Babs Fafunwa’s son, Babatunde
In this interview with GBENGA ADENIJI,
a son to a former Minister of Education, Prof. Babatunde Fafunwa,
Babatunde, talks about what he considers unique about his late father
Can you give a brief insight into your background?
I am Babatunde Fafunwa, third child of
the four children (two girls, two boys) of Prof. Babs Fafunwa. I grew up
in Nigeria and schooled at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo
University) where I studied health sciences. I have travelled all around
the world. Of course, there is no place like home. We now run a
computer and telecommunications services company in Nigeria.
What memory of your growing up years with your father can you recall?
I can recall a lot of memories. One of
them is that he used to come home late. He was always up and gone before
we were awake. We were always up in the evenings to see him before we
went to bed. It was always exciting whenever he was around. Other
memories include the fact that he used to travel a lot because he was on
the board of a lot of international committees and conferences. No
matter where he went, he would always bring something back as a gift,
something that represents the country he visited.
Since he was so busy, how did he make up for his family?
Quality in many cases is more important
than quantity. Someone can be around one without interacting with one or
being supportive. The presence of the person may not matter. But when
my father was around, he interacted with us. He was a great story
teller. He used to find one story or the other to tell. He always
cracked jokes to lighten any situation. He was a man of firm actions and
fewer words. For instance, growing up in Nigeria in the 60s and 70s,
education was very important. So, we had to work hard at school because
if one did not do well, one would get a good cane in school. Times have
changed now. In school then, when one got a good report card in primary
school and one showed it to one’s mates, they would ask one what gift
one’s father would give one for obtaining good grades. In our house, dad
would just look at our report cards and put them down. What he
instilled in us is a strong ethics. He did not need to tell us to do
well, he did not need to tell us to uphold the family’s reputation or
good name. It was expected. As far as academics were concerned, we were
supposed to work hard. If we did well, it did not mean we would get a
reward or prize.
Were you under any pressure in school considering who your father was?
Like I said, the pressure was internal
because it was simply an expectation. He did what he needed to do and
that was the kind of man he was. He did not throw his weight or
influence around. He was not a showman. He expected that in school, we
should do the right thing to uphold the family name.
What values did he inculcate in you?
One learns from the things people say
about one’s father, family and the expectation of one’s family. My
father’s reputation in public was the same in private. He was a man of
what you see is what you get. There are some people who are different in
public than in private. As the decades roll by that one starts to see
the number of people he helped, both family members and non-family
members alike. He supported many in school. That ethic of supporting the
community, family and helping those that he could do something for is
one of the strongest. He was a man who loved Nigeria. In fact, he called
himself ‘incurable optimist.’ We all know that anybody can immediately
say 20 bad things about Nigeria but he was a man who always looked at
the bright side. He believed that there were positive aspects that
should be encouraged and cultivated. I think that is one of the aspects
we imbibed from him. Of course, the optimism and willingness to identify
the positives side are also part of it. Usually when one goes around
for daily activities or travelling, one sees people complaining about
the country. My dad was a man who saw the more positive sides and would
express optimism that we could do something great about rather than
complain.
How did he relax whenever he was at home?
I find this question interesting. For
many years, he used to smoke a pipe. That was some decades before he
passed away. He loved to read academic journals, novels, newspapers and
magazines. When we were very young, we used to walk to school and we did
not usually ride in different kinds of vehicles. But during the
weekend, he used to take us on a drive. Then, riding a car was a special
event not now that it is a common activity. Dad loved table tennis and
he used to play the game with us. Originally, he used to beat us in the
game when we were young but as he grew older, it became a very serious,
sweaty contest.
You must have lived large when your father became a federal minister. How comfortable were you then?
When he was appointed minister; he did
not leave his house in Lagos. He did not move into his official
residence. There was a time he rejected more than 60 per cent of the
vehicles that were assigned to him. That was the way he lived his life.
At that time, I was living in the US, and I was not in the country most
of the time when he was a minister.
How close was he to his children?
My father was very close to his
children. He always looked forward to most of the holidays when his
children would be together on his birthday or any of the Muslim
festivals. He used to travel from time to time so he would use the
opportunity to visit his children, grandchildren and his extended family
members. Sometimes, he would send articles he wrote to us or call us on
the telephone. He was always involved in the affairs of his children.
Why didn’t you study an education-related course considering the erudition of your father in that field?
