Ceo of Golden Success Team Awoleye Opeyemi

My tomorrow, keep it up

No Mercy!

>They met Malt drink at #100 but now it is #250

>They met coca cola at #60 but now it's #200
They met cooking gas @ #150 per KG but today it is #800

>They met a bag of cement@ #2000 but now it's #4000.

>They met met toothpaste (close-up) @ #180 per one but today is now #450.

>They met matches @ #5 for one sachet bit now is #20.

>They met Pepsi @ #50 for a bottle but now is #130

>They met camry 2.4 @ #800,000 but now is #2,700.000

>They met electricity tariff @ #7 per a unit but now is #45

>They met a loaf of bread 🍞 @ #200 but now is #600 for the cheapest.

>They met a litre of fuel ⛽@87 but now is #200

>They met a litre of Diesel @ #150 but now is #800

>They met VAT @1% and increased to 7.5%

>They met Federal Universities tuition fees @ less than #20,000 but now is almost

>They met mattress @ #50 k for a big size but today is

>They met Kings 4litre vegetable oil 🛢️ @ #2000 but now is #6000

>They met exchange rate (Naira to a dollar)@ #150 but today is #500

>They met bag of rice 🌾🌾🌾@ #8000 but now is #30000

>They met bag of beans @ #20000 but today is

>They met children biscuits at #5 per one but today is #20 per one and the quantity is reduced

>They met sweet (milkos, and the rest @ two #5 but now is one #10.

> They met Sardine with 3-4 fiesh but now it is N500 for 2 piece of fish.

> A 2 bedroom flat in mainland of Lagos that used to go for 180k is now 600k

> Transport on Hiace bus from Lagos to Abuja that used to be 2500-3500 is now 10,500 - 13,000

The damages are too feasible everywhere.
The hunger in land has no part two. The Masses of this country bear the brunch.

Jakande was sentenced to jail just like his boss, Awolowo. But Jakande was crying in the court not because of himself but for Awolowo.

When Awolowo saw him, approached him and asked him "why crying for only me..." Jakande replied, "I don't mind going to jail and even adding your terms to mine, why South West, why is it that the only Premier in Nigeria that will be jailed is the Premier of my Region?".

Awolowo replied, "Dry your tears, God sometimes keeps his own away from when danger is approaching...."
And that was what happened! The reason why Nigeria didn't break in 1967 was Obafemi Awolowo.

Gowon said, "I needed him badly more than I needed the Nigerian Army".....Why? Two reasons;
1. The original rallying point of the Yoruba was Awolowo. If Yoruba supported the breakup, no Jupiter can stop it. Therefore, to keep Nigeria one, Awolowo must endorse it!!!!
2. The wisdom of Awolowo was unequaled, unparalleled, and unrivaled. His wisdom must not be on the side of the rebel, Nigeria would not survive without it.

No wonder the two Warriors Gowon and Ojukwu said and I quote; "I am the luckiest ruler of Nigeria because the best Nigeria asset in person of Chief Awolowo was my Vice Chairman and Finance Commissioner..."- Gowon. "Chief Awolowo is the best President of Nigeria that never was..."- Ojukwu. Need I say more?

Murtala Mohammed had ensured in his Transition Programme that Shehu Shagari would not contest but after his death, OBJ relaxed the rules.....Shagari was allowed to contest and won but in 1984, Buhari stopped Shagari again, describing his election as "shamelessly rigged".......

NCNC was the popular Party in Lagos. They always won Lagos. And Awolowo's Action Group would have lost in 1954 if not for Madam Abibatu Mogaji the mother of JAGABAN who mobilized the Lagos women for AG!

THE SECRET OF AWOLOWO...
Awolowo deliberately spent a lot of money in establishing exclusive investments for the Western Region where he thought the SW Progressive Politics would be financed. He said, "SW need a stable source of funds to fight politically because poor people cannot fight the Central Government...".

