The Ultimate Honour
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The Ultimate Honour www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________1 The Ultimate Honour The Ultimate Honour Dapo Tejuoso www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________2 The Ultimate Honour www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________3 The Ultimate Honour © Dr. Dapo Tejuoso All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be re-produced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the author or the publishers. First published 1989 ISBN 978 126 165 X Published by: Nelson Publishers Limited Nelson House, 8 Ilupeju Bye-Pass, Ilupeju, P.M.B. 21303, Ikeja Lagos Ebook reproduction: 0803 431 1147 | Freelink Media www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________4 The Ultimate Honour Dedication To the memory of my dear late Sister Miss Rolayo Adebimpe Tejuoso who died on December 30, 1965 at the age of 25. www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________5 The Ultimate Honour Contents Profile: The Man Tejuoso 1. My Roots 2. My Years at the Abeokuta Grammar School 3. Choice of a Career 4. Teju Foam Business 5. My Marital Life 6. Socio-Cultural Limelight 7. A Rotarian 8. A Freemason 9. Kingship: The Ultimate Honour 10. Testimonials 11. Appendices www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________6 The Ultimate Honour www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________7 The Ultimate Honour Profile: The Man Tejuoso The only surviving child of his parents, late Mr. Joseph Simioye Tejuoso and Chief (Mrs.) Bisoye Esther Tejuoso (Nro Karunwi), the incumbent Iyalode Egba, Oba Adedapo Adcwale Tejuoso was born on February 19, 1938. He began his formal education at St. George's School, Zaria (1941 — 46). His parents were based in Zaria at the time. Oba Tejuoso later on attended Abeokuta Girls' School, Ake, (1946-48), and Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti's Class (1949—1950). In 1951, the young Tejuoso moved on to the prestigious Abeokuta Grammar School. He climaxed an outstanding secondary school education with the senior prefectship of (lie school in 1956. For his Advanced Levels, Adedapo studied at the West Ham College of Technology London between 1957—58. He did not complete this segment of his education before gaining admission into Trinity College, Dublin in 11)58 for his medical education. He became a qualified medical doctor in 1964. The bug of higher education further bit him in 1967, and lie went back to the United Kingdom. Between that year 1970, he earned post-graduate laurels at the University of Liverpool, University of Edinburgh, University of Bristol and the University of London. On his return to Nigeria in 1970, Adedapo decided to expand the frontiers of the private practice he first started at the Awonaike Close residence of his parents in 1965. He therefore established the Teju Industrial Clinic Ltd, Ilupeju in 1971 of which he is the Medical Director. www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________8 The Ultimate Honour Since that first step in the business world, Adedapo has established other companies. They are: Teju Industries Ltd; Teju Foam Ltd.; Regent Hotel, Lagos; Teju Investment and Property Co. Ltd.; and Avis Petroleum Co. Ltd. That early embrace of the business world is not to say that Adedapo had no experience of public service. In 1957, he was a clerk in the Senior Medical Officer's office for six months. Between July 1964 and June 1965, he was a House Officer at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. This was during his housemanship. And between July 1965 and September 1966, he was a Senior House Officer in the same hospital. On his return from Britain in 1970, he took up a part-time appointment with the Surulere Health Centre as a Medical Officer. A teetotaller, Adedapo is a member of various social organisations such as: Abeokuta Club, Abok '56 Club, Island Club, and Lagos Country Club. A man committed to the service of mankind, Adedapo is a respected member of the Rotary Club of Ikeja .He was the President of the Club in 1980-81. And in 1986- 87, he was the District Governor of Rotary International District 911. An active sportsman in his young days, Adedapo is in the forefront of the vanguard for the promotion of Badminton. He is a former Chairman of the Amateur Badminton Association of Nigeria. He had been President of the African Badminton Federation, and is the first African to be elected into the Council of the International Badminton Federation. In the course of rendering service to humanity, many awards had been heaped on Adedapo. Some of them are: the International Badminton Federation's Meritorious Service Award (1988), Rotary International District 911 — www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________9 The Ultimate Honour Distinguished Service Award, Meritorious Service Award for the Rotary Foundation (1987), and Rotary International — Presidential Citation (1987). His