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| Chief Adebisi Giwa Mansion in Idikan, Ibadan/Mr George/WALKARTROAD |
Sanusi
Adebisi Idikan was an enigmatic personality that traversed Ibadan’s landscape
in commerce, engaged in philanthropy and humaneness in the late 19th and 20th
centuries.
COMING OF
THE OFI- CLOTHE WEAVING HERO
He was born
in 1882, in Ibadan during the reign of Aare Latoosa, the Baale of Ibadan, and
died in 1938, during the reign of his bosom friend and Father In Law, Olubadan
Okunola Abass Aleshinloye.
Despite
being the biggest story of his time, Sanusi remained
an unsung
hero. Adebisi’s father, Adesina, migrated from Efon Alaaye (Ijesha Stock) in
present day Ondo State.
He was an
itinerant Ofi clothe weaver- a traditional Yoruba clothe, earmarked for
ceremonies, marriages, burials and so on.
He moved to
Ibadan with his paternal half-brother- Alabi and settled in Aremo, in the
household of Lanase.
Ibadan had
become then, the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria and perhaps black Africa. It
was secure, accommodating and prosperous.
Adesina
whilst plying his trade of Ofi weaving, was also spiritual consultant to
Alaafin Atiba, who had betrothed his most precious daughter- Princess Ogboja to
him, in recognition of Adesina’s great spiritual impact in his life.
Adesina,
begat three children- Adetinrin, Adeoti and Adebisi.
Adetinrin
and Adeoti were 20 years and 15 years respectively, older than Adebisi.
Adebisi grew
up to join his siblings in the hawking of their father’s Ofi clothes in and
outside the city of Ibadan. Within a short spade of time, he enlarged the space
of the business by hawking the Ofi clothes outside Ibadan- Iwo, Ile
Ogbo, Ikire, Oshogbo, Ife, Ondo and even the far flung place of Benin and
before the age of 18 years, he became an instant success and even had to retire
his siblings from the business.
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| Chief Sanusi Adebisi Giwa [Idikan] |
… AND THE
COCOA PLANTATIONS FOLLOW
Aside Ofi
business, he ventured into large scale farming, in Ashipa village, Mamu,
where he developed a large cocoa plantation.
Cocoa had
been introduced into Nigeria since 1874 and had by the 1890s, become Nigeria’s
most notable cash crop, most especially in Yoruba land.
In Ashipa,
he built a farmstead and numerous houses, for his farm workers.
The success
in the Mamu cocoa plantation, encouraged him to acquire about 200 Acres of land
in Apata Ibadan, where he developed another cocoa plantation.
ADEBISI
BECOMES SOCIETY LEADER
In
recognition of his success as a cocoa farmer and entrepreneur, he was made the
Giwa Egbe (head of the society) by his other successful merchants, like Otiti,
Ekolo, Afunleyin, Ladimeji from Isale Ijebu and Adeyemo Owonbuwo from
Oopo-yeosa.
As Giwa of
the society, he added Giwa to his name, to become Sanusi Adebisi Giwa.
Sanusi
Adebisi Giwa’s acts of philanthropy were demonstrated in his first tax rescue
effort in Ibadan. Payment of tax by every male adult was made compulsory by the
colonial government.
Most Ibadan
adults were subsistent farmers, who could not afford the payment of tax and
that the punishment for tax evasion was, detention in Mapo, which also served
as the Treasury Office.
A detained
tax defaulter, usually found it difficult to get a contemporary who would bail
him out, because most adults were tax evaders and an attempt by a tax evader to
bail a tax evader, would certainly land such rescue effort into another
detention.
TAX EVASION:
THE SUICIDE STORY OF BAALE’S SON
This tax
problem became such an agony, that a Balogun of Ibadan- Balogun Ola, son of
Baale Orowusi, would rather commit suicide, than to see Ibadan Young men in
perpetual tax agony and detention. This valiant self murder, was recognized by
the Ibadan people, who named him Kobomoje (the one who displayed gallantry
against timidity)
The payment
of tax became a social symbol and tax defaulters were usually mocked and
despised by the popular song-”Owo ori ti d’ ode o, o o’ode o baba wa loko
san” –”payment of taxation has come, our fathers were the first to pay, the
idiots and lazy ones who have not paid are in detention in Mapo”- “Awon ode
ti o le san o, won nbe lati mole ni Mapo.”
