ODUTOLA

The biography of
T. ADEOLA ODUTOLA

By:
Reuben Abati
&
Sesan Ajayi

ALF Publications
© Africa Leadership Forum 1995

ISBN 978-32319-1-X

Published by ALF Publications

P.O. Box 2286, Abeokuta
Ogun State, Nigeria

Typesetting By Ojo Ahraham Tai

 Contents

From the General Editor ……………………………………………………v

Preface………………………………………………………………………vii

Chapter One: The Beginning ……………………………………. 1

Chapter Two: The Business Years………………………………. 11

Chapter Three: Statesman and Politician ………………………… 37

Chapter Four: The Schools that Odutola Built …………………. 45

Chapter Five: Attitude to Religion ……………………………... 79

Chapter Six: Homecall………………………………………… 87

Chapter Seven: What the Press Said ……………………………… 99

Appendices:

Appendix A ……………………………………………………… 135

Appendix B ……………………………………………………… 145

Appendix C ……………………………………………………… 151

Appendix D ……………………………………………………… 155

Appendix E ……………………………………………………… 161

 From the General Editor
Since the inception, in 1991, of the present biographical series, under
the auspices of the Africa Leadership Forum (ALF), its General Editor
has consciously sought to ensure that clear goals envisaged and
enunciated then are attained and maintained, volume by volume.
Indeed, the first volume in the ALF series gave readers an opportunity
of ascertaining these goals. In his Forward to Abebe: Portriat of a
Nigerian Leader (1991), General Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman of
ALF, set out these goals. In May 1991, he said:

ALF Publications have embarked on publishing books on leaders and leadership

in Africa. This book is the first, in the biography series of contemporary leaders
in all walks of life.

Leadership abounds in all sectors of human activity and ALF Publications takes
on the challenge of extolling positive leadership and leadership qualities
whenever and wherever they are found in Africa. We are going to search and
comb every nook and corner to provide role models for the youths and the up and
coming leaders. If a vacuum is created in the development of the future leaders,
the void will be filled by negative tendencies.

In our humble view, what Africa needs, indeed, what our world still
seeks, in these times that threaten, to the utmost, the patience and
peace of humankind, is leadership of manifest credibility and lasting
radiance. It is also the type of leadership that demonstrates
indisputable excellence in thought, word and deed. Each of the
volumes in the present series shall, therefore, be tested against these
universal and timeless standards.

Separate guidelines, subject to the direction of ALF, influence the

selection of persons covered in the series. It is hoped that, volume by
volume, the coverage will spread to include more eminent men and
women who have made inspiring contributions to leadership at the
national, regional, continental and global levels.
The other element of attaining and maintaining quality acceptable to
readers at home and abroad does raise sensitive issues for biographers
on one hand and any General Editor on the other. However, every
effort necessary to balance the preservation of relevant essential
freedoms (of thought and expression) with meeting high editorial
standards will always be made, volume by volume. The other germane
issues of libel and defamation shall also receive due attention as the
relevant laws of the land demand.

Furthermore, the distinctive character of each volume in the ALF

series will reflect the unique roles of the personalities involved as well
as the research capabilities and writing skills of the biographers.
Correspondingly, the level of readers’ interest will differ: depending
on several other variables.

These inevitable variations apart, adequate steps shall also be taken by

this General Editor to secure such other desirable elements as novelty
and significance, volume by volume. Thus, as much as possible, each
volume shall seek to make sufficiently weighty impacts on readers at
home and abroad.

In conclusion, useful comments by readers shall always be welcome.

Through these channels, the utilitarian value of subsequent volumes in
the ALF series will be considerably enhanced. Cooperation of this
kind, in our considered opinion, will also help the world of learning
get better and better, and more and more efficient as well as
competent, in the dissemination of knowledge of sustainable quality
and value.

Tekena N. Tamuno, FHSN,

D.Lit. (London)
General Editor
 Preface

The writing of this book has a story of its own that is worth narrating.
In the early months of 1994, I had received a phone call from Ayodele
Aderinwale, Project Manager of the Africa Leadership Forum (ALF).
He said he needed to see me urgently. Would I mind coming over to
the Obasanjo Farms at Ota straightaway? Would it be alright if he sent
a vehicle to pick me up? To both requests, I obliged. The proposed
meeting, however, turned out to be a meeting with General Olusegun
Obasanjo himself!

ALF had wanted to do a biography of Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola,

the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode, Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians, OBE,
OFR, CON, former President of the Manufacturers Association of
Nigeria (MAN), frontline industrialist, businessman and educationist
who at 90 plus remained a leading light in industry and commerce. It
was Dr. Olatunji Dare, my boss at The Guardian (not yet proscribed at
the time), who had recommended that myself and Sesan Ajayi, who
was teaching English at Ogun State University, should be contacted.
General Obasanjo wanted to speak with us and further stress the
importance of the project to ALF which, as I gathered, had initiated a
series of publications on leadership in Africa. Sesan Ajayi was later
contacted. And work on the project began.

We agreed on a time-frame of eight months with the grace of

additional two months. We visited the Odutola home at Ijebu-Ode,
sought audience and interview with Chief Odutola. We also had
access to other sources. We combed libraries for existing literature.
We mapped out the chapters. We gathered date. But, fate soon
conspired against us to delay the project.
Sesan Ajayi who had been ill, off and on, became more seriously ill as
the project progressed. He had a long and valiant battle with illness.
He was particularly strong. Even, in those harrowing moments, when
he toyed with the idea of doing one essay on “The Reality of Pain”
and another: “I was ill too”, the writing of this book remained close to
his heart. Still, fate chose to remain villainous.

In September 1994, I traveled out of the country to attend a

conference in Cairo, Egypt. I returned to meet the shocking news of
Sessan’s death. His illness had suddenly become more serious; to
everyone’s dismay, death came just when we all thought the worst
was over. He was 35 and one of the most remarkable friends that I
have ever had. With his death, the completion of this book became a
test of our friendship; I was anxious not to disappoint him.

I conducted additional interviews and gathered more date. I remapped

the chapters and paid extra visits to Papa Odutola’s house and visited
important sites denoting his life and times. One night, I gathered all
the research findings together, and began to write. This book is
therefore as much a biography as it is a tribute.

As the writing progressed, officials of ALF visited my house more

frequently, asking me to hurry up. They wanted us to meet a fresh,
June 1995, deadline to coincide with the 50th Founder’s Day
Anniversary of Adeola Odutola College and the 93rd birthday of our
subject. One morning, news came that Chief Odutola had passed on.
The need to complete the book became even more urgent. My
publishers became more impatient. And work progressed.

In retrospect, it was all understandable. Great men always end up

providing a canopy under which the rest of us, less endowed beings
can hide. In writing about them, we find that we build a story of our
own and therefore realise a part of our own lives. Chief Odutola was a
fantastic man; a rare breed. His passage could not have gone without
such a substantial notice as this. At 93, he was one of the very few
members of his generation still alive. He was not only alive, the vast
empire which he had built remained intact and his spirit was
unbroken. He continued to wake up very early as he had done for over
50 years and remained awake till late. Between 4 p.m and 6 p.m.,
everyday, he attended to visitors from all walks of life. He did all that
in spite of the stroke which he had had to live with since he was 80.
As his story would show, it was this sense of duty and personal
industry that had always kept him going. The first time I encountered
him, I was shocked by his youthfulness. At other times, I was struck
by his sense of culture.

He has, in fact, lived for so long that many of us were beginning to

take his longevity for granted. Many had even resolved that he would
live till the next century. Although he was a ripe old man, still he
advertised the gift of eternal youthfulness. This was why when he
died, the news was received with surprise and, later, with
understanding. At 93, he was patriarch of a vast empire, statesman and
for seven decades, a public figure and a famous man.

What this book does is to offer his story as we found it. What we
confronted, as this work progressed, was how Odutola’s lifestyle
marked an unintended indictment of the way we currently run our
own lives. His was a life of service and industry. He was the generous
employer, strict parent and man of the people. Till his death, he could
still point out, among his staff, men who had worked for him all their
lives and who still stayed with him because they could not imagine a
more humane employer.

When he celebrated his 90th birthday, in 1992, even his own children,
whom he had brought up without any excess of emotions, were quick
to acknowledge his uniqueness. His daughter, Mrs. Adesola Adeyemi,
was reported as saying” Our father’s shoe, business-wise, is too big
for any of his children to wear” (The Guardian, June 27, 1992).
Another child, Femi Odutola, a Lagos lawyer, intimated that “his
business empire will probably go public so that there won’t be need
for any member of the family to really oversee things personally”.

Yet, his popularity was not restricted to his household. In 1980, a

drama which was largely typical had occurred at the National
Assembly in Lagos. Chief Odutola, accompanied by Chief Jerome
Udoji, had gone there in his capacity as President of the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). He had been invited by
the Senate Committee. Senator Ladega, representing the United Party
of Nigeria (UPN), came across him in the lobby. As a mark of respect,
the Senator prostrated full length before the eminent Chief. Senators
who witnessed this unedited show of deference were alarmed and not
a few considered it a breach of protocol. When Ledega proceeded to
inform everyone that he owed his membership of the Senate to Chief
Odutola, even the initial critics were converted.

Such an occurrence, by the way, would not have been considered

unusual had it taken place in the midst of an all-Yoruba gathering. It
was nevertheless an indication of how deeply Odutola touched other
people’s lives. He was an affectionate man who took an abiding
interest in his fellow human beings. Whatever he made, he re-invested
by ensuring that it went round. He gave as much as he took and,
always, he was likely to stress that everything was possible by the
sheer Grace of the Almighty. He was a politician, industrialist,
educationist and devout Cheitstian. He was one businessman who
never needed the services of a Public Relations consultant. Yet, his
was a life of compelling praise. Former President Ibrahim Babangida,
in 1992, described him as the “Grandfather of Nigerian business”. In
1968, Bayo Kuku, an old student of Adeola Odutola College, wrote:
When the history of this great national comes to be written and read
by ages yet unborn, the name of Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola
would be given a conspicuous place. And if he is named
philanthropist, educationist, industrialist, statesman and benefactor,
they would only have told a small part of the story, because Chief
Odutola is all these things and indeed, a great many more (Daily
Times, May 25, 1968).

Truly, twenty-four years later, Odutola was still the subject of

affectionate praise. MCK Ajuluchukwu, writing in the Sunday Times
of June 28, 1992, expressed the following view:

Chief Odutola has proved conclusively that a man of immense wealth

is capable of easy, undisturbed sleep and need not use his money for
intimidating others less well placed than himself. He has shown the
value of self-contentment, the beauty of wise philanthropy as opposed
to clap-trap self-adulating money spraying.

It is, however, to be regretted that the same society and the same
future generations for which Odutola toiled and provided
opportunities have failed to learn from his example. It is precisely in
the same areas and manner in which Odutola was so distinguished that
Nigeria is today facing its most depressing problems since 1914. Our
politics has become the politics of hate, and avarice. Manufacturing
has become an entrepreneur’s nightmare: investors have learnt to go
elsewhere; short-term investments and quick gains have become
fashionable; honest work has lost its attraction. Ours has become the
era of “419”, horse-trading and the importation of second-hand goods;
our schools are crumbling; school calendars are disrupted at will;
teachers salaries are left unpaid; the teachers themselves have taken to
trading during school honours; their students have taken to crime and
cults. Religion has also become less than secure. With Moslems and
Christians engaged in violent competition, with the small god of
commerce competing for space in the pulpit, the would-be faithful are
finding it costly to look up to the sky, in this harsh season when the
ground is shifting under our feet.

We are preceded in this effort by Foluso Longe, author of, until now,
the only biography of Chief Odutola titled A Rare Breed: The Story of
Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola (1981). Longe, now dead, was
privileged to have served as the Executive Secretary of MAN at a time
when Chief Odutola was its President. Longe worked closely with
him and was able to observe him at close quarters. The result is that
his book has the flavour of an insider’s report. It is a useful text.
Longe himself benefited greatly from the unpublished manuscript of
Late Rev. Canon E.O. Odusanwo who was the first person to have
attempted to write Odutola’s biography. We have, in the same
measure, found his own work, useful. Our objective has been to
produce a more detailed and up to date biography, covering the period
1902-1995. We hope to write a book which would qualify as a
biography and as a torchlight on a different time in the history of the
Nigerian nation. Part of our discovery is how Odutola lived in that
other time and excelled through honest means. It was a more lucid
phase of history where individual excellence was matched by the
flow, in the environment, of a poetry of higher virtues. But, now,
times have changed.

Businessmen have become part-time assassins, honesty has become

an item in the museum, to be admired not to be possessed. Odutola
was moved by this collapse in his last days. In an interview with The
News, he summed up his shock in a few rods: “This is not the Nigeria
of our dream. Everything that is happening now is very strange. Very,
very strange” (Dec. 12, 1994). He was right. Ours is a strange world
indeed. The virtues of justice, balance and fairness, by which he had
lived, have become terribly endangered.
We tell his story, therefore, with a share of the guilt of an age that has
gone crazy. In doing this, we were assisted by many notably, Mr. A.S.
Odutola, Mr. Olufunmilayo Odutola, Ms. Olayide Odutola, Rev.
Canon T. Oba Ogunfuye, Rev. A.K. Fasanmoye, Mr. Biodun
Sangosanya, Mrs. Florence Smart, Mr. E.N. Obaseki, Mr. Adebiyi
Sangosanya, Mr. Ignatius Ogbakani, Sina Kawonise and Wale
Olaitan. Ayodele Aderinwale, ALF Project Manager, and Edwin
Baiye (Deputy Manager, Programmes and Publications) who joined
ALF as this book was being written, together with their staff at the
ALF Secretariat, were helpful. Without their insistence that the
manuscript should be submitted, it would probably still be lying on
my desk. Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi and Engr. Fatai Oyelaja gave
me much encouragement. My wife, Iyabode Ajike, was both my
editor and critic. Chief Adeola Odutola and his staff and family were
also extremely kind. While supporting this project and assisting with
data, little did they realise how many more livesx have been, and
would be, touched.

Reuben ABATI
Lagos, March 1995
 Chapter One

The Beginning
One day, like any other day, in the firmament of days, in the rising of the
second and the minute, and the falling of the hour in the town of Ijebu-Ode,
among the Ijebus, in a land without electricity, without tarred roads, a land
trapped in culture and modernist transition … a child was born. The
piercing natal cry had brought the family together. The exultant parents
having their first child, significantly a son, had looked up to the sky in
appreciation. A son, as always, time without end, was viewed among the
tribes, as a blessing from above. On the eight day, the child received a
name, amidst dance and song and gesture. This birth had not been
prophesied but from the configuration of stars, and from what the spirits
said, this was a special child, one of those with the lack of the palm kernel
in Orunmila’s bag of munificence. It is called Apesin, men who will live on
this side, worshipped by their fellow beings. It is in the star, not in the man.
The palm nut, leaving the beyond, had picked a head that will be bigger
than all heads. Men will bow before that head, they will be happy whenever
they find favour with the palm nut. Yeeepaaa!!! The knowing exclaimed,
awed by nature’s miracle. From the baby’s first cry, it was history that
poured forth in syllables and cadences … And a story began.

The Ijebu-Ode into which Timothy Adeola Odutola was born on June
16, 1902, was, by all standards, a society in transition, trapped
between traditional systems of authority and the emerging influence
of the colonialists. It was, however, a different time altogether. There
was no electricity, no pipe borne water, many of the roads today did
not exist. What existed was a closely-knit Yoruba community whose
indigenes were proud and who for years had proved a terror to their
kinsmen in the North and the South. Colonialism helped to open up
the community but it did not rob the Ijebus of their pride and of their
devotion to their birthplace.
It was also a slightly different type of Ijebu-Ode from what it had
originally been. Before 1892, the Ijebu kingdom was an exceptionally
vast empire, stretching as far as Lagos in the South-West, bordered in
the West by the Egbas, in the North by the Oyos, in the East by the
Ondos, and in the North-West by the people of Ile-Ife. This strategic
location made Ijebu-Ode the gateway, for several Yoruba
communities, to the seaport of Lagos. The Ijebus used this to great
advantage. They made it clear, to colonialists and traders, that Ijebu-
Ode was the heart of the Ijebu kingdom; at no time did they fail to
demonstrate their superiority which was interpreted by others as
arrogance. After the Anglo-Ijebu war of 1892, the Ijebu kingdom lost
this sovereignty and became part of a Protectorate of Southern
Nigeria. What was worse, it was reduced to a fraction of its former
self, and designated a province. Its boundaries were also shrunk and
re-drawn. This was the British way of clipping the wings of the Ijebus
who had treated colonial officers with spite.

The people’s tradition and culture, however, remained. Like many

Yoruba communities, birth, death and such other events were
celebrated; loss of life was a thing to be mourned. Children were
valued as prized possessions, and as a blessing from God. Procreation
was then largely determined by the need for support in old age, and as
a demonstration of virility, rather than the rhetoric of survival that has
become the refrain of current times. The people were traders and
farmers who were well known for their nationalism. It was a time
when men defined themselves in relation to their ethnic group. The
Nigerian nation and the idea of Nigerianness, and of regional ethnic
consciousness, were ideas yet to develop. This, then, was the Ijebu-
Ode into which Timothy Adeola Odutola was born.

On the day he was born, there were no comets seen. He was the first,
and the eldest son of his parents. His birth had nothing of the fairy-tale
content of predictions. His parents were humble and modest people,
with ties to the aristocracy of the community. His father, Sanni
Odutola Seyindemi, was a devot muslim. He was a trader, dealing in
export produce especially rubber, palm kernel and palm oil. His
mother was Sabina Otubanjo Odutola-Seyindemi, a trader in textiles
and general goods. Like her husband, she was a devoted Moslem but
later became a Christian. In the Odutola home, Christmas and Ileya
(the Moslem festival) afforded the children and the long clan of
relations in the neighobourhood an opportunity for celebration.
Odutola’s mother had her first son christened Timothy Adeola in the
church. The mere thought of a man, an Ijebu man for that matter,
allowing his wife to determine the religion of the child was considered
sheer taboo. Within the Ijebu home, as in many homes, decision-
making was treated as a prerogative of men. Women had their own
place, as mothers of the community, and as its spiritual nerve-centres,
but serious decisions were left to men. But fate, probably, had a hand
in the affairs of the Odutola home.

Odutola’s parents had great hopes for him. He was one son they
wanted so much to educate. At the time, education was becoming
increasingly important in the agenda of the Ijebus. Schools were few,
and those who attended schools were ever fewer, but with the colonial
resident, and his officers, under the “indirect rule” of the British, it
was becoming clear that the educated man had become the man of the
new age. Those who could afford to spare a son, from trading, or the
farm, therefore chose the option of education. The dream was to have
a child who would stand out in the age-group associations known as
Regberegbe. Educated members of these associations were revered,
and popular, next only to the King, the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode.

It was, therefore, not surprising that when Odutola was old enough for
his right hand placed across the skull to touch his left ear, in fact,
when he was seven years old, his parents registered him at St.
Saviour’s School, Italupe, a missionary school which offered a
mixture of education and religious upbringing. By the standards of the
time, Odutola started school rather early; this was a thing envied in
the neighbourhood. His father’s support which would have made
much difference was, however, lost rather early.

Odutola was thirteen years old, in 1915, when his father died. This
brought tremendous pressure on his mother and the family. ‘The
responsibility of maintaining the home became solely his mother’s.
Odutola managed to complete his primary education; shortly after, he
was sent to Ile-Ife to live with a relation. He, however, returned soon.
In December 1970, he is joined by many Nigerians including Sir Adetokunbo Ademola,
to mark the first anniversary of the death of his mother, Mrs. Sabinah Otubajo
Odutola. Pictured outside St. Saviour’s Anglican Church. Ijebu-Ode where the
memorial was held are the Ogbeni-Oja and Sir Adetokunbo.
The pressure on the family was such that his uncle Pa Abraham
Adesina Seyindemi suggested he learn some trade, and fend for
himself. The choice was the job of a tailor which, at the time, was
considered prestigious and lucrative. Tailor which, at the time, was
considered prestigious and lucrative. Tailors were something of local
superstars. The usual process was that the prospective tailor and
draper would be placed on apprenticeship with a master. After a
number of years, depending on ability and the whim of the master, the
apprentice would gain his freedom and then set up his own shop. The
method was much the same for other trades as well. For Odutola’s
apprenticeship, Mr. D. O. Otubusin who in 1933, became Awujale of
Ijebuland, was approached. But Otubusin refused. He insisted that
Odutola should go back to school and study. Otunbusin, rather than
taked on yet another willing hand, chose to give a lecture on the value
of education. This was quite in agreement with the thinking of many
Ijebus at the time.

So, arrangements had to be made for Odutola to return to St. Saviour’s

School to complete his primary education. He did. Subsequently, he
gained admission to Ijebu-Ode Grammar School for his secondary
education. Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, founded in 1913, was literally
the only secondary school in the Ijebu-Division at the time. It would
later turn out to be the training ground for several generations of
famous Nigerians. There, Odutola had the privilege of being taught by
the inimitable Rev. I.O. Ransome-Kuti, then a young pastor and
school Principal who devoted his lifetime to teaching and service.
This teacher later became the most outstanding educationist of his
time. At Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Odutola also met Rev. Seth
Kale who later became a bishop and remained Odutola’s long-time
friend. Yet, for Odutola, fate still chose to be stubborn.
He could not, again, complete his secondary education. At 18, after
four years at Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Odutola left school and
travelled to Lagos in search of employment. He did not return to
formal education, except in another context and form.

For Odutola, the struggle for survival had begun. That he set sail, like
an expeditionist, at 18 was sheer coincidence. The good thing, though,
was that he was prepared. As events would later show, it seemed,
there was a divine design in his affairs. He, too, was ready.

The education which he had received, by today’s standards, was more

than adequate. Six years of primary education, and another four of
secondary education between 1909 and 1921 was, by far, better than
the university degrees of today. Education in those halcyon days was
taken as serious business by the teachers, their students and the
community.

The missionaries who ran most of the schools, and the colonial
authorities who articulated policies, saw education as an important
tool of liberating people, as learners, from an inherited background of
illiteracy and, in their view, from backwardness also. The colonial
investment was therefore huge; the teachers were thorough. Sound
education was considered a function of good citizenship. The teachers
worked hard; the community treated them as semi-gods. Students saw
the opportunity to wear school uniforms as a grace from Heaven; and
they took their studies seriously. Unlike events now, teachers’ strikes
were non-existent, students’ riots and sudden and continued disruption
of the school calendar were also unknown. Odutola was, thus, a
product of the school system in its early glorious days. Much of the
content was European, but there was much in the curriculum which
stressed character and learning. Odutola, for all his vicissitudes, was a
good student.
He was also being prepared for the future by the circumstances of his
birth. At a time when many still hid under the protective wings of
their parents, Odutola was like an orphan. The fact that he had to
leave school prematurely also meant that he faced the equal challenge
of succeeding against odds.

Lagos, which Odutola chose for his subsequent exploits was the major
metropolis for many of the Yourbas. This seaport, and thriving
commercial centre, many Ijebus even long before the birth of Odutola,
had seen as a land of opportunities. Lagos had a pulse of its own that
was unique. It was exciting and modern. The culture of civilization,
encouraged by the colonial residents, and the Sierra Leoneans, was
evident in its boisterous life-style. Naturally, it was considered an
achievement for anyone to go to Lagos. People went to Lagos, and
returned to Ijebu-Ode, with tales of how the streets of Lagos were
littered with cash. To be called an Omo Eko (a Lagosian) was the
equivalent of a high-grade chieftaincy title.

So, one morning in 1921, Adeola Odutola packed his few odds and
ends, and headed for Lagos, in search of fortune. One of the main
attractions was the availability of white collar jobs in Lagos. It was
one of such jobs that Odutola got on arrival. He was employed as a
clerk in the Treasury Department, under A. Ladega who later became
the Ayangbunrin of Ikorodu. Odutola’s work posed little challenges;
he had much time to himself. But it was precisely this that got him
into trouble eventually and led to his premature exit from the
Treasury. One day, the funeral procession of Adolphus Pratt, who
retired as Police Superintendent in 1914, passed by the Secretariat on
the way to Ikoyi cemetery. Pratt, then, was one of the earliest batch of
Nigerian superior police officers. Because of the stature of the
deceased, the procession was joined by several important public
figures. There was a brass band on hand supplying music, colour and
entertainment. It was a most colourful procession and a major
discovery for Odutola who together with his colleagues watched the
display in the street below, through their office windows.

Odutola was impressed. He had never seen anything like it. By the
time the procession left the frontage of the Secretariat and went into
the distance in the direction of Ikoyi cemetery, Odutola was nowhere
to be found. A frantic search for him within the premises yielded no
results. Odutola had sneaked away from the office and joined the
funeral procession. He enjoyed himself thoroughly, dancing and
swaying, and getting swallowed up by the festivity. Time passed. But
Odutola remained with the procession. He followed the mourners to
Ikoyi cemetery. It hardly occurred to him that he was supposed to be
on duty in the Treasury Department. His indiscretion was
understandable. He was new to Lagos, and he was only 19. All the
same, when he got to the office the following morning, his desk had
been re-assigned and another man had taken his place. His offence
was wandering during office hours and missing the afternoon session.

That such a thing could happen showed how different the civil service
of the time was from what exists today. Those were the days of
discipline in public service. These days, civil servants, at all levels,
hardly bother to show up in their offices. When they do at all, the day
begins with two hours of chatter, the civil servant then wanders
around the premises doing nothing; about an hour later, he would
leave to pick his children from school. In the case of a woman, she
would go to the market. Government offices have also been
transformed into shops where workers sell all kinds of things ranging
from jewellery to bags of cement.

In Odutola’s time, it was different. It was also easier to get jobs.

Shortly after his dismissal from the Treaty, Odutola secured another
appointment in the Audit Department. His stay there was also brief. It
was as if a group of conspiratorial forces decided to push him out of
Lagos. He had hardly settled down to the job when it was decided that
he would be transferred to Minna. Odutola found this difficult to
believe. His sense of adventure did not include a trip to such a distant
land. Minna, in the 1920s, was like the gateway to hel. Odutola had no
option but to begin the search for another job. The plea that Minna
was not as far as he thought did not impress him. The young Ijebu-
Ode man would rather not be that ambitious. Besides, his mother
never wanted him so far away. She had kept up the pressure that he
should return home.

Again, he was lucky. Just when he was torn between the prospect of
another employment and yet another dismissal, if he did not get
another job early enough, he got a telegram from Ade Fowokan, a
friend of his, based in Ijebu-Ode. Fowokan wanted him to return to
Ijebu-Ode to take up the position of a Tax Collector which had
become vacant in the Ijebu Native Administration. The offer was
timely. It was also attractive. A tax collector was a celebrity in the
community, and a terror too. He had both power and influence.
Odutola therefore left Lagos. It turned out, however, to be yet another
risky appointment.

Inter-departmental politics in the Native Administration put Odutola’s

appointment in jeopardy. Once again, he was lucky. Fowokan who
had invited him felt obliged to help him secure another appointment.
Soon, Odutola was appointed a Court Clerk in another section of the
Ijebu Native Administration. A useful period of stability and
consolidation followed. As a court clerk, Odutola visited and worked
in different parts of Ijebuland – particularly, Sagamu, Ijebu-Igbo,
Ijebu-Ife and Owu-Ikija. When he was not in the courts, working for
the British Crown, Odutola paid attention to and cultivated his private
life. He had always wanted to be independent. In his private time, he
tried to build up a business of his own which would serve as an
additional source of income. The import and export of commodities
was easy then. The colonial government encouraged trade between its
territories and Europe. The tyranny of corrupt practices which makes
trade with Nigeria so hazardous, nowadays, was then unknown. There
was honesty, and the legitimate investment of labour and time could
be expected to yield results. Odutola was attracted to the importation
of damask, silk, cloth, gas lamps and fishing nets. This gave him the
opportunity to know many people, and to build up a network of
customers and acquaintances. There were not many people as
enterprising as himself. What was needed was sheer industry, and
Odutola was willing to work. Gas lamps, in particular, brought him
much popularity. His clients were the churches in the Ijebu division
and, in no time, he had almost virtually monopolised the sale of gas
lamps.

It was also about this time, in 1922, that Odutola took a wife. For
almost two years, the relationship had no issues. Even till today,
among Yorubas, this is treated as a crime. The extended family,
friends and the neighbourhood were all up in protest. Odutola was
therefore forced to marry another wife. On Sunday, June 15, 1924, his
first child, Olayide Odutola, was born. However, his first wife later
also had issues.

Odutola’s foray into buying and selling soon became more profitable.
There were also fresh opportunities for expanding into the exportation
of cocoa and palm produce. In 1925, he teamed up with his younger
brother, Jimoh Akintola Odutola. The two of them established
Odutola Brothers – a multi-purpose company which, apart from
general commerce, also mined god in Ilesha. Odutola Brothers
became known far and wide. The two brothers grew in stature and
prospered.
In 1932, Adeola Odutola resigned his appointment and left the civil
service. The challenges of his position as Managing Director of
Odutola Brothers were already becoming enormous. This turned out
to be a wise decision. Within a few years, Adeola Odutola’s star was
in the ascendant. He soon became known at home and abroad, as a
businessman, with the gift of genius.
 Chapter Two

The Business Years

A boardroom. Mornings. Dawn is still in the sky. At the head of the
board, so early in the day is our subject, asking for files on the
capacity of an engine, the voltage of an equipment and the amount of
space which yet another factory would occupy. Another day, at the
arrival of morning, Chairman is bustling with energy, criss-crossing
the world, capturing dreams and conquering territories, making
friends and enemies at once. Now, it is another time, another place. It
is evening: Not so much energy, anymore, but the chair remains as
active as he’s never been. “Ignatius, get me that file!” And Ignatius
going back and forth these past 35 years, gets the file. Soon, it was
dusk. The chair could barely be heard. But he kept asking for the files
on MAN, the Stock Exchange, the Ijebu Town Council, the Lagos
Chamber of Commerce … as if it all happened, the other day…

“I dealt in fishing nets for the middle and lower classes in the riverine
areas and sold gas lamps to churches, and I imported and sold damask
materials to the upper class of those days.” This was how Odutola
himself described his early beginnings as a businessman. It was a
modest beginning but nevertheless a significant one. From the sale of
fishing nets, gas lamps and damask materials, he was able to build a
network of contacts across the various social classes. The result was
that he became exceptionally popular, especially among the church
leaders to whom he sold gas lamps. The rest of the community also
began to look up to him as one trader upon whom the community
could depend. He owed his success, in part, to his earlier career as a
Court Clerk in the Ijebu division. This had exposed him to the needs
of the people. What remained was for someone who had something to
sell to match the goods with social needs. In this area, Odutola was a
genius.
He soon expanded his trade by getting involved in the local sale and
exportation of produce goods: palm kernel, palm oil, kolanuts and
cocoas. His local clients included UAC, John Holt, and A.K. Zard. He
also exported produce to Germany, the United Kingdom and the
United States. One of the companies with which he had a meaningful
and lasting relationship at the time was Busi and Stephenson company
of Liverpool. To this company, until he withdrew from produce
business, Odutola sold cocoa.

The demands on him by this enterprise soon became enormous. He

slept little and toiled hard. It was also around this time that his almost
weekly trips to Lagos began. He had a compelling urge to want to
supervise his business all by himself. It was not that he trusted no one,
but he just preferred to do things by himself, particularly as he had
discovered that personal attention to details yielded greater dividends.
He was very shrewd and firm. With his foreign partners he maintained
a very cordial relationship. He had the ability to follow-up on
contacts, his human relations were deep and unaffected. His
purposefulness paid off, as he was able to establish the infrastructure
to aid his business.