No one knew this secret until his Deputy had issues with Awolowo and leaked the secret to the opponent. He told them "fight Awolowo from now till forever, if you didn't destroy the Western Nigerian Investments, SW will always be buoyant financially and they will fight you and win you...." Wow!!!!! That was the end!!!

From that time, to cut the story short, SW was targeted! AWO was accused of fraud. Investments converted to Full state investment and later Odu'a Investment. And later, during the military regime, there was a time when all SW governors were non-Yorubas, Odu'a investment was crushed. Cold dead! But LAGOS of Tinubu reinvested the progressive interest in a more sophisticated way.

MAY THE SECRET OF LAGOS NOT BE LEAKED THE WAY ENEMIES LEAKED THE SECRET OF SW!!! The Story of Progressive Politics in Nigeria since 1954 had its Genesis from Awolowo's Palm Tree which, After processing, has its revelation from Tinubu's Broom!!!
No more No less!

We must never forget the families of Obafemi Awolowo, Lateef Jakande, Bisi Onabanjo, Bola Ige, Adekunle Ajasin, Ambrose Ali, Adebayo, JS Olawoyin, Anthony Enahoro, Abraham Adesanya, S.O Gbadamosi, Bode Thomas.....These are the first generation of progressive politicians who played progressive politics for life!!!
UP AWO!!!!

Simple but Notable. When Awolowo arrived in Lagos from Calabar Prison, after meeting with Gowon, it was Murtala Mohammed who voluntarily drove Awolowo home, in his car. Murtala described the gesture(driving Awolowo) as a privilege!!!����

Gossip House

Who Was Dr. Ishola Oyenusi?

Ishola Oyenusi, prevalently known as Doctor Oyenusi, was a famously outfitted burglar who threatened the individuals of Lagos and other neighboring urban areas during the 1970s.

Ishola Oyenusi and his posse of six were exceptionally talented in grabbing vehicles, looting banks, manufacturing plants, stores, and slaughtering individuals like chickens.

🕸 Was Ishola Oyenusi Really A Medical Doctor?

Dr. Oyenusi, as he was called, was not a specialist by calling but rather received the title for entertainment purposes. The proof lies in an admission he made a couple of moments before his ex*****on.

He admitted that his folks were not fit for encouraging his auxiliary school training and that was what constrained him into the theft. So without having an auxiliary school instruction, Oyenusi by no chance could have been a clinical specialist.

🕸 Oyenusi’s Robbery Exploits

Oyenusi began his theft profession by grabbing a vehicle (whose proprietor kicked the bucket all the while) in light of the fact that his (Oyenusi) sweetheart required some cash. It was guaranteed by certain sources that Oyenusi was sentimental.

He sold the vehicle at the cost of N400 and gave the cash to his better half. It was additionally said that Oyenusi was hot-tempered and calm egotistical. During his capture, he roared down on a cop who was guiding him around. He stated, “individuals as you don’t converse with me like that when I’m equipped, I weapon them down!”

Specialist Ishola Oyenusi came into the spotlight after the Nigerian common war ended in 1970. He ransacked banks and individuals in both sunshine and night, and he never let any of his casualties live to see one more day; he killed them all! This earned him the name “Specialist loot and murder”.

At the stature of his horrendous rule, Ishola Oyenusi boasted that “the slug has no force”. He most likely overlooked that he who lives by the blade will definitely bite the dust by the sword. Oyenusi was scandalous to such an extent that he was viewed by certain individuals as the “primary commended equipped burglar in Nigeria”, and after him was Lawrence Anini, Babatunde Folorunsho (Baba oni trim), Shina Rambo, Buraimo Jimoh and others.

🕸 Ishola Oyenusi’s Arrest

Be that as it may, nothing keeps going forever, and as the Yoruba aphorism says, ordinary has a place with the criminal while a day has a place with the proprietor.

On the 27th of March, 1971, Oyenusi was grabbed by the police during one of his burglary activities where he and his infamous posse slaughtered a police constable named Mr. Nwi and took $28,000 as at that point. The haze of disgrace drifted above Doctor Ishola Oyenusi as he was cast under the watchful eye of the law and saw as liable at that point condemned to death by terminating crew.

