ODUYILOLA: A LIFE OF STRUGGLE AND SUCCESS (a tribute to Julius Abiodun Olowoniyi) By Yemi Olowolabi

The sudden thunder claps at noon pushed back the rising sun as darkness engulfed the ubiquitous splendour of Idanre hills. This was followed by a swift descent of chills and foreboding freeze, signaling an imminent rainfall as the daylight grimly dimmed further. The date was Monday August 3, 2026.

The ominous weather left the residents of Idanre hanging in the balance, wondering and waiting for what looked like an unstoppable, torrential rainfall. Expectations snowballed into apprehension as relentless lightening lascerated the skies with forelorn hope and baleful tides. Unknown to the residents of the Cocoa-rich community, the rains refused to fall on that fateful Monday because one of Idanre’s brightest stars had just fallen- Julius Abiodun Olowoniyi had just passed away in far away Lagos.

The portentous climate was actually a supernatural way to announce the passage of an extraordinary personality. But not many people could decode the premonitory indicators: the eerie feelings, the frosty halos and the direful flashes that tore through the streets. From these elemental affirmations, it is evident that the late Olowoniyi epitomised divinity in the form of humanity.

His sudden passage evoked instant trauma in a hitherto tranquil community. Troubled families, sobbing faces and throbbing folks gathered in mournful circles, from house to house, streets to streets, grieving over the monumental loss. Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms were abuzz, bursting with condolences and elegiac cadences, copiously celebrating the life and times of a man blessed with phenomenal grace.

For him, the road to fame was framed with prongs and prickles. It all started in Idanre fortuitously. It ended in Lagos bereft of fanfare.
In between the humble beginnings and undeniably glorious end lies the big story, the untold story of unfaltering struggles, unflappable strides and stupendous success. In between this epoch, lies epic lesson notes and workbook of inspiration.
Born of peasant farmer, late Pa Adeduyite Olowoniyi and a small scale trader- mother, Alice Olayeyebi, young Abiodun practically fought for his survival.
From 1963, when he left Olofin Anglican Grammar School, he became the pilot of his own destiny, flying into high altitude with a life jacket of ambition and oxygen mask of hope. He relocated to Lagos in search of a better milieu to actualise his dreams. In Lagos, he had no father or mother, no uncle or brother. He was like a typical orphan, largely at the mercy of life’s vicissitudes, prejudices and precariousness. Armed with an iron cast fortitude and a razor sharp intellect, he traversed the streets of Lagos, learning, upgrading his knowledge and updating credentials. Gradually, things began to take shape and the young Abiodun Olowoniyi began to garnish his life with professional laurels. The hitherto son of nobody began to gather accolades, attract recognition on account of his impressive intellectual exploits. He rose meteorically, he grew exponentially and he flourished dramatically. Julius Abiodun Olowoniyi became a household name among Idanre folks in Lagos and a symbol of admirable growth among the multiracial community of chartered accountants.
A fine gentleman with fastidious insistence on excellence, Olowoniyi’s career blossomed due to his elastic mental capacity and his unassailable integrity. For him, the Accounting profession was a calling, a divine ministerial mandate that brooks no heist and something to be handled with apostolic favour. He gave it his all. It was, therefore not a surprise that he rose to the Pinnacle of his career and became the Managing Director of Longman Nigeria PLC( now Learn African PLC).
Born in Odode Idanre in December 1945, Olowoniyi breathed his last at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, leaving family, friends and colleagues in tears.
At 81, he lived a beautiful life of impact, a life that reflects the true meaning of his praise name (oriki), _Oduyilola_. His late mother, Mama Olayeyebi, the famous bush meat seller, fondly adulated him with the rhythmic oriki- Oduyilola which literally means someone who adds honour to wealth.
But much more than the literal meaning, _Oduyilola_ has become a deeper metaphor in Idanre linguistic space. It is now a sweet depiction and a hallowed reference to a man who took adequate care of his parents.
Around 1984, he demolished his mother’s dilapidated mud house and erected, for her, a modern storey building, with contemporary fittings. The house became the talk of the town and every mother’s prayer point. In 1995 when his mum passed on, Olowoniyi made the headlines again with a two-day superlative funeral shindig that shook the entire community. It is on record that he was the first to bring a sprawling marque to Idanre. It was an unprecedented feat as people travelled from far and near to behold the magnificent canopy that glittered with flickering lights and fluffy carpets. Till today, many young adults of Idanre origin don’t remember Olowoniyi’s first name. They simply refer to him as _Uncle Oduyi_

He was an enigma, a philosopher who canonised character, contentment and commitment to modesty.
He will be missed for his exemplary humility and spectacular love for learning.

Goodnight, _Oduyilola!
Obe’ yibo e da’ounja luka,
Omo yeye e ‘ Layeyebi amusoo shonshon._