History Lesson; Alajo Somolu
Whenever I heard 'Alajo Somolu' used, I thought it referred to the hero of one of the many Tales by Moonlight. I never once stopped to think this could be a real person, till I came across this article.
Alphaeus Taiwo Olunaike is not a name that many Nigerians are familiar with. But once you mention Baba Alajo Somolu, the eyes of millions of Nigerians will light up. Yes, they are more familiar with this nomenclature. Baba Alajo Somolu was just three years of age when he lost his father. However, he was able to proceed with his education. He started his primary education at the Emmanuel Primary School, Ijebu-Isonyin. He had not finished his education at his small hamlet when his paternal uncle, S.T.A Torimoro came to take him to Lagos where he was able to further his education.
EARLY DAYS
He was born at a very dangerous time. A perilous period in history. It was on the 16th of September 1915 in the tiny city of Isan-Oyin (now called Isonyin), close to Ijebu-Musin and Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria. Within the thick groves of thick forests and the brilliant foliage of green tropical plants, the cries of newly-born babies pierced the calm and peace of the forest. A woman named Grace Okuromiko Olunaike had given birth to triplets. Three at once!
Immediately she was told that she just gave birth to three babies, her face went sullen. She could not hide the sadness. Her heartbeat increased as tears streamed down her warm face. She was visibly confused. It was an abomination for a woman to give birth to triplets at that time in Yorubaland. One child must be sacrificed to the gods. One of the babies was eventually sacrificed to the gods. The other two were spared. One of them is Alajo Somolu.
Long after he narrowly escaped being sacrificed to the gods, in the year 1927, he arrived Lagos and he was enrolled at the St. Johns School, Aroloya. From there, he proceeded to the Christ Church Cathedral School, Lagos, and finished there in 1934. Two years after his education, he was enrolled as an apprentice under a tailor named Rojaye. He was a tailor-in-training for nine good years before he got his ‘freedom’ (disengagement at the completion of his apprenticeship). When he started working as a tailor, he noticed that the income was not going to be sustainable for him and he needed an alternative fast.
Therefore, when the younger brother of his late dad, S.T.A Torimoro, was going to Cameroon on a commercial trip, Baba Alajo Somolu decided he would also seize the opportunity to follow him. Thus, in 1950, the young Alphaeus was on his way to Paul Biya’s nation. Upon reaching Cameroon, he unleashed the ferocious entrepreneurial spirit that was in him. A very determined fellow, he tried his hands on various tasks and duties in Cameroon. He sold goods, newspapers and tried his hands on many ventures. One of his neighbours was a thrift collector, he told him about the business which immediately caught Alphaeus' fancy.
By the time he returned to Nigeria in 1954, he already had it in mind that he was going to start the business of ajo gbigba (thrift collection). He was 39 at that time. Before he left Cameroon, he took with him a copy of the thrift collection card used by his Cameroonian neighbour. Upon reaching Nigeria, he made his own copies of the card and he named his own venture Popular Daily Alajo Somolu.
At the peak of his career, he was so hardworking and diligent at his work that sayings were coined in his name. Some of these are:
"Ori e pe bii ti alajo Somolu, to fodidi oôdun meta gbajo lai ko oruko eni kankan sile, ti ko si siwo san fenikeni." (You're as sharp as Alajo Somolu, who collected thrift for three years, without writing down a single name, paid back all his customers and did not make a single mistake with the payment).
“Ori e pe bii Alajo Somolu, to ta moto, to fi ra keke”. (You are as intelligent as Alajo Somolu, who sold his car to buy a bicycle).
For Baba Alajo Somolu to collect thrift and financial contributions from his countless clients without writing down their names and contributions, then returning to pay them as when due and scheduled at the end of every month for years without making any mistake points to an eidetic (photographic) memory. Only someone of a vast and prodigious memory with an outstanding power of recall can effortlessly carry out such an amazing feat.
One very interesting thing is that many people actually think the story of Alajo Somolu is of myths and legends and that he does not exist. But alas! He did truly exist! (I know, right).
After establishing his Popular Daily Alajo Somolu thrift collection business, he got a bicycle that he planned to use in moving around collecting money for saving from his customers. Then he called an older relative and hinted him of the business, seeking his counsel, advice and suggestion. But he was shocked.
