Professor of Microbiology, Allan ‘Femi Lana (69), who is the first child of the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Samuel Odulana, tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI that when he was returning home from decades of sojourn abroad, he had to attend a lesson at Buckingham Palace on how to act as a prince
What was your childhood like?
I was born in Fadina Village in Ibadan on December 23, 1945. I attended St. Peter’s Primary School, Aremo and Laduni Primary School. I later proceeded to Ibadan Grammar School, all in Ibadan. From there, I moved to Olivet Baptist High School in Oyo.
At 18, I got a scholarship to study agricultural science in the US. I had a very good result in my secondary school certificate examination so I was hoping to study medicine but the prospect of going to study in the US was great, so I jumped at it.
Who were your childhood friends?
I went to the best schools as a child and I had good friends. Some of them are Folabi Odelana, Wole Awolowo, Adeleke Adedoyin and Tunji Amole. Some of my friends later became ministers and others served in top positions in government all over Nigeria. Awolowo was my classmate in IGS.
How was schooling in the US like?
It was a fantastic experience. Between 1965 and 1973, I had obtained a bachelor degree, Master’s and Phd certificates. I returned at 27 and was appointed a lecturer at the University of Ibadan. I was the youngest holder of PhD certificate in the school then. I was not interviewed for the job, the institution appointed me. But now, we have younger people with the PhD certificate in Nigeria which is good for the country if we can utilise the human resources at our disposal.
In 1986, I got a job as a Senior Research Fellow in the Virology Department, University of Wageningen, Netherlands under the European Economic Community (now European Union) programme. I was appointed a director of a project under the ECC programme in Tanzania by the organisation from 1988 to 1994. I was already a professor by then.
What was the project about?
The project was called Plant Clinic for Farmers. We trained local people who would assist farmers to understand their problems. When they told us their problems, we would suggest solutions to them. It was a bilateral arrangement between the government and ECC. It was a great challenge for me and I had to take lessons in Swahili to relate with the people and understand them better. Julius Nyerere was the president of Tanzania then. He was a great farmer and a hero among his people.
What challenges did you face in learning another language?
It was something I got used to because of the demand of my work. Before learning Swahili, I had already taken lessons in Dutch language in 1984 when I got to Holland. Speaking Swahili was the only way to succeed. I had to lead my team to the remote villages of Tanzania where local language was the only means of communication. Nyerere taught his people how to farm. He made them understand that with enough food in the land, there would be no suffering.
How did you cope with the culture and life generally in Tanzania?
It is an African country that has many similarities with my root, especially in terms of food. They have cassava, yam and most of the food we eat here, so I did not feel out of place. Tanzania is near the equator and next to Kenya, so it was like a second home to me.
How did you emerge as the director of the project?
I cannot explain it because I was the first African to occupy that position. I think the management of the place where I worked as a research fellow took interest in me and what I did for them. These are liberal people who do not politicise positions or issues. They wanted a practical solution to a problem in Tanzania and being the highest ranking African among them, it was easy to pick me. But I must give glory to God. He took me to the right place at the right time.
Did you move there with your family?
My family stayed in Nigeria during the period. But I had to marry again while I was there, so I married the youngest daughter of President Nyerere. Her name is Mandara.
How did you meet her?
My first wife had three children for me but unfortunately, we had to reach an agreement for a divorce, although we have reconciled now. My second wife is the daughter of former President Nyerere. She is about 60 years and lives in South Africa managing our business with our daughter. She is a chartered accountant. I actually did not want to remarry but I realised that I needed companionship.
We met while she was working as an accountant in a company situated within the European compound where I lived in Tanzania. I did not know that she is the president’s daughter. We became friends and later got married.
How did you feel when you realised she is Nyerere’s daughter?
Her family background does not mean more than what she means to me. My position in Tanzania required the company of a respectable woman if I must have one at all. Personally, she fitted that role perfectly.
Did you ever know that you would become a prince as a child?
The royal succession system in Ibadan is straightforward but only God can guarantee longevity. It takes decades for a king to rise to the top because there are 23 ladders. Moreover, the fact that you become a Mogaji today does not mean that you will become a Jagun very soon. My father became a Mogaji in 1973 when he was 60, and Jagun in 1976. But he never became a king until about 31 years later in 2007. Only God elects a king, not man.
Are there burdens associated with being the first child of a king?