As far back as the late thirties, Odutola had built two gigantic cocoa
stores, off Degun Street in Ijebu-Ode. The stores served him as a
storage facility not only for cocoa but for all other produce goods. The
stores would later provide the base for the realisation of Odutola’s
dream as an educationist, the story of which is told in this book. At
that time, the cocoa store was like his home. The labourers and porters
who assisted him were inspired in their task by the involvement of
their employer. He knew the grades of cocoa, he could smell a good
pod of kolanut from a distance, he was what is called a “one-man riot
squad”.
With the establishment of marketing boards in 1946, however, the
produce business became unattractive to private entrepreneurs. What
the marketing boards were meant to do was to regulate Nigeria'’
agricultural exports. They turned out to be restrictive agencies whose
regulations were bound to change the rules of the game and endanger
the business. Odutola saw the handwriting on the wall. He had done
very well, particularly in the cocoa trade which, till the early 1950s
enjoyed the kind of significance which crude oil would later enjoy in
the Nigerian economy. As a produce merchant, he was outstanding.
Through sheer hardwork, he had been able to do well, and hold his
own in an area where foreign multi-nationals, like UAC and John
Holt, enjoyed a near monopoly. By this time, he was already wealthy;
and well-known. He was one of the very few Nigerians, apart from
foreign residents, who could boast of owning a car.

Cars were a rarity in Nigeria then. A car was not only a status symbol,
it was a mark of wealth. Chief Adeola Odutola was one of the first
few indigenous millionaires who also owned cars. The others were Sir
Odumegwu Ojukwu, father of the ex-Biafran warlord, Emeka
Ojukwu. Sir Odumegwu had an Austin with registration number L
7500; Alhaji Alhassan Dantata had a Morris car registered K3. The
Emir of Kano also owned a car. There was also Nnamdi Azikiwe who
went about in a small Austin. Rev. and Mrs. Ransome-Kuti of
Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta, also later acquired a car, a
tireless Ford Prefect with registration number AB 640. The more
usual thing was that cars were owned by the District Officers and key
foreign residents.

Odutola’s car, he would later acquire many, had a story to it. It was a
spectacle in the Ijebu-division and a celebrated thing in Abeokuta. It
had a flag on it, a clear announcement of the status of its owner. At
that time, to get to Ijebu-Ode from Lagos, every vehicle had to pass
through Abeokuta. It meant that Odutola who was in Lagos, almost
twice every week, passed through Abeokuta often and he was as
popular in Abeokuta as he was in Ijebu-Ode. Public recognition,
however, did not make Odutola indolent. Instead, it became a more
compelling reason for him to succeed. Very early, Odutola had
realised that there was no such thing as instant success. He would for
many years tell interviewers, and his staff, that success is something
that comes over the years. He was also lucky in that, in spite of his
wealth, he lived a simple life. He was not an addict in anything but
work. He was prayerful, and he had an unusual gift of foresight. He
could smell out opportunities, ten years away, and he trusted his
instincts.

After the produce business, it was with relative ease, given his
experience and accustomed habits as a businessman, that Odutola
diversified into gold mining and timber business. He mined gold at
Iperindo in Ilesha, he established a timber industry in Ijebu-Ode, and
exported both gold and logs to Europe and sold part of the latter in
Lagos. To keep the timber business going, he founded Omo sawmills
of Nigeria which became so prosperous that the Ogun State
Government, several decades later, would acquire it, and then ruin the
business. He also set up a vast rubber plantation, covering more than
five miles and a cattle ranch, along the present Lagos-Benin
Expressway. This would eventually form the nucleus of the Adeola
Farm Estates Ltd., one of Odutola’s earliest companies. The farm
estate was, for him, part of a dream fulfilled. He had always loved
farming. In the early part of the century, farming, trading and
education were the main options available to most people.

In 1948, something happened which market yet another turning point

in Odutola’s life. He made his first visit to London: to attend the
African conference. This coincided with the emergence of the
manufacturing of vehicle tyres as a popular activity all over the world.
Following the Second World War, vehicle tyres had become scarce,
and governments and individuals were taking up its manufacture. The
Nigerian government had, in fact, also invited some people overseas
to come and help set up tyre-retreading with J.N. Zarpas and
Company. Odutola was curious. In London, he mentioned the idea of
tyre-retreading to a friend who arranged a visit to the Tyresole Factory
in England. It was during this visit that he succeeded in obtaining the
franchise of the Tyresole factory to set up the business in Nigeria.

The year was also important because it marked the parting of ways of
the Odutola Brothers. Till 1948, the business career of the two
brothers had followed almost the same pattern. Alhaji Jimoh Akintola
Odutola, 90 years old at the time of this writing, and who has also had
a distinguished life like his brother, was also a produce buyer and
exporter. He traded in cocoa palm kernel and palm oil; he later
invested in public transportation and established a transport network
which extended as far as Northern Nigeria. He also engaged in
mining. In 1948, when he visited Britain, he was described as the
pioneer of the tyre retreading business in Nigeria. He also engaged in
mining. In 1948, when he visited Britain, he was described as the
pioneer of the tyre retreading business in Nigeria. He agreed. In the
years ahead, the two brothers would grow in different and markedly
individual directions, drawing attention to the fierce independent-
mindedness that is a telling characteristic of the Odutola clan. For
example, whereas the elder Odutola was actively involved in the
activities of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Odutola
was indifferent to such associations. In one newspaper interview, he
was reported to have declared:

I am not a member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria

(MAN). The head of such an association must be versed in
technology. Here it is for politics. The same goes for the Chambers of
Commerce. Novices often head them. Government is for protection
and security. Commerce is the power of any country.
This, however, is another story. What is relevant here is that the
parting of ways ended as a blessing for both brothers.

In Adeola’s case, he returned from London, determined to go into

manufacturing. In 1949, he registered a company known as Odutola
Tyresoles Company and set up a factory in Ibadan. The choice of
location was well-advised. Ibadan was, and still is, the most populous
and commercial nerve-centre in the West. In 1954, another factory
was opened in Kano, to serve the North. In 1956, Eastern Nigeria got
its own tyre retreading factory, established in Onitsha. The choice of
Ibadan, Kano and Onitsha is instructive. These were the three most
commercial cities in the whole of Nigeria. Their regional spread also
said something quite early about Adeola Odutola, namely, that
although he was emotionally attached to Ijebu-Ode, his home-town,
his business interests were first and foremost, an expression of
nationalism. This vision was clear from the outset. The three factories
were, well received. During Nigeria’s civil war, however, the factory
at Onitsha was destroyed. With the spread of hostilities and new
realities that followed the war, plans to re-build the factory never quite
got realised. With those three factories, however, Odutola had become
the first Nigerian to own a modern factory set-up.

He depended, at the time, on Firestone Company for the supply of

tread rubber for tyre retreading in his three companies. Later, he
established a company, also in Ibadan, the Odutola Tyre and Rubber
Company, to manufacture tread rubber for the tyre retreading
business. In 1967, Odutola became interested in the manufacturing of
bicycle tyres and tubes. To take care of this, he set up Odutola
Nigerian Industries Limited in Ijebu-Ode. The company manufactured
bicycle and motorcycle tyres and tubes.
 Front view of the factory

Western State Military Governor, Brigadier R. Adeyinka Adebayo

Signs off at the Odutola Tyre Soles Factory, Ijebu-Ode
Just before the scheduled opening of this particular company, tragedy
befell the Odutolas. His son-in-law, 52-year old Oladipo Bateye,
husband of one of Odutola’s daughters, died in a motor accident. It
was a major loss, for Bateye was a successful son-in-law who had
risen in the civil service and had become Permanent Secretary in the
Western State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Before that accident, Odutola had been busy putting finishing touches
to the new factory opening which was scheduled for April 6, 1968.
Because of Bateye’s accident, and in honour of the dead, the opening
ceremony had to be postponed. The estimated cost of the factory was
#500,000 which was a lot of money then. Odutola’s objective, he said,
was to make a personal contribution and to encourage the private
sector. The motive, he explained:

Should be to leave the world a better place than we found it. We

ought to strive to put back something before we take the final bow …
During my several visits abroad, especially to Europe, I had the
opportunity of seeing developed countries. They were, in the main,
efforts of individuals. I am convinced that for this country to be
developed, individual Nigerians must be prepared to contribute their
quota. The country’s development must not be left with the
government alone.

With this conviction, Odutola continued to diversify. In 1979, he set

up a factory, again in Ijebu-Ode, known as Odutola Food Industries
Ltd. The company was advertised as “manufacturers of OFIN top
quality biscuits: digestive, short cakes, petit beurre, marie, nice, sugar
tops, crunchie cookies, sandwich filled with vanilla, strawberries,
cream, chocolates, banana, etc.” Odutola also decided to set up a
brewery, in association with A.G. Leventis of the Leventis Group.
This became know as the Continental Breweries Limited,
manufacturers of “33” lager beer. It provided corks for the brewery
industry. Crown Products Limited, another company, was established
in Ijebu-Ode. The collaboration with A.G. Leventis would turn out to
be of tremendous help. Chief Odutola and A.G. Leventis became good
friends, to the benefit of the various companies which each of them
owned. One other highpoint of their collaboration was the Odutola
Stores Limited which concentrated on the sale of provision and
general foods. This supermarket was also established in Ijebu-Ode.

It would be observed that many of these companies are based in Ijebu-

Ode. Ijebu-Ode had always held a special attraction for Chief Odutola.
At a time, he confessed that he did not think there was any place
better than Ijebu-Ode. But the greatest truth is in his declaration:

Ijebu-Ode has everything. There has been nothing that I wanted that I have
not got in Ijebu-Ode. I also get the people.

Outside Ijebu-Ode, Chief Odutola was also a part-owner, part-

founder, of three other companies – Bayer Pharmaceutical Nigeria
Ltd., Unichem Nigeria Ltd., and Alcatel Kabel Metal Nigeria Plc.

These companies constitute the Adeola Odutola Group of Companies,

a holding company whose story is one of industry and vision. The
power engine of it all was Odutola’s style as a person and
businessman. He once told a newspaper reporter who was determined
to find out his secret:

Over the years, I have known too many people who are not terribly
intelligent, but who somehow get things done slowly and perhaps not
imaginatively, but they get there. Yet too many able people who
understand much better and see much more clearly and talk much clearly
get nothing done. Hence, I have observed that effectiveness is neither a
talent nor an ability. It is a practice, a habit.

Chief Odutola lived out these words, and the native philosophy that
inspired them. For many years, he remained faithful to his own habits.
He woke up very early and slept late. When his business expanded a
lot, he travelled twice a week to Lagos. He would arrive in Lagos, and
settle down to work, long before Lagosians woke from sleep. His
home at No. 26, Ajasa Street, Lagos, also served him as an office.
Situated behind what is now the National Assembly buildings, Ajasa
Street was an upper class neighbourhood. The Odutola home was a
neat mixture of Victorian and Brazillian architecture, in keeping with
the character of the street. He shuttled between this house and
Onibudo House in Ijebu-Ode. When he was not at home, he was far
afield opening, closing or negotiating a business opportunity.

Not even once did he allow a musician to wax a record in his name,
which was something unusual in those days. Recognition by
musicians was thought by many to be an important public
achievement. Not Odutola. He kept away from vain publicity.

Whatever publicity he received was in the process of excelling in his

business. Which is why many of his contemporaries who at the time
seemed to hold some promise never could make it. They fell by the
wayside, victims of self-made hubris.

Odutola also had high standards. He wanted only the best in anything
he did. While his companies created job opportunities for Nigerians,
he was always in search of technical assistance and partnership. On
several occasions, he travelled abroad to recruit experts. For example,
his N5.6 million biscuit factory in Ijebu-Ode, opened on August 9,
1980 in Ijebu-Ode, manufactured biscuits with licence from the
Basisen Tet Group of Companies in West Germany. When the factory
became operation, it had about 652 staff. Two were expatriates:
Hartmut Bollinger, as Production Manager, and Mr. Boni who was
General Manager.
It had become obvious that, with diversification, he could not run all
his businesses by himself. The kind of one-man, lone-ranger,
entrepreneur that the produce business permitted had no place under
the Adeola Odutola Group of Companies. Still, Odutola was
determined to ensure excellence. He had a policy of searching far and
wide for good hands; wherever he found them, he lured them to his
companies. In 1973, he had even asked the Nigerian Institute of
Management to help him recruit manager of the Tyresole Company in
Kano. The other two, an economist and a lawyer, were snatched from
the Nigerian Tobacco Company and Flour Mills, Apapa. Although
many of his companies were in Ijebu-Ode, Odutola recruited only on
the basis of merit.

The supermarket at Ijebu-Ode, which in comparison to his

manufacturing outfits was a small business, probably gives a picture
of how Odutola’s mind worked. The supermarket was not small, at all,
in his estimation. It was one of those ventures he executed in
collaboration with the Leventis Group. Opened in 1975 at its 179
Folagbade Street location, this was the talk of the town. Ijebus in other
parts of the country used to boast with it. It was of the same standard
as the major supermarkets in Ibadan and Lagos and, until 1984, it was
operated closely with Leventis Stores. The first set of staff were
brought from Leventis and subsequent employees were trained by this
first set. Managers, till 1980, were also seconded from Leventis.

Chief Adeola Odutola was the Chairman. At various times, he was

assisted by other persons, notably, Matthew Eperokun who, at a time,
was named Chief Executive/M.D. and Mr. Ekhaguere. Two of Chief
Odutola’s sons were later involved in the running of the supermarket.
Between 1985 and 1986, Oladipo Odutola, Chief Odutola’s first son,
served the supermarket as Deputy Chairman, By the nineties,
Olufunmilayo Odutola came on board as General Manager.
 The supermarket had nine sections: clothing, provision, hardware,
coldstore, stationery, travelling goods, electrical and a cafeteria and a
postal agency. Each of these sections was well stocked.

The supermarket flourished. But times had changed. At the time the
supermarket was opened, it was the only one of its kind. The 1980s
saw the opening of the Ita Osu market; the arrival of competition in
the form of other supermarkets began to affect sales. In the later part
of 1987, staff had to be retrenched; twenty-years later, Odutola Stores
has outlived out its glory, the postal agency is no longer operating, the
number of clients has dwindled, and the once vibrant cafeteria now
sells only beer.

Every indicator points to the absence of Chief Adeola Odutola in day-

to-day management. In the hey-days of the supermarket, he was
personally involved. He was in the store, everyday without fail. He
did the same for all his other business in Ijebu-Ode. He only had an
office at Odutola tyres. He would go round, take a look at the various
departments, discuss with the manager and leave. He was like any
other customer. The only difference was that he was well-known by
the staff. Otherwise, his presence would not be noticed.

He believed in what he called “backward integration” which meant

the recruitment of local labour, and the turning back into the
community what had been taken from it. He was particularly
committed to the welfare of his staff. He emphasised training and
excellence. He paid well too. He also went outside official ties to
compensate devoted staff. One of Chief Odutola’s staff, his Personal
Secretary, Ignatius Ogbakani, worked with him for over 30 years, and
always accompanied him on his several foreign trips. Chief Odutola
travelled a lot.
Dele Smart, another employee, was born inside the Odutola
compound. His father had served Chief Odutola as Chief Steward for
21 years. His wife, Florence Smart (nee Adedeji) also was a member
of staff at Odutola Stores since 1975. They both met in the line of
active duty. At Adeola Odutola College, the longest-serving teacher,
E.N. Obaseki, has been in the school since 1964! When Chief Odutola
turned 70, in 1972, Obaseki presented him with a bronze statue. What
kept the staff on for so long, was Odutola’s warmth. He made it a
point of duty to take genuine interest in the welfare of his staff and
their family. Bamidele Idowu, popularly called “Go Slow”, was Chief
Odutola’s Personal Driver for about 34 years. When he died, his
family who had lived with him in the Odutola compound, had no
house of their own to move into. Odutola promptly built a house for
the family, and handed over to them its keys and documents. The
children were also offered free education to whatever levels they
desired!

Odutola was, in a way, favoured by his pre-eminence. His Onibudo

house was the meeting place for the expatriate community and the
local elite. He had two law tennis courts and a lot of space. Anyone
who wanted to visit Ijebu-Ode necessarily had to visit Chief Odutola
and his factories. There was once an interesting incident. General
Yakubu Gowon, then Head of State, was to visit Ijebu-Ode as part of
his tour of the then Western region. When the programmes of his visit
to Ijebu-Ode was prepared, there was no indication that Gowon would
visit any industry. Odutola got to know of this in advance. He was
enraged. He put a phone call through to Colonel (later Major-General)
Adeyinka Adebayo, then Governor of Western State. He was full of
protest. “What would Gowon and his entourage say they saw in Ijebu-
Ode?”, he querried. The programme was quickly re-drawn!
The success of Odutola’s businesses was public knowledge; it was
this that made such moves possible. He was also known as a
statesman: he had a solid reputation behind him. Foreign investors
sought his advice. Those seeking to establish just about anything
wanted him in it. The result was that he ended up having shares in
virtually every major business that sprang up at any time. He also had
foresight. In 1933, when he built his house in Ijebu-Ode, Odutola
went to a remote and undeveloped part of Ijebu-Ode. The rest of the
community was not amused. For many years, Odutola’s housed was
pointed out from a distance, with its roof barely visible amidst trees,
as an illustration of the queerness of wealthy people. Today, Onibudo
House is in the heart of Ijebu-Ode!

It was with the same foresight that Odutola acquired lands and went
into real estate development. Long before the present Lagos-Benin
expressway was constructed, Odutola had along that route acquired
vast acress of land, particularly, at J4 where the Adeola Farm Estates
is situated. He also ended up with much land in Ibadan, Onitsha,
Kano, Ijebu-Ode and Lagos. He had established Omo sawmills in
Ogbere, which before the government take-over was almost 12 acres
of land. It was easy for him to acquire land. He had the resources. For
this reason, he was always invited by communities to come and
establish a factory in their area. He was, in such cases, either given
acres of land or required to pay a negotiated amount.

This soon turned out to be a major problem. In many places where he

had acquired land, his ownership was contested by persons who
insisted that they had been badly treated. Once, when he was publicly
accused of being a land grabber, he snapped back:

I have never grabbed anybody’s land. In fact, so many people have

asked me to buy their land. On this point, I challenge anybody who
says I have taken his land from him to come forward.
Odutola had himself known, long ago, that land-acquisition was a
serious matter. When others were not challenging him, he too was
challenging others whom he accused of poaching. The way he
resolved the matter, in some cases, was to take the photograph of the
man from whom he bought any piece of land and ensure that his
papers were in good order. Outside land, he invested in estates. He
built a full residential estate in Ikeja, Lagos; a company warehouse in
Anthony Village, and houses in Somolu, Yaba and Ikorodu Road. All
these were managed, until his death, by estate agents. These included
Fox and Company, and Adegbemile, Agangan, Akinlosotu and Co.
When the erection of buildings was involved, he personally
supervised the design and gave specifications and instructions.

He had taste not only in architecture but also in his personal

appearance. He was always neat. His usual attire was a three-piece
suit but, about 1956, he had opted for a full “agbada”, a complete
traditional wear, with no more jewellery than a gold chain and a pair
of goldrimmed spectacles. He hated ostentation and flamboyance and
as a businessman, he was always anxious to sustain his network of
contacts. He was, however, at all times, no nonsense man. He would
ordinarily not set out to confront anybody. But, whenever
confrontation became necessary, in business, local politics or any
other circumstance, Odutola could be counted upon to stand and give
a fight. In 1979, land, the usual source of problems, had led to a
confrontation between him and one Alhaji Adebisi Quadri, an Ijebu-
Ode based businessman. On March 10, 1979, Chief Adeola Odutola,
in an unusual display, led a team of 20 men, allegedly armed with
cutlasses and clubs to attack Alhaji’s premises at Yemule Road,
behind Adeola Odutola College, off Ondo-Benin Road, Ijebu-Ode.
Chief Odutola’s men allegedly destroyed the electrical in Quadri’s
factory. Alhaji Quadri himself later complained:
 They removed into the waiting lorry my block moulding machine, big
generating plant, a full drum of diesel oil, files, bank tellers, bicycle
and later locked the doors leading to the offices in the block factory
and took the keys away.

Alhaji Quadri reported the incident to the Military Administrator. He

also called on the Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, to
protect him and his workers from Chief Odutola.

The matter was eventually resolved, but not before the Commissioner
of Police intervened and instructed both men to maintain peace. He
did so in a letter dated 20th April 1979:
JB7050/OS/Vol.2/274
The Commissioner of Police
Ogun State
State Headquarters
P.M.B. 2012, Abeokuta
20th April 1979
Alhaji Adebisi Quadri
Yemule Road
Behind Adeola Odutola College
Off Ondo-Benin Road
Ijebu-Ode.

Dear Sir,
Threatening (sic) to Life and Property
By Chief T.A. Odutola
I am directed to refer to the above-mentioned petition addressed to his
Excellency, Military Administrator, Administrator’s Office, Ogun
State, Abeokuta copies this office and to inform you that investigation
has been conducted into your petition and the Divisional Police
Officer, Ijebu-Ode has been instructed to warn you and Chief T. A.
Odutola to maintain peace.
2. I am to add that you and Chief T.A. Odutola could seek redress
in civil court so as to determine the true owner of the land.
3. Please report to the Divisional Police Officer, Ijebu-Ode to
collect your items which were recovered from Chief T.A.
Odutola.
4. You can count on our cooperation at all times.

Yours faithfully,

(Sgd) P.E. Adegoke W/CSP

Chief Superintendent of Police (Admin)
For: Commissioner of Police, Ogun State.
Occurrences such as the one just described were, however, few. It
represents only part of the challenges that Odutola faced as a
businessman and investor. Because of the competitiveness that
business entails, virtually every businessman finds that, at one time or
the other, his own interests will clash so much with other people’s
interests that some measure of arm-twisting becomes inevitable.
However, it was not personal interest alone that mattered to Chief
Odutola. He spent the better part of his career protecting the interests
of business and of all businessmen. It was his conviction that business
and politics are inextricably linked. For business to succeed,
businessmen will have to attend to the politics of business, and let
both the public and the governing authorities be constantly reminded
of the importance of the business component in a society. To this task
he gave as much time as he did in other areas.

The earliest instance of his involvement was his membership, in the

later part of the 1930s, of the Produce Buyers Union. He was also a
member of the Nigerian Transporters Union of which Samuel
Akinsanya, later Odemo of Ishara, and Obafemi Awolowo, later a
frontline politician, were both Secretary and member respectively. In
1937, there had been plans by the expatriate merchants operating in
West Africa to form a cocoa cartel through which they hoped to buy
cocoa as a group and fix prices to be paid to the producers. Odutola
led the rebellion that led to the failure of this plan. He got all Ijebu-
produce buyers together; they sent a delegation to Lagos and Ghana.
If the expatriates had succeeded, indigenous cocoa traders would have
been at a disadvantage: the expatriates would have pushed them out of
the trade.

For Odutola, this was the beginning. He later became an active

member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines.
He was, indeed, the first Nigerian member. Every other member was
either British or French or Greek. Later, two other Nigerians (P.J.C.
Thomas and H.S.A. Pearse) joined the chamber to bring the number of
local representation to three. In later years, the Chamber would
become fully Nigerian, with such distinguished persons on its
membership list as Chief Adeyemi Lawson, Chief S.L. Edu, Chief
Chris Ogunbanjo, Otunba Ade Tuyo, Alhaji Baba Danbappa, and S.
Okwesa.

But its influence was limited. The Chamber was mainly an association
of traders and businessmen. Because of its regional character, it could
not wield much influence with government. Bedises, government was
more interested in encouraging local manufacturing activities. By
1955, Chief Odutola had also become more interested in
manufacturing, but he remained a valuable member of the Chamber,
and had acquired the distinction of being its first life Vice-President.

As President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, he received Federal

Commissioner for Economic Development, Dr. Omoniyi Adewoye while A.J.
Jackson and E.E. Eribo look on.
Odutola was also an active member of the Lagos Stock Exchange,
which he joined in 1962, almost at the beginning. He was made an
honorary counsellor of the Exchange in 1965; in 1972, he became the
President. His tenure coincided with the preparation and release of the
Indigenisation Decree. Chief Odutola had been one of the vocal
businessmen who kept encouraging government to offer more support
to local initiatives. In December 1975, however, Odutola voluntarily
relinquished his position as President of the Stock Exchange. His
excuse had been that he wanted to create room for younger people to
serve. He was then 73. But, more than this, Odutola needed more time
to concentrate on his added and bigger responsibility as President of
the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, a position he attained in
December 1971.

His association with the M.A.N. particularly marked a special period

in his life. It was as President of M.A.N. that Chief Odutola realised
himself fully as a champion of economic rights. Yet, he became a
member and President of the Association almost without effort.

The Management Committee of the Manufacturers Association of

Nigeria had decided, at one of its meetings in 1971, that Chief Adeola
Odutola be approached to accept nomination as the first President of
the Association. The newly formed MAN had grown out of a merger
of the Ikeja and Apapa Manufacturers Association. The I.A.M.A.
policies were continually rebuffed by the Federal Government. Chief
Obafemi Awolowo, then Federal Commissioner for Finance, had had
to remind the I.A.M.A. that, because of its regional nature, it would be
difficult for it to influence the Federal Government. The I.A.M.A.
Council, among whom were staunch advocates of industrial union
such as Ross Gilham, the Vice-Chairman of the I.A.M.A. and Peter
Lidell, the Managing Director of Dunlop Nigeria Industries Limited,
concluded that the time had come for the formation of a national
body.
Representatives of the Council were sent to all over the country, and
they returned to report a unanimous wish for a national association,
which would be representative enough to influence national industrial
and economic policies. The first General Meeting of the Association
was scheduled for November 1971, to elect officers and adopt a draft
Memorandum and Articles of Association.

The issue of leadership naturally cropped up, and the Management

Council of the proposed M.A.N. had no problem in identifying Chief
Adeola Odutola, as the man to lead. By then, he had been in
manufacturing, trade and industry for about four decades and he had
become popular as a union man, through his activities in the Lagos
Chamber of Commerce, and the Lagos Stock Exchange. More than
this, he had factories in the three major parts of Nigeria, and enough
influence to give the Association the credibility it would need. Ross
Gilham, and Foluso Longe, Executive Secretary of the proposed
M.A.N. were mandated to visit Chief Odutola and present the
proposal to him. They met Odutola, at his 26, Ajasa Street, Lagos
residence, and after a discussion of the objectives of the Association
and government’s trade-related policies, and after the reassurance that
other associations in other parts of the country will join the M.A.N.
during its formal inauguration, Odutola accepted to be nominated for
election at the November meeting of the M.A.N.

The first General Meeting of the M.A.N. and the election of officers
was held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos in
November 1971. There were about eighty manufacturers, both
expatriate and indigenous in attendance; membership soon after the
meeting would exceed 110 companies and in a number of years, under
Chief Odutola’s leadership, the Association would boast of well over
500 member-companies from across Nigeria. At the election, Foluso
Longe, the Executive Secretary acted as Returning Officer. In
attendance were the same Council members, Derek Reeves, Ross
Gilham and Mike Bloomer who had proposed Chief Odutola as first
President. The election was meant to be a mere formality. There
wasn’t supposed to be a contest. Odutola was such an intimidating
personage, that no one would have been expected to challenge him.
But events turned out differently.
Mike Bloomer of the U.A.C. had nominated Chief Odutola as
President, and all seemed set, until a young accountant and
industrialist rose and nominated himself for the office of the
President. His only credential was that he was ready to tell anyone,
that he was the owner of 23 companies, four of which he had
hurriedly registered for membership of the M.A.N. before the General
Meeting. There was shock all around the hall, and there were those
who felt affronted that such a young man, who had become rich by
accident, could be rude enough to challenge Chief Odutola. The
Management Committee was discomfited; it was not as if the young
accountant posed any threat, there was no way he could have received
enough votes, but his mere gesture was considered an embarrassment.
He was promptly dealt with, when his attention was drawn to the fact
that none of his four registered companies, had paid the membership
fee or the annual subscription. It was such a relief when the Returning
Officer, on this account, declared his nomination null and void.
Despite this outcome, Odutola’s young challenger made a gallant
(though unsuccessful) effort to assert his fundamental right to seek an
office of his choice in a free society. In this regard, MAN
disappointed his democratic ideals.
Chief Odutola was therefore elected President of the M.A.N.
unopposed, Other members of his Executive Committee were E.Eribo
(Vice-President), Derek Reeves (Vice-President), Ross, Grilham
(Treasurer), Mike Bloomer (UAC), G. Oviasu (Benin Industrialist),
Pat Barrett, (Metal Box), A. Adedayo (Lafia Canning Factory), Frank
Shekleton (Nigerpak) and Alhaji Hassan Adamu (Nigerian Leather
Works, Kano). In later years, the newly formed M.A.N., would also
benefit from the contributions of Stanley Calvert (Liptons Nigeria),
Mr. Abidogun (U.A.C.), Richard Cheney (West African Portland
Cement), and Chief Jerome Oputa Udoji (Vice-President, M.A.N.).
Under Odutola, the initial tasks were obvious: to build the then
fledgling M.A.N. into an effective organ for articulating the interests
of the manufacturing sector, to ensure meaningful collaboration with
government in designing and implementing industrial and fiscal
policies, and at all times, to protect the interests of the manufacturing
industry, and to ensure a closer integration of industry and the society.
To these tasks, Odutola applied himself vigorously for over 10 years
that he was President of the M.A.N. He became a very well-known
commentator on business and economy. His contributions were
always documented, and well thought out, and he had an exceptional
knack for keeping records. The M.A.N. under him, became an
association that government had to consult whether it was designing
an annual budget, a rolling development plan, or a fiscal policy. It was
in this context that Odutola was appointed a Director of the Central
Bank, and the M.A.N. also found itself actively engaged in the
promotion of the Nigerian Standards Organisation.
As President, Chief Odutola supported the idea of Made in Nigeria
goods. He argued for the support of local manufacturers by
government, and canvassed for policies which would make
manufacturing attractive. He was not at any time, caught in the
euphoria of the worship of oil which became the fashion in the
seventies and eighties, instead he thought the future was in the growth
of industry. His position had been that “oil will finish while industry
will hot”. By and large, he brought respectability to the M.A.N. When
Mallam Adamu Ciroma became Honourable Minister for Industries,
the M.A.N. had a good time, collaborating with the Ministry. Ciroma
himself would at another time be a member of the Council of the
Association, and when Odutola Food Industries, was completed in
1980, he it was who formally opened the factory.
 Alh. Adamu Ciroma, then Industries Minister unveils the plaque to declare
Open the Odutola Food Industries Factory in Ijebu-Ode.

As President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Chief Odutola

Shares a joke with the Permanent Sectary, Federal Ministry of Industries,
Alh. Ahmed Joda (in suit) and the Vice President, Mr. E.E. Eribo
Yet, Chief Odutola was firm. He mined no words whenever the
interests of the industry was at stake. Shortly after the civil war, the
tyre business became dull and unprofitable, and the industry was
becoming unattractive. Odutola made representations to government,
asking for a reduction in the excise duty payable on locally
manufactured tyres because of the high import duty placed on raw
materials for tyre manufacture. When it seemed no one was going to
pay any heed to him, Odutola closed down his Ijebu-Ode factory
rendering 1,500 people jobless. When this happened, government had
to take the proposal more seriously. Reason prevailed, and the Ijebu-
Ode factory was re-opened.

