Micheal Koleoso at 86: The story of the life of Babalaje

FLOWING from the highly-talked about decisive role he played in the politics of Oyo State between 1999 and 2003 under the government of Alhaji Lamidi Onaolapo Adesina, many watchers of the politics of the state during this time had salivated for the correct story of the role of Chief Michael Adeniyi Koleosho in that government.

Known more by his chieftaincy title of Babalaje, a number of mythical narratives were ascribed to him in the politics of the state during this period. While some said he had Lam tied to his apron strings, others said Koleosho was so powerful that nothing could come out of the government without him. To some, he held such awesome powers that even the governor could not veto his decision. A few however held that he and Lam belonged to a powerful occult group wherein Koleosho was the senior; thus an explanation of the awesome powers at his disposal in the day-to-day administration of that government.

God’s Grace And Goodness: The Story of My Life, an autobiographical work by Chief Michael Adeniyi Koleosho as one of the activities celebrating the occasion of his 80 years on earth, opens a window into details of that consequential immediate post-military administration of Oyo State. It discusses the politics of that era, as well as a bit by bit dissection of the person of the astute businessman.

 

An eight-chapter book of 136 pages, the author takes the reader on a smooth, almost seamless journey into his life story, especially how he came about the legendary wealth attributed to him. The first chapter, entitled, In the beginning¸ chronicles the beginning of the young Michael. He discusses his birth, his parents and how their alliance produced him. It can be said that the business path which the author’s father, Papa Samson Ojo Alaiyaki Koleosho, and mother, Mama Comfort Subulade Gbogbolomo Koleosho, cultivated was the needed seed that eventually germinated into Koleosho, the astute businessman.

All in all, the first chapter of the book shows clearly that the young Michael went through the rigour of childhood and existence, just like very many children of his time.

In Chapter two of the book, Michael, the unapologetic Saki son who believes in using his God-given connection to benefit humanity, especially his immediate constituents, is revealed. An example was his deploying his link with the District Officer, Mr. Ayoade to fill the vacant stool of the Onisanbo of Ogboro. The young Michael’s teaching stint in the 60s he also used to build bridges which became useful later in life. One other trait of the then young man which the chapter revealed was that he was unafraid to bite the bullet. He told the story of his employment interview with the Western Regional Government to be employed in the Ministry of Health. He had posted sterling performances in the School of Hygiene and came out with an outstanding result in the Royal Society of Health examination. When told he would be offered employment to join the services of the Regional Government, the young man declined and stubbornly told his interviewer that since his local government sponsored his education, he was obligated to the local council which he would avail the benefits of his expertise.

That was the beginning of his journey into the employment of Saki District Council in 1965 where he began as a Public Health Inspector. The author recalled some instances of how events today connect with events of tomorrow. Most striking was the story he told of an event between Mr. Aderohunmu and the then Commissioner for Education under the government of Chief Bola Ige. Koleosho is obviously telling the world how fate teaches human beings the lesson that life is like the swiveling of an atori (the cane) which King Sunny Ade, in one of his songs said, if it swings to the front, again swings backwards.

In Chapter three, the author lets his readers into the foundation of his business empire. Although  the tutorials were drawn largely from Papa Samson Ojo Alaiyaki Koleosho, the young Michael’s steely resolve to make it in life was the actual magic wand.

So, in January, 1976, he decided to venture into merchandising and so successful he was that he became a millionaire by the end of the year, two years before his 40th birthday.

Understanding the pillars that sustain marriage

Chapter four shows Koleosho, the family man, especially the indefatigable role played by his late wife, Mrs Esther Aduke Mopelola, whom he lived with in a matrimony that lasted for 39 years. In this chapter, the rhythm of Babalaje’s pen went melancholic as he plotted the graph of his wife’s devotion to him and family and her sacrifices in moulding a good Christian home that he eventually has. The author also traced the story of how he met his wife, the foundation of their good home and how she contributed  immensely to the successful children they both sired. The author later went into an in-depth comparison of the good wife that the holy writ, in the book of Proverbs advocated and how Mama Esther Aduke Mopelola was a fitting match of this biblical description.