Adebisi was
displeased with the tax situation in Ibadan. His philosophy had always been-
(the rich must help the poor who are vulnerable)
Adebisi had
at this time been one of the first set of Ibadan elites, perhaps if not the
first person, to ride a car, apart from his hordes of horses.
ADEBISI
SHOCKS COLONIAL TAX OFFICER
For effect,
he had his horse dispatch rider- Ladimeji, to ride in front of his car, on his
way to Mapo, to see the Chief Tax Officer for the Ibadan Colonial Office. In
his meeting with the officer in the colonial office, he brokered an
understanding- “I want to be paying tax on behalf of every taxable adult in
Ibadan”. The officer was shocked, nonplussed and asked him, if he knew the
financial implication of his gesture? But he still insisted on paying.
Henceforth,
the colonial officer would calculate the amount of tax expected from all Ibadan
taxable adults and would go to Adebisi Idikan’s residence to collect the money.
SALAMI
AGBAJE
JOINS ADEBISI
Ibadan of
this era had certainly produced Salami Agbaje and Adebisi Idikan as its two
wealthiest citizens. Salami Agbaje was born in Lagos in 1880, to Arowodu, an
Arabic migrant from Iseyin. His mother was an Ibadan woman and he had begun his
early life as a tailor, apprentice driver and later a sawyer. He eventually
supplied all the timbers (slippers) needed for the Lagos-Ibadan railway,
between 1898 and 1901, when fortune smiled on him. Ibadan train station was
opened in 1901.
His fortune
in the timber business encouraged him to venture into the newly, money spinning
cocoa market.
However,
whilst Sanusi Adebisi indulged his money in philanthropy, Salami indulged his
own, in the education of his children and had produced the first Ibadan Medical
Doctor- Dr. Saka Anthony Agbaje, Mojeed Agbaje, First Ibadan Lawyer, a retired
Supreme Court Judge, Gani Agbaje and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria- Yekeen
Agbaje.
As an
acknowledgement of these two great wealthy men, a notable Ibadan diarist-
Akinpade Obisesan, in his diary in 1922 noted: “nobody in this town will
revere anyone of no-means, he would be counted as no-man, the great presents
made to us, forced me to recognise that Messers Agbaje and Adebisi are being
held in high esteem- after all, what is our intelligence, our school going and
reading of books, without getting money to back these three things”
Akinpade
Obisesan, after he retired from the Lagos railway, had returned to Ibadan,
where he worked in many European mercantile firms and also made efforts to establish
himself as a trader, like Adebisi and Salami.
In
furtherance of his aspiration, he ordered a book entitled: Six Hundred Ways to
Get Rich” from a book seller in the United States. However, despite the book
knowledge, the burden entrepreneur could still not make it in the way of Salami
Agbaje and Adebisi Idikan. Fortune is a product of not only hard work, but
mother luck.
IBADAN’S
FIRST UNIVERSITY GRADUATE
Bishop
Alexander Babatunde Akinleye, was Ibadan’s first University Graduate in 1912
and founded Ibadan’s first Secondary School- Ibadan Grammar School in 1913.
Two of
Adebisi’s children- Azeez Zakariyyah and Salawu Adebisi had attended Ibadan
Grammar School under Bishop Akinleye. There were usually, no higher schools in
Ibadan, after Ibadan Grammar School.
WHY ADEBISI
REJECTED UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOR HIS CHILDREN
Bishop
Akinleye had visited Salami Adebisi, to encourage him and also to intimate him,
on the prospect of gaining a university admission for his two sons in Europe,
who had just left his college, with the hope that it would be an encouragement
to other Ibadan wealthy men. But Adebisi, whilst thanking Bishop Akinleye for
his concern and also acknowledging his episcopal visit, told the Bishop and
Principal, that he would not like to expose his children, to the danger
associated with schooling abroad. According to him, the man of means would
always employ the man of knowledge.
Around 1920,
the Miller brothers of the United Kingdom, arrived Ibadan looking for business
prospects, opportunities and business associates. They needed a native of
immense wealth, who could be an intermediary and associate. Sanusi even though
unlettered, had secretaries and Personal Assistants, who were lettered.
THE MILLER
BROTHERS ENGAGE HIM
The Miller
brothers made him their Factor. Whatever goods imported to Nigeria by the
Miller brothers, would reach Ibadan, the main depot, for Adebisi to chat its
mode of distribution and marketing, as its main distributor and marketer.