people, the Egba, are not left out in the giving of honour to whom it is due. Thus, since 1982, five Chieftaincy titles have been conferred on Adedapo. They are: Bada of Ago Oko Christians, Oke-Ona, Bajiki of Ago Oko, Bariyun of Ilaro, Bantun of Oke-Ona, and the first Bantun of of Egba Land. The Oke-Onas has now put a fitting cap on all these by giving him the ultimate honour, their Number One Citizen spot, the Osile Oke-Ona Citizen A Christian Oba Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso is happily married and has many children. Olalekan Ogundimu, Lagos, 1989 www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________10 The Ultimate Honour www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________11 The Ultimate Honour Preface Every day man lives, he is imbued with ideas. These are vibrations in the Creator's pool of knowledge. At 51, the story of my life is a testimony to the successful tapping from that pool. Like a skilful palmwine tapper, I have tapped abundantly from the juice of life. However, a couple of months ago, when this idea of an autobiography first occurred to me, my first reaction was to scoff at it. What will a young man at two scores plus write about himself? The amazing thing about this idea was that it came at a time my shift towards my creator became much more pronounced. Whereas a few years earlier, I would spend the whole of Sunday relaxing at home, the church-going bug suddenly bit me. This is not to say that my belief in God only came a few years ago, those who know and understand me realise that my faith in God and his many wonders to perform has been unshakeable from youth. So, behaving like one of my species, I, a mortal, did not but in moments of introspection, question this change and thought as to their meanings. That question has been fully answered in the unfolding events of the last one year. When Oba Adedamola II, the seventh Osile joined his ancestors and subtle hints started making the rounds, that I was to be his successor, I was shocked. I, who had been described as an introvert. And what with some of the controversies surrounding my way of life especially, marital? Overwhelmed by the honour my people, the Oke-Onas, have unanimously conferred on me by making me their first citizen, I resolved within myself to give a frank account of my life. This autobiography therefore is to set the record straight. It will put a lie to the "hear-says". It has for the first time exposed for public consumption how and www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________12 The Ultimate Honour why I abandoned monogamy for polygamy. A full account of my early marriages is there for the reader who had all along been treated to one side of the story to finally judge for himself. On many occasions, a number of my friends and acquaintances have asked me to justify how I am able to marry the Christian doctrine with my membership of Freemasonry. Their curiosity has been finally satisfied here. In fact, I have gone beyond their expectation by providing an indepth account into my Rotary activities, my membership of the Freemasonry, religious activities, and what I hope will be my role as the traditional ruler of Oke-Ona in the town's spiritual engagements. I hereby whet the reader's appetite by making the following testimony here. That I am a better man in the service of my God because Rotary's Four-way Test has in conjunction with Christian doctrine been the guiding light of my life. And as I have said elsewhere in this book, there is nothing secret about the Freemasonry, its doctrine hinges on brotherly love, relief and truth. In fact, if a great percentage of the top hierarchy of the rulers of the country are FREEMASONS, the country would be a much better place to live in. Because of the vantage positions from which one has been privileged to serve this nation, I have seized the opportunity of the experience garnered over the years to make certain pronouncements. On health care, to build a nation whose citizens are free from disease and want, a National Health Insurance Scheme will in the final analysis become a fait accompli. This recommendation is not in the least to pooh pooh the various laudable programmes of government in the health sector. www.obatejuosobooks.com_____________________________________________________________13 The Ultimate Honour On the international scene, competitive sports have become a healthy war among nations. It has become an avenue for forging everlasting friendships and for nations to stamp their virility and vigour on the world's landscape. As an active participant, in sports administration, that is via Badminton, sports administration in Nigeria leaves much to be desired. My recommendation in this regard therefore may seem harsh but that is the wholesome truth nurtured by conscience and experience. That this idea, The Ultimate Honour, materialises is due largely to a number of people, chief among whom is Mr. Leke Taiwo who put at my disposal extensive and invaluable editorial advice.