Oyenusi admitted that he was not to kick the bucket alone on the grounds that he didn’t carry out the violations alone.

He regurgitated the names of different individuals from the posse which were as per the following: Joseph Osamedike, Ambrose Nwokobia, Joel Amamieye, Philip Ogbolumain, Ademola Adegbitan, and Stephen Ndubuokwu.

In those days, open ex*****on was the thing to get done, so when Oyenusi was guided to the mainstream Bar Beach in Lagos where he was to be executed, more than 30,000 Nigerians were cheerfully and enthusiastically standing by to see the man who had threatened them get perplexed by hot projectiles. It was said that some government workers even carried a final resting place to the ex*****on ground to deride the once strong looter boss who was present only a substitute whose breath would be depleted at whatever second.

🕸 Ishola Oyenusi’s ex*****on

Trucks conveying Oyenusi and his agents showed up at the ex*****on ground around 10:am. Specialist Oyenusi, his posse individuals, and one other criminal got down gradually.

Individuals scoffed and booed them, particularly Oyenusi who they had truly trooped out to watch bite the dust. Oyenusi wore a dull long-sleeve shirt and had his hands bound behind him.

He was perspiring lavishly yet figured out how to grin right to the stakes. He continued grinning, grinning, and grinning however could at present not conceal the desolation and fear composed strikingly all over.

Few moments before he was shot, Oyenusi told writers that he would not have wandered into furnished theft if his folks were fit for sending him to optional school.

He additionally said, “I am biting the dust for the offense I have submitted”. Oyenusi and different lawbreakers were secured to the stakes. The fighters lined before them and pointed their ever prepared weapons. A portion of the lawbreakers hollered their final expressions of dissent at the cameras. At that point, a boisterous voice let out “fire”! Oyenusi and other hoodlums’ bodies were splashed with shots.

That was the dramatic finish of Ishola Oyenusi who lived by the projectiles and kicked the bucket by the slugs. The ex*****on of Doctor Ishola Oyenusi sent the lanes of Lagos abandoned around evening time. Families bolted themselves behind entryways for the dread that a portion of Oyenusi’s young men may fight back.

This dread kept going long that even in 1977, the veteran film director, Eddie Ugbomah, called for entertainers to assume the job of Oyenusi in a film he was going to create named “The Rise and Fall of Dr. Oyenusi”, however, no on-screen character was courageous enough to step forward to assume the job.

They all expected that Oyenusi’s young men may give them pepper. Eddie Ugbomah had no way out than to assume the job of Oyenusi himself. In the film, he uncovered the insider facts of top Nigerian authorities and military men backing Oyenusi and his pack by giving them cash and weapons.

True to form, Eddie Ugbomah was compromised, and later, his store was plundered. He was advised in a letter to quit shooting the film and everything would come back to him. In any case, Eddie Ugbomah demonstrated not to be a weakling by in the long run discharging the film in 1977.

Lately, a Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola, likewise discharged a film (Oyenusi) enumerating the life of Ishola Oyenusi, the most infamous Nigerian furnished looter.

The name Ishola Oyenusi will everlastingly be recalled throughout the entire existence of wrongdoing in Nigeria.

BRIEF HISTORY OF EDE
By Adabanija Kamorudeen

The foundation of Ede town often attributed in different accounts either to Alaafin Sàngó or to Kori. By either account,it is certain that Ede had come to existence in the early phrase of Old Oyo Empire. In the Oyo Kingdom list Alaafin Sàngó was a feared figure both by his subjects and across the Niger by the Borgus and Nupe Empires. He was known for his warring and tyrannical ways and as a symbol later deified in history. His era we turbulence and was the fourth Alaafin of Oyo while Kori was the sixth. The first four Oyo rulers were “Mythological”

