In this interview, 85-year-old Olalekan Odebiyi tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO about his love for teaching
When and where were you born?
I was born on December 12, 1928, in Agerige, a village in Ibadan, Oyo State.
How would you describe your childhood days?
It was fun. I was very active in my youthful days and spent much of my time in school. There were interruptions along the line. I was active in organising people and belonged to church groups. I am still active in church activities and community development associations.
What schools did you attend?
I attended St. Michael’s Catholic School, Itokun, Abeokuta, for my primary education, from 1943 to 1946; St. Augustus Catholic School, where the cathedral is now, from 1947 to 1948. Then, there was a preparatory class for us to go to a teacher training college. In 1951, I obtained my Teachers’ Grade Two Certificate from Blessed Mulumba Training College, Ile-Ife. Then, I was posted to teach. I stopped teaching for a period. A few years later in 1959, I moved to Government Teacher Training College, Ibadan, and spent two years there. I came back and taught for two years. Then I went to Ransome Kuti College of Education, Ibadan. It was the first National Certificate for Education school in Nigeria. I left there in 1965. In 1967, I went to the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, where I studied Education.
How come you started elementary school late?
I started schooling in 1940 at the age of 12. This was because I was born in a rural area and they had no idea of education. My parents were farmers, but luckily for me, the first sibling of my parents, my eldest brother, relocated to Abeokuta. He was an apprentice to a mechanic and in his workshop, there were educated people. My brother liked education. So, he decided to bring me from the village to Abeokuta. I had no money to start schooling. I was reading at home under the guidance of a teacher from 1940 to 1943, when I started the proper school system. I was about 14 then. But I started to read and write at 12.
My brother took me from the village to Abeokuta town in 1940, a year before the Second World War started in 1939. He was not financially buoyant. So, I had to take to farming. I planted cassava and made cassava flour. We also planted vegetables, which I took to the market to sell. Then, there were some truck pushers in a nearby town. We used to help them carry some of their wares. It was a distance of about three kilometres within the town, which is from Berekodo to Lafenwa in Abeokuta. We were paid one penny, one and a half or two pence. My brother and I lived on that too. It was an exciting time for me. Then, when I started schooling, things changed, because my brother had to relocate to Ikeja, Lagos. It was the year they started construction of the airport. He joined them to clear the bush in the area around 1942. After they completed the job, he had to go to Ibadan to do some petty trading. These were exciting and challenging times. At some point, I wanted to stop schooling, but God was on my side. Otherwise it would have been terrible for me. I don’t know where I would have been now if I had stopped.
Did you feel inferior to other students at the time?
No, I did not. Those who were teaching me when I just came from the village, when we enrolled in the school together, I was the one who started teaching them because I was good, I knew that.
When did you start teaching?
I started teaching as a university graduate in 1970. But I had been teaching during my teacher training college days. After I graduated from the university, I taught at Fatima College, Ikere, Osun State. In 1976, after the creation of states, I was transferred to Abeokuta, one school near Okemosun, Agunbiade Victory High School, where I became a principal. Later, I was taken to another district and came back to Abeokuta to teach in Catholic Comprehensive High School. I was there from 1980 to 1988 when I retired. But in 1996, I became a part-time teacher at Navy Secondary School, Abeokuta, until 2000, when I left the school system and retired fully. I taught for over 36 years. Now, I prepare some members of my church for examinations and teach them Religious Knowledge to prepare them for baptism in my church. Teaching is my passion.
What can you say about the level of education in Nigeria today compared to your time?
They are not the same. During my time, teachers were more committed. Nowadays, teachers do other businesses apart from teaching. For example, female teachers are also traders. During my time, there was nothing like private practice for teachers. So, children were made to work hard. But nowadays, when the teacher is not committed to his or her work, he or she should not expect the children to be committed to their studies either. That’s the major difference. Also, majority of pupils today don’t want to read their books. A lot of them concentrate on watching television or browsing the Internet on their smart phones. These activities take much of their time and are distractions.
How can we improve the education system?
For the pupils, they have to concentrate more on their studies because if they do, they would become great people in the future. If one doesn’t study, one becomes a nobody. It’s always a tug-of-war with my grandchildren to ensure they study their books well. But they just have to read if they want to become great in future. If the quality of education is not good, our children would be lost. For the teachers, they have to be more dedicated. Most of them concentrate on other jobs instead of their teaching. They run their own private schools while teaching in public schools. All these things divide their attention. The government should do more to improve the system. Lecturers in polytechnics and colleges of education are still on strike, the Academic Staff Union of Universities just ended its strike recently. The government has to pay more attention to education. Teachers have to be better remunerated so as to make them committed. If they don’t do this, the teachers would find other ways to make themselves comfortable. The government should also provide more textbooks, equipment and infrastructure in schools. Libraries should be better furnished. Now, they also use Internet. Computer education will also help. In our days, we used journals in the library. It helped us a great deal to do well. Before Independence, when the British were ruling us, there were jobs for the educated ones. If one had a school certificate or Cambridge certificate, one could get appointments in the Ports Authority, Nigeria Railways, Post and Telecommunications. It was fun. At Independence, I was doing my Grade Two Teacher’s Certificate. It was easy to get a job then. Chief Obafemi Awolowo introduced free education in the Western Region. And there were enough jobs for those who qualified.
