In a conversation with BIODUN BUSARI, His Royal Highness, Oba Abdulrasaq Adenugba, the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, shares his experiences and life’s key lessons as he celebrates his 70th birthday
What was growing up like for you?
Growing up was rough and tough. But in fairness, when I look at myself, I try to recall where I started this journey of my life, and I just have to thank God. I lived a rugged life as a pauper, but I thank my mother for training me properly.
I was born into an extended royal family of the late Oba Akadi Alonge Adenugba. My father, Disu Adeyemi, was the only son of his father. My grandfather would always say that my father was the only son that he had. Meanwhile, my father had 12 wives, and my mother was the 12th.
Also, I was the first son of my father. He was a socialite as a prince, but my mother was determined to train me. She was raised in an educated family, and she gave her best so that I could go to school. Growing up in a polygamous family, with my mother as the last wife, was very tough for me.
Can you share some of your academic experiences?
They were mixed with the rugged life. I started my primary school education at Imososi West School. It was a government school. I was a small boy at that school. I didn’t know why I was enrolled at that tender age. I did secondary school admission after that.
My father fell sick, so my first two years in secondary school were nothing to write home about. He couldn’t pay my school fees. So, I was removed from that school to another school. Due to my father’s sickness, my mother took me to the school she could afford.
What was your mother’s occupation?
My mother was a food vendor, but she was passionate about my siblings and I. She wanted me to go to school. As time went by, I started doing odd jobs to assist her. Meanwhile, I went to Wesley School, but when they returned me to the secondary school, my mother asked me whether I should go to Muslim Commercial School.
When I got there, I couldn’t cope with it because the students there were not my mates. Some of my mates were in Methodist Commercial School. Later, I was enrolled where my mates were. My first year in secondary school was at the Muslim Commercial School, but I joined my mates later at the Methodist School in the second year. I had my commercial education. It was purely commercial subjects, including typing and shorthand. These were all the things that I passed through.
What kind of odd jobs did you do?
During the weekends, we would look for labourers on construction sites to hire me for bricklaying. Then, with my commercial school certificate, I could look for a teaching job, with the hope of furthering it. At this time, my father was down with illness. It was my mum who was taking care of us. We are three; I have one sister and a brother.
It was all a struggle for us to survive. I needed to assist my mum financially, so I was also hawking food. All along, one thing kept me going, according to the training I received from my mum: hard work. She would tell me, ‘If you don’t get it now, you will get it later.’
As young people at that time, relocating to Lagos for better opportunities was usually our priority. In one of my experiences, my mother took me to Lagos. I couldn’t find a place to stay there, and there was a day that I was coming back home in Ago-Iwoye that I met one of my paternal relatives. He introduced his friend, who was a danfo driver. He took me to his house. I was working as a conductor for him.
As I was working as a conductor in Ojota, I saw a casual job at a factory. Later, the casual factory job folded up, and I returned home. That was in 1976. Then, I was given an appointment for a teaching job. As I was resuming there at a village, they gave me another letter to go to the ministry, but they didn’t want my appointment.
I came back home in Ago-Iwoye, and I was crying. Days later, I met my mother’s cousin, whom she had also helped in the past. He just gave me his house key in Bajulaye in Bariga. He asked me to go. That day was Saturday, so by the next day, on Sunday, I was in Lagos. On Monday, I was in my uncle’s office.
At that time, he was the principal of the Lagos City College, Sabo-Yaba. He gave me a job as an office cleaner and clerk. I would clean the office in the morning and then continue as a clerk later.
There was a day when the secretary had an urgent letter to type, and I said I would help. I volunteered to do it. Also, I did some corrections. Everybody was amazed that I could do it and take shorthand. My salary was N80. So, they would give N40 and save N40 for me.
How did you further your education?
Since I was the clerk, I was the last person to close the school. When people were coming for evening classes, I would wait. Then, I joined them. I was sitting down with them for classes. The school bursar didn’t collect any money from me. So, the person who was controlling the evening classes didn’t collect any kobo from me.
Read more: Ogun Monarch on Life & the Role of Traditional Rulers https://punchng.com/constitution-amendment-necessary-to-return-control-to-traditional-rulers-ogun-monarch-adenugba/
