Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Congratulations on your 60th birthday Prof. Toyin Falola

Dear Professor Toyin Falola my Oga at the top,

I am a lawyer but also a dabbler in History especially of the Yorubas. So why do I hold you in such high esteem, love and awe? It is because of all the encomiums poured on you and more.

Please permit me to add mine to the already huge catalogue of praises. I met you when I was an undergraduate law student between 1978 and 1982 at Ife. My best friend in life Prof. Akinkunmi Alao had wholesome praise for you and his contemporary Prof. Siyanbola Oyeweso from Ede also my friend had your name too on his lips. So I decided to meet you but only through your prolific intellectual works and one simple fact was clear. You always dwell deep on topics and come up with deep and profound insight. The more poignant part of you is your recognition of mental talent and your uncanny ability to nuture and mentor such.

Later on your way to Canada you visited me at my humble rented flat at 18 Harwood Court Felton Street London N1 5NF. When you saw all the graffiti all around and the many you saw you spontaneously told me point plank that, "this is a society in turmoil" and your apt phrase resolved all my old attempt to grapple with my new but tumultuous and strange new environment.

I was so honoured by your visit that I kept in touch and I have gained so much from you. You illuminate issues and you resolve them with uncanny wisdom. When I was at a career crossroad and I was feeling depressed you taught me not to be too self important. You told me all can be a success and all can be a failure depending on how things align for them in life. Antecedents of birth, genes, environment and so many other factors can make or break a person. When they align positively for a person that person should be humble and not allow the transient success get into their head. Likewise when they refuse to align or negatively align that person should not despair or lose hope as the alignment will subsequently happen and that person will be recognised and celebrated.

How you make time for all is a mystery and you share so much of yourself is impossible to fathom. Your awesome love for family both nuclear and extended and your friends is legendary.

Your hospitality and the whole ambience and artistic design of your home is a pleasure to behold and this goes to your lovely and dutiful and loyal wife whose patience is huge to endure the enigma that you are.

At the risk of being boring as I am repeating what others have far eloquently expressed I will end by praying for you and your family. May God continue to shower you with blessings and grant you good health. Many happy returns of your birthday. I join others in celebrating your greatness and wish you many more achievements.

Unknown to you some of us fondly refer to you as our Oga but now I add "at the top" may God bless you more our dear Oga. You will go from strength. Amen.

Ibukunolu Alao Babajide (IBK)
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

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From: <boladauda@gmail.com>
Sender: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2013 21:19:52
To: <kolapof@uoguelph.ca>; <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Reply-To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Congratulations on your 60th
birthday Prof. Toyin Falola



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------Original message------
From: FJKolapo <kolapof@uoguelph.ca>
To: <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2013 2:16:54 PM GMT-0400
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Congratulations on your 60th birthday Prof. Toyin Falola