His concern, however, was not always tyre, but industry. The M.A.N.
which he led continuously pleaded for the collaboration of
government and the private sector, and was outspoken about industry
and the economy. The Annual General Meetings, fourteen of which
Odutola was privileged to preside over was his usual platform for
deep reflection and exposition on issues which concerned M.A.N.
Odutola’s M.A.N. was well known for its Made-in-Nigeria Campaign.
The purpose was to promote local entrepreneurship, and in 1974,
M.A.N. had instituted a N2,000.00 annual award for five years, to
encourage research aimed t improving local products. This was
announced at a Made-in-Nigeria Exhibition organised by M.A.N
However, a random review of some of Odutola’s annual address at
M.A.N.’s Annual General Meetings would give a clearer picture of
his concerns. In 1975, in an address instructively titled We’ve never
had it so bad, he lamented, “the seeming disregard of manufacturers
by some public officers who consider non-oil revenues as of no
consequence”, and presented government with strategies for
empowering local industry.
A year later, his concern was inflation, and he had predicted, that
inflection would continue for so long because of poor harvests in
Nigeria and other part of the world. He advised that a policy based on
the coercion of the private sector would not benefit the country, “it
can only succeed in killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Although we have made the Association’s views known to the
government through our budget representations and through the anti-
inflation task force, a lot of misunderstanding still persists in
government circles with regard to the nature of inflation now raging in
Nigeria”.

In 1978, Odutola returned to the theme of “investment constraints in

Nigeria”. He lamented the collapse of public utilities and advised that
the private sector should be permitted to compete in the provision of
these utilities, he pleaded again, for the encouragement of
manufacturers, through a review of the mechanics of the foreign
exchange, assistance of manufacturers with infrastructural facilities,
the abandonment of factors which promote uncertainty and a request
for relief for manufacturers. His words:

Whilst we appreciate the difficulties facing the authorities in

control of our public utilities, we take this opportunity to reiterate
that National Electric Power Authority, Post and
Telecommunications Department and the Nigeria Airways should
not only be allowed to operate on a commercial basis, but should
also be divested of the monopoly of operation they enjoy. The
private sector in the interest of the economy of this country should
no longer be barred from competing in these fields. It is my view
and that of my Association that the most workable and constructive
system for our economy is the mixed one in which some services
in demand by the public are supplied by the private sector and
other services which cannot be efficiently supplied by the private
sector are given by the public sector.

He continued:
 Now that the manufacturing capability in t he country is increasing
rapidly, it is our desire that the manufacturers should be
encouraged to take a more active interest in the distribution of his
products but under present regulations, it is not attractive for him
to do so, because his lorry is not permitted to ply back to its base
with return load. It is also desired that accelerated depreciation
allowances be granted on capital spent on manufacturers’ transport
costs. It is our view that the Price Control Board should take into
account, where applicable, unit transportation costs so that more
manufacturers would be prepared to move towards delivered price
concepts. This arrangement should bring closer co-operation
between manufacturers and Price Control Board and also
beneficial to curbing inflation in distribution costs. In conclusion,
we call on governments to look into the matter of industrial
decentralisation which government can readily encourage by
providing the necessary infrastructural support and granting some
measure of relief to new industries sited outside urban centres.

The following year, Odutola, a persistent spokesman, was once more

asking for incentives from government. He acknowledged that
progress had been made since the last meeting, noting that
infrastructure for economic growth had been strengthened, while
“plans for economic development are being implemented and efforts
are being made to stimulate and expand the economy”. His
Association, he stressed, was however, not too pleased with the state
of essential infrastructure such as telecommunication services and
electricity. Cautioning, he said:

There are other ancillary services and problem areas worth

stressing because they are vital to economic development, a few of
which I should life to mention – (a) inadequacy of industrial plots,
(b) water supply, (c) bad condition of roads in many industrial
estates, (d) inadequate sanitation and waste disposal services, (e)
more warehousing facilities where necessary. Then there is the
overall National Industry Policy which seems to be calling for
some overhauling. We have been told that it is government’s
 avowed policy to promote self-sufficiency and to inculcate self-
reliance.

Odutola also had a few words for the consumer, whose lot he said
would be improved if there is enough trust between government and
M.A.N. As he put it:

Our Association expects an established policy or regular dialogue

with the government based on mutual trust, to continue to the
advantage of manufacturers and consumers, and more important
stills, to the benefit of our common people. Economic growth
would be really meaningful if it results in raising the standard of
living of the average man and not widen the gap between the have
and have-nots.

In 1980, Odutola dwelt further on the theme of cooperation and

collaboration between government and industrialists, especially in
planning and policy development. The product of such a free flow of
information would be clear and precise government policies. Having
stated this, he proceeded to call on the Federal Government to abolish
the Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) which he said
was forcing Chief Executives “to develop high blood pressure”. The
scheme, he noted, had adverse effect on industries due to the delay of
raw materials, machineries and spares, and in consequence, many
manufacturers were having to lay off their workers.

When Odutola was not thus providing direction, in his seminal

Annual General Meeting addresses, he could be found making
statements in the press, and at public functions, on developments in
the industry, offering guidance and praise as necessary. He was
invariably a highly subscribed speaker at public events, and his
concerns were wide-ranging. In a keynote address at a two-day
National Seminar on Industrialization Policy, organized by the
Nigerian Society of Engineers in July 1980, Odutola had called for a
study of the engineering implications of the Fourth National
Development Plan. He said this would help to determine whatever gap
existed between the country’s objectives and available technical
resources, and hence provide focus for future efforts. He called for an
interweaving of agricultural and industrial development. “This is
where industrialization”, he had said, “should begin and is precisely
what we have left undone in Nigeria”. A year later when the Nigerian
Stock Exchange organized a seminar in Port-Harcourt on public
Quotation for Indigenous Companies, Odutola sent a goodwill
message, expressing the support of M.A.N. and the hope that
“participants will put forward ideas and recommendations which will
be acted upon by those concerned and thus further secure greater
progress for indigenous companies in the eighties and subsequently”.

What all this represent is the extent of Odutola’s active involvement

in the growth of the manufacturing industry, and his stature as a
businessman who was as knowledgeable in the enterprises as he was
in the politics. His efforts were so broad that a paraphrase would not
do much justice: this is why an appendix containing select Odutola
speeches and correspondence as President of M.A.N. are provided at
the end of this book. The speeches and correspondence reveal Odutola
as a master tactician and advocate, these are traits of adept politicians,
but it was not in business that Odutola first encountered politics. Long
before he became the President of M.A.N., he had been an active
politician, the story of which is taken up in the next chapter.
 Chapter Three

Statesman and Politician

This is the legislative council, the Western Region of Assembly, the

House of Representatives, the Constituent Assembly … Would Hon
T.A. Odutola, representing the Ijebu Division, make his
submission, please….?

Not many in the present generation would remember that Odutola was
at any time a politician. He spent his later years, practically avoiding
the politics of the day. Yet, he was active in politics between 1945 and
1966, later in 1978, he had the opportunity of participating in national
politics. A number of factors conspired to push him into politics. First
was the need to protect his business interest. The only way that could
be done was by not leaving political decisions to people who probably
knew little about the reality of business. But, perhaps, the more
important factor was the pre-eminence which the educated elite
enjoyed in Ijebu-Ode in the thirties and forties. The reason for this
was not far to seek.

The educated elite considered themselves a privileged and

knowledgeable group. They were also not too pleased with the
obviously disadvantaged position of the Awujale under “indirect
rule”. British colonial rule was structured in such a manner that,
whereas it gave what seemed like special powers to local rulers, the
rulers were no better than puppets. They fulfilled that role by also
acceding to the whilms and caprices of His Majesty’s representatives.
The educated elite who would later form the nucleus of the nationalist
struggle, felt that this arrangement would only further ensure the
exploitation of their people. Hence, they took more than an ordinary
interest in politics. The Awujale also had no option but to
acknowledge the growing influence of the Alakowes.
In 1934, soon after his resignation as a court clerk, Adeola Odutola
had been invited by Oba Daniel Adesanya Gbelegbuwa II, (Awujale,
1933 – 1959) to attend meetings of the Ijebu Native Administration in
an advisory capacity. He was also a member of Ijebu-Ode Town
Council. He was, also, around this time, an active member of both the
Produce Buyers Union and the Nigerian Transporters Union. It was in
the latter that he first met, and worked with, Chief Obafemi Awolowo
whose political career he would help to build and support in latter
years. He had a similar relationship with Samuel Akinsanya, later
Odemo of Isara, famous as a frontline politician. In 1938, Odutola had
become so well-known in local circles that he was made Chairman of
the Nigerian Youth Movement in Ijebu Division. It was in this
capacity that he championed the request, by Ijebu youths, for the
abolition of Sole Native Authority Rule. These youths wanted it
replaced by a Native Authority Council in which the Awujale would
be President. The Awujale, they said, should not wield the kind of
sole authority which he hitherto enjoyed. Odutola was well served by
his exposure as a court clerk and businessman in the Ijebu Division.
He knew all the relevant persons and had a first-hand knowledge of
the area.

It was, therefore, considered quite normal, in 1945, for Odutola to be

nominated as the man to succeed Dr. N.T. Olusoga as representative
for the Ijebu Province in the Legislative Council of Nigeria. This
marked his first entrance into national politics. It was a unique
opportunity which he used to the best advantage. He was a member of
the Council for the period 1945-47. During this period, he made Ijebu
Province the centre-piece of his contributions. He tried, in a manner of
speaking, to place the Ijebus on the map. He was eloquent and
persuasive. He brought to the attention of the Council the
development needs of the area. Given his intimate knowledge of the
province, it was easy for him to live up to the demands of his Pan-
Ijebu mandate.

In February 1946, he received an important letter from the Union of

Ijebu-Ode Societies, signed by representatives of the Goodwill
Society, the Ijebu-Ode Aborigines Society, the Paragon Improvement
Society, the Ijebu-Ode Muslim Improvement Union and the Ijebu-Ode
Muslim Friendly Society. The Union praised him for his commitment
to the affairs of Ijebu Division, and implored him to help plead their
cause with the government. Their letter read in part:

Since your nomination, we have learnt with great satisfaction your

laudable activities in visiting some important district towns of
Ijebu-Ode with a view to discussing with them their local problems
and needs which may be brought to the notice of the government
thought you as their representative on the Legislative Council. We
heartily commend this gesture which, we have no doubt, will tend
to mutual confidence and solidarity in Ijebuland.

In conclusion, dear compatriot, please permit us to bring to your

remembrance some of the immediate pressing needs of our country
of which you are aware. Ijebuland stands in dire need of many
social amenities such as water supply, electric light, construction
of Lagos-Ijebu-Ode Road, and more medical and educational
facilities throughout the country. We trust you will leave no stone
unturned in pleading our cause with government for these
amenities.

Odutola needed no such prompting but the letter from the Union
showed the support which his nomination to the Council enjoyed
among his fellow Ijebus. Their letter also represented a vote of
confidence. And Odutola was well and able. As a member of the
Legislative Council, he made over 75 speeches. In nearly all, he drew
attention to Ijebu Province. His maiden speech, for example,
responded to the question of Land Tenure, Colonial Development
Schemes and Controls. He was particularly emphatic about the need
to relax those controls which were beginning to threaten economic
development in Ijebu Province: As he put it.

During the world war years, Ijebus were more severely hit by road
transport restrictions than other people, especially in t he matter of
carrying produce between Ijebu-Ode, Ibadan and up-country. We
were then told, and we loyally accepted, that the emergence of war
made it necessary. But now the war is over, the Ijebu people will
like to see a complete relaxation, particularly in the direction of
movement of produce. As it is well known, the bulk of the Ijebu
people are traders, and the request for relaxation of restriction of
transport is a most reasonable in this case, in view of the fact that
the Province has not the advantage of rail or river transport. It is
observed that restrictions are no longer as vigorous as before in
some other places by rail and river transports.

Another aspect of the restriction which does not appear to be

necessary any longer is that which prohibits the movements of
lorries between 7p.m. And 6a.m. I can understand this is the time
of war for security and emergency reasons: and I would ask, Sir,
that it be removed in view of the fact that there is no potential
enemy to whom movement of lorries during the hours of darkness
may be of any help. With the cessation of hostilities, the Great
powers, notably Great Britain, are anxious to develop their export
trade. I appeal to you, Sir, that we should be allowed to improved
our trade without any undue restrictions; otherwise, we shall have
no money with which to buy export goods from the other country.

In other contributions, Odutola pleaded for the provision of basic

amenities in Ijebu Province. He also argued for improved relations
between the Provincial Council and the Central Government. He soon
became famous among his colleagues in the Council. This gave him
an opportunity to make friends with other representatives from
various parts of the country. He would find this useful later, as he
sought to build a business empire with factories all over Nigeria.
Odutola’s term in the Council ended in 1947. Almost immediately, he
was again nominated to represent Ijebu Division in the Western House
of Assembly. He also represented the Western House of Assembly in
the Legislative Council through the Electoral College System. Foluso
Longe, author of the first biography of Odutola made his most
important speech as a politician. “The speech was made on March 7,
1950. It was, in the main, a commentary on the Appropriation Bill,
which turned out as a critique of company tax, government
departments and agencies, infrastructural provision, and agriculture.
He had made a case for the reduction of company tax and Company
Profit Income tax. He had argued that this will encourage foreign and
local investments. In what was a remarkable display of forthrightness,
Odutola had even taken up the problems of transportation. Without
mincing words, he told the Assembly that the decision to ban the
importation of American trucks in preference for British trucks was
unwise because British trucks were not strong enough for Nigerian
roads, and businessmen who were being forced to use them were
recording huge losses. He further commented on complacency in
government circles, poor staffing of public departments, inadequacy
of basic public infrastructure and the maltreatment of qualified
engineers.

The speech, laden with genuine passion, gave clear indications of

Odutola’s public-spiritedness. He was interested in public welfare, the
need to provide an enabling environment for business and commerce
and the development of the country through prudent management of
resources. That he had a good case was well borne out, when in
subsequent years the major issues he had highlighted became the
targets of concern in both government and business circles.

Odutola was in the Western House of Assembly till 1959. Throughout

that period, he was called upon to serve in other capacities. During
1952-1956, for example, he was a member of the House of
Representatives. In 1956, however, the dual membership for the
legislature was abolished making it impossible for Odutola to serve in
both the House of Assembly and the House of Representatives. A
general election was called. Odutola contested on the platform of the
Action Group and recorded an overwhelming victory. This was not
surprising. He had fully become a man of the people. In 1955, he had
been elected Chairman of the Ijebu Provisional Council. In 1956, a
vote of confidence was passed on him, in recognition of his good
management of the Council. He was also re-elected Chairman of the
Council. In 1957, the same process was repeated. Odutola remained
Chairman till 1959.

His career as a politician was helped, in no small measure, by his

outspokenness. He was a very frank debater. This enabled him to
present his contributions, at political sessions, with great and
infectious conviction. He also had an abiding interest in people. He
cultivated friendships with ease. He built bridges of affection across
all barriers of religion, beliefs and geography. He was also very
generous. He was therefore not only famous but also affable. It all
paid off. He was the recipient of many honours, and the beneficiary of
his own selflessness.

In 1948, a year after he had served in the Legislative Council, he was

awarded O.B.E. by His Majesty, King George VI. It was also in this
year that Odutola was selected to represent Nigeria at the African
Conference in London. Others representing Nigeria included Alhaji
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who would later become Nigeria’s Prime
Minister, Venerable Archdeacon T.A.J. Ogunbiyi, Chief Akinpelu
Obisesan, Dr. Akanu Ibiam, Alvan Ikoku, Charles Onyeama, Chief
Eyong Essien, E. Awani, Oba Aderemi I (the Ooni of Ife), Emir of
Katsina, Emir of Gwandu, and Yahaya of Ilorin. In 1949, Odutola was
a member of the delegation to the Telecommunication conference in
Dakar, Senegal. In 1951, he was on the Nigerian delegation to the
Festival of Britain. In 1966, he was honoured with the title of the
Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) and, in 1982, with
the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).

But, perhaps, the most remarkable recognition of his contribution to

public good was the offer by the Awujale of a Chieftaincy title: the
Ogbeni-Oja (Prime Minister) of Ijebu-Ode. When the title was
offered, Odutola thought nothing of it. He paid the necessary
customary dues and performed the necessary rites but he did not
perform the Iwuye ceremony which would have meant a public
announcement and acceptance. All this was in 1948, shortly after he
had been awarded the O.B.E. The truth, really, was that the title had
been offered long before 1948, but Odutola had rejected the offer. His
thinking was that Chieftaincy titles were meant for successful sons
who had established themselves in other lands, a title was a way of
bringing them home so that they could contribute to the development
of the town.

But since, he, Odutola, was settled in Ijebu-Ode, and actively involved
in nearly everything, he felt a Chieftaincy title would amount to open
patronage. In 1956, however, an incident at the Ijebu-Ode Town
Council compelled him to change his mind. He was making a
contribution to a debate on the order of precedence in the arrangement
of names of traditional chiefs, when some radicals in the Council
reminded him that, since he was not a chief, he had no basis to speak
on the subject. This hurt him, and he resolved, there and then, to
accept the title of Ogbeni-Oja fully, and proceed with the Iwuye
ceremony. Those who had been privy to the hide and seek game
which Odutola had been playing with the Awujale over the title, and
who were present at the occasion, were excited and they exclaimed:
Oja ja gba. This expression also became a title of sorts. Everywhere,
Odutola was hailed O ja ja gba (he has at last accepted). Soon,
Odutola began to prepare for his Iwuye ceremony.
He had, by this time, made a number of enemies. These were people
who hated him for his prosperity, and for his support of Chief
Obademi Awolowo, leader of the Action Group. They resolved to
disrupt the Iwuye ceremony. At the end of the day, all went well. The
Resident had sent a contingent of policemen from Ibadan; if anyone
wanted to disrupt the ceremony, it would have amounted to a suicide
attempt. Thus, Odutola became the Ogbeni-Ode. When Oba
Gbelebuwa II died, in 1959, for example, Odutola was the regent in
charge of the town until January 1960 when Oba Sikiru Adetona, the
new Awujale and old student of Olu-Iwa college, was presented to the
Ijebu people at Itoro.

Odutola brought much respectability to the title of Ogbeni-Oja. Till he

died, many people referred to him as Kabiyesi (Long live the King).
He was consulted by the palace on any major decision affecting the
town. His position, as Ogbeni Oja, ensured a life-long commitment to
a town that had become not only the land of his birth but also the
headquarters of his many business. Odutola responded by giving more
of his time and resources. Apart from his businesses, he would later
give the town two schools and a church. He also single-handedly built
a market which he handed over to the Ijeb-Ode Local Government.
The market which stands till today is known as the Adeola Odutola
Olu-Iwa Better Life Market. It is situated at Aiyesan Street, Off
Folagbade Street. It is a major complex, comprising modern stalls and
shops, painted yellow and green, with a fence round it. The
establishment of the Ita Osu Market, and the popularity that the new
market enjoys, has robbed the Odutola market of its initial pre-
eminence but it stands, all the same, as yet another major testimony of
Odutola’s public-spiritedness.
It is worth nothing that, whereas Odutola’s involvement in local
politics was a life-long affair, he eventually had to withdraw from
national politics. In 1960, following the 1959 Federal Elections, he
was elected to the Senate (Nigeria’s Upper Huse), again, on the
platform of the Action Group. He remained a member of the Senate
till 1964. In 1965, troubled erupted. The Western Region faced the
major crisis that earned it the title of the Wild Wild West, and which
brought Dr. M.A. Majekodunmi to power as the Administrator of the
region. Many of Awolowo’s to power as the Administrator of the
region. Many of Awolowo’s supporters were hounded and victimised.
Odutola was no exception. He was detained in Ilesha, along with
Mojidi Agbaje of Ibadan. In 1966, the military struck, beginning a
continued involvement of the military in politics. Odutola who had
been used to a different kind of political style lost interest in politics.
As member of the Legislative Council, the Western Region House of
Assembly, and the House of Representatives, he was used to the
politics of give and take, without bitterness. The new politicians were
different: they preached and practiced the politics of hate, division and
violence. The loss of human lives became an index of the seriousness
of politics. Odutola would have none of this. He withdrew, and
concentrated on his business and local politics.

He had significantly seen Nigeria through the constitutional struggles

for independence, up to the point it became established as a sovereign
nation and a federation. He had also had the distinction of sharing that
phase of history with equally remarkable Nigerians – Dr. Nnamdi
Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello and
Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. It became difficult, however,
with such a profile and network of influence to stay away completely
from politics.
In 1978, Odutola was again called to public service. He was
nominated a member of the Constituent Assembly by the Federal
Government to represent the Private Sector as the President of
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. In 1979, when political
activities resumed in earnest, many politicians trooped to Ijebu-Ode to
receive his blessing. He supported many an aspiring politician but he
kept out of the limelight. When, in an interview with The News in
December 1994, he was asked to comment on present-day politicians,
his response was a mixture of nostalgia and shock:

Forget about now. At that time, people were serious, they were
principled, they had respect for themselves. Now, it is the exact
opposite. Politicians now are unprincipled, unserious, undedicated.
They have no respect for themselves.

That was Odutola’s parting short for Nigerian politicians: an

affirmation of how, poorly, the times have changed.
 Chapter Four
The Schools That Odutola Built

It was noon, or just about, on a day like any other. The compound
looked desolate, the roads leading to the premises were the colour
of brown, and patches, of black-vengeful relics of a once smooth
macadarnised road. The entrance gate through the western part of
the premises was shut - a reminder that the compound was again,
on holiday. The visitor entered through the northern gate, this was
open, leading directly to the main hall. In the distance was a
festering tree, with enthusiastic branches, sitting in a roundabout,
surrounded by patches of brown, dust and black. Just about this
perimeter, a Peugeot 504 was packed, painted light green, with an
ambulance lamp on top of it. Under the tree, six elderly looking
persons sat, with two young ones who from their mien resembled
students.... Welcome to Adeola Odutola College, in the harmattan.
There was an eerie silence in this vast stretch of land, space and
structures. Mat seemed like desolation was broken by the anger of
the teachers. Their anger swelled like the notes of the accordion,
attained the smooth articulation of a rehearsed concert, and the
anger poured forth. They had no time for any visitor, least of all a
researcher in a season of hunger and anger. They would rather
discuss their condition, shot through with existential anguish. And
the notes poured forth too: strident and angry, each verb was
pointed like an accusing finger at a lost glory, the converse was an
angry look back at history, and soon, it became clear: Teachers
salaries had not been paid, the teachers were on strike although
they had no students to teach. They bemoaned their fate, and, as
they did, the ground on which they sat, the very tree under whose
foliage they took shelter, and the aged roads on which their well-
used cars were packed provided a counterpoint saying it was not
always like this, around here. And the grounds, and the trees, and
the roads, conspired to tell a story. The story of the same college
which had served as their home since time appeared as an element
in the firmament…
For close to three decades, Ijebu-Ode Grammar school, founded in
1913, was the only secondary school in Ijebu-Ode Division. The
nature of those times saw to it that anyone growing up could either
trade or farm or go to school. Because of the increasing spread of
Christianity, and the rising popularity of the elite, the option of
education was particularly attractive. Those who wanted their children
to assist them in their trades or on the farm also wished that one or
two of their children should go to school. School children, with their
teachers, therefore constituted a major attraction. And so it was that
Ijebu-Ode Grammar School received students in large
numbers..Adeola Odutola was himself a pupil of this school. By the
1940s, however, Ijebu-Ode Grammar school, after about 32 years,
could no longer cater for the horde of students who were continuously
thrown at its doorsteps. Education then had virtually become an
industry among the Ijebus..The result was that many parents had to
arrange send their children to school, outside Ijebuland, particularly to
Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ile-Ife, Ede or just about anywhere where
there was a school a that could guarantee admission and
accommodation. Many of these pupils, soon after their education,
chose to settle down outside Ijebuland.

This loss of critical manpower bothered Chief Odutola. He found it

difficult to stand by and watch generations of Ijebu children drift
away to other lands and becomes a loss to their homeland. His
response was simple. He decided to establish a school. In this, his
cocoa stores, along Degun Street, played a noble role. It was to these
stores (four of them, two on either side of the road) that he turned. At
the time, he had already abandoned the procurement business, and
was venturing into manufacturing. It was as if fate had a hand in it all.
The cocoa stores were large enough for his purpose. They were, in
fact, mighty halls, with a part already converted for use as a tennis
court.
In 1945, a school was eventually established. It was called The
Secondary Commercial College, Ijebu-Ode. J. Onyakwere was its first
Principal. On the staff were B.A.O. Sangosanya, Macjob, O.
Odunowo and D.F. Hogan. The school had a total of sixteen students,
all male, on its register.

Thus, an acorn had been planted. A revolution was born. The

monopoly that had been enjoyed by Ijebu-Ode Grammar School for
32 years had been broken. For the first time, the people of Ijebu-Ode
were offered another school to which they could send their children, a
product of the personal initiative of T.A. Odutola.

The initial reaction was, however, negative. The Ijebus, whom

Samuel Johnson, himself a biased critic, has described as "the most
exclusive and inhospitable of the whole of the tribes", found reason to
query Odutola's motives. His critics complained bitterly. Their
grouse was that Odutola had designed yet another money-making
venture. He was called names, behind his back, of course, ranging
from greedy to over-ambitious. The truth, however, was that,
although the students were required to pay a token fee, Odutola was
susidising the college to the tune of ₤700 to E800 annually. His
concern was far more humanitarian than commercial. He was worried
that his motives were misinterpreted. He was however not deterred.
He was encouraged to forge ahead, by the support and counsel, he
received from Rev. S.I. Kale, his long-time friend who had been his
classmate at Ijebu-Ode Grammar School. Encouragement also came
from Rev. I.G.A. Jadesimi (later Bishop and administrator of Ibadan
Diocese) who served the college, dutifully, in its early stages as
school manager. Hence, Chief Odutola carried on.

The college was, however, of a different character from IjebuOde

Grammar School. It offered only commercial subjects, a grammar
school was invariably considered more prestigious.
In 1948, Odutola again fulfilled the need for a grammar school by
establishing yet another school which he named Olu-lwa College. It
was easy for him to obtain the approval for the establishment of this
other school. Within three years of the existence of the commercial
college, it had become clear, and the point had been well made, that
Odutola was determined to offer service, more than anything else.
OluIwa college was formally opened on February 28, 1948. It was a
very colourful and impressive ceremony attended by Western state
Ministry of Education officials, among whom was M.T. Taiwo, whose
death, shortly after, was such a shock to both the teachers and the new
students. Odutola, at the occasion, was the proud proprietor. He had
attended the ceremony in a posh blue and light green car, with a flag
on it. This was at a time when there were just three cars in the whole
of Ijebu-Ode owned by: Odutola, the District Officer and the
Kabiyesi. There was no electricity, electricity would later come in
1959, and the roads were just a little wider than footpaths. The
students, about sixty of them, were, however, exultant. Admission
into a secondary school, at the time, was the fulfilment of a life-
ambition.

Olu-lwa college shared the same premises with the secondary

commercial college. Both schools were operated under the same
management, although with different curricula. They were together
till 1951, when the college had grown so rapidly that the cocoa stores
became inadequate. The credit for this growth belonged both to the
proprietor and his staff. The principal, G.E.A. Lardner, was a Sierra--
leonean. The other teachers included B.O. Olowofoyeku (who would
become principal in 1949), N.K. Onadipe (who would later earn the
distinction of being the longest serving principal, 1950-1959), A.
Hussey (Principal, 1961), A.J. Sampson, Rev. Ogunowo and F.C.
Okonrokwo.
The teachers stressed discipline. They considered it their duty to
ensure that their pupils turned out well and they did not spare the rod
when it became necessary. This was the time when corporal
punishment was appreciated even by the students who were expected
to receive corporal discipline with an expression of gratitude. Parents
even brought their children to the school to be disciplined as thought
appropriate by the teachers whose word was law in the community.
The students were taught English literature, Latin, English,
Elementary mathematics and such other subjects which made them
feel superior to their counterparts in the commercial college.

By 1952, the commercial college was moved out of the cocoa stores
to a site near the present Our Lady of Apostles site in Ijebu-Ode.
Meanwhile, Olu-lwa College remained at the cocoa stores. The
original plan was to develop both institutions, as separate schools
serving the differing purposes for which they were established. It had
occurred to Odutola however, that, with the growing strength of Olu-
lwa college, he would need to acquire and develop a permanent site
for the school. The school had virtually overgrown its temporary
premises. Odutola therefore began the search for land. He,
eventually, succeeded, through the kindness of the Porogun
community and his maternal family who made available to him 150
acres of land, on the South-Western outskirts of Ijebu-Ode, on the
foreshores of the Yemule river. He paid for the land, of course, but at
a very generous discount, even by the standards of the period. Work
on the new site began almost immediately. Odutola was disturbed
about the expensiveness of the venture, it was as if every penny he
made from his business was taken up by the school project, and he
had to complain loudly, in spite of himself, to his friends, who kept
encouraging him. These included (Rt.) Rev. S.I. Kale, S. Odulaja,
John Otuyelu and J. A. Fowokan.
By 1956, Chief Odutola had successfully put up two blocks of
building-the science block and a main block-containing sixteen class-
rooms, a library and an assembly hall. The buildings were completed
and Olu-lwa college was moved to this new site. The Secondary
Commercial College was then moved back to the cocoa stores. The
two schools stayed separately until 1963, when Odutola completed
Owojona hall. The plan was to move the Commercial College to
Owojona hall. But about this time, government began to toy with the
idea of encouraging a comprehensive high school system. The
Western State Government went ahead to establish the Aiyetoro
Comprehensive High School. Chief Odutola studied the idea. It
occurred to him that his schools already constituted the objectives of
the new system.

Hence, the two schools (The Secondary Commercial college and Olu-
lwa college) were merged to form the nucleus of the Adeola Odutola
Comprehensive College. The new school became operational in
February 1964. It was formally opened on December 8, 1965 by
Chief Obafemi Awolowo, then Premier of the Western region. It was
an extra-ordinary ceremony attended by persons from nearly the
whole of Ijebu-Ode, which had then become appreciative of Chief
Odutola's ventures. A marble plaque, in front of Adeola Hall, in the
school premises, records the event for posterity as follows:

To the Glory of God and in Ever Thankful Remembrance of his

Mercy and Grace vouchsafed this college, founded and erected by
Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, the Ogbeni-Oja of ljebu-Ode, for
the spread of knowledge, is formally opened by Chief the
Honourable Obafemi Awolowo, first Prime Minister of the
Western region Government of Nigeria, this 8th Day of December,
1965.
A turning point, obviously, had been reached in the life of the school.
The future meant nothing but greater challenges as spelt out in a
Western Nigerian Government publication: Progress in Western
Nigeria Education. This publication sought to offer a definition of the
new method of secondary education.

A radical departure in secondary education from the Grammar

school type is seen in the introduction of a Comprehensive High
School System - a now phase in the system of education in
Western Nigeria.

The system is not only dynamic but also unique, in that unlike the
old Grammar school type, which offers purely academic work, this
system affords a total of seven years of post-primary education
suited to the needs, aptitudes, interests, and academic capability of
each student.

The exclusive value of the setup is the flexibility and possibilities

it offers of variations in the curriculum without detriment to the
academic quality of the fifth and sixth form products.

To translate this idea into reality, two such institutions have

recently been established in the region: one of them, known as
Aiyetoro Comprehensive High School, started to run on an
experimental basis two years ago as a joint venture between the
Western Nigerian Government and the U.S.A.I.D (Technical
Assistance) programme: the other Adoola Odutola Comprehensive
High School, ljebu-Ode was established in 1963 by Chief T.A.
Odutola, Ogbeni-Oja of IjebuOde.

The new school was also a personal breakthrough for the proprietor.
He who had already earned a reputation of being first in many things
had, with the merger of his two schools, established the first voluntary
agency - owned comprehensive High School in the Western region.
The foundation upon which the new school would be built had
however been provided by its precursors. Both the commercial
college and Olu-Iwa college had been run, with a deep sense of duty.
In both schools, the teachers and the students had begun to build a
future. N.K. Onadipe, Principal for nine years, became something of
a legend for his devotion to work, and thoroughness. Other members
of the staff included Olufemi Olutoye, Acting principal of Olu-Iwa
college April - December 1959, who later left to join the Nigerian
Army where he rose to the distinguished rank of a Major-General,
J.A. Awolalu (Acting Principal, Olu4wa college, August-December
1963), who later became a Professor of Religious Studies at the
University of Ibadan. The students equally fared well. It was the
policy from the onset to encourage brilliant students. They were
offered scholarships. Some of the bright ones were retained as tutors
in the school and layer sent on in-service training. This was what
happened to Timothy Ogunfuye who graduated from Olu-Iwa College
in 1953 as the best student in his class. Ogunfuye was retained as
number of staff and was later sent on in-service training, October
1954 – June 1956, at the Nigerian College of Arts and Science in
Lagos. During vacations, he returned to the school to teach.

In October 1956, Ogunfuye was sponsored for further studies at the

University of Ibadan under Regulation 19: a form of scholarship for
in-service training. Ogunfuye studied classics; upon graduation, he
returned to take up a full career in his alma mater. He was a teacher
from 1960 to December 1972. Between 1967 and 1969, he went
abroad for post-graduates studies. He returned to become Acting
Principal, April July 1967, and substantive Principal from September
1977 to December 1988. Ogunfuye, later a full time clergyman in the
Ijebu-Ode Anglican Diocese, showed how deeply the Odutola dream
has transformed many lives. And significantly, Ogunfuye was not the
only alumnus; whose life and that of his alma mater appeared closely
linked.
It was this same tradition that Odutola had set out to establish in the
new school. But there were, from the onset, very serious problems,
beginning with the choice of a Principal for the combined school. At
the time of the merger, there were two principals, one for the
commercial school, and another for Olu-Iwa College. The former was
headed by D. F. Hogan, an expatriate, and the latter by A. S. Odutola
(not a relation of the proprietor), appointed Principal of Ijebu-Ode
Muslim College. He had been recommended to Chief Odutola by the
Western State Ministry of Education, in 1963 when Odutola had been
hunting for a principal to take over from J. A. Awolalu. His arrival
was fortuitous, for it was the following month that Adeola Odutola
Comprehensive College was created; but it also created another
problem.

The choice of a Principal became such a political issue, with students

of both schools insisting that their Principal should be THE Principal.
The popular thinking, indeed, was that Odutola was a newcomer. Like
all newcomers, he was considered a spoiler not only in the
commercial college but also in Olu-Iwa College by those who felt his
presence had robbed them of expected opportunities. If the two
schools were to be compared, Olu-Iwa was the bigger one, with
eleven expatriates on its staff. The commercial college had only two
expatriates, but its principal, D. F. Hogan, was more experienced.

The Ministry of Education eventually resolved the matter. The

Ministry, which at the time set standards, chose A. S. Odutola. If
Hogan had been a Nigerian, he probably would have been the
Ministry’s choice. In due course, A. S. Odutola, despite the bad blood
that had attended his appointment, exceeded the expectations of his
worst critics.
The school, which he inherited, was a large one, with five arms in
each school. He remained Principal from 1964 to 1972, a period that
could easily be considered the school’s golden years. It was under his
leadership that Odutola College grew to become the most important
post-primary institution in the Western region. Parents particularly
wanted their children to attend Odutola College. The schools
maintained extremely high standards. In a short while, it had become
an international school, with students coming to Ijebu-Ode from far
and near. The children of the expatriates’ community in and outside
Ijebu-Ode also attended the school. The school had no ethnic or racial
policies, only merit counted. In 1955, the Head Boy was S. Iyatshere;
in 1966, Sunny Ejiogu; in 1970, Gard Mafo; in 1971, Jolly Meba – all
non-Ijebus, and non-Yorubas!

Teachers were also recruited from anywhere, as long as they were

distinguished in their respective areas.

At the time the college was opened, in 1964, student’s population was
a little above 400. Eight years later, there were about 1,300 students.

The Principal was, however, only a point man, representing the

Ministry and the Board of Governors. Although the school was fully
owned by Chief Adeola Odutola, the Western State Government was
also involved in the running of both Odutola College, and Aiyetoro
Comprehensive High School. These, in government regulations, were
regarded as grant-aided schools. The government set standards by
sending inspectors to the schools on an occasional basis. It also paid
teacher salaries, provided an occasional grant for the purchase of
science equipment and fixed school fees. It was also the Ministry that
appointed Principals, and approved the appointment of teachers.
Odutola College did not have to take any permission from government
to spend any money. What it did was to retain a fraction of the fees
that were collected, only a percentage was returned to the Ministry.
The Ministry’s intervention served the purpose of ensuring control,
and to protect colleges under its jurisdiction from certain
unscrupulous proprietors, many of whom existed at the time, who
used their schools as money-making ventures, without due regard for
the quality of instruction. The day-to-day running of Adeola Odutola
College was, however, the responsibility of the college Principal and
the Board of Governors.

The Board of Governors was selected by the Proprietor. It comprised

mostly his friends, representatives of the Ministry and the Principal.
Later, it was the practice that an old student should be a member. The
Proprietor was Chairman and he was very powerful. He and the
Principal were the two signatories to the account. The board could
recommend the removal of a teacher; but generally, teachers applied
for appointments through the Principal who would write to the
Ministry for assessment and approval; the board appointed Principal.
The school had its full complement of teachers, most of whom were
graduates. At a time, there were about 58 teachers.

Chief Odutola, at every turn, was the moving spirit behind the
enterprise. It was his personal industry and devotion that kept the
dream alive, and the standards high. The tendency, at the time was to
compensate with the government school in Aiyetoro. Odutola wanted
only the best. It was clear, even to the students that the Proprietor was
in love with the school. Every morning, as early as 7.30am, Odutola
came to the school premises. He would drive round; ask the Principal
questions, before going to his office at Odutola Tyres. The school
enjoyed no building grants from the government, all the buildings
were put with Chief Odutola’s own personal funds.
His commitment was electrifying. He was also always in the school in
the evenings, supervising labourers and artisans, and mapping out
areas for further work. The period 1968 – 72 saw the unending
construction of buildings and the provision of other facilities. As at
1972, the school already had 32 classrooms, 6 science laboratories,
one administration block, one ultra-modern boarding house for girls
and a Higher School Certificate library. Some of the projects had also
been completed by that time, including the installation of electricity
and pipe-borne water, the construction of six staff quarters, including
that of the Principal, construction of two dining Halls, one for
boarders and the other for Day Students; and the construction of a
science theatre. There were plans also to start a students’ union
building.

These efforts resulted in a very beautiful compound, which had

become known as the local university. It was also a source of pride
and happiness to the proprietor whose personal taste and love for
excellence had informed the design of the campus. Within a short
time, Odutola College had become popular among parents and the
community at large, and soon the school also enjoyed the goodwill of
persons and institutions, which felt obliged to assist Chief Odutola in
realizing his dream. For example, A. G. Leventis who had earlier
given a donation of #200 also donated modern furniture and helped to
equip the HSC library. The Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, Oba Sikiru
Adetona, also an old student of Olu-Iwa College, a scholarship worth
#200 and volunteered to build a tennis court.

The West Africa Steel and Wire Limited, Apapa, donated #1,500 to
assist the construction of the classrooms. The Western State Ministry
of Works and Transport helped to pave the school roads at a generous
discount. O. Holzmayer of Messrs Kari Zangal in West Germany
donated ball biros for students’ use. Alhaji Olatunji Omo-Owo
awarded a scholarship worth #360. Dyekes, an American Peace Corps
Volunteer, gave a scholarship worth #380. More contributions
continued to pour in over the years. Because all these came largely
from Chief Odutola’s associates and friends, he took it upon himself
to acknowledge every contribution. The HSC library, for example,
was named after A.G. Leventis who had helped to equip it. For him, it
was a dream fulfilled. Odutola college was no longer a personal
project but a communal one, with which everyone sought to identify.

Odutola was also very much concerned about staffing. He wanted

only the best; hence, he could not leave the staffing of the schools to
only the Principal and the Ministry. He made his inputs which, as
things stood, were quite crucial. Teaching, at the time was a
distinguished profession. The teachers were not bothered about
promotion. The thinking then was that a teacher’s reward was in
heaven; teachers tried to give their best to their students. While many
proprietors cashed in on this to exploit their staff, resulting in certain
privately owned schools in open confrontation with teachers, Chief
Odutola was generous towards his teachers.

He made sure they were given additional incentives, outside the

salaries they received from the Ministry. There was an inducement
allowance, for example, which Odutola gave to teachers. Salaries
were not only paid on time, teachers enjoyed loan facilities: car loan,
furniture loan and whatever assistance they required. Staff quarters,
occupied mainly by expatriate teachers, were also given out free. In
return, Odutola’s teachers gave of their best to the school.

The presence of the expatriate teachers was especially helpful. Many

of them were Peace Corps Volunteers, from America, Canada and
Australia, whose salaries were paid by their own governments. There
were also Indians. These expatriates, many of them very competent
and experienced hands, helped to design the school curriculum.
Whereas the idea of a comprehensive college was new to Nigerian
teachers, expatriates were familiar with the system. They helped to
give focus and depth to the curriculum. Chief Odutola, in dealing with
them, did not discriminate. His interest was quality; as he did for A.S.
Odutola, he would do anything to retain a good hand.

In 1969, five years after A.S. Odutola had become Principal, the
Western State Government began to grade schools and their
Principals. The objective was to match the Principals with appropriate
schools. Both Adeola Odutola College and Aiyetoro Comprehensive
High School were graded Special Grade I, the only two schools in that
category. Ibadan Grammar School, Abeokuta Grammar School and
Ijebu-Ode Grammar School were considered Grade I. Other schools
were in Grades II, III and IV. For Principals, time of graduation and
experience were considered. It turned out that A.S. Odutola was
placed in Grade III: the Ministry therefore resolved to post him to a
Grade III school.

Chief Odutola put his feet down. He could not accept that the same
Principal who had toiled to build Odutola college would, five years
later, be considered inferior to the same school. He took the case to
the meeting of Proprietors. A formal protest was lodged with the
Teaching Service Commission agreed and made an exception for
Odutola. He was appointed Acting Principal, Special Grade One; but,
he was to receive the salary of a Grade III Principal.

A. S. Odutola, naturally, was annoyed. He complained to Chief

Odutola and pleaded that the Proprietor should reconsider his case.
Chief Odutola was concerned. He summoned an extra-ordinary
meeting of the Board of Governors. At the meeting, he told the Board
that A.S. Odutola should be paid two salaries: the Grade III salary
approved by the Ministry and the outstanding difference for Special
Grade One should be paid, every month. He added that, if the
Ministry were to raise any queries, he Adeola Odutola would accept
responsibility and explain. That settled the matter.

Odutola was equally liberal with the students. He had, at all times,
stressed the need to maintain a liberal admission policy. Odutola
College therefore welcomed all intending students. This was the
saying soon made popular: Aitan ko ko ilekile, Odutola ko ko
omokomo (the garbage site does not discriminate, Odutola welcomes
all children, including the rascally) Aitan ko ko ilekile, was
incidentally, Chief Odutola’s personal motto extracted from the
Seyindemi family praise name (Oriki). This was the inscription on his
official coat of arms which contains the symbols: a palm tree, a lion, a
traditional horn, and divination marks of Ejiogbe. This coat of arms is
conspicuously displayed inside Adeola Hall in the college, and on the
entrance gate to Onibudo House. It is a telling commentary on
Odutola's philosophy and adventurous spirit. In its application to
Odutola college, it was not meant to represent indulgence. Rather, the
idea was that there was no child who was so rascally who would not
be reformed at Odutola college.

And this was true. There was so much emphasis on discipline. The
students who had come to study in the school from Lagos were
notorious; there were -cases of rascally conduct, but the school
authorities were up to the task. Every Friday afternoon, all students
were expected to gather in the Assembly hall, with their teachers and
the HSC students. It was called Home class at which the students were
expected to speak their minds. It was a democratic forum where the
students and teachers compared notes; a consensus was reached about
conduct and welfare. Thus, misdemeanour was rarely forgiven.
There used to be what the students called "detention": it entailed
punishment ranging from public caning to suspension, expulsion etc.
Any student whose name appeared on the "detention" list knew that he
was in for trouble.
All this had the support of Chief Odutola. He was a father to all the
kids. They all knew him; he was known around town as Olomoyoyo
(father of a thousand children). But he stressed discipline. He was
strict, even with his own children.

Odutola college was not a school for outsiders only. It was

considered good enough by Odutola for his own children and many of
them attended the school. They include Olufunmilayo Odutola, Joke
Odutola, Tokunbo Odutola, Femi Odutola and Sola Odutola. They
received no preferential treatment. Anything that applied to others,
also applied to them. They even had to pay their school fees! On one
occasion, one of the sons had offended his father at home. He was
brought to the school. An Assembly was called, Chief Odutola
reported his own son to the Principal, and, there, in the presence of
everyone, the boy was given 24 strokes of the cane. That was
Odutola. He never spared anyone, a character trait which earned him
yet another sobriquet, ,Eni mo o ko, eni koo mo, Ijebu okan, oun okan
(Those who know him do not understand him, those who understand
him do not know him, the enigmatic one who can stand up to the
whole of Ijebu).

This vigilance paid off. Odutola College students were exceptional.

The annual school certificate and HSC results compared favourably
with those of Ijebu-Ode Grammar School; many students excelled-
Two of such students, Abiala and Ogunnaike, remained distinguished
even in later life. The students were also never found wanting in
football and inter-school debates. Adeola Odutola College was first in
many things in the whole of the Western region. The proprietor had
made sporting facilities available. There was a drama society in the
school whose reputation for amateur theatricals was very high.
Students also got the opportunity to learn piano and vocational skills
such as painting and carpentry. There was in addition to these a
school farm, where practical agriculture was made compulsory for all
students.

Religion also occupied a high place in the school agenda. The

students were taught that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Fortunately, there were, at all times, clergymen on the staff who
helped to preach religious tolerance and understanding. Every
morning, school work began with a devotional service observed with
songs of praise, reading of passages from the Bible, with commentary
and prayers. On Sundays, the students attended matins in town,
college Chapel services were organized in the evenings. On Fridays,
Muslim students attended Jumat service at Adeola Hall. Everything
was organized. The students were models unto other pupils; their
school was, indeed a model institution.

The school was the main attraction in Ijebu-Ode; it was visited by

educationists from across the world, and by important dignitaries.
When General Olusegun Obasanjo, then Head of State of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, toured Ogun State in 1978, the Odutola sports
field served as the temporary aerodrome for his helicopters. Eight
years earlier, a group of Canadian educationists visited the school.
They were so impressed that the Principal, A.S. Odutola, was invited
to Canada. The invitation was honoured. Odutola spent a month in
Canada visiting 43 Comprehensive High Schools. In 1967, when the
Federal Government decided to send five Principals to Australia to
study the comprehensive school system, A.S. Odutola was again
selected to represent the Western region. In 1970, government
decided to scrap all HSC programmes in schools, and retain only one
in each province. The HSC at Odutola college was the only one
allowed in Ijebu province. The college was recognized to that extent..

A major item on the school calendar has always been the Founder's
Day Anniversary which is celebrated on June 16 of very year, the
birthday of the founder, Chief Timothy Odutola. Every year, a special
committee, comprising representatives of the Board of Governors,
members of staff, the Old Students Association, the staff Secretary of
the college, and the Head Prefects (Boy and Girl) is put together, to
draw up a schedule of programmes, and prepare for the ceremony. On
the day proper, the celebration follows a fairly regular pattern. Praise
worship, presided over by the Bishop of Ijebu-Ode Diocese is held as
early as 7 a. m at Chief Odtitola's Onibudo House. A congratulatory
message from the school is read, and the Chief proceeds to cut an
anniversary cake. This early morning ceremony is followed by a
thanksgiving service in the Church, attended by students, and invited
dignitaries from all walks of life. Thereafter, the Founder's Day
celebration train moves to Adeola Hall, in the school premises. Here,
an invited guest delivers a keynote address for the benefit of the
students, speeches are made by both guests and old students.
Generally, a tempo of joyousness is maintained.

The role that has been played annually by old students in this
celebration has been exceptional. Either as set associations or as a
national body, the old students, at all levels, have served as the link
across the many phases of the school's history. University students,
among them, had, for a long time, been organizing tutorial "summer.
classes for finalists. Adeola hall is littered with contributions from
these old students. The ceiling fans, for example, were donated by
students of the 1970/74 set. In 1978, the national association
contributed money towards the erection of a fence around the
premises. The old students association had practically become a
formidable support for the school. This is understandable. Many of
the old students are outstanding in their respective professions. Some
of the most distinguished among them include S.K. Adetona, Awujale
of Ijebuland, Oba Remi Adeoye, Awuren of Oke-Lamuren, Chief
Bayo Kuku, once an Executive Director of Mobil Oil, and National
President of the Old Students Association, Major-General Seidu
Ayodele Balogun, the first Military Governor of Ogun State, Chief
Olu Ayeni, proprietor of the Rational Bookshops, Ibadan, Professor
Olumade Adeuja, A.G. Sangosanya, a banker, and President of the
Old Students Association nationwide since 1978, Dr. Yomi Finnih,
once the secretary-general of the Nigerian Medical Association, Yemi
Kukoyi, an architect, Otunba Odutayo, a business magnate, Alhaji
Ayinde Mustapha, Dr. Remi Dawodu, Supo Adetona, Mrs. Tokunbo
Adesanya, a one-time financial secretary of the national association,
Folashade Oshiberu, Demola Dacosta, a former Director of Arts and
Culture in Ogun State, Simeon L. Bolaji, Etop James Usoroh, Duro
Akingbelu... The list is endless.

Generally, the old students have been the school's worthy

ambassadors, Every year, present students are witnesses to scores of
old students, returning to their alma mater to pay homage. It is also
not surprising that the current Principal, A.0. Sangosanya, is also an
old student of the school. He was invited by A.S. Odutola upon his
graduation from the university in 1970, to come and assist his alma
mater. He taught in the school from 1971 to 1975; got transferred;
and, in 1989, returned to become the school's 22nd principal. The
truth really is that the college has been in the hands of old students
since 1977. Sangosanya's predecessor was Timothy Ogunfuye
(Principal September 1977 - December 1988).

The old students put up a particularly impressive appearance at the

1970 Founder's Day celebration, which marked the silver jubilee of
the school's existence. It was a significant occasion. At 25, Adeola
Odutola college, as the signs were then beginning to indicate, was
poised for a major turning point in its history. But before this
happened, the silver jubilee offered the Proprietor an opportunity to
pay tribute to everyone who had been part of the making of Odutola
college, particularly his friends and helpers. These included the Rt.
Rev. S.O. Odutola, Bishop of lbadan and uncle of A.S. Odutola, the
Principal, the Rt. Rev. S.I. Kale, Bishop I.G.A. Jadesimi, and A. G.
Leventis. All these were personally invited to send goodwill
messages to the school.

A booklet which had been published to commemorate the occasion

was designed with a sense of history and political correctness. It
contained commentaries on the proprietor and the school, with
pictures attesting to the multi-faceted character of the school. There
were also messages. The tone and content of each of the messages,
including the proprietor's, helped to underscore the maturity of the
college. The point is perhaps worth stressing that, in 1970, the college
was at its apogee. Oba Sikiru Adetona, Ogbagba 11, Awujale of
Ijebuland, who obviously had been chosen to speak on behalf of old
students, was full of praise for Chief Odutola:

It does not happen very often that the greatness of a man is

acknowledged in his lifetime. It is not very often that a man's
greatness is sufficiently understood and appreciated until long after
his death. This explains why history is full of posthumous
accolades showered on the long-dead great. Every now and again,
however, there comes a man who, either by the sheer size of his
achievements, or the special nature of his contribution to the
history of progress, is acknowledged 'great' in his lifetime. Such a
man is Chief Adeola Odutola, whose name is immortalized in
many spheres of our Nation's life.

Speaking the minds of the alumni, he wrote:

The generation of students who have passed through Adeola

Odutola college in its twenty-five years of existence (in one form
or another) will never forget what a tremendous influence for good
the college has had on their lives.

The piece is signed off instructively: Long live the Alma Mater!

In their contributions, the trio of Rt. Rev. S.O. Odutola, Rt. Rev.
Kale and Bishop I.G.A. Jadesimi delved into the history of the school
and remarked upon how the fear of the Lord had been the bedrock of
instruction in the school, In this vein, Rt. Rev. Kale asserted:

God used the Proprietor to give Nigeria this school. The Proprietor
is ever conscious of this fact, and in as many ways as possible, he
tries to keep before the minds of the boys and girls this awareness
of the hand and the purpose of God in the planning and
establishing of the college.

My special duty here is to thank God with Chief T. Adeola

Odutola and to congratulate him, and the staff and pupils of the
school on the good fortune of being instruments of God in funding
and running the school so well for these 25 years. Our prayer is
that in the future, achievements of the school may by far be
greater, brighter and superior to what the past and present
achievements have been, even though these have been very
remarkable and good.

Bishop Jadesimi looked back and commented on the efforts of the

proprietor:

I was privileged to be connected with the early beginnings of its

life in 1945. 1 am witness to the fact that the college was a venture
of faith, and a humble addition by the Proprietor to educational
facilities then available to the children of this Province. There
were those who misconstrued the idea which motivated the
founding of Olu-lwa college as it was then known. These arm-
chair critics saw it as another avenue for making money on the part
of the Proprietor. On the contrary, however, I knew then, in my
capacity as the Manager of the college, that rather making (sic)
profit, the Proprietor was steadily subsidising the college to the
tune of E700 to E800 annually; and in the process of bringing the
college to its present stage, the Proprietor had sunk and is still
sinking thousands of pounds before the Ministry of Education
started to aid the college; to mention the latest, what about the
ultramodern Girls Hostel which I understand was erected at a
phenomenal cost of about E30,000.
A.G. Leventis, Chief Odutola's friend, also commented on Odutola:

He is a man whose friendship one can be proud of, and it is an

honour for me that the library of Adeola Odutola college bears my
name.

The then Military Governor of the Western State, Brigadier R.A.

Adebayo, I.D.S., P.S.C. also sent a most inspiring message, which is
here reproduced in full:

Message From His Excellency,

Military Governor of the Western State of Nigeria,
Brigadier R. A. Adebayo, I.D.C, P.S.C.,
On the Occasion of the Commemoration of the Silver,
Jubilee of Adeola Odutola College, Ijebti-Ode

It is with great delight that I send this short message to

congratulate the Proprietor, the staff and students past and present
of Adeola Odutola College on the occasion of the commemoration
of the Silver Jubilee of the School. A period of 25 years is a
significant landmark in the history of an educational institution. It
is a period marked by milestones of establishment, teething
problems, development, expansion and growth. The failure or
success of an institution depends entirely on the events marking
these various milestones.

Adeola Odutola College no doubt deserves to be congratulated on

this occasion. I have during my tenure of office as the Governor of
this State visited the institution and gone round all the various
classes and departments. I have nothing but praise for the
wonderful work which the Proprietor of the Institution, Chief
Adeola Odutola, has done since the founding of the College.

If for nothing else, the name of Chief Adeola Odutola will for ever
be remembered in the annals of this country for this great
educational monument which he has brought into being for the
benefit of generations of youths in this country. The founding of
an educational institution is not intended as a profit-inakiiig
enterprise. In Adeola Odutola College, we see an institution which
has served as a classic example of true self-sacrifice patriotism and
dedicated philanthropy on the part of the Proprietor. He has put
into the institution in money, time and energy far i-nuch more than
any material benefit he can ever gain from it. I would uiiliesitantly
hold up Chief Adeola Odutola as a shining example for other
Proprietors of educational institutions to emulate.

Within the last 25 years, the College has turned out men and
women, some of whom today are holding responsible positions in
various spheres of fife in this country. I am sure all these
generations of students will forever remember the Proprietor with
pride and with gratitude. Chief Adeola Odutola has set up a
wonderful institution for the benefit of our youths. It is my hope
that these youths will appreciate the deep sense of self-sacrifice
and patriotism which the establishment has involved and that they
will live up to the ideals and philosophy which have prompted the
Proprietor in founding the College. It is my hope that the students,
past, present and future, will show, by their words and deeds, by
their example and actions, both in their public and private lives,
that they are worthy of the philosophy of this great institution.

Education is the most powerful tool by which an individual as well

as a nation can rise to the heights. I have always believed vtry
firmly irr the development of education as an indispensable
weapon in our aspiration for progress and development. It is for
these reasons that I have given special attention to the demands of
education since my assumption of office as Governor of the
Western State. In this task, I have been fortunate to have great
men of the calibre of Chief Adeola Odutola who share with me
similar belief and philosophy about education.

I wish him and the College success and happiness during the years
that lie ahead.
As usual, Chief Odutola's response was full of courtesy and
moderation. He pledged to remain even more committed to the
college:

Silver Jubilee Message From Chief T. A. Odtitola

The Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode
Proprietor of the College, and
Chairman, Board of Governors

It gives me great pleasure and happiness to write this message to

the Principal, staff and students of Adeola Odutola College on the
occasion of its Silver Jubilee.

When I took back on the past twenty-five years, my heart is filled

with thanksgiving to God for what He has done in inspiring the
birth of the school, which grew out of a commercial college - the
ljebu Ode Commercial College and a Grammar School, Olu-lwa
College, and which has acquired the distinction of being the first
voluntary agency comprehensive secondary school in the Western
State, after the pattern of the Government Comprehensive High
School, Aiyetoro.

It stands today, a living testimony to a venture of faith launched in

1945, to create added opportunities for secondary school
education, by establishing a similar school, although different in
character from the only secondary school then in the whole of
ljebu Province Ijebu-Ode. Grammar School, which had existed for
thirty-two years. Like in all new ventures, the path was not
entirely smooth sailing; there were obstacles which were overcome
by patience, grit and the special grace of God.

On an occasion like this, it is pertinent to ask how far the school

has fulfilled, and is fulfilling the purpose it aspires to in the years
ahead. With gratitude to God, for enabling us to found the school,
in acknowledgement of the assistance and encouragement of the
Government through its Ministry of Education, and in appreciation
of the cooperation of friends, parents, guardians and the general
public, Adeola Odutola College which started life with only 16
male students in 1945, has now a student population of about 1,300
(male and female), about 900 of whom are boarders.

It has, through courses and studies and facilities in the arts,

sciences, agriculture, commerce and home economics afforded its
students, education of high academic quality, sound moral and
physical training and versatile utility. It has a record of high
percentage passes in the West African School Certificate and the
Higher School Certificate Examinations from year to year, and has
won laurels in sports in local and state-wide competitions. By
these achievements it has been possible for the school to turn out
many students who today are graduates, business and professional
men, at present holding eminent positions in various walks of life.

Having reviewed the progress which the school has made in the 25
years of its existence, I wish to invite the attention of the past and
present students to their duties and responsibilities to themselves,
their school, their parents and the nation.

You, the old students have a heritage to guard, a cause to support

morally and financially, and a name to honour and respect. The
school is yours, and as true and great alumni of your alma mater,
you are welcome to assist the management - with your concrete
and constructive suggestions - in its work of achieving and
ensuring lasting progress for your school.

You, the present students too, have a great part to play in further
developing the school. You need to acquire as much knowledge as
could be afforded you in this -school, to equip yourselves for the
race of life. learn to work hard, emulate the good, eschew cheating,
lying and stealing. Be loyal, faithful and above all, be of service to
your schoolmates, your parents and your God. As many
opportunities lie in your way, so will many challenges show up,
which have to be met. You too can shine as others who have
passed through the portals of Adeola Odutola College.

At this point, it is necessary to place on record for posterity, the

names of some people whom we regard as joint builders of Adeola
Odutola College - right from its inception as Ijebu-Ode
Commercial School, and also Olu-Iwa College. They were our
partners in progress. They have worked for the spiritual, practical
and academic progress of Adeola Odutola College. They will ever
be remembered for the contributions they have made, and are
making towards the further development of the school.

In the Commercial College - Messrs. G. B. Oyakhire, B. A. 0.

Sangosanya, Macjob, 0. Odunowo and D. F. Hogan. In Olu-lwa
College - Messrs. G. E. A. Lardner, B. 0. Olowofoyeku, N. K.
Onadipe, A. Hussey, A. J. Sampson, N. T. Boulsover and A. S.
Odutola. In the merger school Adeola Odutola College - Mr. A. S.
Odutola. All these gentlemen, in their tenures of office have been
assisted by loyal and hardworking masters from various parts of
the world - America, Australia, England, the West Indies, India,
South Africa, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. These people and their
teams of workers deserve my thanks for the work they have done
to build the College. May they be amply rewarded by God for the
honest services that each one, in his own way, has given to the
College. Last but not the least, are those men and women who
have honoured the school in its various stages of growth and
development by their free services on the school's Board of
Governors. Special mention must be made in this connection of
the invaluable services of the Rt. Rev. I. G. A. Jadesimi, now
Administrator of lbadan Diocese, who was the school manager in
the very early stages. Theirs has been the joy of giving and of
serving. May the Lord repay their personal endeavours.

Finally, as we look ahead with hope to the coming years, it is my

prayer that men and materials may always be found to continue the
progress that has been made in the school's twenty-five years
history. For my part, I am taking this opportunity to rededicate my
life to continued patronage of ADEOLA ODUTOLA COLLEGE,
which, to me is a growing, living institution which would continue
to provide a way of life for thousands of young men and women,
and something that will surely outgrow myself and still continue to
grow. For this purpose, I will, God helping me, further devote my
personal attention and interest to see the school flourish, with the
hope that as years roll by, sources of its further maintenance,
additional to mine or those of my family, will be forthcoming from
 philanthropic individuals, companies, corporations or governments
by way of donation, legacies, scholarships or grants.

I congratulate you all on this occasion of Adeola Odutola College

Silver Jubilee, and wish the school great success in the years to
come.

A common thread runs through all the messages above, reproduced

here for their historical value. It is the air of -happiness, of smug
satisfaction and achievement. At 25, everyone associated with
Odutola college felt the urge to look back on the past, and reflect on
the present, with joy. One source of regret is the fact that this
celebrative mood would soon disappear. In the two years that
followed, A.S. Odutola remained Principal. In 1972, there was a mass
transfer of teachers by the Ministry; A.S. Odutola was one of the
victims. The Ministry asked him to proceed to Awe High School,
Awe. A.S. Odutola naturally was reluctant but he had no option,
given the circumstances. It turned out that Chief Beyioku Adebowale
(Chairman of Adebowale Electricals) got to know of A.S. Odutola's
predicament. Adebowale's children, virtually all of them, had
attended Odutola college; their father had come to know A.S. Odutola
as a hardworking man. He persuaded Odutola to leave teaching and
come to Lagos to work for him. This was how A.S. Odutola got
appointed as General Manager, Adebowale Electricals. He would in
later life go into private business as Chairman of the Priman Group of
Companies.

His exit was however significant. It marked the end of an era, and
gave indications of the beginning of another. A. S. Odutola’s transfer
was possible only because the Ministry was already, by 1972, exerting
excessive control over all schools. The ideas was already afoot for
government to take over all schools and, thus, put an end to the
private establishment and running of educational institutions. A.S.
Odutola was succeeded by Chief S. O. Omitade (January 1973 –
August 1975), an elderly and fatherly figure, and later Rev. O.O.
Odunowo (September 1975 – December 1976).

The tenure of these two immediate successors was crucial: it

coincided with the period when government’s insistence on the total
control of education was most virulent. There was much controversy
over the issue between government and proprietors who felt that
government was being unfair. At the forefront however was the
National Union of Teachers which was prodding the government to
chase out the proprietors. The NUT’s grouse was that too many
proprietors were already abusing the privilege of running schools
where proprietors were victimishing teachers, under-cutting students,
using favouritism to determine standards, and wielding such absolute
powers which promoted mismanagement of schools, and the
misappropriation of funds. The NUT implored government to protect
the populace and teachers many of whom were aggrieved. The NUT
was so determined that it further expressed the view that schools
should never again be handed over to proprietors. The Federal
Government felt that the NUT had good reasons. Hence, all over the
country, privately owned schools were taken over, one by one.
After the take-over of Adeola Odutola College by the Western
State Government, a compensation panel visits the proprietor
It was an especially troublesome period. Many proprietors, despite the
fact that they were paid compensation by government, felt robbed.
They promptly showed their true character. There were cases of
proprietors who cordoned off large portions of school land, some
made away with school facilities – desks, windows and school buses
were not spared, mattresses and beds in the dormitories also
disappeared over night. Some went to court to challenge government
action. One particular proprietor, in Ile-Ife, recruited carpenters and
went to the school premises. In broad daylight, even while students
were still in the classrooms, he proceeded to pull off the roof of the
buildings. The students, piqued by this extra-ordinary form of
Proprietor reactions, trooped out en masse. They were ready to fight.
The Proprietor and his carpenter had to flee!

In 1975, it was the turn of Adetola Odutola college. Chief Odutola’s

reaction was a reference-point for other Proprietors. Every-where, he
was praised for his magnanimity and patriotism. What happened was
that Odutola put up no resistance. He willingly handed over the keys
of the school, together with the site plan, to the authorities. He
pledged continued support to the school, and urged that government
should maintain the high standard for which the college had come to
be known; should his assistance be required, at any time, he said,
government should not hesitate to contact him. Whereas government
was paying other proprietors compensation, Odutola refused to take a
penny. He gave out the school free. His only request was that the
name of the college should never be changed. At the time, the school
was valued at N16 million. The public was impressed. Daily Sketch,
the Ibadan based newspaper in its 17th December, 1975 edition, wrote
a memorable editorial:
 Chief Odutola’s Magnanimity

The announcement by Chief T. A. Odutola that he had no intention

to claim any compensation whatsoever from the Western State
Government over the take-over of his school – the Adeola Odutola
College, Ijebu-Ode – is a classical manifestation of the sterling
qualities inherent in him.

It goes further to show that in a country where mundane

acquisitions tend to override the philantrophic passion of many a
businessman, Chief Odutola’s exemplary declaration is striking
enough to tilt the balance in a way that should make other
businessmen remove the mote in their own eyes and see more
clearly the true essence of man’s existence here on earth.

As the saying goes: “By their fruits, ye shall know them”. The
SKETCH congratulates the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode for this rare
magnanimity. The background of the school reveals that Chief
Odutola has devoted a considerable part of his life and money to
ensure its steady growth since he founded it in 1945.

With dedication and unrelenting scheming, the college was turned

to a comprehensive school in 1963 on its newly acquired 105 acres
with a student population of over 1,300 out of which 500 were
girls. This figure must have gone up tremendously within the past
12 years. The legacy which Chief Odutola is bequeathing to
Nigeria through the school is already immortalising his name while
he's still alive.

And as the Western State Government steps into the proprietorship

shoes transferred to it by Chief Odutola, our education authority
have much to do to maintain and improve upon the discipline,
orderliness and expansion programmes formulated in the school by
its founder.

The decision by the proprietor not to take compensation should

serve as an eye-opener to those proprietors, who on hearing of the
intention of the State Governments to take over their schools, went
 on a rampage to destroy their school property.

The lesson discernible in Chief Odutola's action is that

industrialists and school proprietors should place more premium on
helping the less-fortunate people and young children in the country
rather than accumulate wealth and property indiscriminately
without regard for the suffering or the welfare of others.

The Sketch believes that the exemplary philantrophy of Chief

Odutola is worth emulating by school proprietors who believe
more in money than in name. There may be those who may be in a
position to surrender their schools free of charge to the State
Government, yet there would be areas where they can readily grant
concessions to make the work of the compensation panel lighter.

On our part, we would like to suggest that Chief Odutola deserves

the greatest honour which the state and Nigeria as a whole could
bestow on a worthy citizen. It is worth suggesting also that no
attempt should be made either now or in the future to change the
name of the school from that of its founder and first proprietor.

It is a measure of the kind of man Chief Odutola was and a

confirmation of his motives that, since 1975, he continued to support
the college. It was after the take-over, for example, that he helped to
install street lights throughout the compound and pave the major roads
in the school. The annual Founder's Day was celebrated until his
death with his support and active participation. Successive Principals
found in him a willing and helpful listener to the school’s problems.
The present Principal, A. O. Sangosanya, for example, visited Chief
Odutola regularly to brief him on the school’s progress. He himself
used to visit the school every Sunday. When Odutola later had a
stroke, he was still driven around the town until a year ago. During
such trips, he would ask questions. The effect was that the school
continued to benefit from his generosity. In 1990, it was easy for the
school to call upon him to assist in rehabilitating a collapsing roof in
the science laboratory. This he did to the tune of N7,000.
The government take-over created many problems, not least of which
was encroachment upon school land by all sorts of persons claiming
ownership to portions of the school premises. It was Chief Odutola
himself, in 1979, who noticed that land-grabbers were seizing parts of
the school land. He could not stand it. In Adeola hall, till today, he
had placed the photograph of the Kakanfo of the Porogun community
who had helped him acquire the land. He had a prepared site plan,
defining the boundaries of the school. He promptly wrote a letter to
the Ministry, and received assurance that the land would be fenced.
He himself later contributed to the erection of the fence, an event
which developed into a bizarre story.

As the fence was been erected, scores of persons came to the school
premises to protest that they were been robbed of their land. One day,
a man came to the school with a site plan dated 1957, indicating that
the land on which the school stands belonged to him. The plan that
had been prepared by Odutola was dated 1951. On another occasion,
one of the workers, a driver, was killed under mysterious
circumstances. Although a fence was finally erected, a substantial
portion of the land could not be reclaimed.

It was, however, not only school land that was lost, the years ahead
would lead to a virtual erosion of standards. With government take-
over, facilities became inadequate. The school still excelled in sports,
as photographs in the Adeola Hall attest, but things were no longer the
same. Teachers’ salaries were no longer paid on time, grants became
irregular, the maintenance of existing structures could not even be
carried out, indiscipline among students became rampant. Teachers
were also forced to begin to look for other creative ways of generating
funds. The burden for almost everything had to shifted to the PTA. In
the past, all the PTA did was to pay school fees; but now, the PTA is
frequently called upon to recruit and pay for additional teachers.
A school that used to have a full complement of teachers, with
government take-over found that it was faced with a crisis. The school
had grown in population. As at the time of this work, there were 2,200
students. Instead of 72 teachers, the Ministry had sent only 52. Often,
when the Principal is not harassing the PTA for assistance, the college
has to depend on the generosity of the old students. In 1990, the
National Association spent about N40,000 on the furnishing and
renovation of the Principal’s quarter, provision of dishes, tables and
chairs for staff, replacement of broken window panes, resuscitation of
the street lights, and the rehabilitation of the roads. This is something
the school, under Chief Odutola, would have done by itself without
going about cap in hand.

The Founder’s Day has also continued appropriately to reflect the new
dispensation. The 34th Founder’s Day, in 1979, for example,
witnessed complaints galore compared to the Silver Jubilee
Celebrations earlier described. The Principal at the time was Rev. T.
Oba Ogunfuye. In his Principal’s Report on the occasion, he
expressed concern about the sudden transfer of teachers, those he
described as “experienced hands” and the “veteran N.C.E. teachers on
the staff”. He spoke, at length, also about discipline presenting in the
process a sorry picture. He said:

There were cases when students squandered their school fees and
claim that the fees had been stolen, thus forcing on the poor
parents double expenses. Parents and guardians used to give their
children or wards some home truths about life, the importance of
obedience, respect for law and order, truthfulness, determination
and industry. It is sad to note that some parents would come and
want to pull trouble with teacher X or teacher Y for disciplining
their children. Such parents encourage indiscipline the more in the
children.
Government also did not appear to be living up to its responsibility.
As the Principal noted:
 We are yet to receive the salary grant for November and December
1978, January and February 1979, June, July and August 1979, and
grants in lieu of the N10.00 tuition fee per student for this third
term. Since the beginning of this session, Boarding fees have not
been subsidised by government grants apart from the salary grants
in respect of the kitchen staff. Other grants still expected include
Housemasters' and Mistresses' allowance, Rent subsidy, Science
teachers allowance, science equipment grants, leave bonus, and a
few other grants...

If the Principal's report was mild in parts, that of the Head Boy, Taiwo
Dixon, was perhaps more revealing. The Head Boy had lamented the
fall in academic standards, with an explanation that would have been
unthinkable, a few years earlier:

One of the identified reasons for this low academic performance is

the arbitrary transfer of teaching staff. The English, Arts, Science
and Business Studies departments, suffered from this
unwholesome development. The HSC students had to engage the
services of a private Chemistry teacher for some time on their own.
In fact, Some HSC departments had to rely solely on Youth
Corpers..

All this, in a school that was once toasted as the best in IjebuOde and
its environs!

Whatever maybe the transformations that Odutola College have

undergone, it is to be understood that the same fate is shared virtually
by all the schools under government control. The disruption that has
characterised government in the country in the past two decades has
made itself felt even more poignantly in the education sector. And it
is truly an irony that the take-over of schools which was meant to
maintain standards, has achieved the opposite.
However, Odutola's imprint remains eternal in the annals of the
school's history. It is, indeed, no accident that when students of the
school gather at any time, in any forum, the college song, which they
sing in unison, reminds them of their indebtedness to Timothy Adeola
Odutola:
The College Song

1. Deep love we feel for thee

Adeola Odutola College
The greatness of the Founder's
Heart stands for aye;
Fount desire to learn
Who drinking of thee
Shall henceforth thirst no more
Chorus: Adeola Odutola College
That nurtures us, our Alma Mater.
2. We must pass on her name
Have it in rising fame
Dogged in our pursuit of
What is highest
We know we shall succeed
If only we strive
We must always do
The right for right’s sake
Chorus: Adeola Odutola College
That nurtures us, our Alma Mater.
3. Timothy eschewing gain
Founded our noble school
This a lesson convincing
All Alumni
To live that others the
Brilliant light might see
To carry the flame
To all posterity
Chorus: Adeola Odutola College
That nurtures us, our Alma Mater.
It is easy to fall under the impression that, with the take-over of
Adeola Odutola College, Chief Odutola’s involvement in the direct
running of an educational institution was over. This was not the case.
There was the Adeola Odutola Private Elementary School which had
been founded in 1968. This was not taken over by government since
only secondary schools were affected. The Elementary School is
today housed in Owojona Hall, named after Chief Adeola’s
grandmother. There are about 29 of such schools in Ijebu-Ode, but
Adeola Odutola Elementary school is the largest with a student
population of about 1,300.

In 1968, when the school was established, it was the second of its type
in the whole of Ijebu-Ode. The first, and at the time the only private
elementary school was Sanni Luba Nursery/Primary school along
Atan/Erunwa road. The idea of establishing a nursery/primary school
occurred to Chief Odutola out of a need to cater for the children of the
expatriate teachers working in Adeola Odutola College. Sanni Luba,
the only private primary school, was too far away from Odutola's
College. Hence, the expatriates had problems educating their
children. Chief Odutola responded to their need by applying for
permission to start a private elementary school. The Ministry's long-
waited reply, when, at last, it came, was surprisingly negative.

But Odutola would not take no for an answer. A.S. Odutola, then
Principal of Odutola College, was asked to travel to lbadan to take up
the matter with Omololu Olunloyo, then Commissioner of Education
in Western region and, incidentally, A.S. Odutola's classmate at
Government College, Ibadan. Olunloyo was reportedly shocked.
Obviously, the application had not been referred to him. He
immediately sent for the officer who had signed the rejection letter
and reportedly asked him: "Do you know that the same man who
established Adeola Odutola College is the one to establish the
elementary school?" That settled the matter. It turned out that the
children of that particular officer were also attending a private nursery
school, and not an "Awolowo school ", as public schools were then
called.

So, in 1968, Adeola Odutola private Nursery/Primary school admitted

its first set of students. It was run under the same administration as
the college. In fact, the Principal of Adeola Odutola College also
doubled as the Headmaster for the nursery school. This was the case
until the government take-over of 1975. Since 1975, the nursery
school has had its own separate administration, which sent regular
reports to Chief Odutola who, until his death, was its main financier.
Before his death, he was in the process of completing two new
buildings which he had designed as a permanent site for the
elementary school. He had succeeded however, in 1993, in setting up
a Board of Governors for the school. Members of the board include
M.O. Adedeji as Chairman, Dr. Odedeyi (Secretary), Mr. Olusoga,
Chief Adesanya, Mrs. Sekoni and Mrs. Adesola Adeyemi. As with
the college, Chief Odutola had lofty hopes for the nursery school. He
wanted it to be the largest and the best in Ijebu-Ode; he achieved that
ambition. What began as a school for the children of expatriates is
today a preparatory school for thousands of children.

When Chief Odutola was not running this school, or assisting the
college, he spent much time donating to other educational institutions,
especially at the tertiary level. His passion for education was clearly
self-consuming. Where education was concerned, he was willing to
assist. He became, in no time, one of the most notable philanthropists
in the field of education. In 1989, he endowed a N500,000
Professorial chair in business administration at the university of
Lagos. Professor C.O. Taiwo, who was present at the signing of the
trust deed at Onibudo House in Ijebu-Ode, remarked, on the occasion,
that the endowment, like other contributions, reflected Odutola's
commitment to education, and to his belief in the need to extend the
frontiers of learning. Other universities also benefited from this
conviction. Odutola donated a biological lecture theatre to Ogun State
University at a cost of N I million and a law library to the university
of lbadan, the formal opening ceremony of which was performed by
one of his daughters, Professor Oyinade Olurin. Not surprisingly,
these three Universities consider Odutola their great benefactor. He
was hence appointed a distinguished alumnus of the University of
Lagos. Ogun State University awarded him an Honorary Degree of
Doctor of Laws. From the University of Ibadan, he received an
Honorary LL.D for his great contribution to economic development in
Nigeria.

The award from the University of Ibadan, in 1965, was particularly

dear to Adeola Odutola coming, as it did, at a time when Odutola
College was beginning to earn a reputation for itself. A commentary
in the Morning Post (November 17, 1965) summarised the
significance of the occasion, succinctly:

When the Prime Minister, Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, as

Chancellor of Nigeria's Premier University confers the award on
Chief Odutola today November 17, he would be doing the Ijebus
and Western Nigerians in particular a rare honour. For Chief
Odutola is one of those rare gems Western Nigeria has been
fortunate to donate to the Federation of Nigeria.

Such statements and recognition served their purpose. They helped to

strengthen Odutola's resolve. It is no accident that, throughout, he
considered his contributions to education as the aspect of his life for
which he would wish to be most remembered. In an interview with
Emmanuel Hart, in the Daily Times (May 25, 1968), he smiled
broadly and said:
 My greatest satisfaction in life was the establishment of
educational institutions. I regard all the students as my children
and whenever I meet them, they regard me as their father. What
more satisfaction does a man want in life?

For twenty-seven years Odutola remained faithful to this declaration.

His happiest moments were those occasion when old students of
Odutola College, and beneficiaries of his investments in education
called at Onibudo House. Such moments found him in high spirits.
They moments which those who had initially opposed his foray into
education were not privileged to see. But, till the last moment,
Odutola was at peace with his conscience.
 Chapter Five

Attitude to Religion
The angels are singing, oh, they are signing!, singing their ways into
the bowels of Heaven, with their outstretched wings flapping
triumphantly, carrying Saint Timothy, and with a felt but unseen
celestial signal, the heavenly presences break out into yet another
song: Alleluia! Alleluia!! Alleluia!!! Below the firmament, men with
gifts of prescience behold the picture in their dreams. It is a dream
they can not forget. The dream of Saint Timothy in the vineyard….
Singing with the angels, and the celestial presences, on a homeward
journey, marked with shouts of Alleluia! The clouds clapped too, the
firmament stretched its fingers in exaltation and from this uprising of
spirits, rain begins to fall, upon the unknowing men and women
below, who would remember this day, and speak of the signs of
heaven…

At 386 Herbert Macaulay Street, Yaba, Lagos, a few metres from a

bus stop, is an imposing building, a massive piece of Brazilian
architecture, solid with age, yet so well maintained. It is the home of a
church: Church of God in Christ Pentecostal Assembly Inc.; a video
mart: Christian Video mart; and a primary school: Pentecostal
Assebly School. It is also the home of Chief Adeola Odutola, Ogbeni-
Oja of Iejbu-Ode, a name that is boldly carried on the building for the
world to see. For over a decade, Odutola was the landlord to the
tenants. Each day that the members converged and worshipped in the
premises, the symbolism of how God is worshipped in a house built
by the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode is palpable enough. Again, twenty
one years ago, a journalist with The Punch called Ibrahim Sule wrote
an account titled “Chief T. A. Odutola, the business tycoon with many
faces” (November 17, 1974). In it, he reported how, during a visit to
Onibudo House, he had met members of the Aladura Church and
those of Christ Apostolic Church who were there to have a meeting
with Chief Odutola. Again, every fortnight, on a Wednesday, till he
died, a Holy Communion service was held in Onibudo House. Yet,
many people who thought they understood Odutola never really knew
how much of a Christian he was.

Odutola was not just a Christian. He considered the fear of God the
beginning of wisdom. He always spoke of the Grace of God as the
foundation of his various exploits. It will be recalled, however, that
Odutola’s father was a Moslem; some members of the original family
are still Moslems. Odutotal’s mother was, however, a Christian. This
fascinated Odutola. He never looked back. The attraction, of course,
was not religion but a conviction that God has a hand in all things.
This was why his generosity was not limited to the Anglican
Communion (his denomination).

An essential way, in his reckoning, of showing appreciation for God’s

blessings was by helping the less privileged. This was truly the basis
of his philanthropy. By giving to others, he was invariably praising
God. For him, this was a continuous exercise. In the Odutola home,
therefore, the worship of the Lord was a virtue to which the children
were, as a matter of course, exposed. Their father brought them up to
appreciate the Christian way of life. At the centre of this training was
humility. Odutola abhorred arrogance of any sort. He catered for his
children, and provided as much comfort as would be ideal for their
upbringing. But at no time did he create the impression that a wealthy
background was an excuse for irresponsibility. Thus, he used the
Bible as much as he wielded the stick.

Also, as proprietor of Adeola Odutola College, Odutola stressed

religious upbringing. Adeola hall, built in form of a T to represent
Timothy was especially dedicated for religious worship. Old and
present students would easily confirm how a stay in Odutola College
was equally an exposure to godly conduct. Odutola himself lived by
personal example. He not only endeavoured to do good to his fellow
beings, he also did not allow his business commitments to stand in the
way of his faith. On Sundays, he was always to be to be seen in the
church, a picture of humility.

Because he had the means, he became easily a major supporter of the

Church. For many years, he worshipped at the Cathedral Church of
Our Saviour at Ijasi, Ijebu-Ode. The church’s records are replete with
evidence of Odutola’s contributions. The mighty pulpit in the church,
for example, was his personal donation, In yet another demonstration
of generosity, Odutola gave out the land where the cocoa store used to
stand to the Catholic Church for building a church. It is the site of St.
Timothy’s Catholic Church, the construction of which Chief Odutola
also supported financially. These are only two instances of a rich
record of service to the church. In recognition of his philanthropy.
Odutola was made Asiwaju (Leader) of Ijebu Christians by the
Anglican Communion.

All said, Odutola would be most remembered for the church that he
built, as a testament to his faith and leadership: Adeola Odutola
(Anglican Church), an impressive structure, occupying a large
expanse of land, inside the Adeola Odutola College premises, across
the road from Owojona hall. The story of the Odutola Church, its
beginnings and its growth, is, on its own, a major chapter in Odutola’s
life. When his mother died in 1969, he had burled her in the school
premises. He then selected a place near her grave for the building of
the church. Work soon began several years later.
Chief Odutola’s attractiveness to detail had been remarked upon. He
was even more concerned about Odutola church. He wanted it, as
usual, to be an impressive structure. He wanted to build the church
and provide its accessories in accordance with Anglican liturgy. To be
sure that everything was a it should be, his daughter, Mrs. Adebisi
Bateye, travelled to Europe to ensure that the best accessories were
procured. Odutola himself was no stranger to the church. He was a
devout Christian. He was quick to name among his close friends at
least, three men who had become distinguished in the church. These
were Bishop S. I. Kale, his classmate at Iejbu-Ode Grammar School,
Bishop I. G. A. Jadesimi, manager of Olu-Iwa College, and Bishop S.
O. Odutola. It will be recalled that when Adeola Odutola College
marked its silver jubilee, these three men of God delivered goodwill
messages. By taking on the building of a church, Odutola knew that
only the best would be enough. He spared no resources to provide
Odutola Church with perhaps the largest premises in the Ijebu
Diocese, and the most modern environment.

When the church was eventually completed, it was a beauty to behold.

There were four main sections: the church building, the chancel, the
vicarage, and the reception hall. All the other sections, with the
exception of the reception hall, were already fully built. The
foundation stone for the reception hall would be laid much later, in
1993. Meanwhile, Odutola’s mother’s grave was now inside the
church. The church was fenced, the road leading to the church, inside
the compound and the vast parking spaces were paved. Trees were
planted to add beauty. To the left, ad the church is approached, is a
modern bungalow, for the Pastor’s use as vicarage and office. Inside
the church, all accessories were in place. Odutola was pleased that
god made it all possible.
On Saturday, June 27, 1987, the church was dedicated and formally
handed over to the Anglican Communion. The dedication was
performed by the Archbishop of the Province of Nigeria, the Most
Rev. Timothy Olufosoye. He was assisted by the first Anglican
Diocesan Bishop of Ijebu, the Rt. Rev. I.B.O. Akintemi, as well as
other clergymen. Chief Odutola and members of his family were
present. At the time, Odutola was 85. He had already been forced into
retirement by stroke. As he grew older, withdrawn from public
activities, the church which he had conceived as a place of worship
for all denominations would grow in the Lord’s vineyard.

To date, the church is administered by the Anglican Church of

Nigeria. The first service in the church was conducted on 2nd July
1987 by Ven. E. Ayo Odukoya. There were 322 worshippers in
attendance. The collection was N401.60. Less than three weeks later,
the church would be assigned its first residential pastor in the person
of Rev. Michael Olusina Fape. When the Pastor conducted his
inaugural service on July 19, 1987, his sermon was based on Isaiah
6:8. The attendance was 99; consisting of 11 men, 18 women, 47 boys
and 23 girls. The collection N84.65.

Adeola Odutola (Anglican) Church soon turned out to be remarkable.

The Anglican Church in Nigeria is largely a family and community
based church, with affiliations, and administrative structures initiated
by the community. A particular Anglican Church in a community
would most probably have served that community for generations.
Families could call up several generations that have been associated
with the church. Invariably, age is an important consideration. There
would be a Baba Ijo (Father of the Church), Mama Ijo (Mother of the
Church), several societies, and a council of elders to assist the clergy.
Odutola church is, however, a young church with a recent history and
a congregation comprising mostly youths.
It has had only five resident vicars to date: Rev. M.O. Fape, Rev. (Dr.)
now Ven. (Dr.) Bayo Obijole, Rev. S. Wale Ajagunna, Rev. Canon.
J.O. Igbari (now Ven Archdeacon) and the present Vicar, Rev. A. K.
Fasanmoye who assumed duties only on January 1, 1995. The church
has a well patronised Sunday School. It has no burial register. The
members are mostly young people who are elitist and radical. These
are not persons attending their father’s church.

They do not necessarily live in the neighbourhood, as many patrons of

the conventional Anglican churches do. They are scattered all over
Ijebu-Ode. Because of their usually high level of education, they are
eloquent and critical, a fact which poses special challenges for the
vicar. This is one church where tradition is not yet cast in stone.
Hence, the vicar is faced with the responsibility of having to carry his
congregation along. An indication of the youthfulness of the
congregation is also seen in the fact that the church has no Baba Ijo
(Father of the Church) or Mama Ijo (Mother of the Church) as in
Yoruba tradition.

What is likely to be encountered is either a Baba Ewe or an Iya Ewe

who is specially appointed during the annual Harvest Thanksgiving
ceremony. Even the parish council is young in outlook. The church
was granted Parish status on March 8, 1991 by the Diocesan Board of
Ijebu Diocese. The first Parish Council comprised the resident Vicar
as Chairman, Wilson Odunmuwagun (Peoples’ Warden), Williams
Olukayode (Pastor’s Warden), Femi Banjo, Kolewole Loy, Bayo
Begun, Bode Sotonade, Chris Etietsola (Secretary, now an “ordinand”
at Immanuel College, ibadan), Ignatius Ogbakani, Chief J. O.
Osikoya, Mrs. Funmilayo Odutola, mrs. G. O. Okulaja, Mrs. A. O.
Adebambo.
The youthfulness of the congregation has, however, not meant a
failure in obligations. The church has its full complement of activities.
Attendance, every Sunday, is about 600, at December 1992, there
were about 280 registered members.

The church has also been actively involved in evangelical activities.

Night vigils are held on a regular basis, the first of which was
conducted on January 28, 1989 by Rev. M. O. Fape with about 135
people in attendance. The church also has a seminar/outreach
committee. It was instituted in January 1992 by Rev. S. Wale
Ajagunna to organize programmes for the improvement of the
congregation’s spiritual growth. There is also an evangelical group,
instituted in October 1990. Between 4th and 7th October 1990; this
group held its first open air revival. The church also publishes tracts;
to date, there have been four of these: He loves and he cares for you,
Crossing the Red sea in your life, Your time is your life, Fear Not.
Every December 24th, the Church organizes Carol services; visits are
paid to the homes of members. Home Bible Class Meetings were also
instituted. In November 1992, the Home Bible Teachers were given
certificates in recognition of their work. They are G. O. Okulaja,
Yemi Okulaja, Mrs. A.A. Adebanjo, Mrs. Bosede Odumade, Mrs.
Kemi Odukoya, Mrs. R. Bola Ajagunna, Kolawole Loy, Williams
Olukayode and Mrs. A. O. Ogundare.

As early as 1988, the church encouraged the establishment of societies

to strengthen congregation, and in conformity with Anglican liturgy.
This has been a continuous exercise. So far, societies in the church
include Ifelodun, Band of Love, Christian Morning Star, Christian
Youth League, Anglican Youth Fellowship, Women’s Guild,
Ambassadors of Christ, Guild of Stewards, Choral Group, Girls Guild,
and the Youth Christian Association.
The Church made frequent contacts with Chief Odutola and his
family. Every fortnight, on a Wednesday, the church, while Chief
Odutola was alive, conducted communion service at 7.45a.m in Chief
Odutola’s sitting room. It was a regular feature, usually a family
affair, attended by Chief Odutola’s wives, all the children in the
family and Mrs. Jadesimi, wife of Bishop I. G. A. Jadesimi. Whenever
the church was in need, Odutola was willing to assist. In 1989, the
founder took up the reconstruction and tarring of the link road
between the main road and the church. A year later, when the church
felt the need for a church bus, to facilitate its evangelical programme,
it proposed to launch a N0.5 million Bus Appeal Fund. Odutola got to
know and promptly gave the church a five-ton Bedford bus. No appeal
fund was, therefore, raised. In 1994, Chief Odutola again gave the
church N250,000 for general renovation. He established at the same
time, an endowment fund for the church, with a fixed deposit in a
bank. His instruction was that the interest on the deposit should be
used to maintain the church and propagate the gospel. The church ahs
had cause to withdraw from this account to purchase new choir robes,
four canopies, six executive tables and six dozen plastic chairs for
subsidized rental to church members who may need them from time to
time.

The Odutola’s family continues to worship at the church. The family

is one of the households which participate in the Household Harvest,
the first of which was celebrated in 1992. Every year, a Church
anniversary is held in July. It usually entails lectures and a revival and
a special service; in 1990, a “Love Feast Fellowship” was held to
mark the occasion. Every June 16, the Odutola family also worships
in the church to celebrate Chief Odutola’s birthday.
Many would easily assume that members of the Odutola family are
given a preferential treatment whenever they attend the church. This is
not the case. The Odutolas who attend the church, every Sunday, have
no special seats. There are even no special seats for anyone at all, the
congregation is treated as equal before God.

The church continues to grow. It has been fully integrated into the
Anglican Communion. It is, for example, a favourite venue for many
programmes in the diocese, some of which include the first ever Ijebu-
Ode District Churches Council meeting (December 11, 1991), a
diocesan service conducted in the church as part of activities marking
the celebration of the third Jubilee of re-planting Christianity in
Nigeria (January 6, 1992), Ijebu Diocese Evangelists Seminar
(February 13 – 15 1992), Mother’s Union Annual Conference, The
National Council of Anglican Youth Fellowship Women’s Forum
(May 1-3, 1992) and the 12th Anniversary of Christ Morning Star of
Nigeria (November 22, 1992). In 1993, the Choral Group of the
church waxed an album Jesu Olugbala, the dedication and launching
of which was performed by the Diocesan Bishop of Ijebu, the Rt. Rev.
A. S. O. Olowoyo.

Even without Chief Odutola, the church’s future is secure. It will

remain one of the major institutions bequeathed to posterity by a
businessman inspired by the fear of God. Many years after, the angels
continue to sing.
 Chapter Six

Homecall
After summer comes winter. Summer had been truly bright, sun
had stood in the sky, standing still on nearly all occasions. Now, it
was winter. What a glorious winter it was. The patriarch,
trapped by the infirmity of age, still looked around, and saw
familiar faces from the past. Everyday, visitors trooped in and out.
Corporate institutions seeking patronage, newspaper men seeking
interviews, government officials seeking, counsel, children,
grandchildren, great grandchildren, biographers... It is no longer
a lonely world... fewer faces from the other age truly but the new
replaces the old. SOOI?, it would be time to return home. Soon,
the patriarch would sleep, and bid farewell to summer, winter and
all that. 7he living would bow their heads. 7hey would rise and in
one voice pay obeisance before the dead.- And the heavens will
shower forth to herald the close of a life, of an age, of a season...
Kabiyesi! What a life, so richly blessed.

Adeola Odutola spent his last days in partial retirement. Since 1981,
he had been affected by the stroke that would mark his gradual
withdrawal from active service. But still, till the very end, it was a
mark of the kind of man he was, that Odutola remained hardworking.
He had built himself up holding certain values as sacred. These
include, not necessarily in order of importance, cleanliness, Godliness,
trust, industry and generosity. As an old man, whom everyone
referred to affectionately as Papa, these were values which Odutola
continued to cherish. For many years, he insisted on being driven
round Ijebu-Ode, at least, once a week. During such trips, he visited
all his companies and Adeola Odutola College premises. He visited
persons and exchanged pleasantries. It was an old habit that had
refused to die. The Odutola empire had been built through direct
personal supervision. Even in old age, Odutola wanted to keep an eye
on all things. He received and read reports from various quarters, and
gave directions as necessary.

But age, for ever is, a progressive curve. With time, the patriarch was
confined to Onibudo House, Still, he remained active. At an age when
many old men would have become a nuisance to everyone around
them, Odutola was a source of delight. He remained committed to an
orderly life-style. He still woke up early and slept late. In his service
were a number of assistants: two nurses, three doctors, a washerman, a
telephone operator, a bank contract person, a personal secretary, and a
house househelp. The attended to all his needs. Even they were
continuously surprised at their employer’s presence of mind, at such
an old age. He could no longer go to the farm as he used to as a
septuagenarian. He also could no longer across the country and
overseas. Yet, he kept a busy schedule. Every other Wednesday, the
Vicar of Adeola Odutola (Anglican) Church came visiting and held a
communion service with the founder, and benefactor of the church,
the Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians. Every first Thursday of the month,
the Odutola siblings, together with their children and grandchildren,
reported at Onibudo House to spend a day with their father, in what
became a grand family re-union, on a monthly basis. When Odutola
was no meeting with the church or with his children, he held meetings
with his personal staff, or with old students associations of Adeola
Odutola College, or representatives of associations from the local
community. Not even for one moment was he forgotten.

As old as he was, he still received invitation cards to wedding

ceremonies and birthdays. He acknowledged every invitation. He
could not, of course, attend in person, but his generosity knew no
bounds. Every Christmas, he sent gifts to friends and acquaintances.
Every year, he enveloped money and sent packages of biscuits,
products of Odutola Foods, to a long list of people. On January - 1,
1995, he instructed that seven cows should be slaughtered for all
chiefs in the districts and elsewhere.

He also spent much time consolidating plans for the transition of his
business empire to a new phase, after its founder. He had involve two
of his sons, Oladipo Odutola and Olufunmilayo Odutola, in the
running of his businesses since he himself could not pay personal
attention to the vast empire as he would have wanted. He was,
however, concerned about management. He wanted the various
companies to be professionally run. He knew that, although many of
them appeared not to be thriving, due mainly to his absence, they were
nevertheless viable. He was determined to re-activate them. In 1994,
six of the companies were converted to public liability companies:
Odutola Tyresoles Company Limited, Odutola Stores, Odutola Food
Industries, Odutola Tyre and Rubber Company (in Ibadan, and Kano),
and Adeola Farm Estate. The thinking was that, as Public Limited
Companies, these would be managed by outsiders.

Odutola also kept his commitment to the schools and the church that
he built. He gave assistance to the College whenever he was
approached. For the elementary school, he built a new set of class-
rooms. He gave the church money for general maintenance, and laid
the foundation for the building of the reception hall. In 1992, when he
turned 90, it was as if he had not gone into retirement. His birthday
was celebrated nationwide. Kapital Advertising Ltd., Ikeja, did a
spotlight feature on him in The Daily Times (June 16, 1992) titled
"The Ogbeni Oja is 90", M.C.K. Ajuluchukwu, the politician cum
journalist, wrote a tribute: "Odutola at 90" (Sunday Times, June 28,
1992), The Guardian published "Adeola Odutola: The Titan at 90",
June 27, 1992, 7he Sunday Times went a step further: it published
both a tribute and a rare interview with the 90-year old - celebrant:
"Odutola, at 90, goes down memory lane", and "Odutola Man of
Honours" (Sunday Times, June 14, 1992). 7he Daily Times wrote in
its June 19th, 1992 edition:
 Adeola Odutola at 90

The Ogbeni-Oja of liebu-Ode, Chief Adeola Odutola, a foremost

industrialist, educationist and philanthropist attained the age of 90
on June 16. In a continent where life expectancy is still less than
50 years, it is indeed a great phenomenon to reach that ripe, old
age. In Chief Odutola's case, however, it is more than longevity
that Nigerians and his family are celebrating.

His early start in industry, the steady and conscientious growth and
the eventual attainment of the status of one of the first to go into
industrialization call for eulogy. He started from the small
business of palm produce, cocoa purchasing, and little exportation
of same to the United Kingdom and the United States, coupled
with a little mining and timber trade. Chief Odutola was able to
sustain the business-like culture started by his parents and improve
upon it by building a conglomerate: Odutola Tyresoles Company
Limited, Odutola Tyre and Rubber Company Limited, Odutola
Nigeria Industries Limited, Odutola Food Industries Ltd. And
Continental Breweries Ltd. These created a lot of employment
opportunities for Nigerians. In his diverse endeavours Odutola has
relied on two assets: honesty and hardwork..

Chief Odutola realized quite early that investment in education can

never be measured in terms of naira and Kobo. That was why he
founded the Secondary Commercial College and the Secondary
Grammar School (Olu-Iwa College) in 1945. He later began the
idea of a broad-based education by establishing the Adeola
Odutola Comprehensive High School, Ijebu-Ode. Of late, he
endowed the Universities of Ibadan, Lagos and Ogun with about
N500,000 each for the development of education. Chief Odutola
has also been widely recognized for his philanthropic efforts.

His outstanding qualities have been acknowledged at home where

he has been conferred with the honour of the Order of the Federal
Republic (OFR) in 1966, the Commander of the Order of the Niger
(CON) in 1982, and an honorary Doctor of law degree by the
University of Lagos.
 In 1948, Britain honoured him with the Order of the British Empire
(OBE). Despite this success, Chief Odutola is still an exampler in
modesty and humility. These are values significant enough to earn
the Ogbeni-Oja the status of eminence. Nigeria can certainly made
(sic) do with more of such men of calibre.

Chief Odutola’s children and dignitaries join him to out 90th birthday cake
This recognition by the Nigerian Press continued till the very end.
When Chief Odutola turned 92 in 1994, The Guardian published yet
another tribute: “T. A. Odutola: 92 and still Calling the Shots” (June
25, 1994). And even as late as December 1994, Chief Odutola still
granted audience to newspaper men in what was perhaps his last
published interview: “This is not the Nigeria of Our Dream – Adeola
Odutola” (The News, December 5, 1994). That he was loved by the
press was not in doubt. His achievements and personality had marked
him out, early in his career, as a news maker. And he maintained
cordial relations with the Press.

But perhaps the more remarkable feature of the last days was how,
everyday, he held court at his Onibudo Residence between 4 and 6
p.m. There was hardly a day that he did not have a crowd waiting to
see him. Yet, visitors were attended to by prior appointment only and
at specified periods. This writer was reminded on more than one
occasion, not to fail to turn up on time. Chief Odutola hated lateness
of any sort. In his earlier days, he had made punctuality his
watchword, and even in retirement, he would not approve of anyone
keeping him waiting. On one particular occasion, January 13, 1995,
his guests were old students of Odutola College, 1965-69 set. The old
students were celebrating their 25th anniversary, and they had booked
an appointment to see their proprietor. They were given 4.15 p.m. on
the appointed day, with strict instructions to arrive on time. Led by
their former Principal, A. S. Odutola, they arrived around 4:00 p.m.
By 4:15 exactly, Chief Odutola was ready to attend to them. Those
who arrived two minutes late had to sneak in to join in the prayer
session and the singing of the College song. Before the old students
visited him, Chief Odutola had made prior inquiries about the size of
the delegation, and had sought advice on what- entertainment that
they should be offered.
 At his 90th birthday in 1992, he is flanked on the left by
Former Ogun State Governor, Segun Osoba and right,
Governor Kolapo Ishola of Oyo State

It was such attentiveness to details that sustained him for long. At a

time when he was still busy receiving visitors, and intervening in
public life, many of his age-mates who were still lucky to be alive
would have long given up the struggle. But not Odutola. In what
amounted to a remarkable refusal to quit the scene, he had even in
June 1991, at the age of 89, found time to write a rejoinder to a
newspaper piece, reproduced as follows, for its historical importance:
 De-regulating CBN

I refer to a press interview by the Director-General of the

Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Oladapo
Fafowora in the Sunday Times of 26th May 1991, in which he
advised the monetary authorities to further strengthen the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) so as to enable it perform its functions
more effectively and efficiently.

As one of the founders and first President of MAN, I wish to state

that I share and fully support Dr. Fafowora's views on this matter,
and believe his position is one which should be endorsed by all
responsible businessmen.

If there are abuses and malpractices in the banking sector, then the
CBN should be empowered fully to deal with those abuses. Where
necessary, full penalties including fines and closures should be
imposed on the errant banks.

To suspend the issuance of new banking licences on account of the

malpractices of some banks would in the circumstances lead to
monopolies and undermine the Policy of deregulation which the
Federal Government has adopted with the full support of the
business community. It would affect the banking sector or the
domestic economy itself as it would not promote the competition
much needed in the banking sector.

(Sgd.) T. Adeola Odutola,

Ogbeni-Oja of ljebu-Ode.
The letter published on June 2nd, 1991, speaks for itself. Odutola
lived till the last moment, a life of service. In his last published
newspaper interviews, he was distressed about how horribly the times
have changed, particularly, -in the three main areas in which he had
served and distinguished himself- politics, education and the
economy. He was quick to attribute his success to the abundant Grace
of God and infinite mercy of the Almighty. Many would remember
him, in addition, as an exceptional being. By today's standards, he
had only a little education, but in no way did that become a handicap.
He built on his modest beginnings and became, in a short while, one
of the most remarkable men of his time. He touched many lives, he
transformed many persons. He also learnt to enjoy life. Life was, for
him, a lot of fun; hence, he dispensed humour with relative ease. This
was in keeping with his personal philosophy: there was no task too
difficult to be accomplished, no mountain was considered too high,
and no human being was thought undeserving of help and friendship.

He had participated in the key legislative events leading to the

independence of the Nigerian nation but, even in his personal circum-
stances, he was, truly, a nationalist. He recruited his staff from all
parts of the country. He rewarded not on the basis of ethnicity, but
merit and loyalty. He had no time for sluggards not even if they were
of his own blood. He preached hardwork and perseverance as the
only guarantee of success. He was continuously amused by how the
younger generation tended to take success for granted. Those who
appeared serious he encouraged. He was willing, at all times, to
promote merit. He was also a wise investor, he was one of those few
men with the exact instincts of scientific inquiry. This turned out to
be an invaluable asset: it kept him permanently in the front row.
In 1978, the rumour had gone round the nation, in business circles and
everywhere that Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola was dead. He
returned, soon after, to announce that he was still alive: "I am not
dead. I am hale and hearty. In fact, I returned from a tour of Europe
only last Saturday". He had only travelled abroad on a business trip.
Yorubas have an abiding superstition about such deaths by rumour.
Odutola survived the rumour by a record 17 years. When he died,
April 13, 1995, he was 93 years old. He had lived a contented and
remarkable life. He chose to go in style, quietly in his sleep without
any complications. Every morning, Odutola had summoned the
family to Morning Prayer with a bell, at about 4:30 a.m. That
particular morning, no one heard the bell. Soon, the curiosity of the
household was confirmed by the reality of the death of their patriarch.
Odutola was survived by his brother, Alhaji Jimoh A. Odutola, and,
four wives: Madam Segiloia Odutola, Madam Bernice Adetoun
Odutola, Madam Adunola Odutola and Madam Modupe Adewunmi
Odutola. And 26 children:

1. Ms. Ola ide Odutola

2. Mr. Oladipo Odutola

3. Mrs. Adebisi Bateye

4. Mr. Ademola Odutola

5. Mr. Adedapo Odutola
6. Prof. (Mrs.) Oyinade Olurin

7. Chief (Mrs.) Bisola Okupe

8. Mrs. Folasade Sofola

9. Mrs. Olabimpe Osinaike

10. Pastor Olufunmilayo Odutola

11. Mrs. Adesola Adeyemi

12. Chief (Mrs. Folorunso Adeuja

13. Mrs. Adejoke Fadina

14. Mr. Tokunbo Odutola

15. Dr. (Miss) Abisoye Odutola

16. Mr. Adeboye Odutola

17. Mr. Olufemi Odutola

18. Mr. Aderemi Odutola

19. Miss. Oyeyinka Odutola

20. Mr. Oladele Odutola

21. Miss. Aderonke Odutola

22. Mrs. Aderinsola Onalaja

23. Miss. Adetutu Odutola

24. Mr. Adegbola Odutola

25. Miss. Bolanle Odutola

26. Master Adekoyejo Odutola

To each of these children Odutola had given generously of his time,
care, and resources. He was, to them, a father, a friend and a
confident. Although he wielded the big stick nearly all the time, his
concern had been that the children should be able to stand on their
own. In this, he succeeded. At the time he died, many of his children
were themselves patriarchs and matriarchs of their own families. Only
one child, Mrs. A. Shodeinde, and died while he was alive. All over
the country, preparations for his burial began. Obituary notices were
published in the papers by his brother, Alhaji Jimoh Odutola, and by
virtually every institution with which Timothy Adeola Odutola had
been associated. The Funeral Arrangements which were detailed,
carried a significant footnote, in part, a concession to Chief Odutola’s
personal style: NO NIGHT PARTY PLEASE:

Thus, an age ended. The world will remember Odutola as a fine soul
who combined genius with longevity. He was Ijebu-Ode’s most
important human-resource gift to the Nigerian nation in the 20th
century; and one of the brightest and the best.
 Chapter Seven

What The Press Said

Odutola, was throughout his life and career, a journalist’s delight. His
public speeches were always good copies; they were ever so well
though-out and elegantly composed. His life was also full of drama.
And newspapers love drama. They followed every bit of the Odutola
saga, as myth and legend, and, in several reports, mostly
complimentary, the Nigeria press paid its own tribute to a man who
had become a direct link with the public consciousness. A few of the
reports are reproduced in this chapter, without additional commentary.
They have been selected merely to represent the relationship between
the press and one of the greatest newsmakers of the 20th century in
modern Nigeria:
 Chief T. A. Odutola:
The Business Tycoon With Many Faces
by
Ibrahim Sule
Punch, 17 November 1974

Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode and the

Asiwaju of the Ijebu Christians has an adequate nose for
professionalism and a good sense of integrity. Indeed, the industrial,
economic and social history of the country cannot be completed
without a chapter on this man of many faces. His has been an enviable
career full of drive, devotion, fortune and up-rightness. Tall, 6ft. plus,
handsome, well-built and soft spoken with a pair of glasses to correct
myopia, the Chief was born 73 years ago in Ijebu-Ode. Through
initiative, hard work and steadfastness, Chief Odutola has risen to be
the leading manufacturing entrepreneur in the country today. Chief
Odutola, who looks 40, wakes up at 4 a.m. daily (he goes to bed at 10
p.m) and commutes between Lagos, Ijebu-Ode and Ibadan at least
twice a week. His office at Ijebu-Ode is on the first floor of a modest,
well furnished and imposing building only 90 minutes drive from
Lagos. This site also houses his bicycle tyre-manufacturing factory,
which employs some 600 workers.

Ogbeni-Oja (as his friends fondly call him) has the insight and
capability to move into new areas of profitability at the right times. He
started humbly with produce buying and exporting mostly kolanuts
and palm kernel. He quickly moved to mining. Later he made his
mark on timber and in fact founded the now famous and prosperous
Omo Sawmills before setting up a tyre remoulding business. His vast
rubber plantations (some people put it at 5 miles plus an impressive
cattle ranch followed the setting up of the timber business). The real
task of management in the effective business is that of redirecting or
re-focusing activities towards what are the right economic realities for
today and for tomorrow. His belief is that a business is a viable unit
only if it can continue to be focused into the future. Chief Odutola is
publicity-shy. In fact his chain of companies has no Public Relations
Department. In a country plagued with record waxing in praise of
“Those who have made it” the Ogbeni-Oja is perhaps one of the few
business magnates who have never allowed any record to be waxed in
their names.

Recently, he introduced one of the latest tools management by

objectives (MBO) into his organization. MBO – by the way, is doing
for the management community what Magna Carta did for the world.
That is, MBO returns to the subordinate, at all levels, the right and the
opportunity to behave and be treated as a human being. Human beings
the Chief believes are not machines indeed his own business approach
is unique in many respects.

About a year ago, he recruited 4 top Nigerian executives through the

Nigerian Institute of Management (N.I.M) into his company. One an
ex-ICI Production Management is now the Manager of his Kano
factory, another an ex-NTC Economist is currently the Deputy
General Manager at the Odutola Nigerian Industries (a N1.5m project)
at Ijebu-Ode; while a third, a former legal adviser to Flour Mills
Apapa holds the post of Secretary/Legal Adviser to the group.

While his Nigerianisation policy progresses, he continues at the same

time, to seek technical co-operation with foreign companies and
individuals. The last time I visited him he had just returned from
Europe where he held discussions with a foreign tyre producing
company on the possibility of a partnership. Chief Odutola has other
faces. For 20 years, he was a legislator in the Western House of
Parliamentary democracy. His dynamic qualities got him into places
and posts. He is a former director of the Central Bank, the Chairman
of the Lagos Stock Exchange, the current President of the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and the Proprietor of the
Adeola Odutola Comprehensive High School with a population of
over 1,800 students – no doubt one of the largest post primary
institutions in the country. He is a patron of many social clubs and
organizations in Nigeria.

Behind all these is a cool, collected and buoyant looking young old
family man whose Sunday is not even free. His castle at ljebu-Ode is
always packed full. The last appointment I had with him was for 2
p.m. on a Sunday. He had just returned from an Anglican Church
service; but waiting for him for a meeting were members of the
Aladura Church, Ijebu-Ode, the Christ Apostolic Faith and two other
economic development organizations in Ijebu-land. Yet, he found
time to attend to all of us in a brisk, business-like and intelligent way.

The real great wonders about him not only revolve around his
accessibility; but, also his capacity for facts and figures as well as his
quick ability for recognizing faces. One of his sons, a German-trained
rubber technologist is currently the Works Manager at Ijebu0Ode,
other sons and daughters are well spread out like daddy into poultry,
rubber plantation, produce, insurance and tyre production. Chief
Odutola is respected in government quarters for his wise advise on
business and he is a strong believer in an export orientation trade. Yet,
he is a man of strong conviction. Immediately after the civil war, he
pressed for a reduction in the excise duty payable on locally
manufactured tyres because of the high import duty being paid on raw
materials needed for locally manufactured tyres.
At that time the tyre business was dull and unprofitable. No one
seemed to take an immediate action As a consequence, he closed his
Ijebu-Ode factory and 1,500 people were out of job. In no time,
everyone saw reason, and the philanthropist – capitalist opened the
gates of his factory again. And, how does Chief Odutola think
businessmen can get results. “Early to bed results in early to rise”. By
8 a.m, he is already in his office going through essential mails or
holding a Board meeting.

Over the years observes the Chief, “I have known too many people
who are not terribly intelligent, but who somehow get things done
slowly and perhaps, not imaginatively, but they get there. Yet too
many able people, who understand much better and see much more
clearly and talk much, more clearly get nothing done. Hence, I have
observed that effectiveness is neither a talent nor an ability. It is a
practice, a habit”. That is a successful director talking. In the words of
my father, you can never tell a successful man that he is making a
mistake. If Chief Odutola has made any, they are surely over-powered
by his myriads of successes to him and Nigeria.
 Ijebu-Ode Goes Gay For Odutola at 90
By
Sunday Olagunju, Assistant Editor,
Sunday Times, 21 June, 1992.

All roads led to Ijebu-Ode yesterday, where an open-air Holy

Communion Service was held in commemoration of the 90th birthday
anniversary of Chief Adeola Odutola, the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode.

The Holy Communion service held at the Onibudo House residence of

Chief Odutola at 11.00am, witnessed the cream of the society, who
had travelled from all walks of life to pay their respect to a great
industrialist and philanthropist. Chief Odutola, who also is the
Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians, had earlier been praised by the head of
the Anglican Church of Nigeria Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye, who
officiated during the ceremony.

Adetiloye has showered encomiums on Chief Odutola for his

dedication, industry, finesse and nicety of purpose, that saw him
through the long but rough road of life. Readings during the occasion
were taken from Job 28:20-28, Romans 12:1-11 and John 15:1-11,
respectively.

Thereafter, the President’s message was read to the congregation by

the chief press secretary to the President, Chief Duro Onabule.

President Babangida has described the birthday as monumental,

especially judging the wide and varied contributions of Chief Odutola
to the development of the nation, particularly his role as a nationalist
during the intervening colonial period.
Describing her father as a strict disciplinarian, Mrs. Adeyemi said all
the children owed him a debt of gratitude because he did not allow his
addluence to spoil them, especially in childhood. “I sometimes asked
my mother whether he was my true father because of the harsh way
we were brought up”, Mrs. Adeyemi said. “We later appreciated such
treatments, particularly when we started seeing the effects in later
life.” She added. On the possibility of any of the children possessing
the great zeal, industry and business acumen of their father, Mrs.
Adeyemi said it might not be possible. “Our father’s shoes, especially
business-wise is too big for any of his children to wear.”
Some citizens of Ijebu-Ode described Chief Odutola as a frank,
humane and nice man, whose presence in the town has brought a lot
of goodwill and recognition.

Particularly, they were full of praises of his pioneering efforts in the

establishment of the Adeola Odutola Grammar School. According to
them, but for such efforts, the story of educational development in the
former Ijebu Province could have been different. Among dignitaries
that graced the occasion were the governors of Ogun, Chief Segun
Osoba, and Oyo, Chief Kolapo Ishola. Others were Chief Duro
Onabule, Chief press secretary to the president, Chief Chris Okubanjo,
Mr. O. Olashore Chairman, Leads Merchant bank, Chief M.C.K.
Ajuluchuku, Mr. Mucheal Omolayole, management consultant and
former chairman of Levers Brothers, Chief Femi Ajayi, publisher, The
Republic newspapers, Prince Lekan Fadina, the managing director of
Equity security Limited, Ambassador B. A. Adeyemi, Ambassador M.
O. Adefope, Chief Ade John, Chairman of the Leventis Group.

Also present were Otunba Funsho Ajayi, OmoOba Tunde Sode

managing director of Cecilade insurance brokers, Chief Oluwole
Omole of Steel Iron Industries, Mr. Onyema Ugochukwu, Executive
Director (manpower and planning) Daily Times, and Mallam Farouk
U. Mohammed, Executive Director (Administration) Daily Times.
 IBB Greets Odutola at 90
Sunday Times, 21 June, 1992

“PRESIDENT Ibrahim Babangida has sent a congratulatory message

to the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebuland and the first Chairman of the
Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, Chief Adeola Odutola on the
occasion of his 90th birthday.

President Babangida said the birthday celebration was monumental in

many aspects, considering Chief Odutola’s various contributions to
the industrial and educational development of the country. The letter
also read in part: “As a nationalist, you were one of the members of
the old Legislative Council who, with fellow compatriots, you play
your part in laying the foundation for our country’s independence.

Also, in the early years of independence, you were part of our new
experiment in democracy when you served as a senator in the First
Republic. Equally remarkable is the fact that you distinguished
yourself as an educationalist by funding several post-primary
institutions. As an industrialist, you displayed your nationalist fervour
by embarking on business ventures all over the country. It was in
recognition of your role in Nigeria’s industrial development that you
were elected the first President of Manufacturers Association of
Nigeria.

Nigeria will always remember your pioneering role in this capacity

especially in respect of the manner in which you blazed the trail of
industrial development in the country. With your great achievements
in this area, you can be rightly called the “Grandfather of Nigerian
Industry.” Indeed, contemporary Nigerian history must acknowledge
your immense contribution to the political and industrial development
of the country.
 Tribute: Odutola At 90 Goes Down
Memory Lane
By
Sunday Olagunju and Hakeem Bello,
Sunday Times, June 14, 1992

On Tuesday, June 16, Chief Adeola Odutola, the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-

Ode, will be 90. A foremost educationist, industrialist and a
philanthropist of no mean dimension, Chief Adeola Odutola has every
reason to be thankful to God for living to such enviable and revered
age. The Sunday Times was at Odutola's Onibudo House residence,
Ijebu-Ode, to have a feel of what it is to be able to live to 90 years.
Here in an interview with the Sunday Times, 'the grand old man of
Ijebu-Ode shares his reminiscence s, especially what it was in
yesteryears, and what precisely has kept him going, even at 90.
Please read on:

Q SUNDAY TIMES: How precisely did you get involved in

business and what has been the motivating factor?

It was not a mere coincidence that I came into business. My father

was one of the first set of businessmen in Ijebuland. His specialty was
palm produce. In a way one can therefore, say that business runs in
the family.

Q. At 90 and having been involved in manufacturing and

commerce for several decades, what is your assessment of the
Nigerian economy, especially the manufacturing sector?

The Nigerian economy has grown tremendously over the years. There
are a lot-of people in business and this is good for the economy. We
have Nigerians in many facets of our economic life - oil, banking, and
manufacturing, to mention a few. They are doing very well and I am
sure they can do better. The cost of doing business has gone up, the
exchange rate has taken a different turn. In fact, today people talk of
millions. However, the purchasing power has gone down. The value
of naira has depreciated a lot and the interest rate has gone up to as
high as 35 per cent. The manufacturing sector suffers from high cost
of doing business as it makes manufacturing sector unprofitable. Most
banks are not interested in long-term investments which
manufacturing sector depends upon and unless we do something in
this regard our vision of an industrial society may not be realised.

Q.- You were once quoted as saying that the Manufacturers'

Association of Nigeria and the, Chambers Of Commerce
nowadays have become Political rather than being involved in the
nitty-gritty of business and technological development of the
country. As one of the founders and first president of the
Manufacturers' Association of Nigeria, what role was MAN
playing during its early days but which the present MAN has
failed to play?

The early days of MAN witnessed few members who are bound
together with common objective of ensuring the growth of the
manufacturing base of the Nigerian economy. MAN was set up to be
a forum for manufacturers to put their views to government. Today
there are many companies with different needs and aspirations. The
circumstances of the early days are not the same as those of today.
The members must ensure that MAN is a relevant body set up for a
purpose and efforts must be geared toward ensuring the growth of our
manufacturing sector, industrial harmony and job creation.

Q., The fall of the naira, you once said, cannot be attributed to the
Ploy of foreigners to keep the country's economy perpetually in
bondage. What can you attribute the fall of the naira to? And
how best can the value of the naira be revised to a realistic level?
The fall of naira is due to many factors. We spend more on
importation of goods than we earn from exporting goods.

We have a high taste for things that we don't manufacture and in most
cases we tend to live beyond our means. We must learn to cut down
on things that are not necessary.

We have not encouraged farming and rural development. Most people

like white collar job and this has resulted in less out-put agricultural
products such as cocoa, palm products etc. we import even our food
and basic needs' We must encourage more use of our local raw
materials.

We must patronize made-in-Nigeria goods and the only way to

improve the output from our industries is to patronize them. The
manufacturers will be able to improve on them and on the long run
lower the prices. We must develop our technological base. We must
ensure that we teach our young ones the fundamentals of industrial
development. We must encourage more export-oriented businesses.
We must have a clearly defined export-oriented policy that will make
it possible for our businessmen to see the world as their market.

Q. One of your most notable contributions to the Nigerian society

has been in the field of education as one of the earliest founders of
a college. What is your vision of a well-educated person? There
has been complaints about the fall in the standard of education.
Is it true that standard of education has fallen? If yes, what can
you attribute this to?

It must be recalled that at the time Adeola Odutola College was

founded, there was only one secondary school in the whole of Ijebu
Province. Today, a number of eminent Nigerians have passed through
the school. I believe that investment in education cannot be measured
in naira and kobo. My- vision of a well-educated person is that of a
man who is able to use his education to benefit the society. He 1-nust
give to the society more than he gets from it. He must see himself as
a lucky person who by his education and discipline is in a privileged
group. He must therefore, be honest and in all things, strive to make
the society a better place.

All these have changed in recent years. Even parents in the face of
the new revolution in working habits (necessitating the absence from
home by both parents) have paid less and less attention in monitoring
the progress in any of their wards at school. The resultant decay in
discipline has brought about the present fall in standards. We can turn
this round again if we give teachers greater incentive as was done few
days ago in respect of university dons. Now is the time to have a
closer look at conditions in the post-primary institutions as well.

Q: As early as 1977, you were reported as calling for the breaking

of government monopoly of public utilities. How do you now feel
since your advise seems to have been headed by the government
through the present privatization and commercialization policy?

I think it is good that the government has embarked on the

privatization exercise which I have no doubt is good for the country.
The government's role should be to provide infrastructure - road,
water, industrial estates etc - and the businessmen should be able to
use their initiative and entrepreneurial skill for building the
appropriate businesses for employment creation, paying taxes and
developing the society through wealth creation.

Q: Looking at the operational modalities of the financial

institutions in the country today as well as the cost of obtaining
funds, would you say the climate is favourable enough to long-
term industrial investors?
The present environment needs to be re-visited. We must make
investors happy. We must appreciate that people are competing for
the same investment and as such we must be very competitive by
creating conducive atmosphere, granting attractive incentives and
selling the good things about our country.

Q. What steps can be taken to encourage genuine manufacturers

and uplift the production capacity of the country?

By providing more facilities, we must see that electricity, telephones

work and less bureaucracy - minimising the time of getting approvals.

Q: How will you describe the state of your business empire

today?

My business is not in bad shape.

Q. What is your advice to young aspiring entrepreneurs?

They must be hardworking and honest. There are tremendous

opportunities for young and aspiring entrepreneurs. The sky is the
limit.

Q: What will you attribute your long life to?

The abundant grace of God and infinite mercy of the Almighty.

 Profile - Odutola: Man of Honours
By
Sunday Olaogun and Hakeem Bello
Sunday Times, June 14, 1992

Born on June 16, 1902, at Ijebu-Ode to Mr. Sanni Odutola Seyindemi

and Mrs. Sabinah Otubajo Odutola, both traders one easily sees that
Chief Odutola's ingenuity in businesses in later years has precedence.
He completed his secondary education at Ijebu-Ode Grammar School
in 1920 and by 1932, 12 years later, Chief Odutola was already neck
deep in big-time businesses.

At age 30, he set up his own business, trading in palm products and
cocoa, exporting those products to USA and Europe. Simultaneously,
he was also engaged in gold mining and timber business. Within a
period of 30 years, he set up five flourishing businesses upon which
his success in life and as an industrialist was based. These are
Odutola Tyresoles Company Limited. Odutola Nigerian Industries
Limited Odutola Food Industries Limited and Continental Breweries
Limited. It is often said that business and politics are one side of the
same coin, meaning they are intertwined. No doubt, Chief Odutola's
pre-eminence in business could have had its genesis and fundamentals
right from his public service. For example between 1922 and 1993,
he served in the Tax and judicial Departments of the Ijebu Native
Administration. His brief spell in the Tax and judicial Departments as
then constituted during the colonial period, could have fired Odutola's
later day interest in politics.

A man of many parts, his interest in politics as epitomized by the

various positions he held within the polity of the period, could have
been enough to cause divergence and drift from his business callings,
yet this was not to be. Between 1945 and 1947, he was a member of
the Local Government Council representing Ijebu Province in the
Legislative Council. He also represented Ijebu Province in the
Western House of Assembly (1947-50), elected member of the
Western House of Assembly (1956-59), member of the Senate, Upper
House (1960-64) and a member of the Constituent Assembly(1978).
Perhaps, Chief Odutola's foremost contributions to the growth and
development of Nigeria was in the field of education.

In 1945, he established the Secondary Commercial College and the

Secondary Grammar School (Olu lwa College). Because of his
immense interest in education, he has also endowed the universities of
lbadan, Lagos and Ogun State with about N500,000 each for the
development of education. Chief Odutola also shares his professional
and business skills by getting involved and participating in
professional organisations. For example, he was the founder and first
president of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, as well as a
past chairman of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. He has also served as
a director of the Central Bank and the Nigerian Industrial
Development Bank (NIDB).

Given the very impressive and exemplary life of Chief Odutola, a man
of his sort deserves whatever accolades and honours that the society is
ready to bestow on its citizen, whose life epitomizes the best that
humankind could give. Thus, it is little wonder that Chief Odutola's
life and times remain decked with many honours, both nationally and
internationally. On the international plane, he was honoured with the
Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1948. Back home, he was
conferred with the honour of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR)
in 1966 and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 1982.
He has also received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws of the
University of lbadan. A life that is well spent needs no belabouring
and so, it is with the life and times of Chief Adeola Odutola, the
Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode.
Many Happy returns.
 Work For Nation’s Progress:
Odutola Tells Nigerians
Business Times, 19 June 1990

Chief Odutola, the Proprietor of Adeola Odutola College in Ijebu-

Ode, Ogun State has called on Nigerians to contribute honestly and
faithfully towards the success and progress of the country.

He said that no contribution was too small to make and advised that
“Whatever anybody has power to contribute for the country, let him or
her do it for the benefit of the country and the fellow citizens.”

