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Tag: Faleti

  • Dignitaries call for immortalisation of Faleti

    Dignitaries call for immortalisation of Faleti

    Nignitaries, scholars and eminent personalities yesterday urged the government to immortalise the late ace broadcaster, author, poet, culture icon and elder statesman, Alagba Adebayo Faleti.

    The personalities spoke yesterday at a service of songs organised by the Oyo State Directorate office of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) at Agodi in Ibadan, the state capital.

    The event also featured songs, drama, poetry recitation, talks and lectures on various aspects of the deceased’s life.

    The late Faleti was the pioneer state director of defunct Mass Mobilisation for Self-Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery (MAMSER) before the name was changed to NOA.

    Leading the voices, a former Education Minister Prof. Tunde Adeniran said the authorities should immortalise the late Faleti because of his services and contributions to the nation’s development.

    The former minister, who was the pioneer Secretary-General of the agency, said the commendation service, coupled with the calibre of people in attendance, attested to the fact that the deceased touched so many lives through his activities.

    He noted that if not for the efforts of the late culture icon, especially in the media, culture and tradition, many aspects of the Yoruba culture, such as the language and literatures, would have gone into extinction.

    The former envoy said Faleti lived, served and left a legacy that many people will continue to emulate and recommend for younger generations.

    The Executive Vice Chairman of Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP) Dr. Tunji Olaopa said: “My observation is that the task of national reorientation needs more than an agency or structure, like NOA, to succeed. That is why it appears that NOA may not have been making the desirable impact.

    “The best tribute to pay, therefore, to the memory of Alagba Faleti will be a policy rethink directed at reconceptualising our national reorientation vision, objectives, strategies and institutional framework for implementation so they could become the organising framework for locating our rich cultural heritage at the centre of our development imagination and thinking.

    “This will in turn help us as we undertake deep-seated rethinking of our national integrity system, which the anti-corruption campaign is trying to build. It will in turn help us drive the reforms of our institutions towards the building of value-based institutions.

    “If we get to that point, it would become clear to us as a nation that no national values reorientation or national rebranding can succeed except the leadership cores become living exemplars of the future they are re-orientating the nation to create.

    “It would become clear that culture change or integrity system will not be built through sermonising alone, or clamping those that were caught of malfeasance into jail. It will, instead, ride on the trust that people have in them and evidence of performance that, as development outcomes, have translated into better life for the generality of the people.

    “National reorientation will, therefore, remain rhetoric as long as people perceive the effort that will make their lives better as rooted in injustice, parochialism and anything but fair play and honesty of purpose. Neither will national culture change happen in the midst of deep hopelessness among the rank and file and in a confounding sense of what tomorrow holds in store for them.”

    Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Toye Arulogun, who represented Governor Abiola Ajimobi, urged everyone to always live a life that will make people speak well of them when they are no more.

    NOA State Director, Mrs. Dolapo Dosunmu, recalled that the late Faleti revolutionised the art of mobilising and information dissemination as the pioneer state director of the defunct MAMSER.

    She said his transformative leadership style made him a moral compass who every worker looked up to for direction.

    The NOA director noted that the metamorphosis of MAMSER to the present NOA was a product of the commitment and doggedness with which then late Faleti and his colleagues in other states pursued the mandates of defunct agency.

    At a commendation service, the Presiding Pastor at Salem Baptist Church at Yemetu Aladorin in Ibadan, Rev. Diti Ambolu, recalled that the late ace actor said he never belonged to any secret cult or group.

    Rev. Ambolu said he asked the late Faleti the number of secret cults he belonged to so that whenever he (Faleti) died, he would not be surprised if the groups came for his body.

    He said: “Baba told me that he was a member of the elders of Yorubaland, a group set up simply to tell the history of Yoruba whenever there is dispute. He said they were not holding any night meetings. He also said he was a life patron of the Kegites’ Club. There, he said, they were only enjoying themselves because they did not know God then. He also told me that he belonged to the Hunters’ Association. But he said he was never involved in any secret dealing.

