Without money, life is worthless — 80-year-old monarch

November 10, 2013 by Segun Olatunji Leave a Comment

   

 

Agunloye
| credits: File copy

The Oguja of Ilisa, Ilese Ijebu, Oba Kola Agunloye, in this interview with SEGUN OLATUNJI, talks about his childhood and why he prefers teaching to banking

 May we know you sir?

I am Oba (Dr.) Kolawole Adebayo Osunsanya, Agunloye II, the Oguja of Ilisa, Ilese Ijebu. I was born on September 4, 1933 at Oke- Foko, Ibadan, Oyo State.

What is your educational background?

I attended many primary schools. I started in 1942 at Holy Trinity Church School, Ikoto and I stayed there for one year. After that, I left for Omoluabi Primary School in Ijebu Ode and by 1944 my parents took me back to Ibadan where I went to St. James’ II, Oke Ado, Ibadan. After about a year, my uncle who became a teacher at Ota after retiring from the Army wrote my parents and requested that I should come to Ota. There, I went to St. James’ Primary School,  Ota in 1944. From Ota, I was transferred to Odogbolu. Another cousin of mine, Mr. Odunsi, who was the headmaster of African Church School, Odogbolu actually admitted me to the school. I spent about three years in the school and later went to St. Paul School, Odogbolu to start my standard three.

At Odogbolu Primary School, I met Mr. Badejo from Ilese who was very good in history and the foundation he gave us in history remains with me till today. I finished standard six at St. Paul Primary School, Odogbolu, in 1951. Through one of my teachers, Mr. Oluyomi, I developed interest in geography and I have always said anyone under me must study geography because geography is very important.

Which higher schools did you attend?

I went to Teachers Training College. I did grade III at St. Paul’s College. From St. Paul’s College I went for two years attachment because it was compulsory we acquired two years field experience. After the two years, you had the opportunity of taking exams for Grade II. The Grade II was just to sharpen your skills. During our time, the government was fantastic. We were receiving salaries like lecturers and some of us were even married then. I remember one of my friends wrote the same exams at the same time with his child. Then, education was very interesting. Nobody would come out with Grade II and not be able to perform as a teacher. I would have finished my O’Level and A’Level before getting out of the college but unfortunately for me, I was sick for two years. I was seriously ill to the extent that I did not think I would be able to finish my Grade II. For those two years, I hardly stayed in school for six months. Fortunately, I passed out and I made my papers creditably well.

I later got a prospectus and I saw a course, Secretaryship being offered by the University of Glasgow. With that Secretaryship, you had to study English Language, Economics, Law and Accounts. The Accounts gave me headache but I was able to pass others. So, had it been I did not have reference in Accounts, I would have passed the intermediate in six months. I repeated it and I went to the finals. I was able to pass all my papers in the finals before I got married.

Why did you say geography is important?

It is bad for someone to leave school and be unable to locate his environment on the map. If our secondary school curriculum is well handled, it will help the students up to the university level. What I learnt in primary school was what we were taught at the Teacher’s Training College (Grade II), although at a higher level, and it went on like that in all the courses I have done. But now, our educational system has been muddled up with changes in syllabus every day. Although we cannot be static, the government must do everything to make education stable.

Don’t you see the training of teachers in Nigeria as part of the problems in the education sector?

Teachers Training College should be re-introduced because many of the graduates from the universities have no background at all. How can a teacher graduate from the university and cannot teach mathematics in primary school or even in junior school? Imagine a computer science graduate who cannot even teach computer science. We still need to overhaul our curriculum, syllabus and scheme of work in our schools to check these weaknesses. Another thing is that government should stop distributing books to pupils. I have written them several times that they should not give books to individuals because the books will be stale and torn in three years. I am a publisher with so many years of experience; governments should build libraries and encourage classes to have their own libraries. The school libraries too must be there.

Any child whose parents could not afford textbooks should go to the library and put down his name. When he finishes with the books, he will return them. The government should sit down with educationists on this issue, we should not be wasting money, we should spend money where it should be spent. I really praise those that are running their administrations well; it is not easy to run a government.

You say it is not easy to run a government. Can you compare the situation then to what we have now?

We need to do a lot in this country. Our community must be improved; houses should also be constructed by local governments. In Nigeria now, water is a luxury, that is why we have so many water borne ailments around. I am afraid of the consequences of the digging of boreholes. The boreholes are going to cause a lot of danger in future.

We pray not to have earthquakes and tremors. When you disturb the soil too much, it will find a way of escaping.

Why did you go into writing?

The books we were buying in those days were imported and when I went through those books during my Grade II, I discovered that they were books we could improve upon and even write better. So, I started writing books with my friends. Later, my friends said we were not making enough profit so we should do another business. We laid our hands on other petty businesses but we were swindled. We went back to the book business. Fortunately, my friend had the opportunity work in Nigeria Tobacco Company. He invited me but I said I wanted to remain a teacher all my life. His salary was double what we were getting but I was not disturbed. At one time I applied for employment in a bank and I was employed. I went to Standard Bank, I was also offered employment but I thought the bank job would not allow me spend enough time with my family and I could do better with the books I was writing. So, I started to improve on the books I was writing.

Some of my mates went to the ministry with their certificates and they were employed but I did not tender mine or drop any letter of application because if I had done that, I would have been transferred to teach in a secondary school and my home would have not been what it is today. That was why I was contended with being a primary school teacher till I retired in 1972. All we are looking for in this world is comfort. Anywhere we can get it, we should just take it. Our education should be able to serve us in many areas of life. I want my family to be comfortable, once they are comfortable, I am okay. My colleague went to Lagos because of five pounds increment, but I said I would not go to Lagos because of five pounds. I would remain in Ijebu and make the place better than what it was before.

Can you still remember some of your schoolmates?

They are so many. Some of them are late. Some of them are Mr. R.O Richard, Dairo Badejo is now late. We started school together. He was a very brilliant student. A former deputy governor of Ogun State, Sesan Soluade, was also my schoolmate. Another one is Late Chief Adewunmi who later became the Balogun of Egba Christians. Others are Mr. Idowu, Justice Ogunade, who is now the Chancellor of South-West Anglican Communion in Lagos. I have others who are lawyers and they are everywhere. Another very important one is the Ologere of Ogere, Oba Dele Ogunbade. Many are living and many are dead.

What extra-curricular activities did you engage in during your school days?

I was useful to the school in so many ways. I was part of the school football team. I was also an athlete. When we were preparing for Inter-House sports, I discovered that I was not performing well. I went to the General Hospital and the doctor said nothing was wrong with me. But when I went to a private hospital, they discovered that I had hypertension. I was referred to the University College Hospital, Ibadan. If I were not a sportsman, I would not have discovered that I was hypertensive. I also represented my school in inter-school debates. I could remember a time when we went to Ijebu Ode Grammar School to perform Macbeth. I was fortunate to have passed through some very good principals. Among them was Deacon Efunkoya of blessed memory and Mr. Sofoluwe, the father of a former Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG.

How did you meet your wife?

I was forced to get married in 1962 when I was almost thirty. I would not have married then, but I did due to the pressure from friends and family. I could remember that I was the only bachelor out of five of us that were living in a house at a time. I was very selective and I did not want to rush into marriage because of past experiences from my uncle and parents. So, I decided that I must have something for my future before going into marriage.

Did you have girlfriends and what was your experience with them?

I had girlfriends. There was a lady we courted for about seven years but her parents did not allow us to get married. I had another girlfriend when I was in Yewa Egbado. Unfortunately, when I was transferred from that community, we could not continue. Again, I had another girlfriend from this community. Even when I was in the college, I was the one sponsoring her education.  After some time that we have been seeing, I wanted to play with her, either by omission or commission, my hand touched her breasts and she slapped me (laughs). I had to beg her that it was a mistake and after that we continued.