It is evident from the above that Ede was established by the Oyo authorities before the 16th century. Though Ede is an ancient town, (it is certainly not as old as Ile Ife,Ila Orangun,Oyo Ile,Owu,Awo,Ara,Ojo, Iragberi,Apòmùn and Ibokun among others)
There is no way the history of Ede can be separated from the Royal position of Oyo Kingdom among the descendants of Oduduwa in Yoruba land. According to Mashood Raji (Elegant Dreamers) Oranmiya the youngest son of Okanbi was said to have embarked on a voyage back to Makkah with the intention to avenge the killing of his grandfather. He went as far as River Niger but the Nupes hindered him crossing their territory. He had to return back home but on his way back,he had to settle at the foot of a hill called Ajaka in Eyio territory. Hence Oranmiya founded a city there and referred to it as Oyo Ajaka. He named one of his sons after the place, Ajaka so Oranmiya was the first Alaafin.

Ede is one of the oldest towns in the South West. It is traditionally said to have been founded about 1500 by the Timi Alapotiemi tiemi (Timi Olofa Ina) a hunter and warlord,sent by Alaafin (King) Sàngó of Old Oyo (Katunga) capital of Oyo Empire,to establish a settlement to protect the Oyo Caravan route to Benin, a 127 miles and 204 kilometres to the South East. Nearby towns include Awo and Ara. Oduduwa is believed to be the incarnation of the celestial founder of the Yoruba tribe. And Timi of Ede has been accepted historically to have been one of the Oduduwa male descendants.

TIMI OF EDE.

The Timi,as one of the provincial rulers within the context of imperial Oyo,was originally invested with power from Oyo. He is also entitled to wear Akoro (Coronet) The imperial Oyo had four major provinces namely: The Ekùn Osi or metropolitan province which had the Onikoyi of Ikoyi,Olugbon of Igbon,Arèsà of Iresa,the Onpetu of Ijeru,and Olofa of Ofa. In the Ekùn Otun province were the Okere of Shaki,Aseyin of Iseyin,Eleruwa of Eruwa,among others. The third province was the Ibolo province where Ede was prominent member.
Other province rulers in the province were the Akirun of Ikirun, Olobu of Ilobu,Ataoja of Osogbo,and Adimunla of Ife Odan. The fourth province was the Epo province which had the Oluwo of Iwo and the Ondese as the prominent members.
In the pre imperial Oyo,the Onikoyi was the commander in the provincial army. However a new command structure came in to existence during the imperial era with the institutionalization of the tittle, Aare Ona Kakanfo,was established by Alaafin Ajabo and the title was akin to field marshal. It was conferred upon the “greatest soldier and tactician of the day” Because of the immense power of Aare Ona Kakanfo the owner of the title must not,by the fact of Oyo authorities,reside in the capital but in one of the provincial towns. He was appointed as a ruler and as a semi- independent “palatinate” in a frontier area where enemies pressure was especially great. Thus, the first two holders of the title,Kokoro,Gángan and Oyatope,resided at Iwoye,North West of Ede.

EVOLUTION.

Ede must have been founded during the reign of King Sàngó, according to Ede Mapo Arogun,the official website of Ede land.
Sàngó had many nobles who formed his body guards and the core of his army, and the foundation of Ede started with the conflict between the two Esos. The names were Timi Olofa Ina,and Gbonka Ebiri. The former was given the cognomen,Olofa Ina because he was an expert Archer,who used to shoot his arrows with such force that made them to produce Sparks of fire🔥. Gbonka Ebiri, besides being a good solder,had great knowledge of magical medicines. These two amassed so much power that King Sàngó found it difficult to control them. Not only that,Sàngó was so much afraid of them that he wanted them killed or be banished from Oyo. For this purpose he called his council known as Oyomesi together and asked them how he might be rid of these two unimaginable nobles.