    “Baba asked me what was left for him to make heaven after he had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, and I asked him if he had any grudge with anybody. He said: ‘I have forgiven a woman who offended. I have also forgiven two of my children.’ And in my presence, he called them and blessed them.”

    Personalities at the service of songs included the state’s security chiefs, traditional leaders, community leaders, artisans, a former chief justice of Oyo State, Mrs. Badejoko Adeniji, veteran actors and theatre practitioners, NOA officials from Oyo and Osun states as well as retirees of the defunct MAMSER and NOA.

    Those at the commendation church service included Dele Odule, Toyin Adegbola, Rose Odika as well as top politicians, including a former Oyo State Deputy Iyiola Oladokun.

  • Faleti to forever remain in our hearts, says Ooni

    Faleti to forever remain in our hearts, says Ooni

    •Funeral rites begin Sept  5

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has said the late Yoruba poet and actor, Pa Adebayo Faleti, will forever remain in the hearts of the Yoruba race as a great ambassador of their culture and tradition.

    In a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, the Ooni said the late multitalented communicator spent almost all his life serving the Yoruba race in various areas of cultural development.

    He said: “Chief Adebayo Faleti will certainly continue to live in the hearts of all the descendants of Oduduwa in appreciation of being a colossal blessing to our race as a great ambassador who gave all his God-given talents for the promotion and sustainability of Yoruba culture and traditions. He had been promoting the race right from the young age of 19 when he first established a Yoruba theatre group called ‘Oyo Operatic Society’.”

    Oba Ogunwusi admonished governments in Southwest to immortalise the late thespian with a befitting arts institutions to make him a reference point.

    The Ooni urged youths to always emulate the great playwright and famous actor in various areas of their careers, especially in the arts.

    He said: “You will find him relevant virtually in all segments of arts and culture. That is why the governments of the Southwest must immortalise him.

    “He was poet, he was a singer, he was a veteran actor, a writer, a broadcaster, a media manager, a teacher and rare promoter of Yoruba cultural values, which can be productively tapped by our youths, who must always find him worthy of emulation.”

    Also, the final burial arrangement for the popular Yoruba actor, author and broadcaster will begin on September 5.

    A statement by Ayoola Faleti, on behalf of the Faleti family said the funeral rites will begin on September 5 with a night of tributes and performances at International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan (UI).

    The statement said the burial will hold on September 8 at Isokun Baptist Church in Oyo, followed by interment at Agboye Village in Oyo, via Ogbomoso.

    The statement reads: “…Tuesday, September 5: Night of Tribute and Performances at International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, at 4 pm.

    “September 6: Commendation Service at Salem Baptist Church, Yemetu, Ibadan, at noon.

    “September 7: Lying-in-state at his home at Olororo, Ojoo, Ibadan, from 8 am to 9.30 am; Lying in State at BCOS- 10-11am,

    “Lying-in-state at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Ibadan, at 11 a.m; at the House of Chiefs, at 11.30 a.m.

    “Body leaves for Oyo; Service-of-songs/Christian wake at First Baptist Church, Isokun, Oyo, at 4 p.m.

    “Artists’ Night: Plaza De Haruna Hotel, Oyo, at 8 p.m.

    “Sept 8: Final burial service at Isokun Baptist Church, Oyo; Interment follows at Agboye Village, Oyo via Ogbomoso.

    “Entertainment of guests at Labamba Hotel Hotel, Oyo.”

  • Faleti’s widow on late husband: ‘We were so close we shared the same underwear’

    Faleti’s widow on late husband: ‘We were so close we shared the same underwear’

    FOR some couples, marriage kills individuality. Differences drive a wedge between them. But for Olubunmi Abosede and her late husband, Prof. Adebayo Faleti, marriage bequeathed a rare bond. It synthesised their glaring differences into a mutual connection.

    The Faletis give credence to the Yoruba adage: T’ewe ba pe lara ose, o maan d’ose ni, translated thus: “If a leaf stays too long on soap, it eventually becomes soap.” This is because the relationship that existed between Abosede and late Yoruba literary icon, writer, broadcaster and poet, Faleti, was rare.

