His reliability and intrepidity, not forgetting his forensic skills, come from a long line of the highly regarded Patriarch of the much respected Babatola dynasty of Ado – Ekiti, his father, High Chief Daniel Osho Babatola, Omowaiye II, Ejigbo of Ado-Ekiti, the late Baba Egbe Ibukun, and Balogun of Emmanuel Anglican Church (now Cathedral Church of Immanuel), Ado-Ekiti.
All the aforementioned traits ran through his Uncle, the inimitable Chief (Dr) Joel Ehinafe Babatola, renowned educator, community leader, elder statesman, accomplished orator, and a formidable politician who served, meritoriously, as minister in the
Chief Obafemi Awolowo – led government of Western Nigeria.
To the glory of God, the man we celebrate here today, Clement Akinboye Osho Babatola, Principal Partner, Akin Babatola & co, Omowaiye Chambers, even though barely knew his father who joined the Saints Triumphant when he was just 8, and his mother, Madam Hadiza Akanke Babatola, an Ijebu woman, whose only child he was, also passed on when he was 11, happily turned a glorious 80 year – old on 20 September, 2023.
Aba Osho,(Osho being the name given to all male children of the Babatola family) having lost his parents very early, not unexpectedly, had it tough, growing up. But as he narrated his life story to me, with joy and gratitude to God, he could not but emphasise that the great bond subsisting within the larger Babatola family ensured that he lacked nothing.
So even if growing up was tough, it certainly wasn’t rough. He has two of his uncles to thank for this, namely: Pa J. E Babatola, the renowned Ekiti politician who, incidentally, was the very first politician I saw on the rostrum, at a political campaign.
And I shall never, ever forget that day. My natal town falls within Iworoko – Are -Afao – Igbemo – Ekiti which was then electorally designated EKITI CENTRAL RURAL.
Before school closed the previous day, our Headmaster at the United Primary School, Are & Afao – Ekiti, the ever sartorial, immaculate and dazzlingly handsome Mr Akeredolu, from whom Aketi (His Excellency, my dear aburo who I pray the good Lord fully restores to perfect health and governor of Ondo state) inherited his genes and good looks) had told us to come to school early the following day because we were going to all line up in the town to welcome a very important person – VIP he called him.
We did as were told on a day nobody in the town would forget in a hurry but what I remember the most about the day was the song everybody sang so hilariously.
Please recall that those were the days when Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was insisting he just must be the Premier of Western Region as if there were no Yoruba politicians. Zik would not allow a Yoruba politician emerge the NCNC premiership candidate even in the Western Region, but he, a ranking outsider.
It is the same mindset which drove Peter Obi into insisting that only Igbos served as Labour party officials and candidates during the last election, almost everywhere in the country, except where no Igbo was available.
The song, which made the day unforgetable for me personally, was a warning to the effect that we should not allow strangers come and take over our land.
It went as follows, with due apologies to all my non – Ekiti speaking readers: In mo mo j’Igbo gba le ra o.
Egeee (chorus)
Oni oni la ku ni ku egeee (chorus).
Of course, NCNC lost woefully in the elections in Ekiti.
Back then to Chief Akinboye Babatola who was destined, despite all odds, to reach the very top both in the private sector, where he retired as Chief Legal officer of a bank, and in the legal profession, where he is, today, the Principal Partner of his own thriving legal practice.
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All this was through the grace of God and the remarkable interventions of two of his uncles, namely: Chief (Dr.) Joel Ehinafe Babatola, Colonel Samuel Afolabi Babatola and his wife, Mrs. Taiwo Babatola (Née Lawson) all of who saw to his education from when his father passed, through elementary school and all the way to the University. Equally very helpful to him were the duo of his maternal Uncle, Chief Akanbi Fagbehingbe and Mrs. Victoria Bolatito Agbede.
Chief Babatola had a very unstable elementary school education as his guardian, being a teacher, was being frequently transfered from one place to another.
As a result, he attended, between 1948 and 1958, the following six different primary schools, all within a spate of 10 years:
Emmanuel Anglican School, Oke Bareke, Ado-Ekiti. Christ Apostolic Church School, IJebu-Ode, Christ Apostolic Church School, Ekotedo, Ibadan. Baptist Day School, Afao, Ikere-Ekiti, St. Luke’s Anglican School, Uro, Ikere-Ekiti, and Baptist Day School, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, in that order.
Fortunately, his secondary school education was, however, far less traumatic; even though he lost a whole year when he left Ebenezer Secondary School, Iberekodo, Abeokuta, after one year because it was not an approved school, to start afresh at Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti in 1959.
For his Higher School Certificate (HSC), he attended Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan, between 1966-1967 and the University of Ife, Ile Ife from 1967-1970.
He followed up with the Nigerian Law School in 1970-1971, and Queen Mary College, University of London, between 1976-1977.
A highly regarded elder, Chief Babatola had a checkered working experience serving both in the public and private sectors. While with the Lagos state government between ’73 and ’78, he served as member: the Pools Betting Committee, Lotteries Commission and the Newspaper Registration Committee. He was also Assistant Secretary to the Lagos State Committee on the Exercise of Prerogative of Mercy as well as Legal Adviser to the Board of Inland Revenue. He also later served as Inspector of Customary Courts.
At the Federal Ministry of Communication, Post and Telecommunication department, Marina, Lagos, he served as an Investigation Officer.
In the private sector he was recruited as Credit Assistant by Savannah Bank of Nigeria Limited in 1978 and retired there as the Chief Legal Officer in 1985. Since 1985, Chief Babatola has been the Principal Partner in the Law Firm of Akin Babatola & Co, Omowaiye Chambers, which he registered the same year.
A very sociable and easy mixer, Chief Babatola is a Member, and Past President, of the Rotary Club of Lagos Metropolitan,
Member, Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, Member, and Vice-Chairman, Ibadan Grammar School Old Students’ Association, 61/67 class set, Member and Past President, Ado-Ekiti Dynamic Club, Lagos, and Chairman, Oregun Community Development Association (CDA) 1977 to 1979. He is equally very active in church activities.
A member of the Anglican Communion, he was born, baptized and registered, at birth, as member, Egbe Ibukun, when his father was the Baba Egbe.
He is a Parishioner of the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, GRA Ikeja, and is Member/Past President, Christian Unity Band of Nigeria at the same church.
He is a member of Egbe Ibukun of the Cathedral of Immanuel (Anglican Communion) Ado-Ekiti, and was honoured with the chieftaincy title of Akuajo of Saint James Anglican Church, Oke Oniyo, Ado-Ekiti, by the Lord Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, The Rt. Revd. Clement Akinbola in 1993.
Chief Babatola loves traveling, reading, listening to good music and watching television. In the course of his travels, he has visited:
The Basilica in Rome, The Basilica in Paris, and Brazil for the real carnival. He has also visited Disneyland in the USA.
Chief Babatola is happily married and blessed with children.
ATIKU A SORE, SERIAL LOSER
Some readers believed I cut Atiku too much of a slack in my article last week.
Below, one of them, Dr Biodun Adu, a UK – based consultant Gyaenacologist wrote:
“Atiku will be remembered as a sore, serial loser and an unequalled political prostitute and fake cry baby.
Nigerians can not be deceived and saw through him, not once but six times.
Good riddance to a thoroughly bad rubbish”.