By AHMED ADAMU
As our all-time role model and father, Pa Amos Bolanle Olaniyan, marks his 81st birthday, I give God the glory for his life.
He touched our lives positively and his legacies shall continue to be remembered by all of us who are the direct beneficiaries of his fatherliness and selfless dedication to impacting quality education and moral rectitude on us all.
Without any fear of contradiction, I can boldly say that Pa Olaniyan has no equal among all those who passed through (Federal Government College, Ilorin (FGCI), as principals, teachers or non academic staff. It’s not just because he was the pioneer principal. I will explain my personal experience to buttress my belief.
It was in 1972 when I went to Jos from my locality in the then old Benue Plateau State for the interview/entrance exam into the Unity Schools that I first met Mr. Olaniyan, who was among the officials, conducting the exercise. After the written exam, we were all asked to wait for the oral interview. Shortly after the papers were marked, it was announced that each candidate should report to the room allocated to the school of his/her choice for the oral interview. I joined the FGCI queue because that was the school that originally invited me for the exam/interview.
When it was my turn and I appeared before the panel, Mr. Olaniyan just asked me one question, ‘Adamu, if you are admitted to FGC Ilorin, will you go?’
I answered affirmatively, with all my energy. Then he asked me to leave. At this point, I didn’t know who he was.
In January (or was it February?) 1973, when I arrived Ilorin, I was taken to GTTI or so, which later became Ilorin College of Technology. We were camped temporarily there because the date of the opening of the school was postponed. That same day I reported to the camp, Mr. Olaniyan came around and as soon as he saw me, he recognised and called me by name.
I was really touched and pleased by this gesture. I was speechless and overwhelmed, especially when I discovered later that he was actually the principal. I immediately felt an emotional attachment to the school because of whom I found as the principal of my school. And so, a few weeks after we moved to the temporary site and life began in a very positive and exciting spirit, my uncle suddenly appeared in the school, asking me to pack my things to return to Jos because I was given another admission into FGC, Jos, which was home and, therefore, safer for me.
At this time, the school (FGCI) was like heaven to me because I had already made friends from all over the country – people I never dreamt of coming across at that level and age. While my parents felt unsafe for my life and even tried to convince me not to go to Ilorin in the first instance, something in me was telling me that going to Ilorin was like my life. Ironically, I never ever remembered knowing anything about Ilorin, apart from the fact that it was the capital of Kwara State and far, far away from my locality. I convinced my uncle that I was very ok and asked him to return home to assure my parents that both the school and the city were fine and that I was happy with the environment. My few friends spoke with him along this line and he left.
Pa Olaniyan was an exemplary and extra-ordinary personality. As a principal, he made us to be proud to be students of FGCI. A disciplinarian, who believed in using only the carrot without the stick and yet achieved astounding results. We all respected him without fear because he was so fatherly and humble that one didn’t need to fear him. At the same time, one wouldn’t think of disobeying him.
I for one, I had a special affinity to Pa Olaniyan because he personally touched my life and I am sure most of us would say the same thing. Throughout my days in Ilorin, Pa Olaniyan showed some special interest in me, just like he did to virtually everyone else.
After my youth service, I went to Lagos to take my appointment as a Foreign Service Officer with the then Ministry of External Affairs. Three weeks later, I decided to go to the Federal Ministry of Education at Victoria Island to pay respect to my mentor, Pa Olaniyan, who by then, had risen to become Director, Schools, in the Ministry.
I was speechless by the reception he accorded me. He was so happy to hear that I had graduated and was working as a diplomat. He felt so proud and happy that he asked me where I was putting up in Lagos and I replied that I was staying with my uncle at the Maza Maza area, opposite FESTAC. He wrote his residential address and gave it to me and asked me to see him at home the following Saturday. I had no idea why, even though I really wanted to know his place, so that I would be going to greet him and the family from time to time.