    Although they emerged from different sides of the divide in terms of exposure, education and age, in 1981, they embarked on a romantic and marital sojourn that blossomed to the delight of the couple, their close friends and family.

    So exciting and jolly was their journey that it repeatedly animates listener and teller alike every time it is related. Faleti’s widow revealed that her sojourn in love and wedlock with the late literary icon imbued her life and her soul with fulfillment and inestimable joy.

    One thing, Olori (as late Faleti usually called Abosede) would never forget in a hurry was their closeness. Describing it as borderless, the widow recalled painfully that they were so close to the extent that they shared the same pant. This is aside their usual practice of sharing the same clothes around the house, particularly overnight, and before getting dressed for the day’s activities.

    “We were so close to the extent that I wore his pants and underwear. Up until his death, if you come to our house very early in the morning, maybe around 6am, I wear his clothes all around the house before getting dressed or set for the day’s activities. Baba was always willing to give me his Buba to wear. We were so close,” she said tearfully.

    “We were very close during his lifetime. From the time my parents sent me out after I took in (got pregnant) for him, he accepted me and my child and promised me that no hurt will come to me. He fulfilled his promises.

    “Since we got married, I don’t eat alone, I will only eat when he gets back from work. He does the same thing by not eating out until he gets home because he knew I wouldn’t eat until he gets back from work.”

    Being his ‘only wife’

    When asked the numbers of wives her beloved had in his lifetime, Abosede would not put a figure to it but she would not also deny the obvious; she insisted that she was the only one residing in Faleti’s house and she stayed married to him until his last breath.

    Abosede took solace in her late husband’s manner of responding to the question anytime he was asked, especially by journalists.

    “If you had visited Baba in his lifetime or even read many newspaper interviews of Baba on the question of the number of his wives, his response had always been that he has only one wife. Most times, Baba would even ask you, how many wives you ever saw in his house or under his roof. And he would be the one to answer that it is only one wife he had.

    “So, I do not know the number of wives Baba had but he had already said it with his own mouth, how many wives he had. All I know is that, I have been the only one living with him and under his roof since the first day we got married and till he died,” she said.

    •The ‘Olori’ and her beau

    Abosede said she did not only love her late husband, she also knew him so well because they were best of friends. She recalled that her social affiliations did not favour her to win the love of a renowned and established person like Faleti but that the way her late husband accepted and took care of her when she was rejected by her parents for getting impregnated by him endeared her to him. His penchant for fulfilling all his promises to her was also a very good reason she remained extremely loyal and devoted to him.

    Despite her loss, a glimmer of smile surfaced on her face when asked about her late husband’s favourite meal. “He liked amala and gbegiri soup. He could eat it in the morning, afternoon and night. He liked bean cake, fried with palm oil and he also liked meat, fried meat particularly. That is always his favourite anytime he was in his study doing any writing task,” she said.

    How they met

    The story of how the duo met and got married was an unpalatable aspect of their journey. It was an unexpected and unimaginable thing for, Abosede, a Form Five student of Christ High School, Oleyo, Challenge-Orita, Ibadan to be wooed by an elderly and established man like late Faleti.

    Thus Abosede’s initial rejection of her paramour wasn’t so astonishing, Her parents kicked against their love and marriage. Despite their rejection, Abosede and Faleti eventually sealed their union at Mapo (being Oyo state capital at the time) where they eventually got married.

    According to her, she had three ‘good’ grounds to turn down the proposal of late Faleti. First was her intention to further her education beyond secondary level, which incidentally was also the dream of her parents. Second, her strict Christian parents would not even allow anyone at the time to distract her from her studies. And third, her parents, who are committed members and leaders at Christ Apostolic Church would never allow their daughter get married as a second wife.

    Narrating how they met, Abosede recalled that her first encounter with the man who later ended up as her husband and father of all her children, was at the annual inter-house sports competition of her school, where Alagba Faleti was invited as a guest.

    She reasoned that, it was probably her plump but sportive physique that caught her late husband’s attention but she later earned Faleti’s audience after the event. He seized the opportunity to commend her sporting abilities. She later got another invitation from him to visit to his workplace.