What would you say about the lack of jobs for many young graduates today?
It is disappointing. When I finished my university education, people from the teaching service came to interview us in the university. We were the ones who decided the schools we wanted to be posted to for employment. There were jobs in other sectors too. But what happened last Saturday during the Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment is enough to discourage parents, because to gain admission into tertiary institutions is not easy. Then, one struggles to pay the fees and when one graduates, one would then struggle to get a job, like what many experienced that Saturday. With such unfortunate incidents, parents who are not interested in education would prefer their children to be artisans or learn a trade like bricklaying and carpentry. It is sad that so many people died in the process. If God continues to be on our side, there would be improvement and employment. God can touch the hearts of our rulers and they would change. There is money in Nigeria. If our rulers invest the money they steal, there would be jobs for people.
Do you support young Nigerians going into farming?
Farming is not easy. But education is very important.
How did you meet your wife?
I met my wife through my friend, who was her cousin. We met at a party in 1956 and I asked him to introduce her to me. We talked and she agreed to marry me later. We got married in 1958. We had four children, but two are deceased. They are all females. I have many grandchildren.
What attracted you to her?
She was a woman. That is all. It was not an attraction. I thought that as a woman, and a man, we had to marry. She also agreed to marry me and that was the end. No attraction, no make-up, nothing. I’m five years older than my wife.
You’ve been married for about 56 years now. What is the secret of a happy and successful marriage?
God was and has always been on our side. Also, I have an obedient wife and I am not a despotic type. It is basically an understanding of each other. There was no problem at any time. God provides for us. Some husbands find it difficult to manage their wives, but mine is satisfied with what we have, and that makes it lasting. In a nutshell, it is all about understanding. That is my advice to young couples today. Today, young men and women want to have children outside marriage. Such situation cannot make a successful home. Also, women who want to get married must be ready to see their husbands as superior, not as their partners, no matter the level of education they have. If they do that, things would work out fine in the home. But if both parties have to go in different directions, then it would be difficult.
Do you have any regrets?
No, I do not, because what I am today is not my own making, but God’s. And I will not relent praying to remain healthy and for God to continue to bless my children and grandchildren.
Who are some of your contemporaries?
The former deputy governor (of Ogun State), the late Chief Sesan Soluade, was my classmate at the teacher training college. I don’t think I know any other person I can call my contemporary that is still alive today.
What are you most fulfilled about?
I am very happy to have played a major part in the building of the church here. I am Catholic. I moved here in 1991. I realised that the nearest Catholic Church in Ibara was too far away from the area we lived. One had to take two taxis to get to where the church was situated. I thought it was better for us to have a church of our own. So, I went from house to house, collecting the names of Catholics in the area, and we were able to build a church. I am also happy to be a voluntary member in my community development association. We built a hall for the local government. We also want to build a church there.
How does it feel to be 85?
I feel great. It depends on the stamina of the individual. But, it is not easy to be 85. I find it difficult to walk for too long, and I have to go to the hospital regularly to take care of myself and manage my health.
Do you wish to live longer maybe to a 100?
(Laughs) To live to a 100 is by God’s grace and if He decides, so be it. If I wish to and He agrees with me, there will be no problem.
What kind of exercise do you do?
I don’t do any exercise now; I just walk around the compound.
What kind of activities do you participate in?
I was never interested in outdoor games but I play indoor games, like ludo, draught, cards and the traditional ayo. I still play them today whenever they are available. I like watching television sometimes, especially some special programmes, like the ones shown every Sunday where they talk about issues and people bring their complaints. I also like to listen to music on the radio because the television belongs to the children. Their own type of programme is not my kind. So, I listen to music on my radio. We were also advised in the hospital to listen to music and if possible dance. And this is what I do. I dance sometimes too. I like dancing to Yoruba music like apala, Fuji or sakara. These are the types of music I prefer.
Do you have a favourite meal?
Yes, I like pounded yam and vegetable soup, elubo (yam flour) with ewedu soup, white amala with ewedu or efo soup.
What kind of songs do you listen to?
I prefer listening to apala music. I also like highlife. I have the records at home. But I sing with the young ones when they sing their kind of music, and when there is no other one for me to listen to. For example, one of my grandchildren likes this Skelewu song, and I join her when she starts to dance to it. They sometimes don’t allow me to play the music I like on the DVD player. But when I cannot beat them, I have to join them to sing, particularly with my grandchildren.
What’s the secret of longevity?
I would also say it is by God’s grace. But my parents were quite old before they died. I guess they call it hereditary. I don’t know any other secret to living long. I eat the normal food, African or Yoruba food. I don’t have any special diet or routine to say that was why I’ve lived to this age.
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