Chief Odutola made the call, when he received members of the old
students of his college who had paid the traditional yearly homage at
his Onibudo residence during the celebration of his 88th birthday and
45th anniversary of the college at Ijebu-Ode, over the weekend.

He said that he was always very happy and delighted about the
progress and achievements of some of the old students of the college
and thanked them for their assistance towards the development and
progress of the school at all times.

Chief Odutola, who is the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode and the Asiwaju

of Ijebu-Ode Christians, advised the students to be good citizens and
let the welfare, success and progress of their country and the college
be paramount in their minds at all times.

He thanked the students and all others, who had expressed concern
over his health which he said was now improving and assured them
that he would not relent in his efforts to make the college one of the
best in the country.
He charged them: “Equally, each and every one of you should not
relent in your efforts to see to it that you render any possible
assistance towards the development and progress of your cherished
college at anytime.”
 Odutola Signs N.5M Trust Deed
Sketch, 21 Sept. 1989

The endowment of N500.000 professorial chair in business

administration made by the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode, Chief Adeola
Odutola at the University of Lagos has been described as yet another
example of the great love and dedication to sound education.

A renowned educationist Professor C. O. Taiwo, made the remarks at

the ceremony marking the signing of trust deed for the chair held at
the Onibudo resident of Chief Odutola in Ijebu-Ode on Tuesday.
Professor Taiwo noted that the endowment like other contributions
made by Chief Odutola reflected his conviction about the need to
assist educational institutions in advancing the frontiers of learning. In
his speech, the vice chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor
Nurudeen Alao expressed deep gratitude to the donor. Chief Odutola
later signed the trust deed, which was witnessed by one of his
daughters, Professor Oyin Olurin, while Dr. A. A. Omotoso, the
university registrar, witnessed Professor Alao’s signature of the
document.

Present at the brief but impressive ceremony were the deputy vice
chancellor, of the university Professor A. A. Adeogun, the deputy
registrar (information) Mrs. Modupe Adeogun Professor G.G.O.
 Development Plan
By
Joe Odede
National Concord, 15 July 1980

A NIGERIAN Industrialist and President of the Manufacturers

Association of Nigerian. Chief T. Adeola, has called for a study of the
engineering implications of the Fourth National Development Plan.

In a keynote address to the Nigerian Society of Engineers during the

opening of a two-day National Seminar on Industrialization Policy,
Chief Odutola said this was necessary so that it could be matched with
the engineering resources that existed now.

He said it would also help to determine the technological gap that

existed between the country’s plan objectives, plan target and
available technical competence.

“This gap will describe not only the weak points in the plan, but also
the positive areas in which we have to direct our training efforts for
future development”. Chief Odutola emphasized.

In the address read on his behalf by Executive Director of the

Association Dr. U.O. Eleagu, Chief Odutola opined that there was a
way that technology could be introduced, which, rather than lead to a
national approach to production, turns technology into an object of
mystification. Chief Odutola contended that in the past national
Development Plans, there had been a dichotomy between agricultural
development and industrial developments.

“Both seemed to move in parallel lines that do not meet whereas both
ought to have been so interwoven that industrialization’s first fruits
would increase production of agriculture”, Chief Odutola pointed out.
He said that agricultural expansion would not go on unless there was
industrial development. Such an industrial development would take up
the manpower released by modernizing agriculture, and provide a
solid technical base for, the equipment and services essential to
modernize agriculture.

“This is where industrialization should begin and is precisely what we

have left undone in Nigeria”, Chief Odutola told the engineers.

He observed that at present, 70 out of every 100 Nigerians were said

to be engaged in producing food whereas in advanced industrial
countries, the figure was in the region of 16 farmers to 1,000
inhabitants.
 Odutola Warns The Nation
By
Taiwo Okutubo
Daily Times, 7 Dec. 1977

"An industrialist Chief Adeola Odutola yesterday advocated breaking

government monopoly of public utilities.

Most of the public services, such as the Posts and Telecommuni-

cations, the Airways and NEPA could be run efficiently by the private
sector, he said. Chief Odutola, who was contributing to the debate on
the constitution yesterday, mentioned countries where such a practice
is obtained.

A nominated member, the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode said once there

was competition, there would be efficiency in the public services.
Chief Odutola said that Nigerian leaders had always travelled
extensively to the developed countries and seen what operated there
but to his dismay, there had been nothing to show that they had gained
anything. He submitted that the country's economic policy should be
open and participatory. And if there was any public utility that could
not be run efficiently by government functionaries, the private sector
should be allowed to run it side by side with the government.

Chief Odutola gave his blessings to the executive Presidency, but

warmed against putting too many powers in his hands. The president
should not run more than one term of once. On Sharia Court of
Appeal, Chief Odutola called for religious tolerance and caution. He
said no attempt should be made to create disunity through the
protection of any religion by law. Let the judicature provide judges
versed in Islamic Law in the Federal Court of Appeal and post them to
dispense justice where appeals from Sharia court arise. He said this
would avoid a dual legal system for the country. Chief Odutola also
spoke on oil and warned the nation that we could be in trouble should
the wells dry up.

He said Nigeria was an agricultural country and in the past, the nation
earned almost all her foreign exchange on export produce. Chief
Odutola said it was by providence that the nation became lucky and
struck oil and other minerals which now earned her foreign exchange.
"But the time is bound to come when the wells from which we
produce this oil will be exhausted and unless we make good of the
money earned from oil now to develop this country and provide for
the basic needs of the people, we shall find ourselves in a difficult
situation." He suggested the setting up of industries to ward off such a
situation. Chief Odutola said it was sad that official support had not
been encouraging. All the infrastructures needed for serious
industrialization of the country were hardly available.

The basic requirements before anybody can think of industrialization

in any country are uninterrupted electric power and regular flow of
water.

Chief Odutola said although the country claimed it would supply

electric power to some neighbouring countries, the supply at home
was less than satisfactory. He said many industrialists were already in
serious difficulties because of incessant power failures which had
been damaging their machines and making business unprofitable. He
said what was annoying was that these companies and industries could
not ask for damages because the utilities had been unduly protected by
law.
He argued that if people who were responsible for the supply of
electric for power for both industrial and domestic use were made
liable for any unjustifiable misdeeds, they would be much more
careful in their duties. On education, Chief Odutola said that every
child should be able to go to school of his or her choice. The idea of
sending children to their states of origin was bad and could defeat the
very aim of uniting the country.
 Odutola Xrays Causes of Low Standard
In Schools
By
Dapo Aderinokun
Punch, 22 June 1977

Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode has

blamed the poor results in schools on inadequate provision of teaching
personnel. Chief Odutola who was speaking at the 32nd Founder’s Day
Anniversary of Adeola Odutola said he did not altogether share the
view that the causes of the present low standard in schools was
entirely that of the students.

He said that the lack of teaching staff and facilities in classes has
seriously weakened the out-put of the students. Citing his school as an
example, Chief Odutola said that before the Schools’ State Boards
were created, “the college never suffered any lack of adequate
teaching force”.

He pointed out that since the Boards were created, the teaching staff
of the college had always been short. He appealed to the Federal
Military Government to ensure that suitable and steady teaching staff
were made available for students, especially the finalists.
 Inflation For Years Ahead
Daily Express, 27 Feb. 1976

INFLATION in the country is likely to persist as a nagging problem

for some time to come so predicted the president of the Manufacturers
Association of Nigerian (MAN) Chief Adeola Odutola yesterday.

Chief Odutola who was addressing the opening of the association’s

fifth annual general meeting in Lagos said the inflationary trends
could continue for so long a time because of poor harvests in Nigeria
and other parts of the world.

In the address the President also predicted that in view of the recent
demands made on the association’s members by their employees
especially in regard to enhanced fringe benefits the costs of labour is
likely to increase. Said the chief:

Although we have made the association’s views known to the

government through our budget representations and through the
Anti-inflation Task Force a lot of mis-understanding still persist in
government circles with regard to the nature of inflation now
raging in Nigeria.

Chief Odutola expressed the belied that a policy based on the coercion
of the private sector would not benefit the country, it can only succeed
in killing “the goose that lays the golden eggs” he added.
 Personality of the Week: The Symbol of
A Rare Breed
Business 77mes, 23 Dec. 1975

"We had just come from a luncheon party honouring Chief Timothy
Adeola Odutola on his retirement as the president of the Council of
the Lagos Stock Exchange, to his Lagos residence at Ajasa Street and
having heard all the tributes paid to the chief by members of the
council, the first question I asked was naturally: "How did you begin?
Begin seems a very apt word in any discussion of Chief Odutola's life
because, in his lifetime, he has pioneered so many things. But to
begin where it all began, we will have to return to Ijebu-Ode of 1902
where he was born.

After his education at the Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Chief Odutola

came to Lagos in 1921 and worked briefly as a clerk in the Nigerian
Government service. Back to Ijebu-Ode the same year, he took a job
in the native administration. It was while there that he started
business on part time. In 1932, he resigned his appointment to start
produce buying, which was also his father's line. The business
expanded so fast that he was soon selli4g produce direct to foreign
firms like U.A.C., John Holt, etc, and even exporting his goods to
overseas markets, on his own account.

But when the marketing boards were established and most of Nigeria's
agricultural export produce scheduled, Chief Odutola, was one of the
first to realise that produce buying business had little furture for
private enterprise. Perhaps he was not the only one who realised that,
but his next step made him unique indeed. He moved into industry,
establishing a tyre-retreading factory at lbadan and later at Kano and
Onitsha. His was not only the first tyre retreading business in Nigeria,
but it was also the first modern factory owned by a Nigerian.
The business has grown of course, and today manufactures motor
vehicle and bicycle tyres. But that decision long ago, to establish the
tyre retreading factory can be described as the beginning of Nigerian
participation in industrial production. And today Chief T.A. Odutola
remains the symbol of that almost rare breed of Nigerian businessmen
who engage in production as distinct from distribution and commerce;
and on whom the future of this economy on the long run may depend.
Not surprisingly, Chief Odutola is the president of the Manufacturers'
Association of Nigerian, whose indigenous membership is gradually
increasingly. Odutola, as President of M.A.N. says; 'The future is
bright... only if we have the support of the Government'

"It's true that the country has money now, but in the longer run, oil
will finish while industry will not." But Chief Odutola is not only an
industrialist. He is also a farmer and a school proprietor. Talking
about the farmer, he says: "I have always had the urge to do farming
myself."And about the latter the high standards which the Adeola
Odutola Comprehensive School, Ijebu-Ode, has maintained since its
foundation in 1943 are eloquent testimony. Handing over the school
to the Western State Government recently, he refused compensation,
asking only that the government maintain the standards already
existing in the school.

And now we return to where we started, Chief Odutola's retirement as

president of the Lagos Stock Exchange. Chief Odutola has been a
member of Exchange since 1962, almost right from its beginning. He
has been honorary counsellor of the Exchange since 1965, and
chairman of the council from 1972 - the crucial years of the
Indigenisation Decree. In taking leave of the council, Chief Odutola
says: "Time has come when younger people should be brought in to
serve the exchange" and to Nigerian businessmen he advises them to
be straightforward and honest, that they should be buying and selling
at the ruling prices.
"At times you may lose, and things may be difficult, but the good
name and the respect will be there." Chief Odutola who when I asked
his age said: "Not as old as you" (the writer is 34) is not retiring from
business yet, nor from his other public commitments even though he
is actually 73.
 Odutola Advocates Women’s Active Role
In The Society
New Nigerian, 17 Nov. 1975

“The Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode, Chief T. A. Odutola, ahs appealed to

all women in the state to use forum of the International Women’s
Organisation to take active part in the social, educational economic
development of the state.

Chief Odutola, who was speaking at Ijebu-ode during the celebration

of the International Women’s Year in Ijebu Division, stressed the
importance of women in the society. He implored women to spend
their money on the education of their children, rather than waste such
money on social ceremonies. Chief Odutola further urged them to
give their children sound home training alongside with classroom
education. He commended the efforts of the organizers of the
celebration in Ijebu Division. The celebration which lasted three days,
featured laying of wreath at the Obanta monument, cleaning of Ijebu-
ode, a novelty football match and dancing round the town.”
N2,000 Annual Award For Research Purposes
Daily 77mes, 12 March 1974

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria intends to encourage

research aimed at improving our local products through an annual
award of N2,000 for five years beginning from this year.

This was disclosed by Mr. Jegede, secretary of the association while

delivering his opening address at the Made-in-Nigeria Exhibition on
behalf of the president of the association, Chief T. Adeola Odutola.

The following is the text of the speech:

Honourable Commissioners, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I

speak on behalf of the President of the Manufacturers Association
of Nigeria, Chief T. Adeola Odutola, who is unavoidably absent at
this opening ceremony.

This exhibition, the opening of which we are here to witness, is the

joint effort bf the Daily Times of Nigeria Ltd. and the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and is the culmination of the
efforts of my association at promoting the patronage of products
manufactured in Nigeria.

My Association's Made-in-Nigeria Campaign was launched with

three main objectives in view : Firstly we wished to show the
public many goods made in Nigeria. Secondly, we wanted to
make the general public more aware of the factors affecting
manufacturers in Nigeria; and thirdly we wished to foster closer
co-operation between manufacturers, consumers and Government
functionaries.

The two slogans of the campaign summarise the pre-requisite of

the success of the campaign and also stress the campaign's ultimate
goal. The first slogan "together we can make it" intends to show
that the campaign will succeed only through the marriage of the
 following factors:

♦ The faith of the manufacturers who have risked their capital and
know-how to set up industries in Nigeria.

♦ The pride of the Nigerian workers in making first-class products.

♦ The patriotism of the Nigerian consumer in ensuring adequate

domestic demand for goods made in his home country, and

♦ The backing of Government through fair Industrial laws and

adequate incentives to manufacturers.

The second slogan "made-in-Nigeria and proud of it" is urging us,

whatever our positions, to take pride in products made by our
fellow Nigerians so that, in the ultimate, our products may by their
quality, and pricing command the patronage of foreign consumers.
Only thus can we enhance the greatness of Nigeria as an industrial
nation.

The first stage of the campaign took the form of a newspaper

supplement and of illustrated literature directed at leaders of
thought and opinions. That first stage cost my Association
N22,000. We consider this exhibition as the second and most
important stage displaying as it will, some of the actual products
manufactured here in Nigeria.

Since high quality is essential to the acceptance of our products by

the consumer, my association intends to encourage research aimed
at improving our local products through an Annual Award of
N2.000 for five years beginning from 1974.

Since the Made-in-Nigeria campaign and exhibition are aimed at

ensuring Nigeria's industrial greatness, my association through this
medium is appealing to the Trade Unions to educate their members
on the importance of quality and patronage of the products made
by them. Only thus can the workers themselves ensure their
continued employment. We of the Manufacturers Association of
Nigeria also hope that our government will between this exhibition
and the 1976 international Trade Fair continue their efforts to
promote industrial growth and use their information media to back
up the success achieved by the private sector in the campaign for
patronage products made in Nigeria.

Honourable Commissioner and distinguished guests, I welcome

you on behalf of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and
hope that you will, in the course of viewing the products displayed
at the exhibition, feel satisfied with the progress so far made by
Nigerian Manufacturers.
 Brain Behind It All
By
Emmanuel Hart
Daily 17mes, 25 May 1968

At the age of 60, most men think of retirement. For it is the general
belief in this country that after 50, the energy of the ordinary run of
life is on the decline. It is at this age that most men take things easy.
But it's not so with Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, the Ogbeni-Oja of
IlebuOde and chairman of Odutola Group of Companies. At 66 he is
still bustling with energy and planning ahead.

It can rightly be said of Chief Odutola that he is one of the few

surviving Nigerians who served both in the old Legislative Council
and the House of Representatives (1952-4) the Assembly which set
the pace for Nigeria's attainment of Independence on October 1, 1960.

Chief Odutola now belongs to the class of elder statesmen. Not only
was he actually engaged in the struggle for Nigeria's independence but
he also played a leading role throughout the teething period of
nationhood.

Under normal circumstances, a man who was able to establish two

secondary institutions, can rest assured that he has made worth-while
contributions towards the progress of his fatherland but with men of
exceptional foresight and zeal like Chief Odutola.

Little wonder that 1954 can rightly be described as his golden year for
it was in that year that he was installed the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode
(a post which places him as the Prime Minister of Ijebu-Ode).
Four years later he established his rubber compounding industry under
the name of Odutola Tyre and Rubber Company in Ibadan, at the
same time the idea of establishing the present industry took shape in
his mind. A small incident will serve to illustrate why and how Chief
Odutola got to the top. I asked him when his tyre and rubber
company was set up. He could easily have given me a date but he
called in his secretary who searched the records and gave me the exact
date.

I visited him a day after the announcement of the tragic death, through
motor accident of his son-in-law, 52-years-old, Mr. Oladipo Bateye,
Permanent Secretary, Western State Ministry of Local Government
and Chieftaincy Affairs. Here was a heavy blow which was enough to
demoralise ordinary men, but Chief Odutola went about his normal
business in a cool atmosphere. He was literally at every spot in the
premises putting finishing touches for the official opening of his new
factory on April 6, which owning to the above sad incident, had to be
postponed till today.

By all standards Chief Odutola can be regarded as a wealthy man.

But it is not financial motive that led him to establish the; ₤5OO,OOO
factory at his home town. When I asked him why he had to undertake
the trouble of setting up this ultra modern factory, his answer as
characteristic of him was:

Our motive should be to leave the world a better place than we

found it. We ought to strive-to put back something before we take
the final bow. "During my several visits abroad, especially to
Europe," he said, "I had the opportunity of seeing developed
countries. They were, in the main, efforts of individuals, I am
convinced that for this country to be developed, individual
Nigerians must be prepared to contribute their quota. The
country's development must not be left with the governments
alone.
 Looking back, Sir, which of your various endeavours would you
say has given you the greatest joy and satisfaction - politics,
establishment of secondary institutions or setting up of industries?

Chief Odutola smiled broadly and replied:

My greatest satisfaction in life is the establishment of educational

institutions. I regard all the students as my children and wherever I
meet them, they regard me as their father. What more satisfaction
does a man want in life?

It's difficult to meet Chief Odutola and not be inspired by the man s
dedication, his industry, sincerity and the will to succeed. That he is
embodiment of success is not surprising. The words of Long fellow
aptly apply to Chief Odutola:

The heights by great men reached and kept,

Were not attained by sudden flight.
While they their neighbours slept,
Were toiling onwards in the night.

His successes should be a challenge to the new generation of

Nigerians.
 Others Slept - He Toiled On
By
Bayo Kuku, President-General of the
Adeola Old Student Associadon
Daily 27mes, 25 May 1968

It is often said that "The height that great men reached and kept were
not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their neighbours slept,
were toiling onwards in the night". This famous quotation can well be
applied to Chief T.A. Odutola, whose present achievements in all
walks of life did' not come to him suddenly. He toiled and worked for
them. It is needless to say that he is one of the most illustrious sons of
ljebuland in particular and of Nigeria as a, whole.

He is a benefactor to many sons and daughters of Ijebu who have

from time to time stood in dire need to increase their wealth of
education and so in this instance, he became the proprietor and sole
founder of Olu-lwa College, now called Adeola Odutola College
Ijebu-Ode. It is needless to emphasize the ideals and motives behind
the founding of this great institution. Suffice it to say that Adeola
Odutola College is the child of the big heart of a philanthropist and
this philantrophist is Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, the Ogbeni-Oja
of Ijebuland.

The college is the first voluntary agency comprehensive high school

in Western State and it is, perhaps, the second largest high school in
the whole of the Federation. Among the students who went through
the cog or mill of this institution are one first-class Oba in the Western
State and scores of lawyers, doctors, engineers, chartered accountants,
majors in the army, to mention but a few.
Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola is not a politician in any context of the
word, but a statesman. He represented his own area for many years in
the Legislative Council, in the Western House of Assembly, and
ended up as a Senator in the Federal Upper House.
But when the art of government became turbulent and unscrupulous,
he decided to go back into the industrial arena, in which he has always
been well accustomed. He is a director of many companies,
prominent among these being the Odutola Tyresoles Company
Limited.
The newly founded Odutola Nigerian Industries Limited is also one of
the Odutola Group of Companies. These companies, no doubt,
provide employment opportunities to all Nigerians and have in no
small measure helped Nigeria particularly in the now all-important
balance of trade and payment, in so much as we do not have to import
tyres.
He was also one of the founders of Lagos Chamber of Commerce,
which Organisation served so eloquently as the mouth piece of
commercial interests across the length and breadth of our Federation
and in the great world beyond.
If given three pages in this newspaper to write about the OgbeniOja of
Ijebu-Ode, one will not be able to write nearly enough about the many
good things he has done to help his country and his fellowman.
When the history of this great nation comes to be written, and read by
ages yet unborn, the name of Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola would be
given a conspicuous place. And if he is named a philanthropist,
educationist, industrialist, statesman, and benefactor, they would have
told only a small part of the story because Chief Odutola is all these
things and, indeed, a great many more.
Salutation and three hearty cheers to Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola,
the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode, on this august occasion of the opening
of his first factory in Ijebu-Ode.
 Chief Odutola Honoured
Morning Post, 17 Nov. 1965

One of the distinguished Nigerians being honoured today (November

17) by the University of lbadan is Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, the
Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode. He is to be conferred with the honorary
LL.D. degree in Law for his great contribution to Economic
Development in Nigeria.

When the Prime Minister, Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, as

Chancellor of Nigeria's premier University confers-the award on Chief
Odutola today November 17, he would be doing the Ijebus and
Western Nigerians in particular a rare honour.

For Chief Odutola is one of those rare gems Western Nigeria has been
fortunate to donate to the Federation of Nigeria.

Born on June 16, 1902 at Ijebu-Ode, Chief Odutola is the eldest son of
late Daddy Sanni Odutola Seyindemi and Madam Sabinah Otubajo
Odutola. His father was a trader - dealing in export produce, such as
cocoa, rubber and palm produce. He was not an exporter himself but
as a middle-man buying from farmers and selling to expatriate
exporters.

He had his early education at the St. Saviour's Primary School, Ijebu-
Ode up to 1917 and the Ijebu-Ode Grammar School Ijebu-Ode, 1918-
1920.

At Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, he was one of the early students under

the principal-ship of the late, well-known Nigerian educator, Rev.
Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti.
His early career began with his first appointment under the Nigerian
Government as a Clerk, in the Treasury Department in Lagos in 1921.
He worked for about eight months in Lagos including a very short
service in the Audit Department. He left the service then after
refusing a transfer (even with promotion prospects to Second Class
Clerk) to Minna in Northern Nigeria.

Young Odutola told his European boss then that his mother warned
him not to take up any employment outside Lagos.

The same year-by September 21 - he returned to Ijebu-Ode and joined

the Judicial Department of the Ijebu Native Administration as a Clerk.
(Court. Scribe as it was generally known in those days).

He served the Ijebu NA during these eleven years from 19211932.

During these eleven years he served as Gourt Scribe in almost every
District of Ijebu Province. Mr. Odutola backed by 11 years
experience in administration decided to go into business.

This was not without a purpose. A purpose to use a background of

liberal education and discipline in Native Authority administration to
explore virgin land of the world of modern business. Mr. Odutola's
business life from here is patterned on both the American and the old
European way. A young educated man with a background strong
enough to hold his own in a developing community facing a life of
business with zest and at other times playing a significant role in the
local politics and administration.

The two have gone together for many world leaders leading to
business tycoons and political lords.
The next 13 years saw Mr. Odutola in this double role. But his up and
coming wealth came from business. He used his education and wealth
to serve a critical community.

He started business with export produce dealing in export of cocoa,

and palm produce. He bought them from farmers and sold locally and
abroad. His exports went to the United Kingdom, Germany and the
United States of America. And at the close to this period, he ventured
into gold mining. But as produce magnate he held his own against
some of the biggest expatriate firms by a wide margin. At the same
period, Mr. Odutola while making good progress in the new business
world, started to play a role of leadership in the local politics and
administration of Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu Province as a whole. This was
the beginning of the role of leadership that was to allocate to him a
more significant role both of integrity and eminence on the national
platform in later years.

In 1935, he had been nominated a member of the Advisory Council of

the Ijebu Native Authority. His contributions to debates showed a
deep sense of public service. He asked intriguing yet vital questions.
He later became a member of the Ijebu Divisional Council. Dual
membership of legislatures was abolished. A General Election
followed in 1956. Chief Odutola contested on the platform of the
Action Group and won a landslide victory in Ijebu Central
Constituency into the House of Assembly in lbadan. From 1956 to
1959, Chief Odutola served in the Western House of Assembly as an
elected member.

Early in 1960 (after the 1959 Federal Elections), he was elected to the
Senate (Nigeria's Upper House).
So it turned out that Chief Senator Odutola became one of the few
Nigerians who ever sat continuously in Nigeria's highest Legislative
House under the 1922 Constitution to the time of the Independence
Constitution. He had among his colleagues the present Prime
Minister, Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

And among those who first served with him in the Legislative Council
was the President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, and later in the House of
Representative were in the Northern Premier, Alhaji Sir Ahmadu
Bello and the Action Group Leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

He served as Senator till 1964 December, when he retired into his

business which has both expanded and brought into display the
modern development in large-scale industries. Chief Odutola was
highly honoured both under the Colonial regime and after
independence.

Chief Odutola's industrial enterprises stem from a firm belief that

given the opportunity Nigerians can legitimately rise to the position
where they can provide capital and technical know-how and take
active parts in vital sectors of the country's economic development.
He never failed to impress on the Governments of Nigerian to always
leave those avenues where Nigeria's indigenous capital and labour can
contribute their quota open and free from interference from foreign
acquisitive entrepreneurs.
 Appendix A

The Second Member For The Western

Provinces
(The Hon. T. Adeola Odutola, (OBE):
on The Appropriation Bills
7th March 1950

Your Excellency, we have before us what I can describe as a mild

budget; and we feel heartened in reading the Honourable Financial
Secretary’s Memorandum on the Estimates of the healthy state of our
finances, and also in hearing from him in his Budget Address that the
economic and financial state of the country is good.

I do not wish to seize upon this as an occasion or opportunity for

demanding general tax reduction, but the item I have chosen to speak
on today is one that calls for careful consideration. I refer to the
Companies Income Tax of 9s in the ₤ to which Your Excellency has
made special reference in your Budget Address and which was not left
untouched by the Honourable Financial Secretary in his address as
well. It seems to me absurd that income tax on company’s profit
should be 9s.6d. in the United Kingdom and only six pence less in this
country. It may be of interest to this House to know that people
abroad, anxious to invest their capital in this country, avoid coming
here because of the present excessive rate of company tax. We need
all the outside capital that we can attract to Nigeria for development of
the country, but I can see no hope of our succeeding to do so under the
present condition. This is like killing the goose that lays the golden
eggs; because we are shutting out the only sources from which the
country’s wealth can be increased.
Everything that can be done, I think, should be done to encourage and
attract capital into the country if much needed development is to
proceed: and one way of this is to reduce the company's income tax to
a more reasonable level and, I believe, this is one of the things that
Your Excellency had in mind when you made the following
statements in your lucid address last Thursday. I shall quote from
your own words:

As regards capital, I am not an economist and I touch on the

subject with diffidence. All economic development requires
capital, whether, it is owned publicly or privately, and all capital, I
believe, must come, in the last resort, from savings. I shall leave it
to tile Finance Secretary to explain our present loan position and
prospects, but I know that in general our people have little as yet to
spare for savings so that, apart from the operations of the
Marketing Boards, the courses of raising capital locally are very
limited. IN any case, this country, in common with most countries
in the world, cannot achieve the national income that it requires
merely by utilising its own resources. We must, I suggest, in this
matter make a clear distinction between self-reliance, which is
admirable, and attempted self sufficiency, which is stultifying, and
the negation of progress. We need the capital equipment which
other countries can supply, and we must therefore ensure that
conditions exist which will, attract a flow of capital, whether from
such sources as the Colonial Development Corporation, or from
private enterprise, always remembering that we get our direct
return (I need not remind Honourable Members that company tax
at present is nine shillings in the pound) as well as the indirect
benefits in the form of increased employment and economic
activity. I have been greatly encouraged by tile. new sense of self-
confidence and responsible thinking in the country in regard to this
question of outside capital. Best of all would be joint participation
by Nigerian and overseas capital in the financing of industrial
concerns throughout the country. It is already starting. I look
forward to the time when Nigerians, by virtue of their business
ability, will sit side by side with their European colleagues on tile
Boards of Directors controlling such enterprises. There is already
 ample evidence that a class of-Nigerian business men in emerging
which will increasingly be capable of making a genuine
contribution to the industrial and commercial life of the country.

Sir, I remain corrected, but I understand that the Nigerian Companies

Income Tax Rate is the highest in the whole of colonial territories. It
would seem therefore that we who stand in the greatest need of
outside capital are those who are actually pursuing a policy which
would tend to scare capital away from the country. I am pressing very
strongly that something should be done in this matter without delay.
In high taxation, we are told by the Honourable Financial Secretary,
there is nil virtue, and especially when, in this country it is derived
from one or two sources only.

What I say regarding attracting outside capital applies to local

enterprise as well. There are many people anxious to form small
limited liability companies in this country and to take share in
development, but are scared away from doing so by the present high
rate of Company's Profit Income Tax. I suggest that relief should be
given either by substantial reduction of the present or by introduction
of a sliding scale whereby newly established companies could be
afforded a breathing space while they are consolidating their business.
I can assure this House that there are a large number of small African
business men anxious to form companies, but are kept back at present
by this tax. Think of the large contribution which such people can
make to our revenue if my suggestions are considered. I am prepared
to meet the Financial Secretary for further discussion on this matter,
perhaps we may be able to find some satisfactory solution.

Coming to the subject of development, I should like to deal with the

existing restriction on the importation of American trucks into this
country. I do not think that this country can be accused of failing to
cooperate with the United Kingdom Government at any time in
prosecution of any measures for solving the dollar crisis. In my
opinion, it is a most unscientific approach to try to save dollars by
limiting the very means by which a large amount of dollars could be
earned. Road transport plays a vital part in the economy of the
country. We must evacuate our cocoa, palm kernels and other
products from the interior to the coast. These commodities are, in the
main, dollar earners, and American trucks are the only reliable kind of
vehicles which can be successfully employed for transportation work
on the type of roads that we have in this country at present. The
British make of trucks, as far as experience goes, are simply unable to
stand up to them. If we are to use British make of trucks with any
degree of success, then the condition of our roads must be improved
considerably beyond existing standards. The story of many Africans
engaged in transport business and who have been compelled by
present circumstances to operate their services with British trucks is a
very depressing one. I know of many who have been completely
ruined because the vehicles they are forced to buy earn hardly
anything for them before they go to pieces. This sort of thing gets
people embittered and I have been asked several times, "Why should
Government compel us to buy British lorries when they know very
well these vehicles are not suitable for our roads?" These are things
that help to swell the cry for self-government blindly.