The council advised that the two must be separated. The Timi Olofa Ina who was more dreaded,was to be sent on a mission that would lead to his death. Sàngó did not know where to send him,but the council reminded him of the Ijesha raiders who had constituted themselves pirates robbing the peaceful travellers and traders from Ara and Awo to and from Oyo and Apòmùn. If the king would send Timi to some spot, Midway between Ara and Awo,it was sure that these Ijesha raiders would soon get rid of him,and since Sàngó was the king of the Yoruba,he would hide under the fact that he merely wanted to protect his subjects at Ara and Awo. The king took the advice and sent Timi away after he had paid glowing tribute to him.
Timi swallowed the bait without knowing the underlying motives of his being given the important commission.

He paid scrupulous attention to the king’s orders and stayed exactly Midway between Ara and Awo. The site was verging on grassland,so that deciduous forest and Savannah were intermixed. His followers pressed that they would like to stay in purely Savannah land but Timi refused and told them that the king’s orders were that he should settle Midway between Ara and Awo and there he would settle no matter what was there- grassland,deciduous forest,evergreen forest or what you will. The most common trees in the area was Edee tree,the root of which were used to brush teeth cleaning,it was these trees that the town Ede got it name,for everyone refered to it as settlement in the Ede bush.

IGBAJA, HOME OF THE HIGHLANDERS

Igbaja is a town in Ifelodun area of Kwara state. It is an Igbomina settlement. It is by and large like most other Yoruba town and villages. Its founders were clever hunters and warriors who without a knowledge of geography, understood topography. Igbaja is built on a plateau such that whatever is your direction of approach, you're band to climb to climb up and up until you're almost fa**ed. As you're on verge in the top. Igbaja come to view in all its specific splendour. No invading army would think of attacking such a strategically placed town. Indigenes could definitely spot such intruders from afar. Another very important advantage of settling on an hilltop is availability of water which is the source of life. Igbaja is surrounded by valleys which apart from security ensures endless supply of water in days. One could fetch water from a number of streams. We had Iladan, lago, Odo Agbaja, Mangoro, Ayeodi etc

The paramount ruler of Igbaja is Kabiyesi, the Elese of Igbaja land who happens to be a first class Oba in Kwara state.
His rulership extends from Irese land to the whole of Igbaja district.

HISTORY OF IFEWARA

Ifewara is a town located some kilometers away from Ile-Ife where human race is believed to have emanated according to the Yoruba mythology. Ifewara is between Ijesha and Ile-ife. History has it that the village has been in existence since 1500AD.

It is noteworthy that the village duplicate the culture, festivals and chieftaincy titles of Ile-Ife. The duplication comes as a result of migration of some royal members from Ile-Ife to the present place called Ifewara.

This people migrated due to conflict between two royal members that were vying for the throne of Ile-Ife. The elder between the two conflicting royal brothers ought to become the king as custom demands but his younger brother outsmarted him to emerged as the Ooni of Ife.

The incident led to the break away of the elder brother, his sympathizers and some king-makers from Ile-Ife to re-established the culture, styles and chieftaincy positions in Ile-Ife at Ifewara. Chieftaincy titles like Obalufe, Obaloran, Obajio, and so on are vivid examples of titles in Ile-Ife that are also in Ifewara till date.

In addition, festivals like: Odun Orungbin, Odun Edi, Odun Olojo, Odun Obatala, Odun Obalufe, Oran Ife, Odun Oro, Odun Egun and so on, are replication of festivals in Ile-Ife.

The town is known for its local food called 'Iyan Gbere' which is known as breadfruit. It is very healthy for consumption. The food is gotten from a fruit and it flesh can be eaten. It can also be pounded as its name described: 'Iyan Gbere' - Iyan Gbere means pounded breadfruit- The food is believed to be good for diabetics cure and it easily digest.

Although, the village is not prominent, but produce great people in society and the nation at large. Among notable persons are Pastor E.A Adeboye, general overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, present DG of NAFDAC, Prof. Modupe Adeyeye, Olu Fajemirokun, juju musician; Bolaji Akinyemi, former foreign affairs minister; Bishop Fatunase, Founder of Salem Church; Bisi Adeyemo, former Union Bank manager; Agoade Adetoba, former National Bank manager; Babatunde Komolafe, currently representing Atakumosa West in Osun State House of Assembly and Justice Olagbaju, among several other notable personalities.

