Welcome to Victor's Media Empire: HURRAY OUR DADDY IS 70

Baba and his daughters

On Saturday, March 24, 2018, the daughters, sons-in-laws, grandchildren a few relatives of Baba Obukowho Obovwodevwia converged at his home at Fagba-Iju to organize a surprise birthday party in honour of his 70 years sojourn on planet earth. Baba who believes in a spartan lifestyle and eschews publicity would have turned down the idea of a birthday party in his honour if he was informed in advance. But his daughters and their husbands who know him too well, didn’t go beyond their boundary or the limit of what Baba would accept.

The in-house birthday party only involved his daughters, sons-in-laws, grandchild and a few relatives of mama-Baba’s heartthrob. It was a low keyed birthday bash devoid of razzmatazz, music and dance; as Baba wouldn’t have permitted any of these owing to his abhorrence to publicity and showmanship. Baba is an extrovert who is reserved, believes in self-discipline and control.

The in-house birthday party was in this simple but orderly formant. Introduction: everyone present introduced themselves to one another. Thereafter, attendees gave citations about the celebrant-Baba, whom everybody had gathered to celebrate. All citations were encomiums- testifying to the disciplinary nature of Baba that have helped to inculcate enviable manners in his children and close relatives that have had course to live with him at one point or the other. Baba’s sons-in-laws were never left out in presentation of the citations. Their citations were also testimonies about the disciplinary nature of Baba and the wisdom they derived from him each time they had any reason to speak with him.

After the citations, a prayer was offered on the cake, thereafter Baba was requested to cut it after the name of Jesus Christ was spelled. The cake was cut amiss shouts of joy with faces of attendees radiating happiness and ecstasy. After the cutting of the cake, assorted types of foods: fried rice, fried chicken, jollof rice, starch-popularly known as “Usi” in the Urhobo dialect was served with palm oil soup which is also known as “Ogwo” in the Urhobo dialect. Various brands of malt and soft drinks were also served since all attendees to the in-house party were all born again Christians who have nothing to do with alcoholic drinks. Foods and drinks were more than enough for everyone present as some people had enough to take away. The in-house birthday was a funfair.

Born on March 13, 1948 to the family of Imonishomega Obukohwo on his paternal side, in the popular town of Kokori in Ethiope East Local Area, Delta and Mama Otiti Agbeyiyomi Obukowho (nee Adegbite), his maternal side, who hailed from Ijosun Area of Ondo State. His birth took place in Ijosun Area of Ondo State. In 1951, he went to Kokori, his father’s town in the then Mid-West area of the defunct Western Region. He attended Nigerian Baptist Convention Primary School now known as Erhijeri Primary School, Kokori between 1955-1958. In 1959, he moved to Methodist Primary School, Ekotedo, Ibadan. After a year sojourn in Ekotedo, he left for Ahmadiya Primary School Eleyele, Ibadan between 1960-1961.

Again, he returned to Kokori and began to tap rubber in order to earn a living. As an ambitious young man who desired education eagerly but without a helper to sponsor him, however God answered his prayers in 1966 when he moved to Lagos where he started his secondary school education at Western College of Science and Technology, Lawanson in Surulere, Lagos. Barely a year in this college, again, he moved to Mid-West College, Effrun-Warri between 1967-1970 where he obtained his West African School Certificate in flying colours. Armed with this enviable certificate, he began to teach in one of the primary schools in Warri between 1971-1974 where he obtained his West African School Certificate.

After a short space of time in that primary school, he joined the ministry of health as a public health officer in training between 1974-1975 where he wrote the General Certificate of Education (Advance level) and passed three subjects at credit level in one sitting. Armed with this impressive result, he gained admission into the newly established University of Maiduguri in 1976 through direct entry to study Sociology and Anthropology. He graduated in 1979 and served in the National Youth Service Corps in Kwara State where he completed his service in 1980.

Immediately after his national service to his nation, he started working in his brother’s firm known as Goodage Travels Limited. He got married to his heartthrob-Mama Esther in 1979. The marriage was blessed with four daughters: Oghenekevwe, Oghenevwairhe, Ogheneruemu and Ovonomo. The four daughters are happily married. Baba later further his education to get his master’s degree in Agriculture Extension and Rural Sociology 1989-1990 at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife.