By Alexander Ekemenah
In a country where the average life expectancy is reported to be approximately 61.79 (2023), with males averaging 60 years and females 64 years, it becomes a matter of extreme joy to be able to celebrate 70 years of age especially in good health.
For this reason of good health alone, one has no choice than to give heart-felt gratitude to the Almighty God, the Creator of all, for His Grace and Mercies that enable such lucky individuals to reach the 7th floor of earthly existence.
But it is not just for this reason of health alone that Olawale Okediran will give gratitude to the Almighty God on this turning-point occasion. He will have to bow his head in complete humility to the Throne of Grace and Mercies for being allowed to serve humanity through his earthly activities especially in the field of writing.
Okediran’s writings and every other activity associated with them have not only gone to uplift his environment but have also pushed back the frontier of ignorance in a country that is slowly suffocating in this darkness of ignorance.
This is why one can only fully appreciate the essence of Olawale Okediran’s earthly existence at this universal point in time and his contribution to the realm of service to humanity through his writings.
His writings have created a force-field around him which serves not only as magnetic attraction to his personality but most important serve as inspiration to many others that cross his path.
His books, articles, poems and artistic impressions may not have been many in comparison with other writers. But the core of his writings precisely serve to create ripple effects on his environment and beyond it – reaching out into far distance that the range of vision of the physical eyes may not be able to see.
Deploying the aid of binocular or telescope will extend the range of vision. Yet that may still not be enough.
Thus, it is only with the aid of satellite or a helicopter view that one can see the finer grains that his writings have scattered to the four cardinal points of the world. This satellite or heliocentric view enables us to see the shimmering golden linings over the horizon, golden linings emanating from his writings.
As we all know, writings travel far distance beyond one’s expectations especially in this age of Social Media and other means of mass communications.
Thus through the crucibles of social media and/or mass communications, Okediran’s writings have unknowingly reached far distance which he himself may not or may never know. This is how his writings have inexorably impacted thousands if not millions of human souls around the world.
In this broad context, it is not really his name that matters in this regard, but the message embedded in his writings: the message of hope, the message of “me too can also do it”, the message of inspiration, the message of aspiration, the message of love and ultimately the message of humanism. His name is just the conveyor belt or purveyor of this body of messages.
Indeed, Olawale Okediran, correctly interpreted through his writings, can only be seen as a humanist. Every other appellation is secondary. His humanism comes to foreground through his noble carriage, air of ease or calm around him, the aura of humility that attract all to him.
No air of arrogance can be felt around him. There is no trace of any eccentricity around him. In fact his posture does not convey arrogance. Rather his posture restores confidence in one’s self-worth upon meeting him for the first time and after shaking his hands.
This is what the X-ray, the magnetic resonance imaging and the diagnosis of the personality of Olawale Okediran reveal to the public at this his Platinum Age.
It is the personality, the person or the persona that matters first. It is this personality that ennobles and embodies the works of his hands. Conversely it can also be argued that it is the works of his hands that ennoble his personality. That is equally correct because logically the two dimensions cannot be separated. It is a process of synthesis that combines all aspects of the personality (the spirit, the soul and the brain) and the activities of his hands and moulds it into a golden whole.
Olawale Okediran is a golden whole not just because he has been able to mould and meld the professions of medicine and politics including writings into one coherent whole but because this has come to serve as a harbinger of hope to others, an alchemy that produces a vivifying effect from his persona.
Not many writers are able to produce this edifying effect. But in the case of Okediran’s writings, this is what one first encounter on account of the simplicity of languages deployed to describe his own encounter with the entire ecosystem around him. Thus all age grades can easily relate to him, communicate effectively with the essence of his being and writings.
This ability itself does not come easy. The ability is part of the wealth of his being. It is embedded in his name: Olawale – which in Yoruba translates to “Wealth has come home!”
The name which conveys the essence of his being is actually a gift from God – and nobody else, not even his parents. And this gift must not be squandered. Through his writings, he can be seen to have fulfilled the essence of his name in the prodigious output which his writings represent.
From his numerous travelogues (for instance, some compressed into the pocket-sized book: “More Tales of a Troubadour: A Collection of Travel Stories”) which capture his experiential encounters with other persons, climes and ambiences around the globe, Okediran’s writings show a clear case of refined character, a shining light that cannot be hidden under the bushel.
His travelogues are that of a modern chronicler of Froissart! He can also be regarded as a modern prototype of a Ferdinand Magellan, a Vasco da Gama, a Christopher Columbus or better still, our own Ajala, who takes you on his spread Eagle-wing to places, nay cities, around the world.
In his refined character, an Olympian personage emerges. He may not be regarded as a Prometheus belching intellectual firepower. But in his Olympian character one sees a trustworthy and steady movement of a person committed to ennobling his environment.
It is generally agreed that reading culture has steadily declined in Nigeria over the decades as a result of multifaceted factors. It is a paradox that where private higher institutions of learning are mushrooming almost on daily basis, we see a blasé, if not profane, attitude towards reading. And reading here is not reading social media posts. Reading referred to here is that deliberate habit of increasing one’s wealth of knowledge through consumption of textbooks, to increase one’s stock of wisdom.
This is why the nation has to hide its face in shame in the comity of nations when confronted with the fact that millions of souls are classified as “out-of-school-children”, millions have become liabilities or burden to the society, and thousands have taken up arms in insurrection, rebellion, insurgency, separatism and angst against an objective reality of an iniquitous system that sentence millions to slow death.
The situation has become “we” versus “them”!
Olawale Okediran straddles and embodies three worlds: medical sciences, politics and writings. He stands at the intersection of these three broad superhighways.
In his medical profession, Okediran is not only committed to understanding the human anatomy and what often ails it, but he is also committed to healing it from all manners of diseases. His sacred and noble Hippocratic calling comes to the fore here. His writings are subtly suffused with this Hippocratic calling: to heal, to save life – and never to abandon or destroy.
At political level, Okediran did not study Political Science as a discipline. But he went into practical politics and won the very seat he contested for from his constituency. That is a feat. However, his politics is dedicated to the upliftment of the people, to the welfare of the people and not to degrade them through impoverishment. His brief sojourn in the House of Representatives is a testament to this.
But he “left” politics. His eyes must have seen ugliness that he can no longer put up with. That’s what his book: “Tenants of the House” was all about – a book that sparked backlash from the legislative arm, an arm that is increasingly getting sullied on daily basis. It is actually a House of Commotion with leaking roofs. Let’s leave these ugly matters alone.
After leaving politics, Okediran became wholly committed to writing and he has actually churned out quite a many. He took up an appointment as the Director General of Pan African Writers Association about five and half years ago as a mark of recognition of his profound contribution to the literary world.
Olawale Okediran is not exclusively an iconoclast. He is not an island to himself. He works within a collective. He is a unique blend of the individual and the community. That is why, for instance, he is the DG of PAWA including other posts that he has held in the past. But his iconoclassicism is what we see and read as the content of his writings.
From the pedestal of PAWA, Olawale Okediran has truly gone global where he can be justifiably regarded as a global citizen almost needing no passport to enter any country in the world. His name and reputation precede him and no one has found fault with him. This is because his writings have elevated him to the stratosphere.
Okediran’s writings serve as a prism that refracts the multidimensional crisis facing the Nigerian State and society today, from its bipolar cleavages along ethnic and religious beliefs to insecurity and other social ailments. His book: “Madagali” spoke directly to the insecurity of a large swathe of the nation that has truncated social cohesion over the years. And what is the lesson from this book? Let the sheep safely graze! Let there be peaceful co-existence among people of diverse backgrounds.
His last book: “Aketi: The Life and Times of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akereddolu” captures the life of the immediate past Governor of Ondo State (now late) in the bitter acrimonious political environment of the current ruling party in the country. And the lesson: let democracy and rule of law reign supreme.
