Adebutu, KJW, OON, CON, CFR, GCON: Pure philanthropy in motion, by Dele Sobowale

2026-02-15 - 05:41

“Gain all you can; save all you can; give all you can” – John Wesley, 1703-1791, Founder of the Methodist Church Worldwide (VBQ, P 96) FOREWORD Chief Adebutu on October 24, 2025 became the first Nigerian to be awarded four National Awards; when he was conferred with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger. It was well-deserved. Long before that, he was the only Nigerian, known to me, born and raised by Muslim Father and Mother, who worked so diligently for the Methodist Church in Nigeria to become a Knight of John Wesley, KJW. Chief and his parents have demonstrated the sort of religious tolerance which Nigeria urgently needs now as our nation is being devastated by murderous religious fanaticism. A BOOK TO TREASURE FOR WEALTH OF WISDOM “Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, desire crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill” – Barbara Tuchman, US, 1994. The title of the article should actually have been Chief (Sir) Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu, KJW, OON, CON, CFR, GCON: WISDOM AND WEALTH, PURE PHILANTHROPY IN MOTION, but, in my 39th year as a VANGUARD columnist, I have learnt a few things which annoy Editors greatly. One of them is long titles given to articles – irrespective of how appropriate it might be. My first Sunday Editor, Fola Arogundade, once angrily asked: “Can’t you shorten it?” – when I handed him a script. Not displeasing Editors is the beginning of wisdom for columnists wanting to last long. So, I have tucked my real intention into the first paragraph. There is a reason. Pardon me for repeating myself. I must have read over 4, 000 books, wholly or partly as well as thousands magazine or newspaper reports and articles during the almost 34 years it took me to finally compile and publish the VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, in 2007 in Nigeria. I have read about 1, 000 more since then. Only about 20 books were so engrossing that I read them in less than two days. The only book published by a Nigerian I read non-stop, except for snacks and drinks, was Professor Soyinka’s The Man Died. Last week, a second book authored by a Nigerian has joined that list of books in my mental library Hall of Fame for books. Had it been available before VBQ was launched, quotations from it could have dotted several pages of my book. They were so profound in their wisdom. Titled: LEGACY IN MOTION: THE QUIET POWER OF A NIGERIAN ICON, it is an autobiography written by Chief (Sir) Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu – who ordinarily would not have needed introduction; except that Chief, at 90, had once again done something exceptional. He had not only written about his life; but, he has left some enduring messages for future generations; which are priceless and which must be propagated. Unknown to Chief, Nigeria’s computer guru, Chris Nwajei, had once made a remark when he was introducing us to computers at VANGUARD in the 1990s. “If you want to hide anything from an African, put it in a book”. That was Nwajei’s way of drawing attention to the fact that Nigerians seldom read books – even those that would benefit them immensely. As the author of seven books, it has been my experience that no book written in Nigeria gets read just because it is great. Authors are forced to promote them relentlessly – to attract attention to their efforts. HOW I GOT THE GREAT BOOK “Every honour comes with a burden, a sacred trust to give more, to do more, to be more faithful in service to God and humanity” (P 97, Chief Adebutu’s book). I had not read the book before meeting Chief for the first time on February 3, 2026. A WhatsApp message from Prince Babatunde Bajulaiye, Trustee of WAKA CLUB 1945, ordered all the Trustees to assemble at the Club House by 1pm on that day, fully dressed in white agbada and Club cap. Since 2020, after barely surviving COVID-19 and cancer, spending eight months on a wheel chair, wearing agbada had become a painful ordeal to be endured on extremely rare occasions. This was one of them. In addition to my sacred obligations, as a WAKA CLUB Trustee, even at 81+, I remain totally faithful to the media as a columnist. Longest serving Editor of VANGUARD, Prince Gbenga Adefaye, once put down an arrogant columnist by saying that “writing column is a trust and a privilege which must be discharged diligently”. I was in serious pains with arthritis on that day. But, there is no journalist alive in Nigeria today who will willingly miss an opportunity to meet Chief Adebutu. He ranks among the top two dozen Nigerians journalists love to cover. I was playing two roles when we were ushered into the great man’s