    Another factor that brought them close was the establishment of the O-Y-O Fans Club, where students from various secondary school across the region were invited for on-air performances in songs, dances and drama at Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS).

    Her school was the first to be invited and subsequent visits provided her more opportunities to see Faleti. Her participation in the broadcasting activities offered her innumerable chances to meet with Faleti. Those were the only opportunities she had to meet him as she was hardly allowed to go out. Her parents watched her with an eagle eye.

    A series of unpalatable episodes

    Abosede revealed that she would never forget certain individuals for the roles they played in her marital journey with her deceased husband. They are Prince Bayo Sanda, Prince Adenle and Prof Olatunde Olatunji; Sanda and Olatunji later visited her to convey love messages from Faleti. They reportedly conveyed his genuine intentions for her.

    Although she said she refused to give them a positive response, she agreed to rejoin her school troupe anytime they were invited for performance by O-Y-O Fans Club Choir and that afforded Faleti opportunity to see and woo her.

    According to her, months later, Faleti challenged her to inform her parents of his intentions. Even though she already knew what to expect, she did his bidding. She was so sure her mother wouldn’t even listen to such a subject at the time because she was very strict unlike her father who had a softer disposition.

     “I knew I could talk freely with my father than my mother because she was stricter and harsher than my father. My father was soft-minded but not my mother. Then, one day I told my father if he knew one man named Adebayo Faleti, and that he had proposed to marry me. My father said he wanted me to go to school and get better education,” she said.

    After her secondary education, Abosede appealed to Faleti, who she was already developing a soft spot for, to let her be in order to face her education, according to her parents’ wish. She remembered how Faleti pulled her aside and assured her that he would stand by her and encourage her to attain any level of education she desired.

    She said that his words were always reassuring; she was encouraged by the fact that he had no wife at home or anywhere. Faleti convinced Abosede that there was no woman lurking in a corner to give her problems if she married him.

    He assured her that he would do everything necessary to protect her from any antagonism if she agreed. To show his determination, she said, Faleti engaged the services of a private tutor for her, which helped her pass her exams in flying colours before encouraging her to enroll at Teachers Training College, Iyana Offa.

    She suspected that Faleti was either advised, warned or unsure of what might happen if he allowed her depart from his sight especially the likelihood that she might be snatched by another man.

    One thing led to another and she was impregnated by Faleti.. That was to begin another unpalatable episode in her life.

    “When I took in for him, I never knew how I was going to tell my parents at home but my mother observed me well and then challenged me asking if I was pregnant. Reluctantly, I said ‘Yes.’

    “My parents chased me out at midnight, around 1 am. They chased me out of the house naked. My father ran after me but I ran as fast as I could. I took refuge in the house of one of my father’s church members, Mrs. Joke Ishola. I had taken a rag from somewhere along the road to cover my nakedness. When I got to her house around 2am, she was shocked to see me but she accommodated and clothed me,” she said.

  • Faleti was a vanguard in promotion of Yoruba cultural heritage – Tinubu

    Faleti was a vanguard in promotion of Yoruba cultural heritage – Tinubu

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National leader, Sen. Bola Tinubu, has described the late Chief Adebayo Faleti as a vanguard of the promotion of Yoruba language.

    Tinubu in a condolence message in Lagos on Friday also described him as a man of many parts, an icon in the academic, literary and cultural worlds.

    Saying that the country would miss Faleti dearly, Tinubu said the intellectual did exceedingly well in the propagation of the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba.

    Chief Faleti passed on in his house on Sunday, July 23, at the age of 86.

    ‘’I learnt of the death of Chief Adebayo Faleti while I was out of the country. I was deeply saddened by his passing on, though at an advanced age. Baba Faleti was a true Yoruba man and an illustrious son of Nigeria. He recorded many giant strides.

    ‘’He was a man of many parts – poet, actor, author, broadcaster, writer and translator – and in each of these areas he excelled. Chief Faleti was a pioneer of the first television station in Africa, the Western Nigeria Television.