This older relative took a good look at him and thoroughly discouraged him. He told Taiwo that thrift business was not for people like him, that it was a very difficult and challenging job. He went on to give examples of about six people who had started the business of thrift collection but ended up bankrupt. He summed it up by telling Alphaeus to try another business as he would not succeed in thrift collection.
After listening to the demotivating tale of this older relative, Taiwo headed to his elder sister's (Sarah) house. He poured out his heart to her, telling her he wanted to leave the tailoring job. She listened carefully to all he had to say, believed in his passion and took him to a clergy who prayed for him and gave him all the support and encouragement he needed in his new venture. He also preached to Taiwo, the need to be very honest in all his dealings, telling him that once he was fair and just, his business would bloom.
An elated Taiwo and his delighted sister left the cleric full of thanks and gratitude. In September 1954, Alphaeus went out for the first time to collect thrift from his clients. He had launched his business and he had great hopes. Unfortunately, not a single person patronized him that first day. Many of the market women even taunted him saying he would just collect their money and vanish into thin air. But he was not discouraged with the negative atmosphere. He persisted in riding his bicycle from stall to stall, from shop to shop until some of the market women pitied him and decided to give him a trial and gave steady contributions of some kobos.
At the end of the first month, all his clients got their money back, intact. Not a dime was missing. Baba Alajo Somolu also made his own profit and he was doubly delighted that his clients had renewed hope in him and that the new business was actually more lucrative than the tailoring he was doing. With time, the news of his honesty, transparency and hardwork spread and his client base swelled. His prosperity boomed and he built his first house at No 10, Odunukan Street in Ijesa. He later sold the house to the Deeper Life Ministry and built another one at Olorunkemi, Owotutu Area, Bariga, Lagos.
In a short while, his fame spread like wildfire. He was the thrift collector for the entire axis covering Awolowo Market, Oyingbo Market, Olaleye, Mile 12, Ojuwoye, Baba Oloosa, Sangross and of course in Somolu (Shomolu) where he got his nickname. His customers fell in love with him for his truthfulness, his ability to save them from financial ruins by providing life-saving loans and most importantly, for his outstanding memory. He did not use a calculator and, of course, there were no computers, iPads or tablets.
The most amazing part of his prodigious memory is he did not only pay back the exact amount to his clients, he also paid them back in the same notes and coins they contributed. He was so accurate, that if a client had written down the number on his notes, he would be astonished to get the same notes back at the end of the month. Such brilliance!
Anytime one of his vehicles returned after a trip of thrift collection and the car had depreciated to the point that it is no longer economically viable, he just sells off the car and buys a bicycle in its place. Therefore, when people noticed that one of his vehicles was missing and a brand-new vehicle had appeared, they would say:
"Alajo Somolu has sold his car to buy a bicycle."
But he knew exactly what he was doing. To him, there was no point in maintaining a car that was not bringing in profits anymore. It was better to sell it and buy more Raleigh bicycles to access all the hitherto inaccessible areas.
Many of his customers stayed with him for decades and many up to the time he died. They described him as a very friendly, reliable and honest man. He was also praised for his willingness to help others. When he died, one of the other thrift collectors in the area named Oladini Olatunji said there was a time he ran into some financial troubles with his business and it almost became a huge debt on him but it was Baba Alajo Somolu that came to his aid, helped him pay off the entire debt, saved him from bankruptcy, without telling anyone. For this and many more, all other thrift collectors looked up to him as their father figure and even held the alajo (thrift collector) meetings in his house. He was happily married. He was the Lay Reader and Treasurer at the Anglican Church that he attended at Somolu, for 30 years.
Alajo Somolu continued his job with joy till year 2010, when he he turned 95 years. He really wanted to continue the job but his children insisted he went on voluntary retirement. It was time for him to rest.
The most amazing thing is, even though Baba Alajo Somolu followed his children’s suggestion that he retire and not go out again to receive thrift collections, his clients did not let him rest. They had so much faith in him that they personally went to his house to give him their daily contributions which they then returned to collect at the end of every month when it would have accumulated to a sizable portion.
On the 11th of August, 2012, Baba Alajo Somolu breathed his last. He was not sick. He died of old age. (I can't believe he was alive that long and I kept thinking he was from the fables!).
From a humble background and with little formal education, Baba Alajo Somolu was able to remodify esusu, the traditional banking system and became a pioneer in his own right. He was clearly a fulfilled man, with the proceeds from his job, he was able to build houses, send his children to school and sustain his entire family.
