Oba Ladoja, the royal storyteller FEMI ADEOTI COLUMN

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I never envisaged any hitch that Saturday, November 23, 2024. Not in my remotest imagination. I thought it was given. But it turned out the other way. It was a painful miss.
I showed up early enough at his Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State, residence. It was with the good intention of witnessing the event. First-hand, from start to finish.
It was to be a maiden royal storytelling outing. The central character, the storyteller: Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland. Title: Storytelling with the Legends. Host: Department of School Library and Media Technology, University of Ibadan.
I had registered my presence. I was looking up to the take-off time. From the blues, a call came through. It demanded my physical attention. It was equally urgent.
I had to oblige. So, I reasoned. I could make a quick dash and still make it back. How I goofed! I attempted it. That plan fell flat. It crashed face-down.
I still made an effort. That also ended in futility. All the same, I summoned the remaining courage. I meandered to the UI venue with baited breath. I met an empty, silent audience.
I raced back to Bodija. Time was turning unfavourable. It was confirmed I was clearly running against it; Oba Ladoja was already taking his rest.
Yinka Fabowale, a colleague, partner and friend. He witnessed the inaugural storytelling. He affirmed its uniqueness. His account of Ladoja’s presentation was apt, brilliant, rich and deep.
The reason I’m compelled to reproduce the piece for your delight alone. Have a sweet bite of the sumptuous meal. He tagged it:
An afternoon of royal storytelling with Oba Ladoja
Dateline: Saturday, November 23, 2024. The setting simulated the typical African communal gathering. A crowd of people consisting largely of ecstatic children and youths with sprinkles of men, women and the aged assembled under two massive pavilions facing the third, which, though smaller in size, looked more distinguished and commanded a magisterial position in the arrangement.
Seated underneath this more decorated section of the ambience that bore resemblance to a Yoruba palace was His Royal Majesty, Oba (Senator) Rashidi Ladoja, Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland. The royal personage wore an Agbada attire made from Ankara, a popular local fabric that has become his trademark dress. Royal beads modestly laced his neck and wrist.
Musical instruments, drums, sekere and other traditional artefact, including colourful ofi fabrics, beads, mats and embroidered textiles, carpets, carvings, calabashes, palm wine gourds festooned the enclosure that backed a wall that sprawled majestically to reveal on one side a bevy of young beautiful women, symbolic of the royal harem or entertainers. A backdrop of artistic design depicting huts further draped the wall giving this space the look of a stage that it indeed was.
A flex banner announcing the occasion, with a life-size image of Oba Ladoja stood on the other side of this “platform.” It was, perhaps, the only modern item, which in its artificiality looked out of place in the culturally nuanced and aesthetically dense setting.
At a few minutes past noon, the otherwise agreeable harmattan sun, which hitherto kept the scene brightened with its benign rays suddenly turned on its celestial oven heat. But a rampart of foliage including banana leaves atop and woven into the construction naturally sequestered this part of the premises and shielded its sole occupant from the burning rays beginning to sting some in the audience seated at the edges of the larger canopies or standing around without the protection of their commodious covers.
Welcome inside the premises of Department of School Library and Media Technology, University of Ibadan. Welcome to the inaugural edition of “Storytelling With The Legends.” An initiative of the department organised in conjunction with Reading Awareness Society for Development in Africa (RASDA), a literacy and reading promotion -centred not-for-profit group aimed at facilitating heritage documentation and maximizing the use of departmental resources among other goals.
Oba Ladoja, a renowned cultural icon, astute politician, investor and former governor of Oyo State, was the first guest speaker and royalty to feature on the town and gown synergy!
The monarch went down memory lane and regaled the audience with the inspiring story of his life, tracing it from childhood through schooling to becoming an engineer and ultimately an influential public figure.
His narrative was interspersed with witty and informal banters with the audience mostly made up of school pupils from Ibadan, Ogbomoso and environs. He emphasised salient lessons learnt and offered tips on career choices.
He also quizzed them particularly on some of the school subjects, notably Mathematics, which he described as his favourite. The guest speaker also drilled the spectators on knowledge and fluent reading of the Yoruba language.
He drew intermittent applause and laughter when he told the guests how elderly people in the compound in which he lived while growing up used to gather and enjoyed listening to him read books written in Yoruba to them as soon as he had learnt the alphabets and was able to read.
Recollecting his experiences, Ladoja advised his listeners to be serious, studious, disciplined and willing to assist their parents in their vocations or trades to succeed in life. Also, they must never despair but to view setbacks and challenges as opportunity and building blocks to greatness.
