Wale Adeduro: Delivering poetics of activism at the launch of factional book ‘Obalende: A Nation in Motion’
By Anote Ajeluorou
WALE Adeduro is not your regular activist out to declaim what’s wrong with Nigeria in popular podiums. A pastor, multiple doctorate degree holder, business leader and coach, he would rather deploy his talent in more subtle ways to point out the rots to those in positions to engineer a better society. But a time comes when a country’s perennial failings gnaw away the edge of patience to give way to verbal crusading. And at the launch of his part fictional part factional book Obalende: A Nation in Motion at Freedom Park, Lagos, Dr. Adeduro set aside the usual subtleties of the pulpit and mounted the poetic podium of the spoken word format to deliver perfect jabs at his society’s failings on all fronts.
In a 2-minute long poetry he titled ‘Guilty as charged’, Adeduro poetically took on the mantle of embattled lawyer and activist Mr. Dele Farotimi who has shown immense grit and defiance in exposing the underbelly of rot in Nigeria’s judiciary with his new book, and waxed lyrically poetic. ‘Guilty as charged’ is sweeping in its evocation of a country’s many wrongs and the urgency needed to fix them. Through Obalende: A Nation in Motion, Adeduro paints Nigeria in unflattering brushstrokes and dares anyone to contradict him , as she slides into anomie.
Indeed, Dr. Adeduro took off from where his protégé Chinyere Ogbonnanya stopped in her spoken word performance titled ‘Obalende: A Nation in Motion’ which should actually have been titled ‘I, Affiong’ anyway, and ended with the million naira question: ‘Is there a future for Nigeria’? Indeed, is there a future with the penchant of leaders to run things aground, thus making the country not to rise to its historic destiny? Ogbonnany’s defiant ‘I, Affiong’ is the sum total of the defiance of Nigeria’s #EndSARS generation of youth who do not blink when they question the status quo and upend all known norms that have held them down for ages. It is also in sync with the plight of the girl-child who is often left at great disadvantage and given the short end of the stick in Nigeria’s existential equation, thus highlighting what the book launch chairman and Nigeria’s former finance minister Mr. Remi Babalola, saying the book, “offers a compelling narrative that deeply resonates, particularly regarding our shared experiences and values during our adolescent years, with a special focus on the girl-child in Nigeria. Your dedication, diligence, passion and love of art is the essence of this book.”
Adeduro would end his poetic flight with a declaration of his avowed activism on behalf of the oppressed and disadvantaged in society like Affiong, a girl and neighbour in his growing up years in the bustling Obalende area of Lagos and former seat of Nigeria’s military power (Dodan Barracks nearby), “I’m a Yoruba man speaking in defence of an Ibibio girl… Guilty as charged for speaking about the ills of a Nigerian society” that has gone south. “Guilty as charged for being a Nigerian who desires a better future,” he said which is at the heart of the work which started as a weekly newspaper column, but which has now morphed into a book that explores Nigeria’s unfortunate condition.
The author Dr. wale Adeduro (left); his friend Mr. Tunde Ojo and event chairman Mr. Remi Babalola displaying copies of Obalende: A Nation in Motion
In highlighting the thrust of Adeduro’s Obalende: A Nation in Motion, Babalola stressed the place of a functional family as starting point to having a great country devoid of certain social vices and for the emergence of responsible leaders. He expressed dismayed at the pervasive dysfunctionality that stars him in the face in today’s Nigeria, and wonders when it would be arrested for sanity to reign.
“Permit me to highlight a few themes captured in Obalende: A Nation in Motion that are particularly relevant and concerning for the Nigerian society to address urgently: poverty, promiscuity, sexual abuse, indecency, adolescent vulnerability, and dysfunctional family structures,” Babalola said. “These issues have taken on more worrisome dimensions, and our society cannot afford to gloss over them if we are to foster an environment conducive to raising responsible adults and future leaders. We must pay greater attention to the family institution as the building block of the society. The more functional our families are, the better our society will become. This begins with promoting strong African values and ethics, educating the girl-child, hard work, social responsibility, and improved socio-economic well-being.”
He then commended the author for his exceptional work as a former banker colleague and other close associations they’ve shared over the years.
According to Babalola, “I must commend Pastor (Dr.) Adeduro for his dedication, tenacity, and brilliance in creating this literary work. This achievement speaks to his prolific and cerebral mind as a literary artist and former columnist. My relationship with Pastor (Dr.) Adeduro spans over the decades, first as co-pioneers at Zenith Bank and later as co-tenants in Akoka area of Lagos. He is more than just a friend; he is a true brother. He is a man of many hats: a banking professional, entrepreneur, productivity coach, pastor, columnist, and creative writer, among others. I am therefore not surprised that he has churned out this excellent piece of novel.”
Like Ogbonnanya, a violinist Morgan Jeremiah also serenaded the audience with enchanting notes from his instrument that got many in the audience singing along with him.
Adeduro gave credit to Mr. Babalola and Madam Iyabo Abaoba who manages Freedom Park for helping to shape him into what he has become in his personal and professional life, and said, “We have started work on the project that will take the book to different parts of Nigeria and be a school text. He, however, lamented that there’s “nothing on Obalende as a document for the former seat of power. We will take the book round to schools’ libraries in Nigeria,” also noting that the possibility of making a movie out of Obalende was in the offing in response to an audience member’s remarks on the visual, cinematic appeal she could glean from the book.
Before reading an excerpt from the factional book as well as Anote Ajeluorou, Secretary of Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) Mr. Toyin Akinosho acknowledged that CORA had been a part of producing Obalende since the author is its board of trustee member, adding, “It’s been a process and I’ve been very fascinated by the book. What I’m about to read gives me a sense of my own understanding of Obalende.”
With moderation from poet and festival manager Samuel Osaze and Mrs. Adefolake Adekola, the compact event had Mrs. Adeola Akinyemi, Managing Director of Niger Insurance Mayowa Adeduro, Niyi Adeduro, Mikaila Afolabi, the chairman’s wife Mrs. Bunmi Babalola, the author’s sister and brother Adewola Akinyemi and Niyi Adeduro, Tunde Ojo, among others who attended the event.