    ‘’Many would also remember him as the one who translated the Nigerian National Anthem, as well as many other major speeches, from English to Yoruba. What Alagba Faleti did in the cultural field is no less remarkable. He was in the vanguard of the promotion of Yoruba language and propagation of the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba,’’ he said.

    Tinubu said he developed a close relationship with late Faleti since he was governor of Lagos State and partnered with him in the production of some of his trophy creative works.

    “I commiserate with members of his immediate family; I commiserate with the people of Oyo State, South-west and Nigeria. May his soul rest in peace,’’ Tinubu said.

  • Dirge for Faleti

    Dirge for Faleti

    Alagba Adebayo Faleti, man of many parts, died on Sunday in Ibadan , the Oyo State capital. He was 86. His death has  been described as a huge loss to the creative sector. Nigerians, especially thespians, pay tribute to the icon who left his footprints in the sand of time, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.  

    Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi OlayiwolaAdeyemi 111

    The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, has described the late Faleti as an insightful cultural entertainer.  Nigeria and the world of ideas have, in the passing of the renowned poet and actor, lost an institution builder, a social reformer, and one of the most insightful culturalentertainers of the century.

    The Alaafin noted that no nation can progress without building an indigenous intellectual community, including entertainers, who have the duty to interpret the past of the nation so that the future can be built on firmer grounds. ”What gave Adebayo Faleti tutelage was that he hailed from a royal family. He was highly successful in his career, as he wrote, produced and acted in several popular Yoruba plays, and is also known for his poems.

    He was a teacher at Ife Odan, located near Ejigbo Town. Faleti was also the General Manager of Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, which is also known as Radio OYO, Ibadan. In  1959, he once worked at Western Nigerian Television (WNTV), now known as NTA Ibadan, as a film editor and a librarian”.

    Acknowledging some of the deceased’s works,  Oba Adeyemi  recalled that Adebayo Faleti before his death acted, wrote and produced a number of popular movies, which include Thunderbolt: Magun (2001), Afonja (1 & 2) (2002), BasorunGaa (2004), and Sawo-Segberi(2005). The paramount ruler prayed God to grant eternal rest to the late poet, and granted the family fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

     

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed

     

    The minister described the death of renowned author, poet, broadcaster and actor, Pa Adebayo Faleti, as a huge loss to the country’s creative Sector. He said Faleti was a trailblazer and a colossus across many genreswho left an indelible footprint in the Nigerian landscape. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the MinisterMrSegunAdeyemi, the minister said generations of authors, poets, broadcasters and actors owe Faleti a debt of gratitude for his dedication, hard work and love for the country. He commiserated with the family and friends of the departed, as well as all practitioners in the sector. The minister prayed that God will comfort them and grant repose to the soul of the departed. Faleti, a celebrated actor and playwright died on Sunday in his home in Ibadan at the age of 86. Faleti, was a poet, journalist, writer, actor, Yoruba translator, a broadcaster, TV exponent and a pioneer of the first television station in Africa, Western Nigeria Television. He was responsible for translating Nigeria’s national anthem from English to Yoruba. Faleti published a dictionary containing the formal or official use of Yoruba names. He received many awards, both locally and internationally, including the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) He also received the Festival of Arts award and the Afro-Hollywood Award for Outstanding Performance in Arts in 2002.

     

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State

     

    Ogun State Governor, Senator IbikunleAmosun has described as sad, the death of veteran broadcaster and actor, Pa Adebayo Faleti. The governor described the deceased as a zealous promoter of culture, noting that his works will always be cherished. Amosun also stated that the poet and writer will be remembered for his contributions to the birth and growth of the Broadcast Industry, particularly the Television.

     

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi

     

     

    Oyo State Governor, Senator AbiolaAjimobi, has condoled with the family, friends and associates of Chief Adebayo Faleti, over the death of the ace broadcaster, writer, poet and actor. In a statement by the governor’s Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Yomi Layinka, he described the passing away of Chief Faleti as shocking and devastating. Ajimobi, who said he received the news of Pa Faleti’s death with shock and disbelief, described the deceased as a repository of Yoruba culture and tradition, and a good ambassador of the state. “Even though Baba Faleti died at the ripe age of 86, his passing away is very unfortunate, disheartening and sad. Part of the things that endeared him to my heart was his simple lifestyle, his dislike for material wealth and commitment to the progress of the Yoruba race,” Ajimobi said.

