Maj.Gen. Gowon Speaks to Nigeria on Eve of Federation | With Lt. Col. Mu...

ADEAGBO ODENIYI THE AGAAKIN OF IWO, KING’S COLLEGE OLD BOY GOES HOME……

 Excerpts from ‘I found my Voice’

We stayed there at the Odeniyi’s in Ibadan overnight to prepare for the farewell Sunday service at St Peter’s Church the next day, my memory of that night remains virtually non-existent but I am sure it must have consisted of more sorrow, tears and wailing. When we lost our father it was with the Odeniyis we found refuge and succour after his internment. He eased effortlessly into the vacuum left by my father.

The highlight of our stay at Abule-Oja was our tenth birthday, which was marked in in relative grandeur. My mother invited all our friends from all over Lagos. My uncle, Chief Adeagbo Odeniyi acted as the ‘photographer’ with his newly acquired Polaroid camera and my mother baked and made a huge cake patterned into two equal halves with different coloured icing.  The pink half for my twin and the blue half for me, and it was all presents galore for us.  We both felt like a queen and king with all the attention focused on us.  One of the books I received as a present was ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ a curious choice I thought. I tried to read it but found it was simply incomprehensible at age ten years old.  However, I had fun with my twin playing with the chemistry set we received as a present. 

In later years my Uncle, Chief Odeniyi suffered grievous injuries from an armed robbery attack whilst out late at night and lost the use of one of his eyes, his handsome dark features were slightly affected but his generosity of spirit and the warmth he exuded did not diminish one iota.

In 1977 Chief Adeagbo Odeniyi convinced my mother to let us join his family for Christmas in Oluponna.  He had just completed an expansive bungalow with lots of room and acreage at Idi-Obi, the colanut farmstead in Oluponna. My mother relented and allowed us to join them and this began the annual ritual of spending our Christmas holidays at Oluponna. My uncle’s father had been a successful cocoa and produce farmer and cocoa trees encircled the land where the bungalow was built.  The compound was littered with fallen cocoa pods.  Once thinking it would taste like chocolate I ventured to break open a pod in order to devour the contents.  The taste was disgusting!  It was very bitter very much unlike the Bournvita cocoa drink I was used to consuming.   It was later I discovered the sweet taste of the drink came from lots of processing.

At every Christmas holiday, we followed a familiar routine when we arrived, my aunty, Mrs. Odeniyi would arrange for us to be taken to our family compound at ‘Ile-Olota’ to visit our relatives.  At the family house, a bungalow built from mud, with no electricity and laid out in the traditional ‘face me I face you’ style,

Initially in the early 1970s, it was with the Odeniyis that we spent most of our early holidays at their Idi-Ape residence in Basorun, Ìbàdàn.  In 1971, my father had proudly displayed a portrait of his cousin, Adeagbo Odeniyi’s newly completed house and promised to take us there during the holidays.  After my father died, we continued to spend our holidays there and it was from there that my mother attended some catering school to improve her skills in that area.

In time in the 1980s, the Odeniyi’s home became more of a second home to us.  I credit my father for this, when he was alive he always took us there to spend our holidays while he sneaked off to stay with his many cousins.  So we were used to staying with the Odeniyis and it is there I became very good friends with the Aboderins and Ladapos.  The Odeniyi’s earlier move to Ikeja in Lagos had meant closer proximity to us in Lagos and we spent many more holidays with them there.  Chief Odeniyi like Mr. Ojedele had attended the same schools with my father, but diverged for his ‘A’ Levels to attend King’s College, Lagos only to rejoin them at University College, Ìbàdàn.

In 1978 I remember very fondly being driven to Ibadan by Uncle ’Kola Ojedokun in Chief Odeniyi’s official Toyota Land Cruiser through the uncompleted expressway of Lagos – Ìbàdàn.  We were about the only car cruising effortlessly on the highroad.  At the time, it was a marvel of construction and it cut down a journey that was about three hours to one hour.   We were on our way to spend holidays with the Ojedeles and my Uncle Odeniyi had been kind enough to lend us his car.  At that time, Chief Odeniyi was Commercial Director of West Africa Portland Cement.  

In all those difficult years the cushion of generosity provided by my Uncles Odeniyi, Adigun, Ojedele, Ogunkanmi, Adetugbo and Atewologun bolstered us through our challenges.  I was glad that at least now, we only shared our flat with just one family.   Our new neighbours, the Ayenis were Ekitis like my mother and we all got on like one big happy family.  My mother was a teacher, a secretary and a caterer.  We were now neighbours to her cousin Mr. Atewologun who had children who were similar to us in age and he treated us like his own. 

