Guardian

THE icon of historical studies in Africa, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, former Head of the Department of History, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ibadan, the only African to have served as Chairman of the International African Institute in the UK and Chairman of the United Nations University Council in Japan, Emeritus Professor Jacob Festus Ade Ajayi, is 84 today.

Professor Ade Ajayi occupied centre stage in university governance and administration for over five decades. He has also been recipient of several honours and awards at home in Nigeria and abroad. Yet there are at least five questions that have remained unanswered in the writings on Professor Ade Ajayi. The questions relate to the subjects of the life and times of the Professor, which are often not spoken about and which have continued to intrigue scholars. In celebrating his birthday, we think it enriching to consider some of these questions and provide  hitherto unknown details of the life and times of the  remarkable man, the pride of the nation.

The first question is how and why he has successfully resisted being drawn into politics. He has belonged to no political party.  He has never indulged in taking part in political debates. At the time of decolonization, when Africans were excited about political parties, Ade Ajayi chose to concentrate on his research. After the attainment of Independence when many  scholars rode on the wings of political parties to occupy important positions, Ade Ajayi belonged to none of the political parties, choosing to serve as Head of his Department, Dean of his Faculty, Chairman of the Higher Degrees Committee of his University, and occasionally acting as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. It has been difficult to know what his political views are, other than that he has remained consistent in taking the side of those who suffer injustice, or those being victimised for whatever reason. Because of this posture, Ade Ajayi has maintained the respect of people of all shades of opinion or political leaning. From this position he has spoken with passion, without fear or favour and with dignity and courage. And he has attracted to himself a group of committed scholars and patriots at home and abroad, many of whom are currently preparing to write a book to honour the eminent scholar. Among the thirty five associates, former students, colleagues, friends and family members, representing both the male and female population, drawn from every part of Nigeria, Europe, the United States, Canada, Asia and Africa, are distinguished former Vice-Chancellors, renowned academics, senior citizens, respected scholars and intellectuals and committed researchers and authors who have made an enormous sacrifice to return to their desks to honour the man, Jacob Ade Ajayi.

The second question is why Professor Ade Ajayi decided to spend his entire professional life teaching history, developing curriculum for historical studies at all the levels of the educational system, and writing books on the subject. He was an active participant at the workshop mounted shortly after the political independence of Nigeria to identify the strategies for teaching African History in the schools. He was later invited to other parts of Africa to share his vision and ideas about the teaching of African history in the educational institutions. He became the editor of volume 6 of the UNESCO General History of Africa and a member of the UNESCO Scientific Committee charged with the writing of African History. He succeeded Professor Kenneth Dike as General Editor of the publications of the Ibadan History group by Longman.  He served as external examiner in History to many universities in Nigeria and abroad. And for many years he handled the course on Historiography at the University of Ibadan, in which students were invited to choose one question to be answered in three hours. It was like judgement day for the student who missed the focus and thrust of the question chosen and who was left to wander for three hours in the wilderness!  When Professor Ade Ajayi retired from the University he accepted the position of emeritus professor so that he could continue to make a contribution to scholarship and supervise students in history. Many of the  students he supervised during his advanced years are already Professors of history. And it is imperative to note that Professor Ade Ajayi has influenced the course of educational development by  delivering lectures and granting press interviews in which he has spoken frankly on a variety of issues of great concern and interest.

The third question relates to the day of the week on which the man was born. It is important to know that the academic giant and distinguished intellectual was born on a Sunday, 26 May 1929. Yet this aspect of the history of the man, who speaks very little of himself, is hardly known. But he himself teaches that historians should go all out to investigate and discover new facts and seek to understand and interpret events in the light of their understanding.  The fact that the erudite scholar was born on a Sunday is significant, partly because children born on Sunday, especially since the advent of Christianity to Nigeria from 1842, have always received some special attention and given the name, Sunday. The name was thus a frequent reminder to the parents and relations and all those who come in contact with them that they were born on the particular day. The Yoruba equivalent of the name given to a boy born on Sunday is Abiose. It is interesting to note that neither the name Sunday nor Abiose was recorded against the name of Professor Ade Ajayi. Thus the fact that Ade Ajayi was an Abiose has remained hidden and hardly known by those who write about the teacher of teachers and the professor of professors.  The secret of his birth day was known to close friends such as Jonathan Abiodun Iluyomade, who later became the first Nigerian Principal of the International School, Ibadan, and was also shared with his future wife, Christie Aduke, whom he incidentally also first met on a Sunday, at a Church service. Chief Mrs Ade Ajayi began to fondly call her new man with whom she hoped to spend the rest her life, “Biose”among other appellations.

She became used to Biose as the courtship years advanced and dropped some of the names including “Mr Ajayi” which she used in the early days of the courtship, “Dear Old Boy” and , “My love” which she had earlier coined and fruitfully used  to address the future husband. She later began to settle for the name “Niyi”, obviously the shortened name carved from the middle name, Adeniyi, of the young suitor. On her arrival to join the husband in the UK she began to gradually get used to using the name “Jac”, shortened form of Jacob, which was used by the colleagues and teachers of the husband. But Sunday remained special to the couple, and this year’s Sunday, which falls on the birthday of the eminent historian will be a further gentle reminder of the important day.