With other modern infrastructures like a private polythenic called Southern Nigeria Institute of Innovative Technology (SNIIT), Redeemed prayer city, Mount Camel, police college and so on, the town is highly competing with other bigger towns. Ifewara is a great town with rich culture and loving people. I am a proud indigene of Ifewara

ÀARE̩ KURUMI OF IJAIYE. THE YORUBA WARRIOR WHO LOST HIS FIVE SONS IN ONE DAY
The story of Kurunmi is one that draws tears from the eyes of people who feel pity for a man who stood firm for tradition.
There was a time in the history of Yoruba where the heir to the throne is killed whenever the king dies. This tradition came about because it was discovered that a lot of princes killed their fathers so they could ascend the throne and become king instead.
It was believed that if the heirs were killed alongside their fathers, kings would live longer on the throne.
During this period, Alaafin Atiba was the paramount ruler of the Oyo empire, and he appointed Kurunmi, the son of Esiele as the Aare-ona-Kakanfo ( the generalissimo of the whole Yoruba warriors).
As it was with tradition, a king and an Aare-ona-Kakanfo cannot stay in the same town because their wield similar powers, so Kurunmi was assigned to Ijaiye, where he was given the power to lord over.
One day, Alaafin Atiba summoned the kings and lords of the neighboring towns and told them he wished to change tradition. Present at the meeting were kings like the Timi of Ede, Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan, and Kurunmi himself.
When they were seated, Atiba came down from his throne and held the sword of Ogun (the Yoruba god of iron) in his right hand, and the bolt of Sango (the Yoruba god of lightning and thunder) in his left. He charged the royalties present to swear by the sword and bolt that after his death, his son Aremo Adelu will be made king after his demise.
Kurunmi disagreed immediately, and he reminded Alaafin Atiba that according to the tradition, the moment Atiba does, his son Adelu must follow suit. Other royalties tried to persuade Kurunmi, but he was adamant. When he couldn't convince them, he walked out in anger and headed for Ijaiye.
The other kings and chiefs went home to their people to inform them of the latest developments. When Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan told his chiefs the news, one of the chiefs Basorun Ogunmola took the matter up and suggested they wage war against Kurunmi.
Kurunmi had once captured Ogunmola who had a secret affair with his wife. He captured him, tied him to a stake like a goat and fed him ashes as food. As a form of revenge, Ogunmola proposed war against Kurunmi.
Alaafin Atiba sent emissaries to Kurunmi to change his mind, but he remained adamant, and when Alaafin Atiba saw that he would not change his mind, he sent two calabash bowls to Kurunmi. One of the calabashes contained an effigy of a pair of twins (Yoruba symbol of peace), while the other calabash contained gunpowder (Yoruba symbol of war).
Kurunmi immediately chose war and sent the emissaries back to Atiba. Immediately, Kurunmi summoned his chief warrior Balogun Ogunkoroju and told him to prepare for war.
As part of the preparations for war, Kurunmi consulted the oracle, and the oracle warned him not to go to war with Ibadan because he would lose the war. Kurunmi was not going to have any of it, and he pestered the oracle to tell him what to do to win the war.
The oracle then told Kurunmi that in order for him not to lose the war, he must not cross the River Ose, which was the boundary between Ijaiye and Ibadan. Kurunmi agreed, and went ahead to plan for the war against Ibadan.
While Kurunmi was making preparations, the Ibadan warriors, led by Ogunmola went to meet the people of Ęgba who were said to possess very powerful charms.
The Ęgba people then prepared a potent charm called Eedi (a charm that causes someone or a group of people to ignore warnings or dare something that will harm them). The Eedi was set out to the River Ose so that the Ijaiye warriors will be tempted to cross the river.
When the war came, Kurunmi sent his five sons to war to fight the Ibadan people. During the face-off, Ijaiye warriors soundly defeated the Ibadan warriors, and the remaining Ibadan warriors fled back, crossing the River Ose.
Unfortunately for Kurunmi, his warriors fell to the potency of the Eedi, and they crossed the River Ose, believing that they had momentum, and that they could chase the Ibadan soldiers far away.
Immediately they crossed the river, their charms failed them, and they were killed in thousands by the warriors of Ibadan who had set a trap for them. Kurunmi suffered heavy losses, and lost all his five sons in the war.
Basorun Ogunmola mocked him and sent a message to him that he was coming for his head. On hearing the news of the death of his daughter and his men, Kurunmi became very devastated and suicidal, but while he grieved, he held on to his belief that tradition remains tradition, and that he does not regret standing firm in the face of corruption.
Kurunmi committed su***de by taking poison, and he was thrown into the river Ose according to his wishes so that Basorun Ogunmola won't have the luxury of cutting his head and hanging it in shame.