That Saturday, I went to the house at 2nd Avenue, Ikoyi. I was shocked and dazed when he led me to his self-contained guest house and handed me the key and said, ‘Adamu, from today, this will be your new residence and you can be here for as long as you like. Maza Maza is too far from the Ministry and the traffic situation is bad’. I did not know what to believe, whether it was a dream or reality. I was short of words to express my gratitude and thanks. It was the greatest surprise of my life.
As if that was not enough, three square meals were always waiting for me daily. No, I felt that was too much. I tried to dodge the meals because I was earning a salary and I should be able to take care of that myself. But Mrs. Olaniyan was not impressed by my belief. She made sure my three meals were ready everyday. God created Mr. and Mrs. Olaniyan, as two sides of the same coin – selfless, kind, de-tribalised, humble, disciplined and, above all, God-fearing.
Before concluding this write-up, I want to narrate an experience Pa Olaniyan told me and I always have it at the back of mind, as a lifetime guidance. In his school days, when HSC (Higher School Certificate) students graduated, they were not admitted to the university immediately. They had to spend some months or even a year or so before university admission came.
And so, after his HSC, he got a temporary teaching appointment with a secondary school in a locality not far from his. There was a group of bad boys, who constituted themselves, as bullies and who were very unruly. They were very disrespectful to him because he was very young and they wondered why such a boy, as him, should be regarded and respected, as a teacher. So, they never respected him and were always making jest of him. At that time, Mr. Olaniyan was teaching the junior classes. So, he bore all the insults and soon left to the university, never setting his eyes on any of the boys again.
When he was in the Ministry, as Director of Schools, all unity schools, federal colleges of science and technology, federal teachers colleges, etc. were all under him and he was directly in charge of posting, discipline, etc. One day, his secretary came to tell him that there was a teacher, waiting to see him desperately and that the man had been coming for the past two weeks but it wasn’t possible to see him because of his schedule. So, the Director asked the secretary to bring him in.
On entering the office, the man went down flat on the floor, begging passionately for the director’s kind assistance. Mr. Olaniyan asked him to sit down and asked him what was the matter?
In response, the man told the director that he studied abroad and just came back to take up a teaching appointment with the Ministry. Now, his major problem is that he was posted to teach in Maiduguri. He came to plead with the director to change his posting to any school near his locality in the West, as he was told that it was only the director, who had the power to do so. He explained that he had been away from Nigeria for too long and just returned and going to the North would be a mission impossible, as he wouldn’t be able to survive there.
The director asked if that was the only problem he had and he answered affirmatively. At this point, he directed the secretary to reissue another letter, posting him to a school in the man’s town where he least expected but which was most desirable. The man went flat on his stomach again, thanking the director for this kind gesture that he least expected from someone he had never met before and yet so kind.
Meanwhile, Mr. Olaniyan asked him to tell him what secondary school he attended and at what period. Mr. Olaniyan recognised him the moment the man entered his office. The answer he gave confirmed the director’s recollection of the man, his group and their activities in those old school days.
Mr. Olaniyan then reminded him about a young man, who was teaching temporarily at the time and the man quickly remembered the man and even mentioned the name, ‘Olaniyan’.
As soon as Mr. Olaniyan responded that he was, in fact, the one, the teacher collapsed and started weeping, asking for forgiveness for his arrogance and stupidity.
He never, in his wildest imagination, thought he would one day come before the young teacher, asking for assistance. And the most embarrassing thing to him was that he was, in fact, the ringleader and most cantankerous.
This was the experience Pa Olaniyan narrated and told me never to look down on anybody no matter your position whatsoever.
I took the trouble to tell this story to remind us who our pioneer principal and mentor was when he was in public service.
Let’s all celebrate him and keep praying to the Almighty God to make our leaders emulate these exemplary qualities of an extraordinary, selfless leader. May he continue to see many more years to come in peace, good health and happiness.
•Ambassador Ahmed Adamu, a pioneer student of Federal Government College, Ilorin, is currently serving in Guinea Bissau.