The fourth question relates to the courtship and marriage of Professor Ade Ajayi. Because the Professor speaks little, and because very few people can boast of having heard much banter from him, there have been many stories floating around about his private life. Thus there has developed so much mystery surrounding how he met the wife. One familiar story is that he wooed the young lady who was swept off her feet by the young man with his Clark’s sandals and impressive well- ironed shirt. The story is told of how the young lady’s father called Professor AdeAjayi and threatened to shoot him down if he ever dared to disappoint the daughter. We are still to confirm the truth of the story. However we also know that the first meeting between Professor Ade Ajayi and his future wife was arranged. That was the time that the young Jacob Ade Ajayi was interested in identifying a possible life partner. Ade Ajayi shared this dream for a life partner with his classmate at Yaba Higher College and the University College, Ibadan, Iluyomade. And the arrangement was made for Ade Ajayi to visit Ondo to meet a beautiful lady that he would find it difficult to resist.

Providence had arranged the meeting of the young man with his future wife at a Church service in Ondo town where she had started to teach on the completion of her studies at the United Missionary College, Ibadan, which had been co-founded by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and the Methodist Mission to train women teachers. Coming from a noble, and intensely devoted Christian family, Christie Aduke Ade Ajayi, née Martins, embraced Christianity very early in life and was active in Church life, willing to serve in any position assigned to her. She had thus been asked to join those collecting offering on the day Ade Ajayi visited her Church. The young lady was collecting offering during the Church service and did not know that she was being watched by the young man on whom she was waiting to drop the offering in the bowl. Ade Ajayi had spent an unusually long time to take money out of his pocket, appearing to be trying to locate his offering in his pocket. And the unsuspecting lady had patiently waited for the collection after which she moved on to serve other members of the congregation. That was the beginning of the courtship and marriage of the two people. The love blossomed and became passionate. In one of her letters to the future husband, Christie Martins, as she then was, wrote a revealing attachment to her lover: “Your letter was given to me in the bus this morning.  I was very pleased to have to carry the letter here.  Of course, before I left home, I had carried your small photograph with me and I have it now as I write.  Well, I couldn’t hide my happiness so my smiles betrayed me and I wondered if other passengers noticed that the letter came from my lover.  My girls definitely know how dear the letter is to me and they too smiled as it was passed to me.  While the girls were singing as we went on, I read my letter about two times.  Although the road was bad, I did enjoy the trip”.

As Ade Ajayi prepared to leave for further studies in the United Kingdom, he sent his lover a gift with a letter requesting for eternal love. In the accompanying letter he had written: “Christie, Please wear this for my sake, in remembrance of May 3rd 1952 when you said to me, hardly above a whisper, ‘I too will not disappoint you’.  The match, you know, does not sleep or forget to keep awake.  Let it in this be a symbol of my love; a very important symbol for the match will not last for ever”.

The future wife was clearly charmed by the lover-boy and once wrote to assure her Jacob Ade Ajayi, “If God wish it, I am yours even though we are not joined together.  I was never seriously in love with any man before we met and I hope I shall not fall for any man besides you”. The couple got married in the United Kingdom in 1956. Two years later in 1958, the husband completed his doctoral thesis for the University of London and got appointed Lecturer at the University College, Ibadan. The couple has been a blessing, bringing many men to meet their women at events such as “Sing a song for your supper”, their several parties and get-together activities. Indeed they have both impacted the world by their compassion, dedication, hospitality and warmth.

The fifth question is how the relationship which began almost sixty years ago has blossomed and flourished, giving immense joy and satisfaction to both parties.

Here we find the secret of the relationship: trust, devotion, sensitivity to the other partner’s views and perceptions and communication. There was also the underlying love and care. Professor Ade Ajayi made a conscious effort to ensure that the blessings of the parents were given to the marriage conducted in the United Kingdom in their student days. As he puts it in his testimony: “There was no family around when we got married in Britain in 1956 and had our first child. When we returned home in 1958, we tried to make up for it and staged a traditional engagement ceremony”. Professor Ade Ajayi lavished affection on the wife in the happy relationship founded on mutual respect and celebration. For example twenty three years after their marriage, Professor Ade Ajayi wrote to the wife on 15th July 1981 from his new base at the Department of History:  “My dear Chris, Sorry I missed you. I hesitated before phoning. But I was so tired; I wanted a break before tidying things up for Titi. I have had to be grading papers, drafting speeches, rushing around in Lagos to get a cheque out of the Ministry”. The marriage was nourished by the birth of five very brilliant children who have become successful professionals and pride to their family, community and the wider society.

The life and times of Ade Ajayi teach us the great lesson of dedication, hope, faith, endurance, and the value of being focussed and devoted to higher ideals.

• Prof. Omolewa served as President of the 32nd session of the General Conference of UNESCO.

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Professor Ade Ajayi also teaches us the joy derived from serving others. He and his family have set up a Library at their home, and appointed a full-time Librarian to assist anyone interested in research and studies in history. The Library also has very rich sources on the personal history of the historian and his family.

Ade Ajayi stands commended for the preservation of records and making them available to researchers. This is in sharp contrast to those who have been careless with past documents, school reports, letters and collected papers.     The contrast is even more evident when compared with the case of the likes of Sir George Goldie, who has been called by John Flint, his biographer, “The maker of modern Nigeria. Goldie was reported by his biographer to have, before his death, “systematically destroyed all his papers, forbade his children to write anything about him or assist anyone who wished to do so, and threatened to haunt them after his death if they disobeyed him”. Ajayi’s private papers contain private letters, reports, rare publications, newspaper cuttings, and confidential papers, which will help historians of his times.

Perhaps that is why we can hardly stop appreciating this remarkable achiever, Ade Ajayi, as a gem, a treasure and a gift of all times.  We wish him many happy returns of this Sunday.

• Prof. Omolewa served as President of the 32nd session of the General Conference of UNESCO.

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