Behold! Adefaka, Galadima of Akure Land @89: A countdown, by The DEFENDER

Of note is that, Alhaji Adefaka, gives one legacy to his children among who today have been banker, serving Immigration officers, police education senior official, registered nurse who has risen to matronship in Ondo State hospital management services and, of course, a doing well journalist, among others. The legacy is the standing instruction that, “If you cannot improve on my name, leave it as it is”.

Alhaji Kasumu Adefaka Yesufu in about 60 days from here will be 89.

He was born on May 24, 1930 to the Abibiri Ruling House of Isolo, a community within the Akure Kingdom where the Deji of Akure is the Paramount Ruler.

He is son of Pa Yesufu a.k.a. Asoremasika, who had the biggest and most revered masquerade in Akure until his embracement of Islam along with his wife, son Adefaka, who became Kasumu and others given Aliu and Idris (father of AbdulHakeem) and a daughter Farunjola who later got married and had Wosilatu as daughter.

Pa Yesufu, father of Adefaka, is son of Sanni Ere, son of Abibiri, the first Oba Osolo of Isolo, who had earlier, upon migration from Northern Nigeria (details later) became the Edemo of Oba-Ile, a community between Akure township and an area called Ilu Abo, where Chief Olu Falae is Olu, the village head.

Papa Abibiri was practically asked to relocate to Isolo Akure and mount the thrown being that, considering his status, he was considered to occupy throne bigger than the second-in-command to the Oloba of Oba-Ile Akure which he was as the Edemo.

Investigations revealed that Alhaji Adefaka attended African Church Primary School, Amudipe Street, Akure metropolis in the Ondo State capital.

At African Church Primary, boy Adefaka, as it was with missionary of South West Nigeria who must convert any child regardless of his or her parent’s religion to Christianity, was given Daniel should he be given admission to access education.

Alhaji Adefaka grew into acquiring a Standard Six which was minimum education level required to be called a man at his time and also moved further in life to train in what is today known as Cooperative College in the state. By his advanced training he became a banker working with Trust Bank and later Cooperative Bank, where he served along with his childhood friend, Chief Omolade Oluwateru, who later in life became Deputy Governor of Ondo State during the Olusegun Agagu Administration and under Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as President of Nigeria became a Nigerian Ambassador.

It was in recognition of the relationship that Oluwateru, an Akure son like Adefaka, as Deputy Governor told one of his sons who later became a journalist that “I know Adefaka but I don’t know Bashir and therefore, I must tell you that I will attend your function” which was the occasion of second anniversary of The DEFENDER, at the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), Oda Road, Akure in 2004. The DEFENDER’s first anniversary was hosted at Police College Ikeja by CSP Muhammad Mustafa in 2003 and attended by Dr. Lateef Adegbite, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Nigeria’s Western Region, and where Sheikh Abdulrahman Ahmed as Chief Missioner of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society attended as guest speaker and now late former Chief Imam of the Nigerian Army, Major Daud Ibrahim was a guest. Note that CSP Muhammad Mustafa, is today Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone 10, Sokoto, and remains attached to the patriotic ideal of The DEFENDER.

Pa Adefaka later moved from the Cooperative Bank to join the services of the Ondo State Cooperative and Marketing Produce Union (OSCMPU) where he served for 33 years before he retired in 1983 and set up his own produce company with office, as irony of life would have it, located directly opposite the same African Church Primary School, Amudipe Street, Akure, where he had his primary education.

It will continue to be on record that a produce merchant in Ilawe-Ekiti, Old Ondo State, Mr. Bode Olowoporoku, who had bigger clout than Adefaka to take cocoa produce across the sea, contributed to a big loss that the former banker suffered in his produce business as a private man, when in 1984, he took graded cocoa worth N50,000 (at a time Nigeria’s currency was 1 to 1 with US dollar) on understanding that after export he would pay but he failed to pay till present. Bode Olowoporoku, during the Olusegun Obasanjo civilian administration became an Ekiti State Senator representing the state in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999-2007).

Before his retirement, as officer of OSCMPU, Alhaji Adefaka had worked in so many stations from Ijare, separately Iju, Itaogbolu, now headquarters of Akure North Local Government to Igbara Oke, Igbara Odo, Ilawe-Ekiti, Idanre, Oda, and then was finally posted to Akure where he retired in 1983. In the course of his posting in Iju, he had many friends among who were Papa Adamolekun, father of popular Lawyer Adamoleke of NPN of the old, Professessor Adamolekun, and Chief N. K. Adamolekun. Other people Alhaji Adefaka had contact with at Iju included Papa Alasoadura, father now Senator Tayo Alasoadura, and, of course, another Iju big cocoa farmer, Papa Sulaiman Falade, who later gave out his daughter, Sifawu, in marriage to the OSCMPU officer being a practicing Muslim. That marriage produced the journalist son of the Abibiri Ruling House of Isolo Akure by Adefaka.

Of note is that, Alhaji Adefaka, gives one legacy to his children among who today have been banker, serving Immigration officers, police education senior official, registered midwife nurse who has risen to matronship in Ondo State hospital management services and, of course, a doing well journalist, among others. The legacy is the standing instruction that, “If you cannot improve on my name, leave it as it is”.

Alhaji Adefaka is in-law to Chief Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, by one of his wives, now late, Folake daughter of late Chief Ajanaku of Akure Kingdom. The Baba Oba Osolo of Isolo during the reign of his “Aburo”, Oba Kayode Oluwatuyi owner of the popular Akure Oluwatuyi Quarters and Rainbow Hotels Akure, Adefaka for a long time occupied the always keenly contested office of Chairman, Akure Muslim Community during which one of the then Ondo State Military Governor, Commodore Olabode Ibiyinka George, noted his activities along with Chief Imam of Akure Land and President General, League of Imams and Alfas South West, Edo/Delta, now late Sheikh Qasim Yayi Akorode, in ensuring religious peace in the state capital and for which reason up till present, Chief Bode George, who later got in contact with Adefaka’s journalist son in the course of journalism duty, continues to say “Bashir is my son. His Papa was good during my Administration in Ondo State” and George would therefore not allow his media adviser to interfere between him and young Adefaka any time in his Ikoyi office, Lagos.

Alhaji Kasumu Adefaka son of Yesufu also for a long time was Chairman, Board of Governors, Akure Muslim College, Idanre Road, Akure and Vice Chairman, National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) with the Afenifere Leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, as NAPTAN chairman in Akure Local Government. Recall Fasoranti is proprietor of the prestigious agelong Omolere School at Ijapo, in the Ondo State capital.

He also is friend to other notable Nigerians outside Ondo State community and these include Chief Kola Animasaun, the veteran journalist, diplomat and retired Chairman Editorial Board of Vanguard Newspapers.

Many Nigerians, who have connection with each of his children from the hospital management board in Ondo State through the police secondary school hierarchy, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and journalism community, are already sending in their greetings to the man they describe as “Baba Alalubarika” (blessed father) “t’obimo Alalubarika” (who gave begets blessed children).

At 89, it is worth to say that, although there is no plan to particularly throw up any party, Papa Kasumu Adefaka son of Yesufu, who turned down offer to conveniently mount the throne of his great grand father, Abibiri, as Oba Osolo of Isolo Akure but rather chose to visit Makkah in 1978, deserves a mention as a successful father and highly religious notable figure in his own respect.

Happy 89th anniversary to father of our esteemed media organisation’s proprietor. With compliments of The DEFENDER Newspaper, a publication of Dream Concept.