It is an interesting observation. In
Ife, I was initially studying for a medical degree. Normally, one does a
six-and-half years to earn MBChB which is the UK system. But Ife was
following the US system where after obtaining a degree, one then
proceeded for clinicals. That time, after I finished the first degree, I
decided to abandon the course and pursue a career in computing. One of
my good friends could not believe that my father did not know that I
was abandoning a career in medicine even though I had passed the
examination necessary to continue with the programme. He personally said
he was going to talk to my father about the situation. I invited him
and since he knew my father before that day, he spoke with him. My
father just said he was sure that I was old enough to know what I wanted
to.
He believed that each of his children
should know their passions and what they would like to be. He would
always give advice. He used to tell people to earn a degree and be a
professional in their chosen field. When he was going for higher studies
during the colonial rule, the British officer, who approved his visa,
queried why he wanted to go to the US and that he should rather go to
the UK if he was capable of studying abroad. Those days, everybody who
had the opportunity to study abroad chose the UK. He chose a different
path and today, we have all benefitted from the path he chose.
Having said that, one of my elder
sisters, Sherinotu, is a Professor of Fine Arts in the Central
Connecticut State University, US. By that, one of us has indeed followed
his path.
Your father was the first Nigerian
recipient of a doctorate degree in education, what academic challenge
does such a feat place on his children?
When one’s father is a reputable
educationist, people expect one to work hard. I think we are lucky
enough to have a good education and we know that we have to do well. So,
we work very hard.
Among his education policies was
his clamour for learning in mother tongue. Did he mandate his children
to speak his indigenous language?
Yes, that was important to him. You
see, the country went through phases. There was a time when all people
could think about was for the country to follow the English system and
so on. But once he said education should be rendered in indigenous
languages, being who he was, he promoted that because it was also
important. For us as well, he ensured that our culture was part of our
lives. Having lived in many parts of the world, it has been an
enriching experience to learn many cultures. He encouraged us to go
outside and learn new things and bring what we learnt back into the
country.
What was his idea of discipline?
He was not one who raised his voice over
anything. He did not shout either. One could tell from his look that he
was not happy about what one did and one would quickly straighten up.
He did not use the cane on any of us and he did not need to. If there
was any need to use the cane, my mother would be the one to do that.
Did he have a special meal?
Yes, he liked Iyan (pounded yam) and egusi soup.
What about his favourite drink?
He only drank water.
What kind of dress style did he like?
He liked full Yoruba attire with native cap. Though a lot times he put on suits or buba and sokoto. In his younger days, he wore French suits.
How did he handle disagreements with his wife?
That is one interesting thing about
them. They never argued in front of the children. I am sure that they
had their disagreements but they always did it privately. We neither saw
them argue for once nor spoke ill of anybody. They never gossiped about
others in front of us.
In what ways have you gained from your father’s name?
I will say that as we travel in and out
of the country, the immigration officers are very friendly to us. Some
of them were once teachers and attended one college of education or the
other in the country. Once they recognise the name, they would happily
ask if we were related to Prof. Fafunwa.
September and October are special
months in the life of your father because he was born in September and
October marks his death. How do you remember him in those months?
There is a Fafunwa Education Foundation
which awards prizes for the best PhD thesis in education. It also
sponsors an annual lecture on education. We do hold remembrance for him
every September 23, which is his birthday. We organise a Fafunwa
Memorial Lecture where we invite erudite scholars and well-known
personality to give a lecture on a particular topic of interest on
education in Nigeria. It was something he started and which we continue.
Since he was a humble man, that is exactly how he would have loved his
birthday to be celebrated. He loved to do something useful for his
community and country, to show new ideas and bring people together in a
country where a lot of times everybody wants to do their own thing. That
was why when he died, a lot of people came from all parts of the
country.
Where were you when he died?
I was in the Philippines. It was a shock
even though he was not a young man. We knew that we were very blessed
to have him and the contributions he made to the country education
sector. I was very sad when he passed away but I had no regrets because I
discussed with him many times on the phone few days before he died. Of
course, when I heard, I took a flight home same day. As a Muslim, he was
buried the next day.
What do you miss most about him?
I certainly miss his discussions and
interactions because he was a man of ideas. It was always exciting
talking to him about any topic on Nigeria, how the country can move
forward. He always had some new ideas he was working on for the good of
the country.
Are all your siblings Muslims?
Some of us are Muslims while others are
Christians. Like our mother, the girls are Christians and the boys are
Muslims like their father.
What was his normal schedule?
He used to wake up at 6am. He had his
own set of exercises that he did every morning. He used to do them in
the bedroom before coming downstairs for breakfast.
7 things you didn’t know about my father
• He did not live in official quarters as a minister
• He used to smoke a pipe
• He played table tennis with his children
• He wore French suits during his younger days
• He liked giving a ‘to-do’ list to family members and friends
• He loved all types of small electronic gadgets
• He was captain of his football team in secondary school
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