Alphaeus Taiwo Olunaike is not a name that many Nigerians are familiar with. But once you mention Baba Alajo Somolu, the eyes of millions of Nigerians will light up. Yes, they are more familiar with this nomenclature. Baba Alajo Somolu was just three years of age when he lost his father. However, he was able to proceed with his education. He started his primary education at the Emmanuel Primary School, Ijebu-Isonyin. He had not finished his education at his small hamlet when his paternal uncle, S.T.A Torimoro came to take him to Lagos where he was able to further his education.
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| Baba Alajo Somolu; Nigeria's most famous thrift collector |
EARLY DAYS
He was born at a very dangerous time. A perilous period in history. It was on the 16th of September 1915 in the tiny city of Isan-Oyin (now called Isonyin), close to Ijebu-Musin and Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria. Within the thick groves of thick forests and the brilliant foliage of green tropical plants, the cries of newly-born babies pierced the calm and peace of the forest. A woman named Grace Okuromiko Olunaike had given birth to triplets. Three at once!
Immediately she was told that she just gave birth to three babies, her face went sullen. She could not hide the sadness. Her heartbeat increased as tears streamed down her warm face. She was visibly confused. It was an abomination for a woman to give birth to triplets at that time in Yorubaland. One child must be sacrificed to the gods. One of the babies was eventually sacrificed to the gods. The other two were spared. One of them is Alajo Somolu.
Long after he narrowly escaped being sacrificed to the gods, in the year 1927, he arrived Lagos and he was enrolled at the St. Johns School, Aroloya. From there, he proceeded to the Christ Church Cathedral School, Lagos, and finished there in 1934. Two years after his education, he was enrolled as an apprentice under a tailor named Rojaye. He was a tailor-in-training for nine good years before he got his ‘freedom’ (disengagement at the completion of his apprenticeship). When he started working as a tailor, he noticed that the income was not going to be sustainable for him and he needed an alternative fast.
Therefore, when the younger brother of his late dad, S.T.A Torimoro, was going to Cameroon on a commercial trip, Baba Alajo Somolu decided he would also seize the opportunity to follow him. Thus, in 1950, the young Alphaeus was on his way to Paul Biya’s nation. Upon reaching Cameroon, he unleashed the ferocious entrepreneurial spirit that was in him. A very determined fellow, he tried his hands on various tasks and duties in Cameroon. He sold goods, newspapers and tried his hands on many ventures. One of his neighbours was a thrift collector, he told him about the business which immediately caught Alphaeus' fancy.
By the time he returned to Nigeria in 1954, he already had it in mind that he was going to start the business of ajo gbigba (thrift collection). He was 39 at that time. Before he left Cameroon, he took with him a copy of the thrift collection card used by his Cameroonian neighbour. Upon reaching Nigeria, he made his own copies of the card and he named his own venture Popular Daily Alajo Somolu.
At the peak of his career, he was so hardworking and diligent at his work that sayings were coined in his name. Some of these are:
"Ori e pe bii ti alajo Somolu, to fodidi oôdun meta gbajo lai ko oruko eni kankan sile, ti ko si siwo san fenikeni." (You're as sharp as Alajo Somolu, who collected thrift for three years, without writing down a single name, paid back all his customers and did not make a single mistake with the payment).
“Ori e pe bii Alajo Somolu, to ta moto, to fi ra keke”. (You are as intelligent as Alajo Somolu, who sold his car to buy a bicycle).
For Baba Alajo Somolu to collect thrift and financial contributions from his countless clients without writing down their names and contributions, then returning to pay them as when due and scheduled at the end of every month for years without making any mistake points to an eidetic (photographic) memory. Only someone of a vast and prodigious memory with an outstanding power of recall can effortlessly carry out such an amazing feat.
After establishing his Popular Daily Alajo Somolu thrift collection business, he got a bicycle that he planned to use in moving around collecting money for saving from his customers. Then he called an older relative and hinted him of the business, seeking his counsel, advice and suggestion. But he was shocked.
This older relative took a good look at him and thoroughly discouraged him. He told Taiwo that thrift business was not for people like him, that it was a very difficult and challenging job. He went on to give examples of about six people who had started the business of thrift collection but ended up bankrupt. He summed it up by telling Alphaeus to try another business as he would not succeed in thrift collection.
