Sowunmi pens ‘Songs for A Living Fortress’ for an educationist par excellence

Olumide Sowunmi is fast becoming a subject-poet, celebrating people who have contributed in no small measure to the development of the society.

Just before the end of the Barack Obama presidency, Sowunmi published a poetry trilogy in celebration of the first black president of the United States.

Even after the three-series Obama collection, Sowunmi has published several more, with the latest, Songs for A Living Fortress, celebrating Chief (Dr) C.F.I Olaniyan JP, an educationist par excellence.

In the book’s foreword, Dr Kayode and Mrs Titilola Adenekan admit the collection is a perfect display of poetic and artistic treatise on the life of Pa Olaniyan.

“The book captures the elegance of a life that has been very busy doing the right things in virtually every sphere of endeavour Papa has engaged in.

“The book further displays the extent to which Papa’s life has touched the life of thousands of students from infancy to later educational endeavours.

“It spans his involvement in the community, spiritual and temporal; it clearly depicts the family life of Papa in an extremely admirable manner.”

Writing on the language, Dr and Mrs Adenekan say, “the language is extremely professional and exposes the mind of a great thinker and writer.”

The collection opens with Birth of A Fortress, where Sowunmi details the birth of Chief Olaniyan on October 3, 1929.

The poem, C.F.I.O, penned with the initials of the subject, focuses on the values of Chief Olaniyan.

Sowunmi writes: A citizen of the world

A parishioner beyond words

A man of letters, orator of high stature

Fluent and articulate speaker

Father to all men of all faith

Fellowships with all sizes of men

In Olaniyan, the poet celebrates the subject’s educational background

With your white chalk

You make plain and clear

To successive generations

You cared for the hearts of students

You shook their heads

Till dull heads became delivered

Your cane loves thrashing

The lazy and truants

Another of the poems highlights the recognition of Pa Olaniyan. Here, Sowunmi writes,

Unto your people

You have become a messiah

Today, you are celebrated

And songs of recognition is in the air

Sowunmi’s efforts is just to celebrate a man who has contributed to the education sector in the country, and this collection definitely reveals that no one knows the limits of the influence of a teacher/educationist.