In the early 1975, my mother fell very ill and was admitted to Lagos University Teaching Hospital for weeks.  It was as if our nightmare was being re-lived all over again, we felt very anxious and for many moments contemplated our fate as possible orphans.  The main relief at the time was the Odeniyis who made arrangements for us to spend every weekend with them until my mother was well enough to be discharged from hospital. The weekends were usually spent visiting the Apapa Amusement Park, where we rode various rides and forgot about our worries.  During the weekdays, Mr. O.K. Atewologun arranged for us to be taken to school and picked up afterwards. 

Through many anecdotes I picked up from my uncle Chief Adeagbo Odeniyi, my father’s cousin and closest friend, I learnt so much about his leadership qualities.  The Chief, the ‘Agbakin of Iwo’, played a significant role in our lives; he ensured that we were connected to our roots in Oluponna and was generous with us to a fault, he always took care of us as his own.  Through my mother, I discovered the Chief was an alumnus of King’s College and we developed another common bond.   As I matured in years, I acquired my father’s old clothes and shoes and wore them with a conviction that it would draw me ever closer to him.  It was as if I was seeking to wrap his identity around my own. 

During the ‘Ango Must Go’ crises my mother was very concerned and was shocked about the extent of the trouble I had allegedly caused. In the meantime, the Federal Military Government had announced the indefinite closure of the University and the immediate suspension of the Students’ Union.  It took a lot of persuasion from my twin sister to accompany her and my mother to Ekiti.  By this time rumours were abound that the Secret Security Service (SSS) were searching for all the Union officials including me.  The rugged terrain and lowlands of Usi-Ekiti, my mother’s hometown was an ideal place to hide away and cool off while things settled down.

We travelled through the thickness of the night, emerging through the rugged hills separated by rivers and arrived at my grand uncle’s home.  Mr. Agboola was my mother’s uncle and a retired civil servant.  There my aches and pains were tended to while we rested.  I was insistent that I needed to return to Ile-Ife, but my mother was not persuaded.  The compromise reached over breakfast was that I would proceed to and stay in Ibadan from where I could monitor the state of affairs at Ife.  I stayed at my uncle, Chief Odeniyi’s home; he was not pleased with me and ceased the discussion of all political matters with me for a while. 

My uncle Chief Odeniyi was a classmate of Lt. General Alani Akinrinade, a minister in the federal government, so my mother suggested he put in a word for her son to moderate the anticipated wrath of the government.  At some stage my mother, Chief Odeniyi and Mr. Ojedele visited the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ife to plead my case.  The Vice-Chancellor let them know in certain terms that we were in trouble and the government was minded to be ruthless with us. 

It was this Saturday that I visited to pray with you and was so utterly disturbed by your refusal to eat, three weeks earlier I had cajoled and teased you as you ate from the palm of my hands, your brain was so vibrant and your words so articulate to the near end….I am so bereft and inconsolable at this time but I know my joy will come….

A Call For Digital Equity – Guest Speaker’s Address at NBA Google Digital Training for Lawyers

Olu Ojedokun

It is a privilege unsupprassing pleasure to be invited as your Guest Speaker for this event.

Before delving into the topic, I will rather relax my nerves by sharing a few lighthearted words.  I must clear up some confusion from the onset. When I received the invitation I really was unsure of our to respond, indeed I imagined they rang the wrong person. For a moment I thought it was my brother Ade Ojedokun, Director of ICT ARM who might have been the frame or my learned colleague who teaches ICT Law in my Faculty, the learned Professor Araromi, then I thought no, it must be my new Dean, Dr Kolapo Omidire a learned Professor and accomplished man of the banking pedigree. But upon further verification I confirmed that indeed, no error was made, and I was the intended target. It was the call of my colleague and leader the NBA Chairman Dr Akintola that finally convinced me.

I commence with a light-hearted joke curled from the Social Media

“APPLICATION FOR A HOUSE HELP

House help on Banana Island wanted.

Amount :  450k a month.

You are allowed to go home 6pm on Saturdays and come back before 6pm on Sundays.

You must have a kind heart towards children and be ready to travel oversees with the Family.

GRADUATES ONLY...

Dm.”

His thread was bombarded immediately. 😃. Here are some of the responses...

👇👇👇

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: I have a MSC in cleaning and utility management studies with a PhD in child care,  toy symbiosis and poo extraction.