After listening to the demotivating tale of this older relative, Taiwo headed to his elder sister's (Sarah) house. He poured out his heart to her, telling her he wanted to leave the tailoring job. She listened carefully to all he had to say, believed in his passion and took him to a clergy who prayed for him and gave him all the support and encouragement he needed in his new venture. He also preached to Taiwo, the need to be very honest in all his dealings, telling him that once he was fair and just, his business would bloom.
An elated Taiwo and his delighted sister left the cleric full of thanks and gratitude. In September 1954, Alphaeus went out for the first time to collect thrift from his clients. He had launched his business and he had great hopes. Unfortunately, not a single person patronized him that first day. Many of the market women even taunted him saying he would just collect their money and vanish into thin air. But he was not discouraged with the negative atmosphere. He persisted in riding his bicycle from stall to stall, from shop to shop until some of the market women pitied him and decided to give him a trial and gave steady contributions of some kobos.
At the end of the first month, all his clients got their money back, intact. Not a dime was missing. Baba Alajo Somolu also made his own profit and he was doubly delighted that his clients had renewed hope in him and that the new business was actually more lucrative than the tailoring he was doing. With time, the news of his honesty, transparency and hardwork spread and his client base swelled. His prosperity boomed and he built his first house at No 10, Odunukan Street in Ijesa. He later sold the house to the Deeper Life Ministry and built another one at Olorunkemi, Owotutu Area, Bariga, Lagos.
 |
| His Somolu House |
In a short while, his fame spread like wildfire. He was the thrift collector for the entire axis covering Awolowo Market, Oyingbo Market, Olaleye, Mile 12, Ojuwoye, Baba Oloosa, Sangross and of course in Somolu (Shomolu) where he got his nickname. His customers fell in love with him for his truthfulness, his ability to save them from financial ruins by providing life-saving loans and most importantly, for his outstanding memory. He did not use a calculator and, of course, there were no computers, iPads or tablets.
The most amazing part of his prodigious memory is he did not only pay back the exact amount to his clients, he also paid them back in the same notes and coins they contributed. He was so accurate, that if a client had written down the number on his notes, he would be astonished to get the same notes back at the end of the month. Such brilliance!
Anytime one of his vehicles returned after a trip of thrift collection and the car had depreciated to the point that it is no longer economically viable, he just sells off the car and buys a bicycle in its place. Therefore, when people noticed that one of his vehicles was missing and a brand-new vehicle had appeared, they would say:
"Alajo Somolu has sold his car to buy a bicycle."
But he knew exactly what he was doing. To him, there was no point in maintaining a car that was not bringing in profits anymore. It was better to sell it and buy more Raleigh bicycles to access all the hitherto inaccessible areas.
Many of his customers stayed with him for decades and many up to the time he died. They described him as a very friendly, reliable and honest man. He was also praised for his willingness to help others. When he died, one of the other thrift collectors in the area named Oladini Olatunji said there was a time he ran into some financial troubles with his business and it almost became a huge debt on him but it was Baba Alajo Somolu that came to his aid, helped him pay off the entire debt, saved him from bankruptcy, without telling anyone. For this and many more, all other thrift collectors looked up to him as their father figure and even held the alajo (thrift collector) meetings in his house. He was happily married. He was the Lay Reader and Treasurer at the Anglican Church that he attended at Somolu, for 30 years.
Alajo Somolu continued his job with joy till year 2010, when he he turned 95 years. He really wanted to continue the job but his children insisted he went on voluntary retirement. It was time for him to rest.
The most amazing thing is, even though Baba Alajo Somolu followed his children’s suggestion that he retire and not go out again to receive thrift collections, his clients did not let him rest. They had so much faith in him that they personally went to his house to give him their daily contributions which they then returned to collect at the end of every month when it would have accumulated to a sizable portion.
On the 11th of August, 2012, Baba Alajo Somolu breathed his last. He was not sick. He died of old age. (I can't believe he was alive that long and I kept thinking he was from the fables!).
From a humble background and with little formal education, Baba Alajo Somolu was able to remodify esusu, the traditional banking system and became a pioneer in his own right. He was clearly a fulfilled man, with the proceeds from his job, he was able to build houses, send his children to school and sustain his entire family.
Culled and edited from Naijarchives
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