For those who needed a window into the years of the author’s foray in politics, Chapter Five gives ample description of the time. Beginning with his election into the Saki Local Council in 1976 on the prompting of the late Okere of Saki, Oba Abimbola Oyedokun II, the whistle was sounded for the participation of Koleosho in the politics of his environment. Already a millionaire and armed with a philosophy of helping his people, the formation of the Committee of Friends by the Obafemi Awolowo political group ahead of the lifting of the 1978 ban on political activities, catapulted the author to national politicking. It was cemented when Awolowo paid a visit to the Okere in the company of Chief Bola Ige and his demonstration of being a good host and ally of the Awo political group became an unforgettable memory for Chief Awolowo. Koleosho was subsequently elected into the Oyo State House of Assembly and got nominated as Commissioner by Governor Ige. The author outlines how he used the offices he was appointed into to benefit his Oke Ogun people who had been marginalised in the scheme of things in the old Oyo State.

The chapter also throws more light into Koleosho’s days as Secretary to the Government of Oyo State under Alhaji Adesina and his invaluable insight into how the Alliance for Democracy (AD) lost the gubernatorial elections of 2003 in the South West to the deployment of a strategic and superior military tactic by General Olusegun Obasanjo who played upon their passion of a son-of-the-soil mentality by the governors to worst the AD in the South West.

It is also in this chapter that the reader will encounter Obasanjo’s offer of a ministerial slot to Koleosho, even when the tears of mourners of Chief Ige’s death were still wet on their brows.

Here, you encounter a Koleosho who could be stubborn in adherence to his principle. While Obasanjo, inside the Aso Rock Villa, as the Yoruba say, struggled to shove Koleosho on the ebe (heaps), Koleosho the wrestler too also struggled to shove Obasanjo, the wily General, to the poro (aisle). At the end of the day, Koleosho left Aso Rock where Obasanjo had invited him with his integrity high up and Obasanjo wondering what a man would turn down an offer to, in the lingo of Nigerian politicians, come and eat.

Being a staunch Ige follower, Koleosho, in this chapter, still rues what he termed the gang-up of the political successors of Chief Awolowo against Ige’s presidential bid in 1999. He wondered why the elders would settle for a relative political rookie like Chief Olu Falae at the expense of a national asset like Ige. He also takes time in this chapter to explain how the seed of the mortal blow on the AD as a party was sown.

Chapter six focuses on Koleosho’s detention experience after the coup of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984 and how his contentment while in government saved him from the harangue of the military inquisitors who peered searchlights into the purse of Oyo State, their aim being to incriminate Chief Ige. Koleosho’s loyalty in the face of attempts to use him to destroy Ige apparently further cemented his relationship with the Cicero of Esa Oke.

In Chapter seven, Koleosho, the man of God, is unveiled. Entitled Between God and Me, the author waxes spiritual and remorseful like the biblical prodigal son, hugging his Maker and promising that He would serve Him till the last breath in his nostrils come out. He confessed that even though he recognised God while growing up, he hadn’t really served Him enough due to what he called “the lust of the flesh,” partying and scorching the throat with burning liquid of alcohol. He praises His God for sparing his life to be 80 years on earth and promises to serve Him forever.

The last chapter is devoted to the garlands that Koleosho has received in the course of his contact with humanity.

The book’s epilogue is a thanksgiving to God for taking him thus far. Written in very fluid and flowing language, God’s Grace And Goodness: The Story of My Life is accessible to all, irrespective of linguistic class. It is a book that teaches anyone who desires to climb the mountain of life the precepts of how to make a success of the endeavour.

The major drawback of the autobiography is, however, that it seeks to tell the story of a political titan and a formidable man of commerce like Koleosho in a mere 136 pages. I reckon that a number of important messages and mileages in the life of the author must have been rudely abridged, thereby shortchanging the world of a full journey into the life of the political and business colossus. I suggest that Chief Koleosho revises the book with the aim of adding many stories of his life that are not in the current edition. This has however not succeeded in any way in abridging the significance of the autobiography as a must-read for anyone desirous of making it to the top nor has it diminished the book as a compilation of the milestones in the life of one of the elder statesmen of Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.

Dr Adedayo delivered this review at the OYSADEP, Saki venue of the launch of Chief Koleosho’s book.

Culled from Nigerian Tribune