Adebisi’s fortune soared and the Miller brothers, became a conglomerate and a
multi-national. Adebisi later became a share holder in the multi-national and
Miller brothers, later changed their name to United African Company (U.A.C)
HOW HE
JOINED TRADITIONAL RULING CLASS
Adebisi,
having traversed the world of business, commerce, enterprise and philanthropy,
he needed to expand his frontiers, by joining the traditional ruling elites of
Ibadan.
As Ibadan’s
notable wealthy man, he approached the reigning monarch- Baale Shittu Aare in
1924 for a Chieftaincy title, which Baale gladly obliged.
Unfortunately,
before he could be conferred with the chieftaincy title, Baale Shittu Aare was
on May 1925, deposed by the Alaafin of Oyo- Oba Shiyanbola Ladigbolu, for
“disloyalty and having an unsatisfactory attitude.”
As the
diarist Akinpelu saw the matter, Shittu was” wrongfully and wickedly deposed”.
Baale Shittu Aare, remained in Oyo for a year and was then deported further
north to Shaki where he died in 1935. His corpse was returned to Ibadan to be
buried in his compound- Ile Latoosa. Aare was succeeded by Baale Oyewole Foko
in 1925.
On the 26th
of November, 1926, Adebisi was installed, the Ashaju Baale of Ibadan, jumping
about 10 lines on the rung of the ladder- Otun Olubadan (civil) line. Money “is
the god of the world” rhapsodised Akinpelu Obisesan.
In June
1925, the foundation stone of Mapo Hall was laid by Alaafin Shiyanbola
Ladigbolu and the British Resident- Captain W.A Ross.
ADEBISI
UNDERSCORES THE INFLUENCE OF MONEY
At this
impressive ceremony, Adebisi was gorgeously dressed in flamboyant traditional
attires, with befitting caps to match, which caught the instant admiration of
the British Resident. Alaafin Shiyanbola Ladigbolu accused Adebisi of stealing
the show.
Before
Alaafin Ladigbolu left Ibadan, for Oyo, he dropped a message for Baale Shittu,
that Adebisi must see him in Oyo and that when coming, Adebisi must come along
with him, the apparel- clothes, cap and shoes used when he met the Resident
governor-Captain W.A Ross.
Sensing
danger, Adebisi refused to go, but rather, sent a truck load of clothes, food
items and drinks with an emissary, led by his senior sister- Adetinrin, who was
a sparkling beauty.
Having
assuaged the ego of Iku Baba Yeye, he later paid him a visit where he was
heralded with songs and drums. Adebisi who had earlier been targeted for
extinction, became Alaafin Ladigbolu’s favourite friend, amiable consult and
loyalist.
Sanusi
Adebisi having joined the Otun Olubadan line from the 11th on the rung of the
ladder, of 22 lines, later shortly thereafter, rose to become the Ashipa in
1936, and was installed by the incumbent Olubadan- Abass Okunola Aleshinloye,
who succeeded Oyewole Foko, in 1930 as the new Olubadan of Ibadan.
Akinpelu
Obisesan, again, dumbfounded by Adebisi’s meteoric rise, wrote in his diary_ “Adebisi
rose from the rank of political servants to the rank of political masters.
Surely, money is the god of the world; in this way, he fulfilled one of his
life’s greatest ambitions.”
With the
Ashipa title in the Olubadan line, Adebisi had just few steps into becoming the
Olubadan of Ibadan land. Oba Abass Okunola Aleshinloye in further recognition
of Adebisi’s Wealth and philanthropy, also gave his beloved daughter in
marriage to him. Oba Abass Aleshinloye, had promoted Adebisi three times,
within six years.
Adebisi
having been impressed with the construction of Mapo hall in 1925, also started
the construction of his own mansion in 1927- an edifice that looked like Mapo
Hall in elegance, grandeur and splendour.
The
architectural design and construction of the Adebisi mansion, could only be
found in Europe.
The
building/mansion was simply non-pariel, i.e. no equal, that it was the folk
tale that “eni ti o ba fe ko iru ile Adebisi, ko tin i ile ko” meaning-
“he who wants to build a house like Adebisi’s mansion, is not ready to build
any house”. The top of the triangular dome was designed with an elephant, which
is engraved “S.A.G” abbreviation for Sanusi Adebisi Giwa. The Mapo Hall was
commissioned in October 5, 1929 and Adebisi’s Mansion was opened before the
opening of Mapo Hall. Both buildings were constructed by Europeans, and a local
Engineer- Mr Carew (Keru), with some foreign professional builders and
Engineers working as a consortium.