Indeed, his writings speak to different subject matters.
When all his writings are put together, a profound public intellectual emerges for all to see. But the profundity of his public intellectualism is not narrowly defined. It is serving the purpose of nation-building, of healing a nation of self-inflicted wounds, of personal development to unleash the creative force from within. He spots no Gandolf beard! He carries no white hairs. He is perpetually clean shaven.
The simulacra of the ecosystem find expression in his writings. His public intellectualism is a role model in the classic sense of it: in its bent or slant towards the task of cleaning up the dirty environment. And that task is not an easy one at all – given all the combined forces and factors that keep the environment dirty always. His writings are a refreshing breeze. They offer sober reflections, laughter and vivifying peace of mind.
Dr Wale Okediran is a master of Word-weaving making a very colourful tapestry like Aso Oke. His style of writing and choice of simple words penetrate the membrane of the mind and stream through the blood cells! The word-crafting gives not just an impression of a master story-teller but also of sublime poesy to boot!
Olawale Okediran is a man among men. He is not Lord of the Ring. He is not King Arthur. He is a Fellow of the Ring. He is just one of the Knights! He is a leader tasked with the role of building an empire of the mind. In this leadership role, he has impacted quite many an individual who crosses his path not just in terms of physical assistance but the often thankless job of helping to release the “King” or the “Queen” from the imprisonment of the mind.
He founded Ebedi International Writers Residency at Iseyin as his gift to the literary world – a Residency for current and future writers; and a gift to humanity. It is a place where already-accomplished and budding writers can go to re-edit their manuscripts and sharpen or hone their literary skills. How many of such residencies do we have in Nigeria, or even Africa?
He inspires without even saying a word. His writings are merely an amplifier of that which he carries within himself and which he wishes to pass on to the public; and which he does effectively.
Uneasy lays the head that wears the crown. Olawale Okediran is still burdened with what he has not been able to dispense.
At 70, he stands like Archimedes at a pivotal moment to do precisely that: to release the full force of his being, the very essence of the gift from his Creator.
This Platinum Age is when writings become sublimated and loaded with certain essence that comes only from the Cosmos – from God only. It is not to be trifled with because it is a Creative Force that can uplift or also press down.
Olawale Okediran was born 70 years ago. From this earthly point of view, that was quite a long time. But through the eyes of his writings, it is a very short time into which he has compressed a whole lot of writing activities into.
Being born 70 years ago is not even the matter at all. What matters is what those 70 years stand for. Is it for good or for bad?
70 years are a gift. And Okediran has been able, to a very large extent, to discharge the responsibility or duty attached as a condition to this gift. This is said advisedly because nobody is actually in position to judge what he has been able to do with the gift he was given by his Creator. That is between him and his Creator.
It is often said that behind a successful man is his better half. That is the conventional wisdom. But wait a minute! Is it behind, beside or around the man?
Mrs Idowu Okediran has been around her husband for many years now: standing behind, beside and around him. It is a consummation that nobody can really talk about without breaching the ethics of privacy.
But we are not only celebrating Olawale at this moment. We are equally celebrating that woman: Idowu that has given Olawale that needed space to do that which he likes to do best: writing. Her contribution borne out of enormous sacrifices in this respect cannot really be quantified. That contribution stands on its own pedestal. This is said in recognition of the fact that all writers are odd animals! Sometimes they can behave in a very erratic or irksome manner. For instance, getting up in the middle of the night to start scribbling things down instead of lying quietly or peacefully besides one’s spouse can or may be considered irritating or irksome! The process is the same when the writer is the woman. Thus learning to manage these odd animals that writers are is salutary.
More is yet to come from the stylus of Dr Wale Okediran. Perhaps, his masterpieces are yet to come.
A resounding 70th happy birthday to Dr. Olawale Okediran!
May the coming years bring peace, joy and more success to your homestead and to our homeland.
- Alex Ekemenah is the Chief Analyst of NextMoney and can be reached via 08168975679 or alexekemenah@gmail.com