 I have over 25 years wealth of experience including an industrial training experience with my iya agba Nilu oyo. I'm equally fluent in nursery rhyme language.

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:: I was born to be a house help . From my first generation to the last to come .

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: 450k? Home on Saturdays? Which home? I'm a monkey, Banana Island is my home. 😂😂

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: My ancestors have all been house help and I can’t wait to carry on the family business . When can I  resume?

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: Being a house help has been my childhood dream. Give me the chance to actualize my dream sir.

Kindly open your DM sir.

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: For 450k a month? Which home will I be going on Saturday?? We die there!

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: I have PhD in childcare business. Can I start today? As in now? Please tell them I’m ready to disown home. We die there o.

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: All these rich folks will use every opportunity to insult graduates smh, Where do i apply sha

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: Hello sir my name is house and my friends call me help. I’m ready and fully fit for the job.  helping has always been my passion and my hobbies are washing,cooking,cleaning going to the market carrying children. How about 350k and I don’t have to leave the house. 

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: I Dey banana island junction already with my certificate and all the necessary things I need to start work immediately. Cheers

@+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: Bro I can do anything type of work you give me

Mop the roof?

Iron the gas?

Hang the plates?

Anything you need sir I’m here

@prince: I am 20 years old but i have 30 years experience in house help job. In case you are wondering how i got my experience, when i was in heaven i used to help the angels mop.

PLEASE HIRE ME.

Fashion or Fad?

“A knocker-up, sometimes known as a knocker-upper, was a profession in Britain and Ireland that started during and lasted well into the Industrial Revolution, when alarm clocks were neither cheap nor reliable, and to as late as the beginning of the 1920s. The knocker-up used a baton or short, heavy stick to knock on the clients' doors or a long and light stick,^[4] often made of bamboo, to reach windows on higher floors. At least one of them used a pea-shooter ^5] In return, the knocker-up would be paid a few pence a week. The knocker-up would not leave a client's window until they were sure that the client had been awoken.

A knocker-upper would also use a 'snuffer outer' as a tool to rouse the sleeping. This implement was used to put out gas lamps which were lit at dusk and then needed to be extinguished at dawn. 

There were large numbers of people carrying out the job, especially in larger industrial towns such as Manchester. Generally the job was done by elderly men and women but sometimes police constables supplemented their pay by performing the task during early morning patrols.^[6]

Mrs. Molly Moore (daughter of Mrs. Mary Smith, also a knocker-up and the protagonist of a children's picture book by Andrea U’Ren called Mary Smith)^[7] claims to have been the last knocker-up to have been employed  as such. Both Mary Smith and Molly Moore used a long rubber tube as a peashooter, to shoot dried peas at their client's windows.

In Ferryhill, County Durham, miner's houses had slate boards set into their outside walls onto which the miners would write their shift details in chalk so that the colliery-employed knocker-up could wake them at the correct time. These boards were known as "knocky-up boards" or "wake-up slates".^[8]”

In order to lay a basis and foundation for creativity I shall borrow from Equity and draw from some of its essential lessons where the flexibility of equity is evident.  Scholars will argue that the word ‘Equity’ has a wide range of meanings and to many people it is a synonym for ‘fairness’ or ‘justice’. To legal trained minds, it has two juristic meanings – a technical and general meaning. In its technical juristic sense, Equity is that body of rules, which before the Judicature Act, 1873, was developed and applied exclusively by the Court of Chancery.

It was Lord Denning who stated ‘Equity has not passed the age of childbearing’ Eves v Eves (1975) 1 WLR 1338 CA This intervention allows me an entry point into today’s training topic. With the assistance of M. Pawlowski It allows us to explore a creative role to play in the development of new doctrines and principles to aid our practice. I make a brief reference to the contribution made by Lord Denning in this context and other judicial exponents of a more creative approach to the application of equitable principles. I also consider current judicial attitudes to creativity and what future role equity may play in the development of existing doctrines, notably, proprietary estoppel and the constructive trust in the context of the family home. The conclusion I choose to drawn is that equity is not past the age of childbearing, but more radical creativity is unlikely to happen in the absence of interventions of this kind such has the development and acquisition of digital skills.

In 2006 20% of Nigerian Lawyers were considered computer illiterate according to a Thisday Newspaper report but today I am happy to say that with Universities such as Lead City University leading the way with the introduction of ICT Law the tide is turning. 

