“Ola o ya boro boro” and other lessons my father taught me

Once in a while, I yield this space to another writer who has something meaningful to say and who does so in a compelling way. One of such is Bayo Adeyinka, a man who wears many caps and wears each one well. Quintessential banker, pastor and social commentator, Bayo is also an excellent writer and speaker.  He will be my guest on this column for the next few editions. He has written something worth sharing with every aspiring leader. Enjoy the offering!

“Today, we have the largest generation of young people the world has ever seen. More than 40 per cent of the world’s population is under the age of 25. In Nigeria with a national population of about 180million people, more than half of its people are under age 30. With the population of Nigeria projected to reach 400million by 2050, it has become imperative to give greater attention to the youth. The future of any country does not reside in its aging population but in the young demographics. The foundation of every state is the foundation of its youth. It is in our overall interest that we begin to pay special attention to our young people. You can build an edifice but if you don’t develop the youth population, they will destroy the edifice you built in just a matter of time.

We have 181,000 military personnel in Nigeria. Put that side by side with almost 100million youth. That is 552 youths to 1 military personnel. We have 370,000 policemen. That is 270 youths to a policeman. If there is a youth crisis in Nigeria, it will be overwhelming. But just consider if this critical mass is well cultivated, empowered and their potential harnessed, it can be the turning point for our nation.

My father is a very good story-teller. He often talks in pictures laced with proverbs. He is so descriptive that he can talk for hours and no one will get bored. I want to share a few of the lessons and some of those proverbs I have learnt from him over the years.

I was in primary school many years ago when I came home with my report card. I came second in the class and I was over the moon. I still remember how those of us who were in the first to third positions in our classes were called to the front of the assembly while they sang for us:

‘Bata re a dun ko ko ka (2ce)

Bi o ba ka’we re

Bata re a dun ko ko ka’.

(Your shoes will make joyful marching sounds if you face your studies and come out in flying colours.)

After singing this song, the headmistress would ask all the students to point at us and say, ‘A ki yin, E ku ise, Eyin l’oga’

(We salute you for a job well done and we acknowledge your mastery.) It was such a great moment. I was called forward a few times until I took it for granted that the one of the top three positions was reserved for me. I became a bit more playful. I started taking things for granted and didn’t do my homework with dedication like I used to. There is always a price to pay for success but there is a harder price to pay to sustain it. So I let it slip one year and my scores dropped. I came 5th in the class. My teachers couldn’t believe it. The song that others sang for me the previous years, I had to sing for others that year. I shed tears. For the very first time, when I got home, I was ashamed to show my report card to my father. Eventually when he saw it, he looked at me sternly and said, ‘Ise kii pa ni, ayo nii pa’yan’. (Suffering doesn’t kill, complacency does.)

Be better than the person you were yesterday. Success intoxicates. Beware of success. Don’t rest on your oars. The largest room in the world is the room for improvement. I’m more afraid of success than failure because success can be fleeting and can be deceptive. The Yoruba have a better way of saying it:

‘Pansa o fura, pansa ja!

Aja o fura, aja jin

Onile ti o ba fura

Ole ni o ko lo’

(The dried calabash was careless hence it was plucked. The rafter was careless hence it caved in. When head of the household is not careful, it will be cleaned out by thieves.)

Don’t sit down celebrating yesterday’s success or achievement. Yesterday is gone.

Also Read:  Letter to the president

I attended a boarding school in Ondo State for my secondary school education. When I was in JS 1, I found some amount of money on the ground somewhere. I picked it up and reported to the House Master on duty. Later on, I was called out in the assembly for appreciation. News filtered to my father about what I’d done. While I was home on holiday, he shared a story with me. He is an engineer who specialises in repairs of heavy duty road equipment like tractors, bulldozers and graders. In the 1980s during the civilian rule, he was given a contract by the 2nd Mechanized Division in Ibadan for the repairs of one of their earth-moving equipment. Shortly afterwards, there was a coup and the military took over. A young soldier who knew about the contract approached my father and proposed to him that he should sell the equipment so that both of them could share the proceeds. My father refused. He was threatened but he refused to budge. Knowing that the equipment could be stolen from his yard, my father moved it to a safe location. All the letters he wrote about the completion of the job were not responded to.

When Sanni Abacha became the General Officer Commanding the 2nd Mechanized Division, he opened the books and discovered one of the equipment was missing. It was traced to my father and soldiers were sent to ferry him to the Division. My father told them his story and showed copies of all the letters he wrote. He took them to where he kept the equipment and he was subsequently given a letter of commendation by 2nd Mechanized Division for his integrity. ‘Owo maa tan, omoluabi lo maa ku’ (Money is a perishable commodity but character stands forever) my father concluded.

Life is full of transactions. We are always trading something for another. For some, you trade your time for a salary. There is always an exchange going on every day in every life. Different nations have different currencies. However, money can fail in certain circumstances. Money has limitations and barriers. But there is a common denominator that cuts across all countries. It opens doors where money fails. It cannot be put behind any barrier or subject to any limitation. It is called integrity… continued

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!