Date: 2017-03-19

A retired educationist, Pa Johnson Fodeke, shares his life experiences with SUCCESS NWOGU Tell us about your childhood experience.

My father's name is John Odeniran Fodeke, married to my mother, Marian, daughter to Ojo of Olowa's compound, Offa, in Kwara State. Ojo was a friend to my grandfather, Awoniyi Fodeke.

When were you born?

I was born on a Friday, a Christmas, December 25, 1936.

Was it unique to be born on a Christmas day in those days?

It was because there were not many Christians in Offa and my grandfather, Awoniyi Fodeke, who hailed from Onigosun compound in Offa and his friend, Ojo, were all Ifa worshippers. Being friends, they exchanged visits and each time my grandfather visited Ojo, he saw how (now my grandmother) Ayanwemi of Ile-Olomi of Offa, responded to her husband. My grandfather saw her as being highly responsible to her husband. He wanted his son to marry the daughter of a woman of that nature. So he went into negotiation to marry the woman’s daughter for his son, John.

How many are you in your family?

The first child of my parents died the day she was to be named. My father had another child on December 25, 1936 when I was delivered of my mother.

Do you have siblings?

Yes. My mother gave birth to about 13 of us but only two survived.

What happened to the others?

I believe that the level of education and care for children at the time were low. Some of them, as I was told, had fever and after two or three days, they died. I believe they died because of low-level of education on child rearing.

Which schools did you attend?

My father enrolled me in Baptist School Offa in 1945, when it was established. We read just junior primary at Baptist School Offa at the time. One could only study up to Standard Two then. We had a common school belonging to Baptist Ipee Igosun and Offa. We called it the Egunkara Baptist United School. That was where I went to read the senior primary education. There were some irregularities in going to school. My mother died in 1952 when I was in Standard Three. I left Offa in December 1956 to start a year’s course at Preliminary Training Centre, Kano; it was an arm of Holy Trinity School, Kano and it ran the preliminary training course. There one could take entrance examination to either secondary school or teachers’ college. But I took entrance examination to St. Peter's Teachers College. By the time the list of the successful candidates was released, my name was not there. I had to stay a year at home. That was 1958. I later took entrance examination to Niger Baptist College, Minna where I did a three-year course for teacher’s Grade 3 certificate which I completed well.

What was your work experience?

Immediately I completed the course, it was the law of the Northern Region then that after Grade 3 course, the graduand must teach for not less than two years before being admitted to Teachers Grade 2 Course. The second year after my course, the northern regional government, announced the cancellation of the grade two course in the North. I was left with almost no hope but then I was teaching with my Grade 3 certificate.

Which subjects did you take there?

I took Ancient History, English, Biology and Christian Religious Knowledge. I went as far as Issele-Ukwu in the Mid-West, the Pilgrims Baptist College all the way to take entrance examination but all was in vain.

How did you advance in your education?

I had information that the school where I passed out from was arranging our return to the college. Then, it was running a five-year straight course and no more grade three and two. It also created opportunity for us in form four. Some people in form three took entrance examination. Those who were unable to meet up will repeat form three while those coming from outside the school were examined and admitted into form four. So we read form four and five to complete our grade two. After the completion of the course, the Baptist Mission used to do the posting and I was posted to Kano Baptist School. My salary as a grade three teacher was £11 five shillings equivalent to N22.50. My house rent and electricity was about £3.

While I was there, I was conscious of the need to progress in my education because at the time, many advanced colleges were established in Kano, Zaria, Ibadan and in the eastern state area. I struggled to be admitted but when I was admitted, I had a problem; I lost my wife during childbirth. I passed the examination but I had no sponsor and one must be sponsored by a state. Kano State was also not ready to sponsor me. I had to arrange my transfer to Kwara State, my home state, where having taught for first and second years, I was sponsored to the Advanced Teachers College Kano, where I read English and Fine Arts as my major, Biology my subsidiary subject and Education another major subject. When I was doing the course, we used to have students’ union at the state level. To God be the glory, I was appointed as President of Kwara Students. Kwara State at the time extended to parts of now Niger and Kogi states.

Did you attend another school?

After the completion of the course, I was posted to Government Secondary School, Omu-Aran, Kwara State. There was a advertisement of forms for admission into the Ahmadu Bello University for degree course. That was the year they started part-time course. I applied. I went back to my place of work at Government Secondary School, Omu-Aran where I was teaching Fine Arts. I later got admitted into the ABU to study Cultural Creative Arts.

After the completion of the course, I came back home and I was posted to Lafiagi Teachers College one of my pupils then was the current governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed.

What major set-backs have you experienced?

I lost my mother at a very early age. That was in 1952. I was in Standard Three. That was a sort of setback which was a hitch to my educational development. Not only that, I married in 1967 to Abigail Fodeke Nee Oyediji of Ile Ogundele of Ogbomoso. She died during the birth of our third child on February 1, 1972. It was terribly painful but I give glory to God that I still live till today because it was a very strong crossroad for me in life.

How did you meet your first wife?

In those days, we wrote love letters and passed them to the lady one was interested in. I wrote two or three to which she responded to and from there, we continued to push on. Our courtship was fairly long because I wanted her to complete her education. She was completing her primary education when I wrote the letter to her. When I was teaching at the Baptist School, I had the opportunity of getting admission for her into the Women Training Centre, Kano. She was there for a five-year course after which we married. We had our first child on January 30, 1968.

What are the things that interest you?

Education is a point of interest to me. Farming and hunting are also my areas of interest. My father and my grandfather were hunters. I inherited hunting and I enjoyed it. Most especially when I use my car, (Peugeot 504), for hunting Even when I was in school, I used to go to the bush on Fridays and would be there for two or three days hunting.

I was combining teaching, farming and gaming. My students called me 'shoot at sight' because I did not normally miss target. I abandoned farming as a result of the rampage of Fulani herdsmen who come with their cattle to consume farm crops. One dares not challenge them or they will kill one.

I have heard stories about the many people they killed and I would not want anybody to waste my life.

What is the secret of your good health at 80?

God is the secret.

Do you have special food or do exercises?

Hunting is a very serious exercise because when you are hunting, you kneel down, crawl and bend in an attempt to kill an animal. Sometimes, you sit down and move on the ground so that you get near the animal. When on the farm, my children do the till the ground while I cut trees. Sometimes, I do hunting even in the car. I use the car as a camouflage for some of the animals.

What is your best food?

I love pounded yam particularly if you pound it with potatoes. I love bush meat and Indian spinach vegetable with melon and fish.

What has been your happiest day?

It was the day I gave birth to my first son, Adedayo, January 30, 1968.

Which is your saddest day?

It was the day I lost my first wife.

How do you relax?

I relax by reading. I am used to reading even when I am in the toilet. I feel it is time wasting not to read. It got to a point that I even read while having a bath. As an English student, we had a number of literature books like Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice and others which I recorded, so when I want to have a bath, I listen to the recordings.