THE MAN OF
GENEROSITY
Sanusi Adebisi
was a man of excessive generosity, whose milk of human kindness was ceaseless.
Coming from
a visit from Ede, where he had gone to see the reigning Monarch- the Timi of
Ede, he saw a handcuffed man, being taken to the Agodi prison yard Ibadan, by
some prison warders. He stopped to ask for the man’s offence- he was a debtor.
Adebisi there and then instructed the warders to follow him to collect the
money and release the debtor. Despite Adebisi’s intervention, the freed debtor,
refused to leave Adebisi’s household and stated that he would rather remain and
live with him, as one of his boys and this Adebisi gladly obliged.
Adebisi’s
driver- Ereola, was reported to him by some jealous folks for stealing
Adebisi’s money and had used proceeds of that theft in building a house.
Adebisi promised to investigate the matter.
The
following morning, he challenged the driver- Ereola and asked him to take him
straight to the house he was building. On reaching the site, he saw the
building construction going on and the builders were shocked to see Ereola’s
master. Unbelievably, Adebisi asked the builders to start dismantling the
structure already constructed and start to rebuild it in the mode that would
befit Ereola’s master- Adebisi.
Adebisi
directed the builders to go into his building material stores at Ogunpa and
ordered them to go and collect thousands of blocks and all the necessary
building materials, like roofing sheets and so on. At completion, Ereola’s
house became a cynosure of all eyes and also broke the record, as the first
lowly person in Ibadan, to build a house of blocks, that was incomparable.
Adebisi had
a legendary style of writing off debts, without being prompted. He would ask
his secretary / personal assistant- Adesokan, to read out the names of debtors
and how much they owed. He would tear the pages and order for a match stick. He
would strike the match stick and burn all the papers containing the debtors
names. He would write off the debts whilst saying- “nobody likes to be a
debtor”.
Aside from
his foray into the Ibadan traditional ruling council, he also became the
President of the Ibadan Land Court in 1936. At the Land Court, he displayed
exceptional brilliance, humaneness and deep knowledge of the Ibadan traditional
Justice system. He would rather arbitrate a dispute, and would always prefer a
fine option to a jail sentence. At this period, Captain Ward Price, an Ibadan
apologist, had succeeded Captain W.A Ross, as the Resident of Ibadan.
HIS GLORIOUS
EXIT
Adebisi in
ill health, had visited the then renowned surgeon- Dr Doherty in Lagos.
He was
advised by the surgeon, to stay in Lagos for three weeks in order to reduce his
stressful activities.
In order to
stay in Lagos for three weeks, he bought a house at 34, Whitman Street, Ebute
Meta in Lagos, to enjoy a well-deserved rest.
In January,
1938, in his last few moments, he brought out money to assist insolvent
debtors. He brought out the papers containing the debtors’ names, tore and
burnt them, without anyone noticing any premonition.
After a
brief illness of some few hours, he joined the saints triumphant on Friday June
21, 1938, at the age of 56 Years, and such was the glorious exit of the
unparalleled, uncommon benefactor and philanthropist, who had impacted on souls
and communities,- the Ibadan communities, Ibadan societies, Western Region and
Nigeria.
In the
Ibadan folklore- “Ile Adebisi lati je Malu tawo tawo, awa o je dodo, nile
Salami”, meaning-it is in Adebisi’s house that cow meat is eaten wholly
with its skin, while we have not eaten fried plantain in the house of Salami
(another notable Ibadan wealthy man of Adebisi’s generation).
This piece
is in response to a clarion call for the celebration of the times and lives of
men, who had impacted successfully on the society and who had also made life
worth living for the less privileged of their times, as a demonstration of how
best to live a worthy and exemplary life. Human memory being short, the likes
of Adebisi Idikan must be continually applauded and celebrated at all times!
Sanusi
Adebisi Giwa Akanji Idikan, Omo Ogboja, may your soul continually find peaceful
repose with the Lord.
- Hon (Barr.) Femi Kehinde,
Former Member,
House of Representatives,
National Assembly,
Abuja, Representing,
Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency, of Osun State- 1999-2003
