Baba Alajo Shomolu: the unsung legend

By Folarin Samson

There was an old folk tale about a man popular among those living in Lagos and indeed the major part of south-west Nigeria. His name became a tool for parents to extol virtues of wisdom and intelligence and it became so polished with inventive proverbs that it glittered. Nollywood few years back produced a flick to reincarnate his legend on screen. It was the story about a wise man who lived in Somolu, one of the highly populated cities in Lagos State. In a spectacular show of wisdom, he sold the only vehicle he had and procured a bicycle for his itinerant business of thrift collection called Esusu (Esusu was the old system of banking where a man takes daily contribution from people in their homes, offices and especially market squares and at the end of the month returns their savings upon their request). He would go riding to his many customers, take their daily contribution and without any reference to his log book, recount all their savings. Those who ventured to argue with him became awestruck at his phenomenal recollection of statistical details when he opened his record. His mental acuity became a chorus everybody loved to sing in family circles and public discussions. Everyone craved his friendship. Anyone who showed a flicker of wisdom desired to be associated with his name. So, it became fashionable to laud a wise man, “Ori e pe bi Alajo Somolu to ta motor ra keke”, meaning your brain has a measure of Alajo Somolu’s intelligence who sold his bus and bought a bicycle.

Baba Alajo Somolu’s story portrays the true Nigerian spirit of industry, honesty and faithfulness. His story should also inspire courage and determination in Nigeria’s teeming young and adult population. Alphaeus Taiwo Olunaike, aka Baba Alajo Somolu, was born at a time it was an abomination for women to be delivered of more than a single baby at a time. He was born a triplet and one of his brothers had to be buried alive to avert the curse of the gods. That was in September, 1915 in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. The second child also died. Alphaeus was lucky to be the first child, and was spared. He went through life struggling to make ends meet, especially after losing his father at a tender age. He left Isonyin, his home town for Lagos and learnt tailoring having had little formal education.

The turning point for him was when he shifted business to thrift collection. At this time, the markets were thriving and needed banking services, but could not get any help from the commercial banks. The focus of the banks was the corporate organization and upbeat individuals in the public service. Olunaike saw this as an opportunity and swiftly moved in to fill the void. He took fixed sums from market men and women every day, paid back in lump sums at the end of the month, and got less than one day’s contribution as earning for his service. He also gave loans for business development without demanding collateral. This was the origin of “People’s Banking”.

He operated in many markets, including Sangross, Baba Olosha, Ojuwoye, Awolowo, Oyingbo, Olaleye and Shomolu Market. Olunaike was trusted, loved and respected by his customers. In those days, there were no calculators or computers, yet he could tell his customers exactly what their balance was without any reference to documentation. His customers wished to be as intelligent as “Baba Alajo Shomolu’ when they boast ‘Ori mi pe bi ti Baba Alajo Somolu”, meaning I am as intelligent as the thrift collector from Somolu.

But very few know that the man whose name became a metaphor for gritting hard-work and intelligence died only a few months ago and was buried without the publicity and carnival befitting a man who modeled the elusive ideals of our world. This underscores the obvious drift and shift in our value system as a nation that now prefers decorating undeserving citizens in national colours to honouring true heroes. Mohammed Zakari illuminated this year’s national award after his name was listed for conferment with MFR for his honesty. It would not have been out of place if a man like Olunaike as popular as he was had been sought out and given national recognition for his pioneering effort and widely acclaimed industry.

I strongly recommend that to give credibility to the yearly tradition of giving national award to Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in one area or the other, the federal government may consider consulting with the grassroots and not just party chieftains. There are many more Olunaikes who deserve special recognitions. There are many more Mohammeds who may not have the benefit of media publicity. These are the people the government need to put on the centre stage as model for the new generation. A man like Olunaike in Europe or America would not only become a celebrated public figure, but a national monument students and scientists alike would be studying and researching on.

The young generation will need to learn from Baba Alajo Somolu’s industry. The late sage was able to identify a need in a despised section of society and he satisfied it. Today, many of his children who also made a living from the same trade despite their education would agree he did the right thing. Like the popular story told by Russell Conwell of Al-Hafed, a farmer who sold his field of diamond and went in search of the same pearl, but died trying, many Nigerian youths are fleeing the country in search of greener pastures when what they craved is only few metres away.  They don’t get rich, they die trying because they fail to realize the wisdom in Lee Iacocca’s words who said: ‘we are continuously faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems’. What we need is to unravel it and seek a way to provide the solution. Education may not teach that, but nature does as it did to Olunaike, the famed Baba Alajo Somolu who sold his bus to buy a bicycle not because he was interested in cycling or preparing for the Olympics, but so he could reach the distance those with cars and great education may never reach. Such a story deserves our attention as a nation. And for me, such a man deserves the place of a national hero.

PS: Pa Alphaeus Taiwo Olunaike died at 97 years of age and was buried in his home town, Isonyin Ijebu, Ogun State on Saturday, 22^nd of September, 2012.