Kikula: The drummer boy who became a bookseller
By Lanre Idowu
ENCOUNTERS and Experiences (The Book Company Limited, Lagos; 2024) is an incredibly exciting book that highlights many significant chapters in the life of an accomplished Nigerian, Dayo Alabi, who, on joining the club of septuagenarians in December 2024, presented the book. Spread across 274 pages, it is the story of John Ekundayo Aigbokoba Alabi, who is simply known in many circles as Dayo Alabi. The name can easily situate Dayo in any of the six states that make up Nigeria’s South-West geopolitical region, but the truth is that the Author is from the South-South, Edo State particularly, Edo North Senatorial District, specifically, and Uneme-Nekhua, indisputably.
Published by The Book Company Limited, a reputable company that has helped many people and institutions to achieve their dreams of being published, the company has Dayo as its Managing Director/CEO. So, the book has done for Dayo what he has done for others. The first impression is that it is an attractive book that will stand out in a physical bookstore or in a digital display room. Its presentation style is sufficiently engaging to allow you to read it in two days as I did.
In looking at Alabi’s Encounters and Experiences, I propose that we ponder for a moment the question: why do people write books? The reasons are varied but let me attempt a summary. It is because the author has a story to tell. It is borne out of the desire to push a point of view and influence people. It is a way of stoking debate to address a particular issue. It is a way of presenting previously unknown information. It is a legitimate step to make an income. It is a desire to document experience in the hope that it will guide others.
There may be more reasons, but the central idea is that writing a book has personal, social, economic, political and cultural implications that sometimes go beyond what the author set out to do. Without a doubt, whoever writes a book has done a significant thing. It is an energy-sapping and intellectually-tasking chore. The book is the oldest member of the mass media of communication. Whether as a physical hard copy or an electronic one, books endure because of their permanence as conveyors of ideas. That is why we discuss the works of William Shakespeare many centuries after he wrote them. The generation of Alabi and I started hearing of the Wole Soyinkas, Chinua Achebes, Cyprian Ekwensis, and JP Clarks over 50 years ago. Their works still speak to us and will speak to more generations to come. Indeed, there is the saying that “man builds no structure which outlives a book” (Eugene Fitch Ware, 1899).
How well has our author told his story in Encounters and Experiences? Alabi’s 274-page book has 15 chapters, a foreword, a page of dedication, another of acknowledgments, and an index. Five themes are striking about the book. ‘Uneme and I’ is the title of the opening chapter. It offers a proud introduction to the Uneme Nation of five broad communities— their origins, and some of their traditions. Chapter Thirteen sheds light on the Author’s active involvement in the activities of the Uneme Nation through his membership of two groups, the Uneme-Nekhua Development Association and the Uneme National Development Association, both of which he had the good fortune to lead at different times as the president. It was in Uneme-Nekhua that the Author spent the first sixteen years of his life, attending primary school, learning to be a farmer, blacksmith, and a hunter. He was also Kikula, the drummer boy. It was an age of innocence in the village without television, where he did not know what an airplane was and where the future envisaged for him was that of an apprentice motor conductor, who would rise to become a professional driver.
Family Influence is another significant theme in the book. He writes of his parentage with pride. He celebrates the influence of his sisters on his life. Indeed, it was his immediate elder sister, Christianah Etimomo Elizabeth Atitebi who dragged him to Abeokuta to live with their big sister, Mrs. Mercy Oloruntowo Akpaida, who made it possible for him to have a secondary school education. It was Christianah Atitebi and her husband, Mr. Bimbo Atitebi who ensured that he went to The Polytechnic Ibadan for the Higher School Certificate programme. It was they who provided him with off-campus accommodation whilst he was a student at the University of Lagos.
When his beloved sister, Christianah passed on after childbirth and living with the memory of his departed sister destabilized him psychologically, it was the family network that earned him accommodation on the campus through the benevolence of a cousin, Mr. Azia, who gave him his one-room junior quarter whilst he rented a room off campus.
According to Alabi, “A cousin of mine, Mr. Azia, a messenger in the office of the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Durojaiye, came to my rescue. He told me he was entitled to one-room junior staff quarters if he wanted but opted to rent a house outside the campus and collect a housing allocation instead. He said since the Dean liked him, he would take me to him and explain my situation so that he could apply for the room, but I would stay there, with the knowledge of the Dean. Mr. Azia did as he promised, and the accommodation was given to him while he was forgoing his monthly housing allowance. Mr. Azia did this because he was happy that a member of our family would become a university graduate”.
Education as a defining force is the third striking theme. Without access to education, first by moving to Abeokuta, later to Ibadan, and Lagos, all the hidden talents in the Author may have been buried in Uneme-Nekhua where the best future envisioned for him by a local thought leader was life as a motor-boy! To the glory of God, Alabi seized the opportunity that came his way and made a success of it from secondary school to the university. How many budding Dayos are in our villages and rural settings waiting to be discovered and given the opportunity to blossom?
Perseverance and Adaptability make up the fourth theme. The author was never shy of taking risks. From one job after the other, he plunged into various assignments with great courage, willingness to learn, dogged perseverance to make his views known and quick preparedness to make necessary adjustments. He presents all these with great candour. All the marketing training he had acquired underwent necessary refining in the CSS Bookshop where he faced his greatest managerial challenge. To the glory of God, he was able to turn around the fortunes of the company from a dying shell to a solvent one. Alabi is not scared of mentioning names. He names those he disagreed with and explains why. They include the former Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Revd. Peter Akinola, the former head of marketing at CSS, Yomi Obadimeji. That way, he seems to be inviting a dialogue, throwing a bait at them to challenge and contradict him. Will anyone take up the challenge?
The author reels out names after names of people who have helped his life’s journey from his school days to his first job during the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps scheme, to his rich Marketing training in Lever Brothers, the reality check of his NALIN experience, the encounters and experiences of Standard Packaging and the great accomplishments that took place at CSS Bookshops Limited, the activities of the Book Trade Associations and now his ongoing experience as the CEO of The Book Company Ltd. His is a success story but it was never a one-man show. He pays due tribute to Chief Joop Berkhout, the Dutch Nigerian, who had consistently urged him “to write a book that would contain details of what we did at CSS Bookshops to revive a ‘dead’ company”.
This memoir serves as an inspiration for aspiring individuals, illustrating the profound impact that dedication and hard work can have on one’s journey. Beyond a recall of events, Alabi’s narrative is a testament to the toughness and determination that defines true leadership. He meticulously documents the support and influence of his family, mentors, and colleagues, highlighting the collective effort that has shaped his path, and the versatility required to succeed in diverse environments. The book is a treasure trove of lessons on adaptability, perseverance, and the importance of seizing opportunities.
Encounters and Experiences is a guide for students and professionals alike, offering practical wisdom on navigating the complexities of life and career. It will resonate well with professionals and scholars in marketing, business administration, publishing, leadership and sociology. Dayo Alabi’s story reminds the reader of the potential within each of us to overcome challenges and achieve greatness through persistent effort and unwavering commitment.
I commend Alabi for sharing his story and encourage others to follow his example. By doing so, we can strengthen the individual, communal, institutional, and collective memory of our world. Sharing our thoughts, ideas, and transformative experiences from various encounters is essential for this purpose.
