Day of honour for Okunuga, the ‘boy’ scout

By Tope Abiola
Chief Okunuga (right) displaying his award.
With him is Chief Oguntona (middle)
and another awardee, Mrs. Salako.

More than five decades ago, when Chief Okuyiga Okunuga started as a boy scout, hardly did he know that his fame would spread round the country and even across the borders. His activities as an official of the Boy’s Scout in the late 90’s made him to be an enviable scout master, not only in Nigeria, but in Africa.

Recently, personalities from all walks of life thronged Bariga, Lagos State to honour the 92-year-old scout. Chief Okunuga’s leadership career started as an Assistant Scout Master, then Scout Master and District Scout Master for Lagos Island.

He was Deputy Regional and later became the Lagos Scout Commissioner to the late Alhaji S. B. Dabiri. Pa. Okunuga’s faithfulness, honesty and probity earned him the positions of the deputy National Treasurer and Training Commissioner in Lagos State. That tenure was remarkable and fruitful, as he produced over 1,000 trained leaders, both men and women, in the state. Apart from this, Scout groups were established in many schools, churches and, even, mosques and University of Lagos.

There was also a Scout Group opened at the Iga Idunganran led by one of the children of Oba Adeniji Adele. There were Rover Scouts, Sea Scouts and Air Scouts in operation in the state during his tenure, which gave further credence to the scouting activities in Lagos state. He achieved the highest personal training of Wood Badge, both in cub-scouting and scouting. He was awarded the Scout Silver Eagle Badge in 1956 and was one of the three Nigerian Commissioners presented to the British Royal family during their visit to Nigeria in 1956. This perhaps started his remarkable career as a Scout man whose life affected many Nigerians positively.

Chief Okunuga was a member of the contingents to the 11th World Scout Jamboree in Greece in 1963 and to the 12th World Scout Jamboree in Idaho, United States of America in 1967. He led the contingents of Scouts to Scottish Jamboree in Scotland and Westport Jamboree in Ireland in 1968. He attended the Seattle World and Africa Scout Conferences. He met and dined with Lady Baden-Powell, the wife of the founder of the Boy Scouts Association, Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell. This was a rare opportunity for scouts in Africa. Chief Okunuga, a very astute Scout Leader was appointed Lagos State Scout Commissioner in 1984 and conducted a State Scout Jamboree at Ikorodu in which contingents from all the states of Nigeria participated. Lagos State Scout council sponsored the entire contingent of Scouts to Japan Jamboree in 1990 while Lagos State Government provided the funds for the event through the State Chief Scout, Governor Raji Rasaki.

Chief Okunuga retired after the six years mandatory service as Lagos State Scout Commissioner in 1990 and returned to his home in Ikenne. While speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in his Ikenne home recently, he enthused that the award was not only the reward of his selfless service in the Scout, but an appreciation of his contributions to humanity. The Boy’s Scout, he said, was founded to imput morals, love, endurance and spirit of perseverance into the lives of young men and women from the early stage. He noted that immoral activities among the youths today are on the increase because Scout is no more properly introduced to them. He lamented that Nigerian government no longer sponsor the scout activities, which if done, he said, would yield better fruits.

He enjoined scout leaders to be honest and faithful in their activities so that the goal of the scouts would not be defeated. While extolling the virtues of the Ikenne-born leader, Chief Abayomi Oguntona who organised the meritorious award of leadership as part of the activities marking his 70th birthday said that “Pa Okunuga’s life is an exemplary one.” Chief Oguntona described him as an inspiration to humanity, a reformer, disciplinarian, committed and devoted personality who had reformed the society through his scouting activities. The award he said was a reward and appreciation of Pa Okunuga’s contributions to humanity.