There are challenges I cannot evade. I was working abroad when he became a king, so he sent a message to me, asking me if I was waiting for him to die before returning home. I was shocked, so I considered immediate return but he is a considerate individual. He asked if I was due for retirement and I told him that I had a few more years. He said I should complete my time because of pension and other benefits which I did before coming home. In December 2012, I retired officially as the Director of Rural Development and Community Engagement, Mangosuthu University of Technology in Durban, South Africa.
In preparation for my return home, I attended a course in Buckingham Palace on how a prince should act and position himself. It’s not an African setting but I got something that I never knew and it helped me to project the image of the palace. I was abroad for so long and I had to re-unite with my root. Humility is the watchword in our house and I must keep to it despite my status.
Some people will call me late in the night and tell me that they wish to see the king. I have to meet the king, tell him about the visit and what is expected of him. There are many more roles that I have to play in the palace. My father has been good to me and I have to protect his legacy. He was a soldier, an administrator, a minister and now a king. Above all, he is a strict disciplinarian who demands perfection. Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, said in an interview that tradition does not allow him to attend coronation but because of the respect he has for my father, he had to attend the crowning ceremony.
Your desire was to study medicine but you ended up studying agricultural science, are you in any way feeling unfulfilled?
Not at all because I am not a failure in the direction God pointed to me. I never knew that I would gain scholarship to study in the US. I completed my study in a record time to earn PhD at 27. I could not have gone back to begin a study in medicine again with the opportunities ahead of me. Sincerely speaking, I am not missing anything by not being a medical doctor.
How would you describe your stay in UI when you came back to Nigeria and worked there?
Some people were there before me but I made my mark. It was an ideal institution to study and work. I contributed to its development and today, everyone can attest to the fact that the institution is one of the best in the world. Nigeria is behind in terms of technology and innovation. We need to fund more research because the space and opportunities are there to explore. With dedicated leaders, we will get there.
At what point did you leave the school and how difficult was it for you?
I left as a sub-dean, post graduate and research in the Faculty of Agriculture. The offer I had was great, so despite my love for the university and what I was doing there, I had to accept it. It was a difficult decision to take though. However, my regret is that I did not rise to become the vice chancellor of the institution. Every academic aspires to reach the top and that includes me. But you have to accept the fate. If today I am offered the job, I will gladly urge the management to look for younger people. I am almost 70 and feel good that I contributed my own quota when I had the opportunity. You can aspire to be something but only God can take you there. I got things I did not struggle for. I may not have so much money but I am contented.
What about your children?
They are all doing well. Some are working in Nigeria and others work abroad. Lara is a director in Danish International Shipping Line and she is only 37. Lanre is a director of a company in Nigeria. Omolola is ambitious and productive, she has her own company which keeps expanding. My youngest daughter is 26. She has a Masters in Business Administration and manages our company with my wife in South Africa.
When was your best moment in life?
There are a few of such moments I always remember. The first one was when I became a father. The second is when I became a professor and the third is when my father became the Olubadan of Ibadan.
What about your saddest moments?
There are also a few I can recollect but I am at my best when challenges rise. I had reached the top and found myself descending but I struggled to arise again. At my age now, I have no cause to regret my life. I thank God for what He has done for me.
You have worked in many places in the world especially in areas where racism is still rife. Were you a victim at any time?
I sympathise with those who have suffered one form of racism or the other, I resent it. But the truth about my life is that I have never been a victim. I worked in South Africa for many years and became a director in a respected institution in Durban but no one ever saw me as a foreigner. I had the honour of heading many research teams where people from developed countries were members, but that is how life should be when merit is considered ahead of other criteria. In South Africa today, we have what I describe as reversed racism because instead of the blacks crying of being victimised, we now have the whites complaining.
Do you think Nigeria is maximising its agricultural potentials?
We are gradually moving forward with the present Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina. He is moving the country forward faster than the stride we have achieved in the last 50 years. Give him more years and Nigeria will be a nation known for agriculture. He is not a politician but a core professional.
How are your other siblings?
I have nine in all. Five are from my step-mother. But we are all one. My father ensured all of us had quality education except one who refused to read beyond secondary school. We have a lawyer, a doctor, a journalist, a politician who is a commissioner in the state. Others are equally doing well in other fields.
What are you doing now?
After returning home, I got a job at Lead City University and within a month, I was made the Head of Department of Microbiology. It’s a university that puts students first and the project suits my educational philosophy.
How will you compare Nigerian students with students in other places you have worked?
We have problems that shield the potentials of our own students here in Nigeria, but our students rank among the best in the world despite their challenges. That is why they excel outside the country.
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