Since I cant be at the Toyin Falola conference to honor him at his 60th birthday, I like to be indulged to tell a story about my first meeting with Prof. Toyin Falola about 25 years ago and with the story to wish him and his family  happy birth day.
My first acquaintance with Prof. Falola was back sometime in 1980 -1981 when   I   would be comparing notes with a childhood friend of mine who while I was at ABU (Nigeria) was doing his bachelors at the then UnIfe and like me was majoring in history.   We would enthuse about what and who was exciting us as students at our respective universities. While I would tell him of Dr. Bala Usman and his debates, and my best teacher   Dr.   Gloria Emeagwali and how Professor Joseph Inikori belonged to a class of his own, my friend's ace was always Toyin Falola, Toyin Falola, Toyin Falola. For my friend, late Ayo James Ibitoye, Prof. Falola summed up the best, the excellent, the exciting and every possibility that a career as a historian could offer.
Rounding up my B achelors in 1982 and discussing with Prof. Gloria Emeagwali my intention of pursuing graduate studies somewhere south of the country, Dr. Falola's name and reputation came up again.   Prof. Gloria Emeagwali suggested that I might want to try Toyin at Ife-- all his friends affectionately call him Toyin.
About 8 years later, while looking for literature and research publications with which to upgrade the literature review section of my MA dissertation, I went to Ife and headed straight to Prof. Falola's office, armed with the names of Professors Gloria Emeagwali and Joseph Inikori. He took me home and he and his wife gave me their guestroom for the length of time I was at Ife. He gave me access to his library; he introduced me to some of his friends and colleagues; and connected me to Prof. Funsho Afolayan, whose PhD dissertation was directly relevant to my own. He   asked if I would like to and allowed me talk to one of his history classes.   And yet it was the first time he would ever meet me.
On the basis of the above alone, its clear that Professor Falola holds his friends and colleagues dear - taking their recommendations very seriously; secondly, he is accessible, supporting and willing to provide any and all assistance that he could, in support of academic endeavours of his friends and his friends' friends who are introduced to him; third, he is humble and down-to-earth,   with me who he just met as well as with ordinary people, his acquaintances, who I saw him relate with so seamlessly and even casually during my stay and walk on the streets with him; fourth, he adored his wife and immensely impressed me with the reverence with which he mentioned his wife when she came up in our discussions and his appreciation of her immense support to him, even back then. His two little kids, (then) were also darlings and I remember the love he showed on them - on the son, whenever he returned from school. Remove the immateriality attributed to angels and all that is left of them describes his wife. Remember she put me up and fed me in her house. But also during my stay with them, Prof. Falola was working on a book and often worked all night in his office.   His wife, he said brought him food at the office so that he could maintain the momentum that he had going, though she was also working full time. I have not had the opportunity to visit their home and be with her again since those many years ago, but God willing, I soon will.
Unparalleled excellence always seems to draw some mystery to itself as it seems to have no compeer. Hence, I appreciate some of the intimation of the mystical in the congratulations that have come Profesor Falola's way, perhaps, encouraged by interesting scenes and encounters with iwin , anjonnu , and Leku that are related in Prof. Falola's autobiographical A Mouth Sweeter than Salt . Perhaps, like Einstein, his brain is differently structured and his blood probably has some components that are lacking in ordinary mortals' all which enables him to exert himself almost endlessly. However that may be, as Prof. Emeagwali said in her congratulatory message, Prof. Falola's productivity and excellence has grown out of tremendous hard work, consistency and dedication to the highest of standards, as well as with uncanny ease to initiate and facilitate resource pooling and collaboration . Even somebody not out looking will see these a mile away. I remember that the last weekend I was with him, he had to work on an invited address he was to give (at a matriculation or graduation) at the University of Sokoto so he could put it aside and concentrate on the major work he was doing. My recollection is that he went at about midnight to work in his office and by the following morning had his address all done up, proofread and ready to go. He actually gave it to me to read. I was of course amazed with the seeming effortlessness of it all and in the simple clarity and sharpness of mind that I thought were demonstrated in the paper.  
What about Prof. Falola's networking/collaborating virtues; what about his unobtrusive but firm encouragement that his friends must demonstrate hard work and competence; what do we say about his community activism, again unobtrusive but powerful and consequential. And to boot, he enjoys a beer, light hearted talk and banter. Though I had just come to a decision to no longer take alcohol when I came to meet him and subsequently let him know that I had become a born again Christian, he remained entirely capable of freely, closely, relating with me and able to strike discussion on almost any topic with me. I remember him telling me to not allow religion and born-again speak turn people off, a plague that easily could afflict immature and unbalanced "born-again" youth. In other words, he does not see any reason why ones religious identity should cause offense or be considered offensive to others. He is always concerned with creating and maintaining harmony and peace. And this is a reflection based only on   one odd week of staying, for the first time, with Prof. Falola. The virtues have grown and grown and continue to grow and yet he is only 60 years young. A sodun modu o, lagbara Edumare.
Dear Professor Toyin Falola, congratulations. Dear Mrs Olabisi Falola, congratulations on the 60th birthday of  Professor Toyin Falola. Many happy returns of the day in Jesus name. We rejoice with you.
/Femi J. Kolapo

 

 
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