For those who were born between the 60s and the 70s, this write-up won’t bring so much euphoria but rather some nostalgic surprises, and for those who grew up through the 80s, they may have some ideas of what I am about to present this morning.

However, disappointedly, for those who were born outside the 90s and the so-called Indomie generations, I am sorry🙏, they may find this extremely strange but at least not without some wondrous discoveries. For instance, many of them must have heard people referring to a particular plastic basin as “Ọmọlokùn’…., how would they know or understand the history behind its name?

Life in the ghetto in those days when having or possessing a television was an expensive luxury can never stop to bring some funny nostalgic memories to us comparing with what the same television had evolved to, or still continuing to evolve to these days. Today our TVs are smart.

The old sweet days when that kinds of brand new beautiful TV sets were built and packed inside big plywood boxes with lockable doors and on four legs for each to stand upon with black and white colours only.

I always marvel at how things evolve rapidly these days, and I had thought of wonders that tomorrow still holds in embryo. Can we close our eyes for few minutes and imagine what our world would look like in the next thirty years? My friends…, it’s better imagined.

My dad bought that type of television set in the year 1979, I was a little kid then, all my friends, Tiri, Musa and Nuru would always hook up with us to enjoy cartoons, music and various drama presentations on NTA Ibadan TV station. I will never forget SESAME STREET for us children at that time too. Those were old golden days, full of sweet memories.

The likes of :
Ifa Olokun Series,
Duro Ladipo,
The Jester: Jacob, Papalolo and Aderupoko,
Baba Sala,
Baba Mero,
and Jaguar and etc., would always thrill our days abundantly. Those old days were truly awesome as everybody would sit and watch together in awe and in love. The time when no one lived in isolation, unlike what families and communities have turned to these days. A past period of time to remember when our love was too expanded and we all lived together in joy, peace and harmony in one over-crowded clan like a one single family.

In the whole area where we resided at that time, in Agbeni Ibadan here, only few people including my father had that type of four-legged black and white television set, one in Durosarọ compound and one around IYA QUEEN’s shop and another in the Alagunfọ compound and some few scattered others.

Every Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm, NTA would show IFA OLOKUN A S’Ọ̀RỌ̀ D’AYỌ̀ by Pa YẸMI ẸLẸBU’BỌ̀N, it was a time in the history that you would never want to miss. The whole city of Ibadan would be silent and gather to watch wherever a TV was available. I can still recall some of those titles of IFA OLOKUN’s TV series that were popular at that time:
GBAA ‘LE, GBAA ‘YAA,
OLOFIN IJAYE,
AYE DI WAJA-NRUJU,
ERUU (FEAR),
AWOKO,
ENI ENI (EBITI O P’EERA),
ỌMỌLOKUN.

ỌMỌLOKUN was the most popular at that time in 1981. I remember we had it on cassette and cartridge tapes by then, and we listened to it over and over. It was a time in the history that I wish we had back. Cartridge tapes were in use and common at that time. I do not think these Indomie children will ever understand what we called a cartridge tape.

PLOT

ỌMỌLOKUN was a story of a barren woman who had sought for a child of her own for a long time. She had gone almost everywhere in searching for fruit of the womb, she thought she could get a child of her own but to no avail.

For those here that are conversant with the pressure and reproach that are attached to the barrenness of married women in Yorubaland, you will really understand how truly Awẹro had suffered in the hands of her people, especially from relatives of her husband.

The embarrassments she went through from people can never be compared. She had on several occasions gone to consult IFA Diviner (Babalawo) who always told her to be patient and wait till the appropriate time of the gods.

The only excuse the IFA priest could give to her was unavailability of “good child” in the baby’s stock-house of Eledumare. The diviner told her to be patient till the time good fruits of the womb would be available while the gods were already busy moulding them.

Awero was aware that age wasn’t really on her side, she was getting older day in and out, she truly needed a child of her own before it would be too late. At a point she got bored with the pleading for patience and demanded for ‘ANY’ child that was available. The IFA priest warned her of possible boomerang of her choice.

