My Life and Work: An Autobiography of Matthew N. O. Sadiku - Softcover

Sadiku, Matthew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 149078134X ISBN 13: 9781490781341

Verlag: Trafford, 2017

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My Life and Work

An Autobiography of Dr. Matthew N.O. Sadiku

By Matthew N.O. Sadiku

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2017 Matthew Sadiku
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-8134-1

Contents

Preface, vii, 
1. Birth and Parentage, 11, 
2. Childhood, 16, 
3. College Life, 26, 
4. Life in America, 32, 
5. Life in Philadelphia, 42, 
6. Life In Transition, 50, 
7. Life In Houston, 53, 
Appendix A — My Work, 59, 
Appendix B — My Photos, 99, 
Index, 111, 

CHAPTER 1

Birth and Parentage

I was born on Tuesday, May 17, 1955. The year of my birth marked the beginning of free education in Western Nigeria. My birthplace was Shagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria. I spent most of my childhood at the home owned by my parents located at 10, Odi-Olowo St, Makun, Shagamu.

The Sadikus belong to the Ojogiri family. Although we lived in Shagamu, we had our own Ojogiri village, where we went for farming.

I was born into a Muslim family and my name at birth was Nojimu, which means "star." My maternal grandmother gave me my middle name Olanipekun, which means "honor has no end." I used to be physically sick on regular bassis until I became a Christain. Since then, I became an extraordinary healthy child. My Christian name is Matthew, which means "gift of God."

My Father

My dad grew up as a pagan and his name was Ogunneye, indicating an interest in Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron. He later became a Muslim and his Muslim name was Sadiku, which means "a honest person." In 1965, he became a Christian and his Christian name was Solomon. His full name was Solomon Sadiku Ogunneye Ojogiri.

My father was prudent and self-confident. In his days, people of the same age formed parties. My dad was the leader of his party. Th e party met at our house once a month. They contributed money and helped each other when in need.

Like his peers, my dad was a polygamist. He had the following wives and children in order of their seniority:

1. Shikuola:
Michael Kayode
Joseph Adeleke

2. Ayisatu:
Matthew Nojimu Olanipekun
Moses Abubakare
David Dauda Olayinka
James Olugbenga
Julius Olusola

3. Abigail Tinuola:
Mary Serifatu
Comfort Adijatu
Johnson Adebayo
Kolawole

4. Elizabeth Falilatu:
Agnes Sekinotu
Victoria Raliatu
Patience Temitope
Janet Oluyemi
Peter Oluwafemi
Daniel Adewale

5. Olufunmilayo:
Oluwakemi
Temidayo

All the children (ten boys and eight girls) belong to my father except Michael, who is my uncle Raimi Ogunyemi's son. My mother Ayisatu was the first wife my dad married. When my uncle died, my dad was asked to marry my aunt Shikuola, who was senior to my mom.

In Africa, we do not make distinctions among relatives as practiced in the West. We do not have cousins, nephews, half sisters or half brothers. My mother's sister is my mother. My half brothers are my brothers. My uncle's sons are my brothers. My brother's children are my sons and daughters.

My father used to say, "I am like a barber trying to shave your head. If you cooperate with me, I will do a good job. If you do not cooperate, I can't help you."

My dad got involved in all kinds of businesses including farming, bicycle repairing, selling kolanuts at the market, etc. His main occupation was farming. On Saturdays, the children including me would go to the farm with my dad. Sometimes we cut the grass, but most of the times, we helped in harvesting and peeling kolanuts. We put them in baskets and carried them to the market in the evening for sale. We divided the kolanuts into two — the small ones and the big ones. The big ones belonged to my dad, while the small ones belonged to the children. We got some pocket money by selling the small ones.

Sometimes, my dad would only ask me to go the farm with him. The two of us would ride on a bike. I did not enjoy farming. I did it only to please my dad.

When anyone was sick, dogoyaro was the cure-all medicine we used. The leaves from the dogoyaro tree were boiled in a pot and we were given this herb to drink, as one drinks tea without milk or sugar.

The thing I admire most about my dad was his wisdom. My dad was always called to settle quarrels for families in trouble. He never hesitated to speak his mind and tell the truth. Later in his life, he was made a chief. He died on March 21, 2001.

My Mother

My mother, Ayisatu, was a hardworking and prudent woman. She too was the leader of her party. Her party met once in a month at her house, built at the back of my dad's house.

I remember one day when my mom called me and my brother Moses together for a serious talk. She told us that we should focus on our studies because she was willing to sponsor us to any level. She used to say, "Wherever you place yourself is where people will place you." My mom cared for us and wanted us to have the best.

My mom had many children (at least ten), but only five boys survived and I am the first of those five. Whenever my dad could not help us financially (because of having too many kids), my mom was always there to help.

My mom was a kolanut trader. She was diligent in her trade. Typically, she would go to the market in the evening, buy some kolanuts, and hire some people to carry the kolanuts home. We the children had to fetch water from the public tap and fill two or more drums with water. When my mom returned from the market, she would pour all the kolanuts into the drums. The following morning, when the kolanuts had softened, my mom would hire people to peel the kolanuts. My mom would either sell the kolanuts at Sabo market in Shagamu or take them to northern Nigeria (e.g. Kano or Jos) for sale.

Although kolanuts are produced in the Western part of Nigeria, the Yorubas do not eat it as much as the Hausas and the Ibos. Among the Ibos, a kolanut represents wellbeing and goodwill. It was the focal point of all social ceremony and no ceremony was complete without it.

My mom was so busy in her trading that she did not have much time for us. Whenever she had a baby, she would hire a nurse to take care of the baby. When she traveled to the north, I had to cook for my brothers and take care of them.

My mom grew up in a Muslim home. Her Muslim name was Ayisatu, which means "the pure, the chaste." We called her Alhaja, a common name for women who have been to Mecca on a holy pilgrimage. My mom went to Mecca in 1980. When my dad got converted to Christianity in 1965, everyone in the family was converted to Christianity except my mom. She remained a Muslim until she died on November 23, 2009.

* * *

Growing up, there was no TV to watch. We had fun playing all kinds of games, such as hide-and-seek with the girls. We looked forward to moonlight nights, when stories were told. We heard stories about life and death, about good and evil. We heard stories about the Tortoise and the hare, the Tortoise and the elephant, and the Tortoise and the animals. Some of these stories caused us to laugh and laugh; others caused us to tremble with excitement.

CHAPTER 2

Childhood

1960-1975

Elementary Education

Nelson Mandela wrote, "Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation." I strongly believe that...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Trafford
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 149078134X
• ISBN 13: 9781490781341
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 114
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: KreGa Onlinehandel GmbH; 4950000000000; info@krega-onlinehandel.de; ; Birkenweg 31; Brakel; 33034; Deutschland