     

     Prof RasakiOjoBakare (Federal University, Oye-Ekiti)

     

    “Alagba Adebayo Faleti poet, playwright, actor, producer, teacher and scholar, you who came for Yoruba language and culture to live, you who taught us to respect what we were created, made to be, you who lived life to the fullest, loved humanity to the fullest, served us to the fullest, and left us better than we met you, good night. Baba keep resting. Awo ire. Thanks for impacting us. The torch you passed to us shall be kept aglow. O digbere, O darinako, O doju ala, o tundokoelebo.”

     

     Prof Ayo Akinwale

    (University of Ilorin)

     

    Baba Faleti was my mentor in the theatre world as I joined his Alebiosu theatre Company in 1973 under the direction of TubosunOdunsi. He was also my General Manager at the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) Radio OYO. He was a gentleman to the core. Rest in peace.”

     

    SONTA President,

    Prof Sunday Ododo

     

    “Faleit promoted the performing arts and mentored several generations of actors and poets. He will be sorely missed by Nigerians.”

     

     Femi Adedina (Theatre artiste)

     

    “I met him in the secondary school through the play, Basorun Gaa, and his voice on the radio WNBS. After graduation, his many iconic depictions most especially in Teekay Films were inspirational and motivating. As he ascends the ancestor’s ladder, may his soul rest in peace.”

     

    MuyiwaAdemola

    (Yoruba theatre artiste)

     

    “Erin wo, àjànàkú sun bi oke, ejanla lo ninuibu, àrògìdìgbà lo l’odo. Aporiako ni ejékafidalalé lo gaa raga. Jagun molu lo ogun pin, àyànku dùndún o dúnmó. Faleti lo tèdètèdè, togbón togbón, tìmò tìmò, tòrò tòro. Èèkàn ninu òpómúléró èdè yoruba lóyèyii, afiki Eledumare o so wani. Sun re o Adebayo Faleti.Emi Olumuyiwa omobibi Ademola nsedaro leyin re o” Sleep well baba. He died at 87. An ode to a poet, a playwright, an actor, a critic, a linguist, a filmmaker.I have to do this in the language he cherished most, my mother tongue Yoruba.

     

    Yewande Adekoya Abiodun (Yoruba theatre artiste)

     

    “A legend is gone. Baba wa Adebayo Faleti is gone. You will always remain in our hearts forever sir. Your great works will never be forgotten. Sleep on great one. You have truly made your mark in the sands of time.

     

    Ibrahim Chatta

    (Yoruba theatre artiste)

     

    “A hero has fallen! Erin wo! Ajanaku sun bi oke. Adebayo Faleti sun re ooo. Adieu Baba Faleti”

     

    Baba Tee (Yoruba theatre artiste)

    “Baba continue to rest in peace! OrisunYorubawa of our time o digba. Baba Adebayo Faleti.”

     

  • Minister, others mourn Faleti

    Minister, others mourn Faleti

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has expressed his condolences to the family of renowned author, poet, broadcaster and actor, Pa Adebayo Faleti.

    Faleti, a pioneer of the first television station in Africa, Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), Ibadan, wrote and acted in many films such as Thunderbolt: Magun (2001), Afonja (1 & 2) (2002), Basorun Gaa (2004), and Sawo-Segeri (2005). He was born on December 26, 1930 and died on Saturday morning, aged 86.

    Describing his death as a huge loss to the country’s creative sector in particular and to the entire nation, the Minister, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, said that Pa Faleti was a trailblazer and a colossus across many genres who left an indelible footprint in the Nigerian landscape.

    Alhaji Mohammed commiserated the family and friends of the departed, as well as all practitioners in the sector, and prayed that God will comfort them and grant repose to the soul of the departed.