I was a member of Boys’ Scout and we went to her college for camping for three days. I always saw her through one of their teachers who was from Ilese then. The girl eventually disappointed me by getting pregnant for her classmate in school then. The teachers at the school told me I was foolish. My father asked me if I had had sexual intercourse with her for the three years we had been together but I said no. So, he went to her family house to demand for what I had spent on her. My father asked how much I had spent on her, I said over 20 pounds. Fortunately, her parents paid me 18 pounds which I used to get my own wife. I was not ready to marry at that time, I wanted to marry when I was over 30 years and I had got all my certificates. But I said let me marry in time, probably, I might have children that would survive me because I was hypertensive and feared I might die early. I told my younger ones to help me get someone that I would marry. So, one of my younger ones said there was a young teacher in their school who was very good. I asked him if she was beautiful and he said ‘yes’ and she was also from a very good background.

So, I went to her school on a friend’s bicycle and I saw her. That was how we started. Apart from her, I saw other girls willing to marry me because I was very handsome. One of my teachers taught us that to get a good woman, we must visit her to see whether she was lazy or hardworking. Fortunately, my girlfriend was very good. I saw her and she prepared food for me. That was how we got married. She was a teacher and before we got married, I got her employment in a bank after passing the required examination. She worked in the bank for about 14 years before I asked her to retire and join my own organisation.

How many children do you have?

I have two wives. The first one bore me six children, two boys and four girls and the younger wife gave me four children, one boy and three girls. They are all graduates and professionals. I have doctors, engineers, economists and accountants among them.

Did you marry the second wife when you became a monarch?

My father had one wife at a time. She died during labour, I then asked him one day why he did not marry more than one wife. My father said, ‘If a man wants to die young, he should marry many wives he cannot maintain.’ If you are well blessed and you can maintain more than one wife, you can marry as many as you want. If not for the death of the first wife, he would not have married my mother. So, he re-married to give himself comfort, happiness and joy. I realised that when I am old, my first wife would also be old. The two of us would become helpless. When I was aspiring to become the Oguja of Ilese in 1975, I realised that my first wife would not be able to cope with my commitments because I was in so many associations. So, I decided to have a younger wife. My first wife is from Ijebu Igbo. So I decided to have another wife from this place. I tried on three occasions and I failed.

I had seen my second wife eight years before then with her uncle but only admired her. By the time I showed interest, she said I was too old. She came home with her mother and they were passing through my gate and the mother came to greet me.

I invited her too to greet me. She came and we talked, then she was in the final year in secondary school. When she passed out of secondary school and sat for the Higher School Certificate, she was offered admission to a nursing school in the North, but I told her not to go. I promised to get her employment here. That was how we continued and she joined me in 1976.

What do you think has accounted for your long life?

If you read through my profile, you will find out that I was nearly certified dead about three times, but God made me survive all the illnesses and I am still alive. What has actually contributed to my longevity is moderation in everything. My interest in women is not at the expense of my business. My first wife in life is my business, because when there is no money life is worthless. If you don’t have money, you can’t get good food and every other needs of life. Although it is not everything that depends on money, you still need money to survive. What I do is that I eat quality food. I have retained my physique for over 45 years. I eat two times a day and I fast a lot. I was a member of Ijebu Ode Club and I contributed greatly to the club. Any club man must be a good drinker. Even if you don’t want to drink, people will buy for you. But I did not allow all these to entice me. Others are hard work and honesty. I was the Secretary of Ijebu Ode Amateur Athletics Association where I had to take pupils to participate in sports programmes. I was very active in sports and politics. I wake up as early as 5am and walk round the compound as many times as possible. I retired from the school activities after my 80th birthday.

Can you recall the happiest and saddest day of your life?

I am always happy everyday because I see my wives, children and grandchildren. One of my happiest days was the day Awujale commissioned my printing press and the school on October 16, 1971. Above all, the happiest day was the day I celebrated my 80th birthday. I’m not used to dancing, but I danced that day because I was so elated. I had thought that I would die before the age of 70. But, the saddest day was the day I lost my first wife on July 4, 1994 and the day I lost my sister in 1962.

What advice do you have for younger people?

They should not look for money by all means. They should try and work hard to earn their money because industry pays. If one can work hard, with determination and honesty, one will be able to get anywhere one wants to get to in life. I urge the youth in Nigeria to imbibe the culture of honesty and discipline in order to eradicate corruption.