The evidence indicates that technology rules the world presently, and it is common to hear the reference ‘global village’ This means nothing other than that every city on the globe is interlinked either by telephone or other scientific means.  The impact as proceeded beyond calculating mathematical sums, from word processing to weather forecasting, from medical diagnosis to manufacturing of military weapons, from fashion designing to industrial designs etc..

We return to equity:

Equity is not past the age of childbearing. One of her latest progeny is a constructive trust of a new model. Lord Diplock brought it into the world and we have nourished it … ' in Gissing v Gissing [1971] AC 886]

However Denning view of evolving equity was rejected by a conservative House of Lords, which is indicative of the English Legal System refusal for a flexible role its judges.

Today I advocate for Digital Equity, a condition in which all individuals and communities have information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy. It is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, life long learning, and access to essential service.

To Digital Equity our pathway ahead remains hard, our ascent steep, and we may not get there with one Digital Skills training event but I am filled with more hope now than ever before that we will get there and we will reclaim our digital place. Today’s event creates a space for us to make necessary changes in our practice. This is our chance to reclaim our place as the learned and answer the call of innovation for this is our moment and this is our time. By default, our profession has allowed itself to operate on the unending margins of despair and apathy.

To the cynics let me say in the past, reference has been made to the template of President Obama, the improbability of a black man becoming the President of the United States. I have written about the near impossibility that was overcome when the first man was sent to the moon. The obstacle that Apartheid presented and the dismantling of it without a bloodbath, the impregnability of the Berlin Wall which came tumbling down! I therefore lay down a challenge to the cynics who claim that Digital Equity is impossible and

I ask what do we have to lose by trying? I suggest we lose more in not trying at all.

We must think outside the box, as I once did when I was Dean of my faculty and managed to invite an Architect as the Speaker at our Faculty Lecture and attracted 300,000 dollars in scholarship to the Lead City University, Ibadan students.

Any Digital Equity must reflect the framework setting out 5 categories of essential digital skills for life and work:

·       communicating.

·       handling information and content.

·       transacting.

·       problem solving.

·       being safe and legal online.

Below are a few items which I expect to be clarified during the training. See the Glossary

Word	Definition
Accessibility	The ease of use of a device, an application or content by a user.
Application	A program designed for a specific purpose, such as word processing or graphic design.
Attachment	A file (or files) attached to an email or other form of electronic communication by the sender, and which can be read by the recipient.
Authentication	In the context of computer systems, authentication is a process that ensures and confirms a user’s identity.
Browser	An application used to find and display information on the World Wide Web.
Cloud	The cloud refers to software and services that run on the Internet, instead of locally on your computer.
Cloud provider	A cloud provider is a company that delivers cloud computing- based services and solutions to businesses and/or individuals.
Cloud-based services	A cloud-based service is any service made available to users on demand via the Internet from a cloud computing provider’s server, as opposed to being provided from a company’s own on-premises servers.
Contacts	Information on an individual (usually including an email address, telephone number, or similar) stored within a software application so that the person can be contacted.
Collaboration tools	Functionality in applications designed to help people involved in a common task achieve their goals e.g. shared editing of a document.
Content	A broad term for digital information, typically includes text, images and other rich media.
Word	Definition
Credentials	A set of identifiers, attributes or information with which a user proves their claim to an identity/ account and enables authorised access to systems, information and services.
Currency	The fact or quality of being generally accepted or in use.
Data	A structured set of numbers, representing digitised text, images, sound, video or other information which can be processed or transmitted by a device.
Device	A piece of hardware or equipment that contains a microprocessor. Examples include PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.
Digital collaboration	Digital collaboration is an interaction between two or more people, mediated by a computer.
Digital content	Any media created, edited or viewed on a device, such as text, images, sound, video, and combinations of these (i.e. multimedia).
Digital environment	Digital devices, applications and infrastructure that people use in life and work.
Digital footprint	The (distributed) information about a person that exists on the Internet as a result of their online activity, and which can be used to identify a person. It includes the websites you visit, your search history, messages you send, and information you submit to online services.
Digital media	Digitised content that can be stored and processed in a device and transmitted over the internet or computer networks. This can include text, audio, video, and graphics.
Directory	See folder.
Document	A collection of digital content which can be created and edited on a device and stored in a file, and is often (although not always) intended for subsequent printing.
External storage	A device that stores information outside a computer. Such devices may be permanently attached to the computer or may be removable, or may be accessible over a network.