seating room – the WAKA CLUB Trustee and the gentleman of the Press. I suppressed the latter; but, not totally. Even when clutching a biro and notebook, all my senses remain open and the brain becomes a video recorder on such occasions. To be candid, nothing significant occurred during the hour-long meeting. I said nothing and asked no questions. The questions on my mind — who is Chief Adebutu? And what does he stand for? — could not be raised at that forum. The Chairman of the Executive Committee, EXCO, presented WAKA CLUB’s gift and request; three members who had shared past experiences went down memory lanes and we departed with a bottle each of the most expensive wine money can buy. I don’t drink wine. I gave it to my dear wife. To me, obligations to the CLUB had been discharged; (but) I have failed in my duty to the wider society; the Nigerians and others who want to know who Chief Adebutu is – apart from being extremely wealthy, generous and well-known as Baba Ijebu. The pains had apparently been endured for nothing. Fortunately, what is apparent is not often real. Chief had solved my problem by sending a bagful of stuff distributed during his 90th birthday celebration on October 24, 2025. Included was a copy of his autobiography. I ignored the bag; until Saturday, February 7; when Bajulaiye and I undertook a post-visit assessment. The truth hit us like a ton of bricks. We gave the wrong gift to a man who has everything – or almost everything. But, what can we give? I volunteered to read the autobiography; starting 4pm Saturday. I finished on Sunday 3pm. So much wisdom, compassion, invaluable insights, hope and love has never been packed into so few pages of one book in my life. Then it occurred to me that among the things money cannot buy are honest and committed disciples – people willing and ready to preach the gospel to others. My experience with VBQ, allied with the fact that most people no longer read books led to the conclusion that selected quotations, published regularly, continuously will help pass the messages Chief fervently wants conveyed to every generation alive today. On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 5.30 am, I took the book to our prayer house, Massey Morning Daily Praying Band, situated at the junction of Massey and Olushi streets in Lagos Island, where I am privileged to serve as the only Trustee and Evangelist. The sermon was based on the Good Samaritan. Instead of the usual exaltations to the congregation, the book was given to a young man with instructions to read the Prologue (pages 1-3) of the book slowly while I interpreted in Yoruba. In the end, the congregation was then asked to stand, if they chose, and offer a prayer to the unknown benefactor of thousands of poor people. The showers of prayers continued for more than five minutes. I rang the bell to bring an end; I was ignored for five more minutes. None of them was a beneficiary of Sir Adebutu’s generosity; but, the sense of communal gratitude was palpable. One came to me after the service at 7am and said: “Evangelist, I have heard sermons on the Good Samaritan over a hundred times in my seventy years. Your sermon today just taught me what to do henceforth.” Lent will start on Wednesday, February 18; and even a man “who has everything” can never have enough prayers. The Book of Job taught us that. We have added his name to the list of those to remember in our prayers until Easter Sunday. There is however more to do to justify the time he spent with WAKA CLUB leaders. The rest of what follows serves as our appreciation for the gracious reception. We are actually in a position to help propagate the ideals being promoted in the book. STILL MORE ON SPREADING THE GOSPEL Because people increasingly don’t read books, it also crossed my mind that summarizing the ideas propounded by Baba might be a good idea. The first lesson in that regard is to summarise the life of the legend as an example for others. Chief Adebutu became extremely wealthy, not by accident, but by acquiring wisdom, intelligence, discipline, integrity, purpose, perseverance, Godliness and exceptional charity linked with his love for fellow human beings. An attempt was made by Professor Oluwayomi Oladunjoye to present some of Chief’s ideas in a small compilation: “KESSINGTON ADEBUKUNOLA ADEBUTU AT 90: His Words. His World. His Worth. A celebration of Wisdom, Influence and Legacy.” Quite a mouthful, Fola would have thrown it away. But, readers need not be intimidated. At the heart of it is the section on QUOTABLE QUOTES. They constitute gems of rare wisdom, uttered by Baba; which any philosopher would be happy to contribute to society. I am here to guide you next week; and to add my own collection from Chief’s book. To be continued...