While on this subject, I should like to make reference to the Lagos-

lkorodu, Ijebu-Ode-Benin roads. I cannot think of any more
disgraceful example of official complacency than has been shown in
the progress of construction work on these roads, especially the
sixteen mile stretch between Lagos and Ikorodu which after about five
years still remains uncompleted. We hear the usual story about
certain engineering difficulties. Our Government appears to have
learnt nothing from the last war. In the wary years, people did not
fold their hands and talk about difficulties, if there was a job or work
to be done, they just got down to it and saw it through. I wish all
those engaged in all departments of development, especially in our
present stage, would recapture some of that war-time spirit. It is badly
needed. One can speak with less heat about that section of the road
between Ijebu-Ode and Benin, especially that portion of it, the
construction of which, is being done by the staff in Ijebu-Ode. Work
has progressed with reasonable satisfaction. But it may be said,
however, that this has, perhaps, been the result of much criticism in
the past. This may be so; nevertheless, the staff engaged on this
section deserve some tribute especially when it is considered that they
had not been having the benefit of the equipment and tools which
appear to have been so generously supplied for operation in the
Lagos-lkorodu section of the road. It would appear that officials
attach greater importance to this than the Ijebu-Ode-Benin section. If
this is the idea then the sooner it is corrected the better. In fact, the
latter section of the road is of some economic value to the country
than the former. I have heard reports from various sources that one of
the chief causes of delay in the execution of many important schemes
in the development has been the slowness in delivery of materials by
the Crown Agents for the colonies. This is a story we are tired of
hearing. I have advocated on more than one occasion both in this
House and I remember at the Colonial Conference in London over a
year ago that if the machinery of the Crown Agents Office is too
antiquated to deal with the needs of this rapid moving age, then let us
scrap it and place our business in the hands of some other
organisations which can serve us better. It is to my knowledge that
while work is held up because Government Departments have to wait
sometimes for years, to get their indents executed, private enterprise
seems to have experienced no difficulty in securing a flow Of Supply
of the very materials which the Crown Agents are unable to obtain.
There is also the cry of dearth of engineers, and reading through the
half-yearly report on the general progress of development and welfare
schemes, I noticed that there are more vacant posts of engineers for
various fields than those already filled. Take for instance, there are
only six water engineers reported to be available for work while there
are twenty-five vacant posts, and, I believe, the same thing applies to
road, electrical and mechanical engineering sections of our
development. I understand that the Public Works Department is not
only finding it extremely difficult to recruit engineers but that even
most of those who are now in the service are looking for an
opportunity to give up this appointment for something better
elsewhere. But what do you expect if you choose to treat engineers as
if they are inferior to members of the other professions such as
Medicine and Law; of course, I understand that the Medical Service
has behind it a kind of Trade Union, hence the better conditions which
they enjoy. This, of course, is always like the Nigerian Government
which is prepared only to consider the claims of those who are in a
position to employ force or threat of force to secure their legitimate
dues. In a service whose conditions are far from favourable the
African holders suffer even greater disabilities. I can recall about
fourteen years ago the case of a qualified African Engineer who when
he sought appointment in Government was offered the ridiculous
salary of ₤128 per annum, when other departments were offering a
Starting salary of L400 per annum to men newly qualified. Even now
when some of the earlier prejudices against the profession are
disappearing, one is astounded to hear of a case where there was
reluctance to apply the Harragin conditions to an African recently
graduated in engineering on entering Government service until the
man threatened to resign. I understand that today there are less than
five Africans holding the position of engineers in the Government
service, while there are scores of African Medical Officers and
perhaps the same in the Legal and Judicial Department. The reason is
the more generous conditions provided for members of these
professions in the Government service. We may set out with all the
enthusiasm we can command but the development of this country
cannot be achieved without the service of engineers. As pointed out
by the Regional Deputy Director of Public Works in the Western
House of Assembly recently, the department so readily referred to as
Public Works Department is the only one that carries no super-scale
posts, for instance, the Provincial Engineer's post which, I believe, is
the equivalent to that of a Resident in the Administrative service or
Senior Medical Officer in the Medical, is not a super-scale post. The
duties of a District Engineer or Provincial Engineer are known to be
very onerous and it is no surprise when one learns that an ever
increasing number of engineers are taking advantage of the facility for
retiring at forty-five years of age. It is up to the Government to do
something to correct the position.

In our Estimation of Expenditure, quite apart from other provisions

made under Colonial Development and Welfare Act, provision has
also been made for an amount of E108,200 to be spent during the
years 1950-51 by our Department of Agriculture, a figure which
shows a net increase of ;EIO,501 over what was made available for
the Department last year. Nigerian, we have always been told, is an
agricultural country, and I do not think anyone in this House will
oppose any sum which may be earmarked for Agricultural
Department to carry out its duties to the country provided the people
of the country have an 'y assurance that they will have fair return from
the department for their money. In a Province in the Region which I
represent, more than 90 per cent of the people of that area hardly have
any idea of the existence of Agricultural Department in the country,
and those who do know very little of what kind of work the
department does. I agree that very elaborate experimental works are
being done by the department in its Headquarters in lbadan, but how
many farmers in this country have the time to go to experimental
schools? I think that what we need today is practical demonstration.
We want Agricultural Officers to visit our farmers as much as
possible, and to advise them of what to do to increase productivity.
Agricultural Department should be able to contribute very largely to
improving the condition of our local food supply which is the main
concern of the people of this country today. We have the land and we
have the men, and whatever capital is required, I am sure, will be
made available by the people of this country provided the Department
shows some sign of willingness to help them. One can say, within a
twinkle of an eye, or count on his fingers, how many times an
Agricultural Officer has visited farmers in Ijebu Province during the
last ten years. The people of that area whose main industry from time
immemorial was trade have for some time developed the desire to
farm in keeping with the great need of the country, but unfortunately,
they have no encouragement from our Agricultural Department. I
have more serious complaints against the department which I hope to
discuss with the Director when we meet in the Select Committee.

Your Excellency, it is a pity indeed that in a country like this, such

schemes for the improvement of the daily lives of the people like
water supply and electricity could not be carried out more rapidly.
Water supply certainly should be top priority. We spend large sums
annually in building hospitals and providing other health services, and
yet omit to provide the first essential of healthy existence, good water.
It is a joke, only rather tragic joke, to treat a patient in hospital and
send him back to his village where he has to drink germ-ridden water
only to develop worse diseases than the one for which he has been
treated. Our policy in these matters must be revised. We must
recognise the principles of first things first, which need to be applied
in the whole field of development in Nigeria.

Sir, I would like to bring to the notice of this House a very bad
practice going on in the Western Provinces of the country, which, I
know, if not checked in time, will result into a great trouble. I refer to
the existing arrangements of Government subsidy paid on the
transport of cocoa, palm kernels and other export produce from the
interior to the port. The facts are that this subsidy is not helping those
whom it is intended to help nor fulfilling the purpose for which it was
intended. What I wish to point out is that hardly a single African
motor transport operator is today sharing in the carrying of cocoa,
palm kernels and other export produce from the interior to the port.
He has been ousted from the field by the big Syrian transport firms.
These Syrians have been undercutting rates to a point which rendered
competition by the African impossible. Rates have been reduced to
such a figure that the whole Government subsidy on differential goes
to the European Licenced Buying Agents instead of being passed on
to the transporters as should be the case. Two evils result, one is the
elimination of the Africa, the second is that Government is paying the
tax-payers money for nothing. The more serious, of course, is the
former. It is creating a great deal of bad feeling against not only the
big Syrian firms but the European firms who suffer the greatest loss
from looting, for instance. The Syrian came into this country without
any money, with the help of the European firms he soon amasses great
wealth which he takes away from the country into which he puts back
very little of what he had accumulated. The African will not sit by
and watch his resources being taken away from him by the Syrian
with the aid of the British firms.

We want to see the country developed and we want to see the fruits of
such development shared by those who have title to it; namely, the
British who put their- capital and energy into the process and the
African who contributes his share by his labour and his land. I do
hope Government will look into this matter without delay. When I
was in the United Kingdom in 1948 for the African Conference, I
attended a meeting arranged by Sir Alan Burns and others at the
instance of the Colonial Office, the object of which was to enquire
into the sources of racial ill-feeling and to find ways of promoting
better understanding. To deprive the African of his livelihood is
certainly not the best way of creating better feeling. After all, if a
father in Nigeria is deliberately deprived of the means by which he
could make a decent livelihood in preference to a Syrian or any other
foreigner, he certainly is not going to encourage his student son or
daughter in the United Kingdom to develop friendliest feeling towards
those whose brothers are working against his interest in his own
country. I am asking through this House that immediate steps be
taken to enquire into this complaint.

Another point I wish to emphasise is the need for a bold drive in the
development of productive lines as opposed to the development of
purely social services. At present, large sums are spent in building
such things as hospitals and schools, but there will be a need for funds
for the maintenance of these services and unless the country can
produce more wealth by increased productivity, we shall soon reach a
stage where we find ourselves unable to bear the burden. What is
happening to day is that we are spending our money before we have
earned it. We all know that the consequences of such policy will lead
to National Bankruptcy.

During the Budget Session of this House, in 1948, one Honourable

Member of the House who was then new and not yet used to
Government's way of treating the views of the unofficial members
was compelled by his young experience of the work of the Council to
make the following statements. He said:

Year after year budget sessions are held. Large sums of money are
voted in the estimates for the transport of members to the meeting
place and for paying their attendance allowances. It is now over a
year since I became a member of this House, I can't still see what
efforts have been made by the Government to carry out any of the
demands or suggestions made during the last year's Budget
Session, not even the planting of the coconut tree.
 It is true that government way of doing things is very slow, but it
should be remembered also that we have all sworn that we should
serve our country faithfully and conscientiously, and if we come as
Honourable Members to talk and talk and talk which bears no
fruitful results, then we shall be looked upon by our people as
cheaters who are sent over here to make money at the expense of
the poor rate and tax-payers.

Please let us face facts. Let us speak the truth even if it is bitter.

I do not say that Government is not doing its best to help the
people of this country, and I commend its efforts, but what I do say
is that more weight should be given as far as possible to the point
raised by the Honourable Members of this House during their
speeches. After all, they are the accredited representatives of the
people and their people would expect much from them. I hope this
criticism will be seriously considered by the Government.

There are several comments I would like to make on specific items on

the Estimates of Expenditure, but these I reserve until the Committee
stage.

Your Excellency, I support the Appropriation Bill.

 Appendix B

Address By
The President of The Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria
Chief Adeola Odutola
At The Launching of The Phase Two of
The Made-in-Nigeria Campaign
On Friday, 25th May, 1973
At Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos
Chairman Mr. Calvert, members of the Made-in Nigeria Campaign
Committee, Mr. Commissioner and distinguished guests.

It gives me great pleasure to be here with you this afternoon to launch

the second phase of the Made-in-Nigeria Campaign. I consider the
occasion significant not only because I am the President of your hosts'
Association, but more importantly because the need for increased
patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products is a cause to which every
Nigerian should be fully committed. There is no doubt that the extent
and type of commitment will vary depending on the individual and the
Organisation he represents. It is essential, however, that there must be
coordination of efforts and a greater dedication on the parts of the
various bodies concerned, to ensure increased industrial activities in
the country in the interest of the people of Nigeria. Thus, while the
Federal and State Ministries of Industries are primarily concerned
with the implementation of the government and manufacturers as well
as other bodies to which I will refer later must never lose sight of their
responsibilities for the advancement of manufacturing activities
within the country's economy.
The Manufacturers Association -of Nigeria embarked on this
campaign which has now reached its second phase for three major
reasons: First, to show the public the many examples of high quality
products made in the country and of which they would be justifiably
proud: secondly, to make the general public more aware of factors
affecting manufacturers in Nigeria.

Lastly, to foster closer cooperation between manufacturers and all

bodies, government and otherwise who are concerned with the
advancement of industry in Nigeria. These objectives are well
summarised in the themes of the campaign which are:

Made in Nigeria and Proud of It

and
Together We Can Make It

The first phase of th6 campaign has been concluded. I may, I hope
add that the first phase has been successfully completed. The average
man in this country I believe now appreciates to a much greater extent
the factors affecting manufacturers in Nigeria.

Not only does the manufacturer face difficulty in mobilising capital,

he is also involved in a continuous search for suitable employees. Ile
inadequacies of the infrastructure is a common knowledge and the
reliance of the manufacturers on the limited facilities has been fully
appreciated by no less an important personality than the Commander-
in-Chief, Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria,
General Gowon, as clearly evidenced by the high priority accorded
infrastructure in his last budget speech. I see around me a re-
dedication on the part of the National Electric Power Authority
(NEPA) to improve supplies to consumers, increased activities on the
construction of motorable roads, allocation of funds for improved
water supply, the establishment of the industrial and Commercial bank
and the commencement of informative seminars by the Nigerian
Enterprises Promotions Board. These and other activities will no
doubt improve the circumstances under which manufacturers operate
in Nigeria to the benefit of all parties.

The made-in-Nigeria Campaign has now entered its second phase. It

gives me great satisfaction to present to this select audience here and
indeed the entire people of Nigeria, this brochure which provides in a
pictorial form of the many products made in Nigeria and of which we
should be proud. The brochure does not claim to be exhaustive as
may be immediately obvious to a critical consumer Mention for
instance, is not made of the high quality cement that went into the
construction of many structures like the Eko bridge, the football boots
with which the Green Eagles won the Gold Medal in the last All-
African Games, the beautiful carpets made in Nigeria or Nigerian
cocoa butter and, of course, the wide range of branded foods many of
which have won international awards for quality in various parts of
the world.

This brochure which is being circulated this afternoon will

subsequently go to every part of the federation conveying to the
people of this country a few of the high quality products made by
Nigerian manufacturers. In the next five days and fortnightly for
several weeks, loose coloured insert will be carried by Newspapers in
various parts of the country. The message will reach many Nigerians
and I sincerely hope it will give them greater pride in many things
produced in Nigeria. For too long, many Nigerians have avidly
sought after foreign things in various shapes and forms. Many
reasons have been given for this characteristic which, common though
it is in other countries, has reached frustrating proportions in Nigeria.
The self-denigrating attitudes of some Nigerians which have affected
many locally manufactured products also pervade many other aspects
of our national life.
Whilst the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has embarked on this
campaign to remove as much as possible, some of these
misconceptions, it is hoped the Federal and State governments and
other appropriate bodies will seek other ways and means of drastically
reducing the general tendency among those who still continue to
underestimate the Nigerian capacity. We, as manufacturers, are proud
of many of our products. Those, which have not reached the mark, we
hope, will continue to receive every assistance from institutions such
as the Nigerian Standards Organisation, the Consumers Protection
Council and Research institutions. It is my hope that our message of
"Made-in-Nigeria and proud of it" will mark the reorientation of all
Nigerians, including a higher degree of self-respect in our people.

Distinguished guests, as you all are no doubt aware, manufacturers

cannot claim to be the sole architect of the high quality goods made in
Nigeria. Various institutions have continued to play most useful roles
in the affairs of manufacturers. Apart from the fact that all of us as
consumers foster industrial development through our patronage, each
person present today represents an Organisation to which the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria on behalf of industry is
indebted in varying degrees.

The Nigerian Standards Organisation establishes and will award the

certificate marks - marks of guaranteed quality. The Investment
Centres continues to attract, with many successes, industrial
investments, just as the banks increasingly improve on their level of
assistance to industrialists. In their various roles these and other
bodies perform valuable services for the manufacturing sector.

The institutions least heard of and to which I wish to focus attention

this afternoon are the various bodies involved in industrial research.
Too often research projects have been started without adequate
consultation with local industrialists and on some occasions the
government has sought to increase the utilization of local raw
materials without providing sufficient incentives to both the
manufacturers and research institutions.

In order to forge a closer link with Research Institutions throughout

the country, and to emphasize the significant contribution these
institutions could make with the right support from government and
incentives to manufacturers, I take this occasion which also coincides
with the second anniversary of the establishment of the Association,
to announce that the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has
decided to make an Award of N2,000 each year for the next five years
to any institution in the country adjudged to have produced the most
quality of any locally manufactured product. Thus, a total amount of
N 10,000 will be awarded in the next five years for industrial research
findings of direct relevance to manufacturing activities in the country.
The details of this award have still to be worked out by the
Association in conjunction, we hope, with the Nigerian Standards
Organisation and the Industrial Research Council of Nigeria. It is my
hope, and that of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria that this
award though modest, will serve to stimulate closer cooperation
between research institutions in Nigeria and manufacturers. I also
hope that, it will, in due course, instigate more positive incentives
from the government to research institutions.

The patronage of Nigerian products deserves your full commitment

and it is with the greatest pleasure that I present you all with this
Made-in-Nigeria brochure which marks the next phase of the Made-
in-Nigeria Campaign. I hope the Manufacturers Association of
Nigeria may continue to rely on you and the institutions you represent
to give every assistance to manufacturers and to offer constructive
comments on manufacturing matters as and when the need may arise.

Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen.

 Appendix C

"We Never Had It So Bad"

Being an Extract From An Address
Delivered at The Fouith Annual Conference of the
Manufacturers' Association of Nigetia
By
Chief -T. A. Odutola
March 1975

The situation in Nigeria today is paradoxical. This period looks like

the "best of times" and the worst of times" to borrow a line from
Charles Dickens. To those who have lived through the uncertainties
of civil war and are now privileged to witness an era of buoyant
Government revenues, this indeed is the best of times.

But to those who witness the seeming disregard of businessmen by

some public officers who consider non-oil revenues as of no
consequence, and to those manufacturers who are squeezed between
international cost inflation, shortages of manufacturing materials, the
Price Control Board and now Udoji, this period would look like the
worst of times.

We of this Association therefore consider that the National Economic

Development plan period we shall be entering next April should be
employed first to broaden the base of industry by increasing in our
manufactures the input of local materials.

Secondly, efforts should be directed towards export promotion to

ensure that our industries benefit from the current negotiations on
trade liberalisation in Europe, West Africa, and the rest of the world.
Thirdly, more efforts should be directed in the plan period towards
greater investment in agriculture and agro-allied industries, Fourthly,
the incentives given to industries should be broadened rather than
diminished.

It is on that last suggestion that I shall now speak even at the risk of
appearing critical of the support hitherto given to industry. After
independence in early sixties, we embarked on industrialisation with a
view to diversifying our economy and improving our terms of trade,
replacing imported consumer goods with local manufactures, creating
employment for our educated youth, and imparting modern
technology into our economy. This naturally led to the protection of
our infant industries which needed time to grow while necessary skills
were being imparted to Nigerians.

Without that policy it would have been impossible to attract foreign

skill, personnel and capital to an unexplored industrial territory like
Nigeria of the early sixties. With the intervention of the civil war,
foreign exchange became scarce, the protectionist policy was
reinforced and productive capacities in the sheltered industries were
expanded to make Nigeria self-sufficient in some consumer products.

As soon as the civil war ended, however, the protection given to local
industry was lifted and backward integration of the textile industry in
particular turned sour. Importation of foreign cotton textiles was
liberalised generally. The net result is that the cotton textile industry
has not recovered from the destructive effect of that sudden change in
policy. Not only has it been impossible for many textile mills to repay
the loans raised for their expansion but profit has been wiped out in
many mills.
The protection of local industry would appear to have been followed
also in the breach in regard to the local manufacture of pharmaceutical
drugs and printed matters. Whereas drugs are imported duty free and
printed matters allowed in at low rates of duty the materials for the
manufacture of generic drugs and printed matter are imported at
higher rates of duty.

I have mentioned only two of several instances where the protection

of local industry is not being implemented. My Association wishes it
to be understood that, as happened in many industrialised countries in
the recent past, the policy of protecting infant industries must be
consistently followed for several years before success can be
registered.

It must be also noted that the policy also implies a sacrifice by

consumers. Not only must they put up with slightly higher cost of
local manufactures but they must endure lower quality until the skills
of local labour can be raised.

The case for protection of local industry is further buttressed by the

inadequacy of infrastructural services like water, electricity, the
physical facilities on industrial estates, posts and telecommunications,
and port facilities.

The inadequacy of these services has led to local manufacturers

incurring additional costs in the form of: construction of private water
works and boreholes, - establishment of high-capacity generating
plants and - Organisation of private fire services on estates.

Others are employment of messengers for postal work within and

between towns. Loss of goods and essential parts at ports, - and
payment of freight surcharges for long delays at ports.
The additional costs arising from those basic services not only offset
the value of incentives and reliefs given to local industry but result in
increased prices of local manufactures which are thus rendered
uncompetitive with the goods of foreign countries with better
infrastructural services and export subsidy schemes.

We submit that until the infrastructural services are made adequate

hopefully during the 1975-80 plan period, it would be unwise to
withdraw the protection given to our local industries. Rather, we
would suggest that immediate steps be taken to protect other local
industries like boat building, pharmaceutical, printing trade and metal
fabrication to which adequate protection has hitherto not been given.
 Appendix D

Investment Constraints in Nigeria

An Address By
Chief Adeola Odutola
President of the Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria
At the Annual General Meeting of MAN
23 February 1978

The present administration has introduced a sense of purpose into the

industrial and commercial life of the country and my Association
appreciates the effort that has so far been made in this direction.

The business community of this country of which the Association is

regarded as a prominent member is a vital contributor to the nation’s
economic growth and it is therefore necessary that the Association
should be accorded fair encouragement commensurate with its
contribution.

However, the nation’s economic situation continues to demand the

attention of the association. The Government'’ fiscal and monetary
measures appear to be working in the face of galloping inflation but
with Government'’ current high expenditure on projects envisaged
under the Third National Development Plan, and the harvest of the
efforts under “Operation Feed the Nation” still to be gathered in, and
also with the increasing shortage of essential commodities, there
appears to be a need for a review of the nation’s anti-inflation
package.
We therefore desire that Government will direct the Ministry of
Finance and the authorities of the Central Bank to review the
mechanics of our foreign exchange.

In the midst Of scarcity Of many commodities that consumers need in

the ordinary course Of living, it is sad to observe that most of our
member-companies operate under-capacity because Of fluctuation in
voltage and lack Of reliable supply of electrical Power and water.

Workers forced to be idle during working hours because of lack of

Power are paid for work not done. The productive elements are not
only under-utilised but expensive to maintain. The telephones are
unserviceable and Only last recently there was a report in the paper
that 1,500 telephones in some parts of Lagos State are Out of order.
While there are some manufacturers whose telephones have been out
Of use for more than five months, and yet they are made to pay rent.
Traffic congestion which had eased for some time is building up
again. it is generally believed that an efficient telephone service will
reduce the number of vehicles Plying our roads.

Many member-companies that have gone to the expense of installing

telex machines are unable to use them because Post and
Telecommunications Department lacks both the man-power and the
spare parts to maintain the service.

We solicit Government assistance in providing initial incentive and

support to industries in form of infrastructural facilities.

Recently we were told that because of drought, the water level in the
reservoir at Kainji darn is too low this year for generators to work
normally and that the present Power crisis will be with us for another
six months.
While we appreciate the difficulties facing the authorities in control of
our public utilities, we take this opportunity to re-iterate that National
Electric Power Authority, Post and Telecommunications Department
and the Nigeria Airways should not only be allowed to operate on a
commercial basis, but Should also be divested of the monopoly of
operation they enjoy.

The Private Sector in the interest of the economy of this country

should no longer be barred from competing in these fields.

It is my view and that of my Association that the most workable and

constructive system for our economy is the mixed one in which some
services in demand by the public are supplied by the private sector
and other services which cannot be efficiently supplied by the private
sector are given by the public sector.

You will recall that almost a year ago the Head of State, Lieutenant
General Olusegun Obasanjo, declared this fiscal year now coming to
an end as that of developing Agriculture and Industry as distinct from
the previous fiscal year which was for infrastructural development.

This declaration, was subsequently articulated by the Federal

Commissioner for Industries, Dr. Adeleye, when he asserted on this
platform last Year that the authorities were aware Of the problems
associated with industrialisation in this country and that Government
was determined to minimise some of these problems so as to stimulate
industrial output.

To this end protective tariffs were levied on some commodities and

concessions were granted to some manufacturing sectors. These
measures were designed primarily to make local manufactured goods
more Price competitive.
But whilst these changes are welcome and have nationally desirable
Objectives it is important to note that by themselves they are
insufficient to stimulate investment which as you know is the
purveyor of technology into our economy and a factor we cannot do
without if we wish to Promote industrialisation.

The most powerful check on investment is the climate of uncertainty

generated in the institutional lags experienced in implementing the
commercial and trade regulations spelt out in some of our Decrees,
and the variable and inadequate supplies of such basic services as
electricity, and water.

The resultant effect of these limiting factors is to lower the overall

expected returns on investment and consequently the flow of
investment is hindered.

Perhaps the following examples of some of the factors promoting

uncertainty will help clarify this point:

(i) Delays in obtaining agreement in principle for "pioneer"

and "approved" status when forming a company.

(ii) The lags involved in reaching decisions regarding the

release of foreign exchange for the installment payment
for capital and cost of machinery despite the prior
agreement in principle when initial payments are made.

(iii) The discriminatory treatment meted to foreign investors

who have to file in additional documents for the release
of foreign exchange to enable them to repatriate divi-
dends.
 (iv) The rate of dividend permissible on profit which as of
now, is only 161/2percent.

In our effort to stabilise our production schedules against a

background of fluctuating supply of electricity and water we have
resorted to the provision of stand-by generators and bore-holes. These
alternative provisions are not only expensive but also second-best
solutions.

Hence, we are forced to operate below our normal capacity levels,

with the result that our average production costs have risen to heights
that erode the very price advantages which are claimed to have been
conferred on us through the protective tariffs and concessions.

It is therefore desirable that more effort should be made to minimise

the areas of uncertainty affecting our operations some of which I
would like to mention:

(i) Terminate frustration generally experienced by prospec-

tive investors in this country some of whom often give up
altogether after making fruitless journeys from ministry
to ministry when seeking to establish business by
establishing now the Business Advisory Commission that
would take over all the services necessary for the quick
processing of applications by manufacturers and act as
"clearing house" as announced in the Head of State's
Budget Speech one year ago.

(ii) Give the Pioneering industries 5 to 7 years to take off.

(iii) Reduce to the barest minimum Import Duty on Raw

Materials to be used by manufacturers.
 (iv) Systematic, scaling down of Excise Duty on locally
manufactured goods as against the imported articles
which are often subsidised by the governments of the
producing countries.

(v) Positive action from the authorities that would ensure

that "Made in Nigeria" products such as wire products,
nails, cables, splints for safety-matches, textiles, tooth-
brush, leather and rubber goods that are now plentiful
and of undoubted quality are not subjected to unfair
competition from rival and heavily subsidised products
from abroad.

(vi) Develop pari-passu with demand electricity, water roads,

post and telecommunications. Failing to do so would
not only limit our productive capacity base but also the
size of our market.

Now that the manufacturing capability in the country is increasing

rapidly, it is our desire that the manufacturer should be encouraged to
take a more active interest in the distribution of his products but under
present regulations it is not attractive for him to do so because his
lorry is not permitted to ply back to it base with return load.

It is also desired that accelerated depreciation allowances be granted

on capital spent on manufacturers’ transport costs.

It is our view that the Price Control Board should take into account,
where applicable, unit transportation costs so that more manufacturers
would be prepared to move towards delivered price concepts.
This arrangement should bring closer co-operation between
manufacturers and Price Control Board and also beneficial to curbing
inflation in distribution costs.

In conclusion, we call on government to look into the matter of

industrial decentralisation, which government can readily encourage
by providing the necessary infrastructural support and granting some
measure of relief to new industries sited outside urban centres.
 Appendix E

We Need Incentive From Government

Chief Adeola Odutola
President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
March 1979

As we complete the annual cycle, we find ourselves landed on the

eighth milestone of our Association’s existence. Like Janus in
mythology, we have one face looking back reflectively and another
face looking forward not with temerity but with courage and
determination. Let us look back for a while and reflect soberly on our
achievements and setbacks, on our anticipated economic goals and our
actual accruals.

Let us evaluate realistically our successes in forging a praiseworthy,

profitable and sound economic link between the producer and
consumer, and to the advantage of our national industrial policy.

Let us as industrial agents of our people hold the scales in our hands
and note conscientiously whether we can record a favourable balance
towards a sound national economic growth with out Gross National
product recording an annual growth of 3 per cent or 4 per cent as
anticipated or contrarily record on our scales a regrettable decline in
percentages in our Gross National product to the detriment of our
nation and of our consumers.

We have all tangible evidence that the infrastructure for economic

growth has been further strengthened since our last annual general
meeting. Plans for economic developments are being implemented
and efforts are being made to stimulate and expand the economy.

Can we in retrospect affirm that sufficient has been done to make

adequate provision of the essential posts of an infrastructure that will
sustain the street and strain of sound economic growth?

Last year, at our general meeting the need for improvement to

essential services was stressed – these were electricity, water and
posts/telecommunications services. All of which were described as
woefully inadequate for the efficient performance of the
manufacturing sector.

Do we today experience marked improvements? We are pleased to

observe that the multi-storeyed building for the Nigerian External
Telecommunications Limited has been commissioned let us therefore
expect a multiple performance per excellence from our telecoms
services.

There are other ancillary services and problem areas worth stressing
because they are vital to economic development, a few of which I
should like to mention:

a. Inadequacy of industrial plots;

b. Water supply;

c. Bad condition of roads in many industrial estates;

d. Inadequate sanitation and waste disposal services;

e. More warehousing facilities where necessary.

Then there is the overall National Industrial Policy which seems to be

calling for some overhauling. We have been told that it is
government’s avowed policy to promote self-sufficiency and to
inculcate self-reliance.

These are worthy objectives which demand mobilisation of capital,

but these objectives are only attainable if the right injections are
administered into the system, otherwise no remedy will be effected;
on the contrary the situation might deteriorate. Our diagnoses reveal
the following:

A threatened recession in the manufacturing sector of the economy

brought about the existing attitude to dividend and bonus issues, the
present rigid control of prices, the present policy of corporation
taxation and income tax and also the existing import restrictions.

The unfortunate situation of the manufacturers not getting approved

users status – some being withdrawn without reasons.

Inadequate protection from competition.

No seemingly effective law and order to provide enough protection of

life and property in some of the major cities and towns in the country
which is a very grave discouragement to world-be investors.

Insufficient food production with its resultant increase in import bills

on food items.

Unsteadiness in government’s policy which tends to create a feeling

of uncertainty among manufacturers and investors.

Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has pledged itself to render

whole-hearted support to the Federal Military Government in its
desire to promote the economic development of the nation and the
people through a positive contribution to the Gross National Product.
We would however like to make the following recommendations in
respect of some of the main areas we have enumerated earlier on
calling for improvements.

In the matter of dividend and bonus issues, we do submit that a pay-

out ratio of less than 46 percent gross and 25 percent net does no
provide sufficient inducement for new investment but that differential
rates of corporate taxes and dividends payments be used as further
means of allocating capital into the more favourable areas of the
economy. For example, agriculture and manufacturing.

We recommend more viable price controls which should be

introduced after due discussion of production costs with
manufacturers. Duties on industrial chemical should be reviewed with
the possibility of setting a maximum ceiling of 5 percent ad valoren.
Raw materials for production of confectioneries currently over-taxed
could be given some fiscal respite by lowering import duties on sugar,
glucose, and malt-extract.

It is worth noting that the growth rate in confectionery is not

encouraging because real income has not increased for the past three
years. Manufacturers need the incentive to expand thereby absorbing
more labour and reducing unemployment, while investors also
deserve some consideration. Our recommendation is that projects with
long gestation periods should be given comparable tax free periods.

One of the major incentives which is always expected by industrialists

from government is protection against importation of products which
are locally produced and associated with this is the problem of
smuggling. Every effort has to be made to bring this under control.
Honoured guests, we face the future with high hopes based on the
established rapport between the public sectors and my Association
together with other private sectors. Our Association expects an
established policy or regular dialogue with the government based on
mutual trust, to continued to the advantage of manufactures and
consumers and more important, to the benefit of our common people.

Economic growth would be really meaningful if it results in raising

the standard of living of the average man and not widen the gap
between the haves and have nots. Nigeria is on the verge of great
industrial expansion more so with the establishment of a giant Iron
and Steel Industry.

With that, and many other big projects in the pipeline, we have
reasons to look to the future with hopes that there is a greater
tomorrow for the nation. But that future of our dream will continue to
be an illusion if agriculture and industry are not given their rightful
places in our development planning and budgeting and if, as a nation,
the general malaise of indiscipline is not up-rooted from our socio-
economic life.

Honourable Commissioner, let us all join hands together in this

crusade and with one great pull, to make our nation what we all want
it to be, which is a growing, self-reliant disciplined nation.