He encouraged the school children especially to develop interest in Mathematics, disclosing that the discipline not only aided learning but, in addition to other pure science subjects, guaranteed ample gateway to choice professional careers:
“I would have been a lawyer or a teacher, but because I was good at Mathematics, I followed the sciences and eventually became an engineer that I am today.”
But there was a mild drama at the beginning of the programme. The school children protested Oba Ladoja’s attempt to address them in the mother tongue, apparently due to their poor proficiency in the language, insisting that he speak English.
This dismayed the traditional ruler. He blamed the embarrassing situation on parents’ failure to speak the language, which he noted, was rich, to their children, the teachers for failing to instruct their charges in the language and the authorities for lack of a robust policy to preserve and promote the indigenous language.
The royal father regretted that while native speakers in the homeland appeared to neglect and disdain the language, foreign countries such as the United States, Latin American states and China were actively interested in its study:
“Yoruba is not a dead language. We’re the ones who wanted it to die. As children in our time, our parents spoke it to us often. This kind of situation has vindicated my call that Yoruba be taught in schools.”
Eventually, the session was conducted in Yoruba as the crowd again appealed to the traditional ruler to switch tongue.
Guests expressed delight at thrilling recitals, musical and poetry performances and other highlights of the event, but more for the rare chance of meeting and having conversations with Oba Ladoja in person.
Ijaduola David, an SS2 pupil of Al-Kawtha Science and Technical College, Otamikun, Ogbomoso, who brilliantly answered the guest speaker’s question on quadratic equation (The Almighty Formula) and Mr. Shittu AbdulHakeem, the supervising teacher who led the school team to the event, described Oba Ladoja’s life story as memorable and inspiring.
“His is a rather touching and inspiring story that gives us the hope that we have a future,” said the teacher. To his student, meeting the former governor and traditional ruler was the greatest and unexpected thing to happen to him:
“I have only heard about him and never dreamt of meeting him one-on-one. I feel so happy. I love how humble and friendly he is, in spite of his greatness. We have something in common too. I wish to be an engineer like him too.”
Adepoju Shallom, a Junior Secondary School female student of Emerald Kingdom High School, Origin, Ibadan, spoke in similar vein. “I’m glad I’m here”, she said excitedly in reply to a question by newspeakonline.com.
In a recap of Ladoja’s account of his life journey, Publicity Secretary, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Oyo State chapter, Olumide Showunmi, paid tributes to the monarch’s fortitude and victory after going through thick and thin. For him, the major takeaway was the Oba’s character, which he said, saw him through.
David Elaturoti, a professor of Library Studies and member of the pioneer staff of the centre at inception in 1974, was too happy at the launch of the storytelling programme. He described it as part of the new things happening in fulfilment of the vision of Prof. Felicia Adetoun Ogunseye, Africa’s first female professor of Library Studies who pioneered the centre that has since grown into a full-fledge academic department.
Aside visiting children from public and private schools, others at the well attended occasion were former heads, lecturers and students of the department and other faculties, representatives of ANA and NANTAP led by their respective chairmen, Messrs Rufus Kehinde and Ola Rotimi, Nigeria Copyright Commission officials, the set designer and Artistic Director, Oracle Repertory, Mr. Yemi Akintokun, journalists, as well as dignitaries on Oba Ladoja’s entourage.
That ends Fabowale’s succinct narration.
There’s need for more of such interaction by royal fathers. It’s urgent, it is important. And for obvious reasons. Oba Ladoja is aware of this very much.
Our indigenous languages must not perish. And we are the ones not to make it happen. Speaking in mother tongue to our children is not for nothingness.
It will deepen their knowledge of our culture and its values. Even more! It will pit them against GLBT, aka Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender. They won’t want to touch them even with the longest spoon ever.
Ladoja is not alone in this. The late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, was an astute advocate of cultural values. And he demonstrated it throughout his reign.
He would always speak in Hausa language. Both in private and in public. No matter the function. He cared less the type of audience. He would address them in his undiluted, unpolluted Hausa language. An interpreter would do the explaining.
He showcased that in Ibadan, Oyo State, in 1989. It was at the Higher Education Appeal Fund for Oyo State University of Technology (OSUTECH), Ogbomoso; now Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).
He was invited by his bosom and long time friend, the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade. He delivered his address in Hausa. It was simultaneously given accurate English interpretation. He drew huge applause from his audience.
Sadly, the message was lost on our rulers. None of them cared to pick a useful lesson from Bayero. His rare demonstration of our values was wholesome and awesome. We only clapped for him. And ended it at that same venue.
Mere rhetoric is not it. We can’t continue to mouth it, it won’t help. Let our rulers do it as Bayero and Ladajo did it. That’s the way to go. It is a viable alternative.
And we will all be exceedingly glad we did. It’s one expedient means of bringing back our lost values.