AJALA TRAVEL: NIGERIAN GLOBETROTTER WHO SAW THE WORLD BUT DIED AT HOME

Olabisi Ajala reputedly toured 87 countries on a scooter, meeting political leaders and celebrities until he returned home to die lonely and poor at 65

Even if conventional history ignores Olabisi Ajala, the phrase “Ajala the traveller”, a nickname in Southwest Nigeria for the footloose and the adventurous, means he would never be forgotten.

In fact, the legendary Juju musician, Ebenezer Obey, in his 1972 hit album, “Board Members,” contributed to etching his name in Yoruba folklore when he sang memorable lines about his adventures:

“Ajala travelled all over the world (2ce). Ajala travelled (2ce), Ajala travelled all over the world.”

Such was the life lived by Moshood Adisa Olabisi Ajala, aka Ọlábísí Àjàlá, who toured about 87 countries on a motorcycle in the 195os.

By every inch of it, his adventure had all the trappings of glitz, showing off not just himself but also his culture as an African.

In every country he visited, he donned his agbada – the Yoruba flowing gown – and a cap, a combination described as “elaborately flowered robes with a felt-like head-dresses to match.”

Flawed he was, as is everyone. Heroes, as the great columnist Sam Omatseye once wrote, do not come in neat packages. Neither are villains complete disasters.

If Mungo Park toured the African coast to “discover” the River Niger and Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated to prove the earth was spherical, Ajala explored the world to exhibit the African culture and the can-do élan of Nigerians.

Ajala is therefore to Africa what Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, James Cook, and Marco Polo are to Europe, and Ibn Battuta al-Tanji and Zheng He to Asia.

His motorcycle was his compass which he used to cross borders and challenge the brutality of racial intolerance.

He was popular for his encounter with authorities and brushes with the law. If not for petty crimes like being caught with a counterfeit cheque, then it was in fights over a woman.

Reputedly possessing a ferocious libido, his escapades produced for him offspring scattered all over, literally becoming a father in many nations.

A Chicago nurse named Myrtle Bassett had his first son, Oladipupo (also called Andre), whose paternity he initially denied despite a court ruling saying otherwise.

He would marry an American model, Hermine Aileen, who divorced him on the charges of philandering and adultery, an allegation he said he “cannot contest.”

He went on to marry a 19-year-old white London radio-TV actress, Joan Simmons. His Australian wife, Wajuan, had for him: Femi, Dante, Lisa and Sydney. There was Toyin Ajala in England, with whom he had Taiwo and Kehinde. In Nigeria, it was Sherifat, among others.

Ajala was born in Ghana to Nigerian Muslim parents in 1934 – the twenty-fifth of his father’s 30 children from four wives. He attended Baptist Academy in Lagos and Ibadan Boys’ High School in Ibadan.

Leaving Nigeria, Aged 18, he travelled to the United States to study pre-medicine at the University of Chicago, becoming the first black student in the Delta Upsilon Pi ‘fratority’, a co-educational Greek-letter organisation.

He wanted to study medicine so that he could “wage war on voodoo and other superstitions” when he returned to Africa.

“The world should send doctors to Africa, and missionaries to Chicago. The gangsters here need to convert much more than we do,” he wrote in his travelogue.

