOST CARING DADDY AND ALMIGHTY FATHER, WANTED TO DO EVERYTHING HIS OWN WAY AND TAKE ALL THE GLORY, ALONE. He just won't share the glory of my breakthrough in life with anybody - no matter how closely related to me that person might be!"

My educational development was taken in hand in Lagos, for which I was subjected to a rigorous work in English Language and Arithmetic. Uncle 'Safe played a very praiseworthy role at this period of my life. The passage of time has increased my appreciation of his love. He administered painful strokes of the cane to my body whenever I derailed from pursuing my academic career. He has been unforgettable. He taught me English Language and Arithmetic. One word he had to drum into my consciousness is the verb “situate” which took several weeks and innumerable strokes of the cane to stop me writing and pronouncing it as “sitmate” in my essays which I had to compulsorily read out to him.

Uncle 'Safe was a talented counsellor. He made up for the money he didn't have with words of encouragement, which he had in abundance. He was ever regretful of his inability to sponsor my education, but did a lot for me in kind. Apart from teaching and counseling, he bought me the first rubber slippers I wore in Lagos. Within my first month in Lagos, he took my photograph. He did so frequently and sometimes together with my brother, Ajiboye. He took me on sight-seeing to popular places like the old Kingsway Stores, the Leventis Stores, UTC - and so on, places which were famous in those days. It was also Uncle 'Safe who enabled me to see the train for the first time.

Uncle Idowu Omotoyinbo, like Uncle 'Safe, was another affectionate one. He too had expressed his regret for his inability to sponsor me or contribute meaningfully to my education, but he made up by way of counseling and charitableness. He gave me used shirts and trousers which he amended to my size as he did with all other items of clothing I received from other sources, like my brother's friend, Uncle Samuel, alias Jasper. Uncle Ayo Atoki always ensured that he left for me some of the beans and bread he always sent me to buy for him. All three of my relations Ajiboye, Uncles 'Safe, and Ayo shared the same room at that time. Uncle Idowu Omotoyinbo lived somewhere close to Obey Street in Ikeja.

I Started Secretarial Studies, instead of a Secondary School!

Aside from poverty, another enemy I had was ignorance. Ignorance is truly a disease! Rather than offer me a secondary school education, Brother Ajiboye enrolled me in a Secretarial Insitute! Of course, I jumped at the change - crumps actually - which, unknown to me, would permanently foreclose my chances of ever attending a full-blooded secondary school for life! I doubted too if my brother himself comprehended the full implications of this diversive decision himself. Neither of us perhaps understood the difference between a mere local institute and a proper grammar school. That ignorance has kept scars that will remain with me for life.

So in February, 1973, I was enrolled into the Alex Institute of Commerce which was located two streets away from our dwelling place at Salawu Street, Oshodi. I had neither heard of, nor seen, nor practised any subjects relating to both Typewriting and Shorthand. So the day of enrolment to study them was my first experience with them. My third subject of study in the Institute was the English Language.

My brother, Ajiboye, provided my books promptly and paid my monthly tuition fee of two naira (N2.00) for three subjects as and when due. He did this faithfully till August and stopped wilfully. His decision was simply to punish me for breaking a glass cup. This would appear minor in today's world but in those days, such household items were treasures to those who had them and whoever was unfortunate to break any of them received punishment commensurate with emotional loss! That was the issue in my own case.

I couldn't do anything about it and it marked the end of anybody ever sponsoring my education till today.

But I must at this juncture record my appreciation of brother Ajiboye's immense contributions to my life. THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT HE REALLY TRIED TO DEMONSTRATE HIS LOVE FOR ME.

Before, I used to hold it against him for not completing what he had started in my life. But today, I am wiser. I now clearly understand that it was God, not Ajiboye's desire, who did not permit him to carry through his good intentions for me. OF COURSE, MY MOST CARING DADDY AND ALMIGHTY FATHER, WANTED TO DO EVERYTHING HIS OWN WAY AND TAKE ALL THE GLORY, ALONE. He just won't share the glory of my breakthrough in life with anybody - no matter how closely related to me that person might be! At least, this became manifest when I changed my name and none of my siblings took it lightly with me. Perhaps at that painful moment when I had nobody to turn to, except God, they probably would have made me feel very guilty as an ingrate if they had done more to make me somebody in life!

At this juncture, I give to God all the glory, honour and majesty for His unconditional love for me, for He left no room for anyone to taunt me: “if not for me, would you have been who you are?”

All the same, Ajiboye receives my abiding gratitude for the much he was able to do during my primary schooling, my exit from Imesi Ekiti, his quarrel with Fehintola in order to get me out of Iyin, his bringing me to Lagos and finally enrolling me in a Secretarial Institute which was the foundation upon which all other qualifications I later acquired were fashioned. In spite of a period of apparent recrimination between us, he was still the one God had used to secure my first ever employment at Specomill Textiles Limited, Ikeja, where he then worked! That surely is the stuff of which brotherly love is founded. He deserves my commendation and gratitude.

 

To be continued. (Chapter 12 of 60)

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