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Word	Definition
File	A store for data (e.g. a document, image, spreadsheet, database, etc.) which is typically stored on a hard drive or solid-state drive.
File naming conventions	A file naming convention is a way of naming files that describes or indicates the content of the file or the use it is put to, and optionally includes date and/or time information.
Folder	A folder (also called a directory) is a way to organise computer files. Files can be placed into a folder to group them together. Typically, folders can contain other folders to create a hierarchical storage system.
GPS	Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite navigation system used to determine the ground position of an object.
Graphic	Visual representation of information in the form of diagrams, graphs and pictures.
Hierarchy	A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another.
HTTP	HyperText Transfer Protocol. HTTP is the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web to transmit messages between browsers and web servers.
HTTPS	HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. It is the protocol where encrypted HTTP data is transferred over a secure connection.
Information	Information is data that has meaning and is understood by a human being.
Layout	The organisation of certain elements within a page. The 'elements' are usually images, text and perhaps active components such as video or animations. Layouts are usually for a purpose and audience – for example, a technical report for managers demands a different layout to a flyer for customers.
Local storage	A hard drive or solid-state drive directly attached to the device being referenced.

27

Word	Definition
Messaging	Transferring content or information (text, images, voice) from one person or device to another, by using any medium of digital communication.
Metadata	Metadata is data about data. It often provides information about the content of a digital item. For example, a file may have metadata indicating the size of the file, the format of the file, the creation date of the file, etc.
Multifactor authentication	Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security mechanism in which individuals are authenticated through more than one required security and validation procedure.
Numerical data	Data that is measurable, such as time, height, weight, amount, etc.
Online communication	A form of communication, using the various means available on the Internet to communicate and interact online to relay a message to a targeted audience, including email, instant message, text message, social media, blog, collaboration tools and services.
Online content	A broad term for digital information on the internet, typically includes text, images and other rich media.
Online information service	An online source of information provided by the relevant authority or organisation. Examples include government and local authority websites, school websites, weather services, etc.
Operating system	An operating system provides a platform on which applications can run and allows input from the user, and also manages files and directories on the data storage system.
Patch	A patch is a set of changes to a computer program designed to update, fix, or improve it. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs. Keeping a software system up to date with the latest patches is known as keeping it “patched”.
Personal data	Personal data is information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.

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Word	Definition
Personal information	See personal data.
Phishing	Describes fraudulent emails, texts or other messages designed to make the user share personal information such as login IDs, passwords and account numbers, which they may use to steal money, an individual’s identity or gain access to an individual’s device.
Private communication	An online communication to a private audience (specific individuals), e.g. a text message, direct message or email.
Preferences	Preference settings allow a user to select basic settings for an application, website or programme. It is a way of customising the application, website or programme to suit the user.
Public communication	An online communication to a public audience, e.g. a social media message or posting to an online forum. A public message is visible to anyone using a given communication channel.
Reliable	That which can be trusted.
Remote storage	A hard drive or solid-state drive which is not directly attached to a device but is accessible from that device via a network or the Internet, for instance via the Cloud.
Rich media	Typically, images, audio, videos etc. are considered rich media.
Search engine	A search engine is an online service which enables users to search for content on the web. A user enters keywords or phrases into the search engine and receives a list of results in the form of links to web pages, images, videos etc.
Search engine ranking	The position at which a particular site appears in the results of a search engine query.
Sharing	Making information accessible, by using digital technology, to specific individuals or more widely.

29

Word	Definition
Shared desktop	Desktop sharing is a common name for technologies and products that allow remote access and remote collaboration using a person's computer desktop.
Synchronisation	The process of making two or more data storage devices or software applications or devices have the same information at a given time.
Tagging	Tagging is attaching some kind of information or label to a piece of digital content.
Transactional online service	Transactional services are online services which require the user to supply information in multiple steps, following the provided instructions at each step. Examples include central government services (e.g. applying for a passport, benefit calculators, accessing your income tax information, etc.), local government services (e.g. paying council tax online, requesting a refuse uplift (i.e. collection of household rubbish), etc.), applying for jobs, organising finances, etc.
URL	The address of a World Wide Web page.
Verification check	A check carried out (typically when creating a new online account) to ensure that the user has entered their details. Usually this will entail responding to an email sent to the email address they have entered when setting up the account.
Video call	A call between two people at remote locations, using digital devices to provide a video and audio link between the two.
Video conference	A meeting between a group of people at remote locations, enabled by using computers or other digital devices to provide a video and audio link between all group members. Video conferences also often allow individuals to present information to the group, with all attendees seeing the same information at the same time.