ShareAN erudite insurer, he has a penchant for community service. He became an Associate of Chartered Insurance Institute, London, in 1962 and since then, his records have grown to be formidable.A self-made man, he did not go to secondary school but was able to forge brilliantly ahead in life through private lesson and correspondence courses. His sojourn abroad is not in vain as his community, Odogbolu and people around him are benefiting immensely from his wealth of experience and philanthropic gestures. He served as the secretary of ‘Egbe Omo Odogbolu,’ Ibadan Branch and was actively involved in all activities that brought progress to his home town. Apart from being founding secretary of ‘Egbe Omo Odogbolu’ of Great Britain and Ireland, between 1960 and 1962, he was one of the eight indigenes of Odogbolu that made relentless efforts to make possible, the establishment of the Federal Government College, Odogbolu. He was involved in the building of the post office and the post master’s quarters in the town, while he was vice president and president of ‘Egbe Omo Odogbolu,’ Ibadan Branch from 1990 to 2008 and his activities in the church are also numerous.

A founding member of the Anglican Youth Fellowship of Holy Trinity Church, Ebute-Ero, Lagos (1949),   he served on the Parish Council of St. Paul’s Church, Odogbolu, from 1975 to 1985. The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ifebogun and Company Limited, incorporated insurance brokers, Prince Isaiah Adebowale Ifebogun gives a peep into his growing up years.

Parents
My father, Pa Kadiri Odunuyi Ifebogun was a goldsmith, while mother, Omo Oba Arinade, sold foodstuff like garri, melon and so on. They both taught us honesty and hardwork and dad was always well dressed. He died early, but when alive, anytime dad wanted to go to the mosque, drummers were always stationed at our house, one or two hours before time and as he went to mosque, they would drum after him, praising his cognomen and his impeccable dressing – “..., ojo gbogbo bi odun.” Dad had three wives and when he died, each lineage got one iron portmanteau full of clothes.

Wonders shall never end
Father had three sons and I started school with my two elder brothers at St. Paul’s School, Odogbolu, in January 1938. To our surprise, dad paid one year school fees for the three of us and, unfortunately, he died four months after, when I was eight. That was something we all pondered for a long time, because we kept wondering whether father paid the fees because he had premonition of his death; if he had not paid the money, we would have dropped out of school. That really interested us. My other siblings, after our father’s death, went to stay with relatives, but mum insisted that I stay with her.

The eventual dropout
To encourage us to speak English in school, you were fined for speaking vernacular and all the money collected was shared among brilliant students at the end of the year. Professor Dele Taiwo was my mate and he was very good in English, while I was good in Arithmetic but, after a while, we did not have money to pay the school fees and I was sent away from school. I was in Standard 5 then and I did not spend up to three months in school at a go, this made me repeat. We were able to gather some money later and I went back to school.

I was one of the last set who got the  G4 certificate then, in 1948; when I did the Junior Cambridge, which was the exam we did instead of WAEC that you do now, I failed, and when you failed, you were given the G4 certificate to show that you attended secondary school. All these happened because there was no money and I did not stay much in school. So, I started attending evening school at Eko Boys’ High School and later worked with a timber firm.

Correspondence course
Despite the hardship that I faced then, I was so determined to have higher education. I did petty work while I went to evening class and later, I enrolled for correspondence course in Insurance at the Chartered Insurance Institute, London and did Book Keeping, Accounting and Typing. My skill in Arithmetic really came in handy because I never used calculator to make any calculations, everything was done manually and I was very fast. Then, I told my friends who were in secondary school that I would not miss out because whatever they were doing in school, I would do in the course, and that was how it was.

I did the correspondence exam in the preliminary courses and I passed; It was the result that I used for the federal government scholarship to study Insurance in London, at Merylibourne College (now Merylibourne University) and the Chartered Insurance Institute College of Insurance, Surbiton, England. I went to London in 1959 and it was quite interesting because the federal government gave us enough grant, which made our stay comfortable, and I always had enough money, despite the fact that I did not work,

I was a full student. During the course, we did attachment at insurance companies in London and we were given luncheon voucher and season ticket, which gave us free transportation. So, it was all fun, no stress at all.
When I finished in 1962, five Nigerians had qualified for the associateship, ACII, before us and we were five in my own set, so, I am one of the first 10 Nigerians to become associates of the Chartered Insurance Institute of London.

The REA
When I left the timber company, I joined the Royal Exchange Assurance Company, in 1954 and that was where I developed interest in insurance as a profession. I completed the Chartered Insurance Institute Diploma Course in flying colours and was elected an Associate of Chartered Insurance Institutes (ACII), in 1962. I was under pressure to stay on and pursue my postgraduate course but I refused, because I left my family in Nigeria and I wanted to bring up my children properly. Anyway, to God be the glory, I, today, have many insurance professional certificates while I have life membership of the Chartered Insurance Institute, London and the local institute in Nigeria.

I know no man, but I know God
During the application for scholarship, over 200 of us applied from all over the country; 35 were invited for interview and I was the 34th to be interviewed. After the interview, people went up and down looking for connection, so that they would be selected. I did not know anybody and the only person I knew at the secretariat in Lagos, when I approached him, he disabused my mind about lobbying, telling me there was no amount of money that could give me the scholarship but just to hope in God. I left everything to God;

I didn’t have money that I could use to bribe anyway. However, to God be the glory, I was one of the five that were selected. They also told me to look for money to bribe so that I would get the British passport, which was the document we needed to travel, I did not give because I did not have and God’s grace gave me the scholarship and the British passport.

Vomiting in the plane
Then, they used to have a small bowl for people who wanted to vomit in the plane and we bought a drug that would prevent vomit, Avomine. I helped my friend to buy the drug and he used it while I did not use mine because I did a lot of run around; we boarded a British Airways plane and my friend did not vomit; in my own case, I started vomiting right from the airport in Nigeria. It was my first time of boarding a plane but I was not afraid because I was so eager to get to England.

My wife
Felicia Oluremilekun, nee Olukoga, from Okun Owa, three miles from Odogbolu. She was my junior sister’s friend; they were  classmates at Olowogbowo Methodist School and she used to come to our house; that was how I saw her and got interested. My sister first told her about my intention before I spoke to her and she said we should continue to pray about it.

We later got together but she had an uncle who did not want her to marry me because I did not go to secondary school and I did not have a tangible job then; the uncle took her to Ibadan so that I would not see her again. It worked because I came to Ibadan to check her but could not locate her. Later when we met, the two of us wept. On our wedding day, the uncle came to sign the register because she also lost her father at a tender age. I wanted to take the pen from him but my brother prevailed on me to leave him and the rest is now history.

Favourite Bible story
‘Jesu Kristi, oko opo, baba alaini baba’ (Jesus Christ, husband to the widow, father to the orphan). Anytime I heard this, I always jumped up, shouting, ‘’that is my father, that is my father!’’ I always felt they were referring to me whenever they mentioned, “baba alaini baba” and up till now, I still feel happy whenever that aspect is recited.

Philosophy
To be like Jesus. For instance, before I say or do anything, I will ponder whether it is Christlike; how will it affect others? That is the way I behave to people.

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