He would never fulfil that career dream as he abandoned the stethoscope for a life on the road. He would later move to Roosevelt University (then called Roosevelt College) to study Psychology.

At 22, fame came to the charismatic icon on June 12, 1952, when he decided to embark on a trip from Chicago to Los Angeles, covering about 2,280 miles all on a bicycle. He was received by Los Angeles city mayor, Fletcher Bowron.

With the tour, during which he stopped to deliver lectures at 11 major cities, he sought to educate the American people that “we (Nigerians and Africans) do not go about nakedly in loincloths.”

Meanwhile, as a result of a number of run-ins with the American immigration for petty offences and because he abandoned his schoolwork, he was sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term and was later ordered to be deported to Nigeria.

He protested the deportation order by climbing up an 80-foot radio tower and threatening to jump off it if the order was not rescinded. Ignoring pleas from the authorities, he later jumped down from about 15 feet and sprained his back. He was, nonetheless deported, but to London instead.

While in London, on April 27, 1957, the adventurer began his globetrotting for six years, visiting what is believed to be 87 countries on a Scooter Vespa motorcycle.

He detailed his tour in his autobiography, An African Abroad, which is currently out of print. The 255-page travelogue was published by London-based Jarrolds in 1963.

In it, he detailed his “sojourn in India,” his “visits to the Soviet Union” and the “Afro-Asian students (he met) in Russia.” Chapters were also devoted to his moments with the Shah of Iran as well as a cruise of the Arab world, wherein he visited “an Arab brothel” before a “suicidal entry into Israel’s Jerusalem.”

From Israel, he travelled to Lebanon, before making a stop at Egypt where he had a conversation with Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian general who led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 that ended the United Kingdom’s occupation of Egypt. Ajala later travelled to Australia.

Radical in his approach and not an easy person to accept no for an answer, he recalled his encounter with Gamal Abdel Nasser:

“Every day at 6 a.m. for the next two weeks, I was waiting directly in front of his presidential palace, hoping he would come out. On the 13th day of my hitherto unpromising efforts, around 5 p.m. President Naseer emerged from the interior of his residence heading for his car.”

The autobiography of Ajala titled “An African Abroad” currently out of print
The autobiography of Ajala titled “An African Abroad” currently out of print
Ajala got his man by screaming as loudly as he could and was heartily welcomed by the president.

From the road to the box office
Apart from the several television appearances in African traditional attire he had, Ajala’s exploits paved the way for him to the world of movies.

He featured in White Witch Doctor, produced by the 20th Century Fox movie studio, during which shooting he was paid $300 per week.

By 1955, he signed a movie contract with the Eagle Lion’s studio of Hollywood, making movies with European and African backgrounds.

He also played the role of “Ola,” a companion of “Loni,” a famous African hunter, played by Roberts Mitshun.

Privilege to penury
Upon returning to Nigeria, Ajala became a socialite and hung out with celebrities and entertainers like the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. Both men soon fell out and filed litigation against each other.

Ajala would later withdraw his suit. By that time, a life of pomp and ceremony had become a luxury as his influence, popularity and fame dwindled.

He had no savings for the rainy days and his later years and had no house he could call his own.

He lived in a dingy rented apartment in a two-storey building on Adeniran Street, Bariga, Lagos. Nothing in the house suggested a man who breathed prosperity lived there.

“Ajala’s sitting room was devoid of carpet, had a table of about five locally made iron chairs in a corner which also served as a dining table, an old black and white television set, seats uncomfortably in an ill-constructed shelf, the cushion on the sofa hurts the buttocks as it has become flat, the curtains on the window of the two bedroom flat, showed sign of old age, it is indeed a story of penury,” an observer once wrote.

As he battled penury, stroke struck.

It became double trouble for the larger-than-life Ajala as he had no money to take care of himself.

He died of paralysis from stroke in Lagos on February 2, 1999, aged 65.

Olabisi Ajala had the world in his pocket but died a lonely man with nothing in his pocket.

Premium Times