Awero was not ready to listen, she just wanted a child at all cost. The IFA priest had no choice, he went ahead with the ritual and at the end he gave his words that soon she would become pregnant.

As expected, Awẹro became pregnant and nine months afterwards she was put to bed and had a male child. On the eighth day she named her child AKANMU ỌMỌLOKUN.

Awẹro loved her only child so much that she really pampered him with anything he wanted. ỌMỌLOKUN was pampered and overindulged by his parents to a fault.

And several years afterwards, he, ỌMỌLOKUN, under the vast indulgence of his parents, grew up to be a spoilt-over-pampered young man.

Anytime ỌMỌLOKUN needed anything, he would come home crying and singing:

🎶
Iya iya hin fẹ́ja s’ọrun adija mi,
Iya iya hin fẹ́ja s’ọrun adija mi,
Emi ỌMỌLOKUN, ỌMỌ-NIDE,
Ọmọ ni sin-sin kunun sin,
ỌMỌLOKUN ỌMỌ-NIDE.
🎶

While her mother would always reply to lull him by singing:

🎶
ỌMỌLOKUN ỌMỌ-NIDE,
Ọmọ o mo bi ẹ nan o,
ỌMỌLOKUN ỌMỌ-NIDE
🎶

Awẹro and her husband must provide whatever he wanted. Day after day, ỌMỌLOKUN became apparently more demanding as his whims and caprices increased on daily basis.

From bird to fish, and squirrel to grasscutter, they grew from he-goat to cow, he became a dreadful god that took daily appeasement of sacrifice at will at home. Don’t forget he would always come home crying and singing:

🎶
Iya iya hin f’eku s’ọrun adija mi,
Iya iya hin f’eku s’ọrun adija mi,
Emi ỌMỌLOKUN, ỌMỌ-NIDE,
Ọmọ ni sin-sin kunun sin,
ỌMỌLOKUN ỌMỌ-NIDE
🎶

One day, after ỌMỌLOKUN had exhausted all manners of item and demand, he demanded for a whole human being as a whim:

🎶
Iya iya hun o f’odidi ẹni s’ọrun adija mi,
Iya iya hun o f’odidi ẹni s’ọrun adija mi,
Emi ỌMỌLOKUN, ỌMỌ-NIDE,
Ọmọ ni sin-sin kunun sin,
ỌMỌLOKUN ỌMỌ-NIDE.
🎶

His mother was surprised, and at that point she regretted her impatience with Eledumare years back. She rebuked her son and for the first very time and turned down his whimsical bizarre desire. ỌMỌLOKUN became angry and killed his mother to satisfy his wild anger.

He kept his mother’s corpse in the room and waited for his father who had earlier gone to the farm to return home. On sighting his father, he demanded a whole human, and as expected his father declined without wasting a time. ỌMỌLOKUN became wildly furious, and he advanced on the attempt to kill his father but his father was fortunately able to overpower him and sent him into the evil forest where he was banished till he died.

END

At the end of each IFA OLOKUN episode, bàbá Ẹlẹ́bu’bọn would always bid us bye by saying:

ẸLA BO RU O, ẸLA BO YE.

ỌMỌLOKUN drama from IFA OLOKUN TV series was very popular at that time, that a particular plastic basin was named after it.., just as “TOROMỌGBE”, a smallest size of a particular polythene bag derived its own name from one of the casts in ARELU of Jimoh Aliu.

REGRET

It is a pity that our heroes die and their works die and perish with them as they labour in vain.

I remember the life of the great men like:
I-Show Pepper,
Ẹda Lere Paimo,
Okondo, Karot and Salaake,
Jacobu, Papilolo and Aderupoko,
Tunbosun Odunsi (Baba Amoye),
Ola Omonitan (Ajimojasan),
Moses Omilani (Egunleti),
Supo Kosemani,
Toyosi Arigbabuwo,
Oyin Adejobi……., and etc.
How many of their epical works do we still have in our national archives today? None!