By Patrick Dele Cole

WITHIN a month four of my friends turned 80 or 81. Nearly all of them are healthy except one who suffered an intolerable episode. I have also watched a lot of younger men look at us. Their look is suggestive of a combination of emotions, some of them contradictory. They wonder that we have reached this ripe old age. There is confusion about what these old men are still doing here, “why una never die”? There is blame that we are the cause of all the problems of Nigeria. We could not fix the problem yet we incessantly talk about them. The young feel that we are leaving them with the intolerable burden of fixing a broken Nigeria. There is impatience; get out of the way so that the young can fully accept the mantle of leadership.

Ooni Hosts Yoruba Octogenarians, presents Olojo Festival Logo: Ooni of Ife,Oba Adeyeye Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi,Ojaja II yesterday in Lagos hosted Yoruba Elders 80 years old and above, and presented the logo for the Olojo Festival. The Ooni will celebrate his fisrt Olojo Festival (Yoruba Festival of Creation)next month in Ile-Ife.Above, from left are Otunba Olasubomi Balogun, Chief Olaniwun Ajayi, The Ooni, Oba Ogunwusi, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, Guest Speaker; and Alhaji Femi Okunnu singing the National Anthem at the meeting in Lagos yesterday. PHOTO: AKEEM SALAU.

The young and the old speak different languages. When young people talk or sing or write poetry, the old have not the slightest idea of what they are saying nor do we, the old, share their dress code and values. The old seem relentlessly determined to go on. None of us has any political power, but some have influence. We meet regularly and those meetings constitute the fuel of our lives. We engage in major disputations which to the unwary may seem like massive quarrels. This further confuses observers who, coming from the internet age, cannot understand why we laugh and talk so much. Our old bones creak painfully along, we prop ourselves with endless drugs, walking sticks, etc. Our minds have begun the inevitable deterioration following that of our bodies. We are forgetful and often cranky.

My friend, an agronomist, who had reached the apex of his profession, retired but has fallen victim to the scandal of several years delays in his pension entitlements. To survive he had begun to sell some of his houses to the horror of some members of his family. To manage the situation at home, he promised various people in his various bequests. One such promised bequest he was forced to sell but still intended to fulfill his promise to one branch of his family. (Oh, I forgot to mention that if you live long enough you are likely to have more than one branch (or it is a root) of inheritors.

Indeed part of the inscrutable look of the young is about what they would inherit when we are no longer around). He sold the promised house intending to keep only 10% of the proceeds leaving the rest to those he had promised it to. He was attacked by robbers on the day the payment started to come in; four robbers climbed the fence of his house, robbed his wife and forced her to take them to his room.

They woke him up, removed his pyjamas and poured acid on his body and face. He screamed. The robbers ran away. His wife and children went in hot pursuit of the assailants. Meanwhile, my hapless friend, with stupendous presence of mind, rushed to the bathroom to wash off as much of the acid as he could. But the damage was done. His face was badly burnt; acid had entered his eyes and ears. However, he was soon stabilised. But he needed treatment overseas at a special clinic. A massive deposit was made. He is recovering but it is a slow traumatic process. He can now talk, eat but still very ill. His friends have put up some money but not nearly enough. He turned 80 last week. Contributions are still welcome.

Prof. Tony Youdeowei also turned 80. He is another friend who went to University of Ibadan and Cambridge, same as my acid burnt friend. Prof. has had a glittering career as an international specialist and civil servant in entomology, agronomy, etc. He spent well over 30 years with International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, and other United Nations, UN, agencies. He is enjoying his retirement visiting his many children scattered around the world. They came together in London last month to give him a well-deserved birthday celebration. There was a Nigerian band, plenty of food and drinks. But what was special was the doting and love of the children and grandchildren for this distinguished academician and his wife.

Prof. Youdeowei has not only advised governments and farming communities around the world on the problems of pest control and other related subjects. He had written extensively on these matters. I like his approach to these problems. First, he writes a book about the problem. Then he writes another about the solutions. Then he writes a handbook for extension workers who are to deal with the problem. But he is not finished yet. He then writes a book for teachers on the problem, and yes, another one for the students too.

The Professor is a prolific writer. He wrote 13 books, chapters, article in 10 books and monographs, four integrated production and pest management farmers’ field schools manuals; he authored and co-authored over 40 science and agricultural books for children, three tertiary books, one inaugural lectures, at University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, four plant protection extension manuals, 13 books on junior secondary agriculture, five agriculture wall charts, two on nursery and primary mathematics, seven primary science and technology monographs, 12 teachers handbooks, nine books on learning basic agriculture for Nigeria primary schools, etc.

Tony is a happy man who relishes in the blessings of God who gave him the opportunity to serve humanity. His children love him to nonsense. Their pride at the accomplishments of their patriarch and matriarch is unmistakable. Each of his children is a success story. The family radiates love among themselves and to their parents and his friends. It was a rare privilege to be in that illustrious atmosphere.

Prof. Egerton had an open house on his 81st birthday. Last week he had an open house. All his children in Europe and the United States and their spouses were all there. A small but grand affair they put in. Prof. Egerton is the world authority on African Labour Law, having taught at Unversity of Lagos for ages. To-day he is still a voluble academic who never shies to show his brilliance. He is interstitially bound to the interests and history of the University of Lagos. At this gathering were other professors – Prof. Ojo, a Human Resources Specialist, in Nigeria and East and South Africa, a veteran university administrator – Ade Kuti, who has retired to London and so on.

As food and drinks flowed so the conversation became more boisterous. One thing about university professors is that they really do not like to talk sitting down. So when an argument is on – regardless of how trivial, they are all jumping up and talking – usually at the same time, on top of their voices. Lesser mortals like us try and follow the trend of the argument but we are soon lost in the verbiage spewing out of the professorial mouths, liberally spiced with quotations from Goethe, Rousseau, Lord Denning and many others our professors call on for support. It is not quite a tower of babel, but close.