    He said generations of authors, poets, broadcasters and actors owe Pa Faleti a debt of gratitude for his dedication, hard work and love of country.

    Also, a delegation of the Ibadan Film Circle (IFC) led by Prof Duro Adeleke, renowned scholar of Yoruba theatre and film, and comprising Ropo Ewenla and Lanre Ladoyinbo, paid a condolence visit to the home of late Faleti Adebayo on Sunday.

    A renowned actor and close friend of Faleti, Tubosun Odunsi, said Faleti’s death was sad to him even though it was expected.

    “You know, he’s been down for sometime and he’s been looking forward to hhis passing away.”

    Odunsi however, said burial plans are ongoing in consultation with Faleti’s family and will be released very soon.

    “We are holding the meetings concerning the burials. We’re making arrangements, we’re consulting with some people on what to do. But very soon, we’ll come out with something that is concrete.”

    Another actor, Yinka Akanbu eulogised the late Faleti.

    “Baba Faleti!!!,” he started.

    “Our paths crossed twice in my professional life. First in1990 when I played Obe in his Bashorun Gaa which he directed and when He played Baba Opalaba in Saworoide in 1999. You never encounter an elder like Baba Faleti and go empty handed. He was so loaded he would rub off on you no matter how brief the encounter. Baba was a walking library of Yoruba history and culture. Baba sustained my interest in my culture and taught me a trick or two in acting. He lives in those of us who encountered and experienced him. Baba once told me, ‘Obe, never hesitate to exploit all your God given talents, Oloun lo fun o, kii se eniyan.’”

    “Thank you Baba for your numerous talents. Thank you for being such a giving elder. Thank you for living in us even as you soar on to that summit fit for the CHOICEST OF EAGLES.”

    Faleti was a Yoruba translator and translated Nigeria’s National Anthem from English to Yoruba. He also translated speeches of former military president Ibrahim Babangida and Head of National Interim Government Chief Ernest Shonekan from English to Yoruba.

     

  • Sapara Williams is first Nigerian lawyer, says Faleti

    Lagos lawyer, Otolorin Faleti has joined the furore over who is the first Nigerian lawyer.

    Accoring to him, the late Sapara Williams and not the late Asuquo Etim Inyang was the first Nigerian lawyer.

    Calabar branch chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, William Anwan at an event to honour Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen of the Supreme Court was reported to have said: “The first lawyer in Nigeria was from the Eastern Region, though we  are yet to confirm details. We  were told that Sapara Williams was not truly a Nigerian, but was a Nigerian by naturalisation. He was a Sierra Leonean returnee, who came to Nigeria and settled here.”

    Chief Judge of Cross River State Okoi Ikpi Itam also told the gathering that Asuquo Etim Inyang, was the first Nigerian to be called to the bar.

    But, Faleti in a statement, titled: “First Nigerian lawyer – settled issue” however queried how “Inyang who enrolled on August 1, 1924  as No. 76 became the first Nigerian to be called to the bar when there were 75 others before him.”

    “Bench and Bar in Nigeria” published by the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi in Chapter 11 page 314 listed Christopher Sapara Williams as “the First Indigenous Male Lawyer in the federation,” adding that he was enrolled to practise in Nigeria on January 30, 1888.

    Asuquo Etim Inyang was listed as the first Indigenous Male Lawyer in Cross River State, he was enrolled to practise in Nigeria on August 1, 1924.

    Faleti regretted that no one challenged William Anwan on this claim which he said has no basis in fact or in law.

    “For over 100 years, history tells us that the first Nigerian called to the English bar in February 20, 1886 was Sapara Williams from Ilesa in Western Nigeria (now Osun State). He was enrolled as No.1 as WILLIAM N.H). This has not been questioned or challenged until I came across the above claim.

    “Of course there is nothing wrong with revisiting history and over the years, there has been new light thrown upon interpretation of history and not of history itself.

    The motive of this revisionism is unclear to me but, it is completely wrong to turn history on its head to fit into our preconceived prejudices. It is a greater disservice to those who propagate it as they diminish themselves by such false claim”, he added.