Alphaeus Taiwo Olunaike is not a name that many Nigerians know. But when we talk about Baba Alajo Somolu, the eyes of millions of Nigerians light up. Yes, they are more familiar with this identity. Baba Alajo Somolu was only three years old when he lost his father. However, he was able to continue his studies.He started his primary education at Emmanuel Primary School, Ijebu-Isonyin. He had not yet completed his studies in his small village when his paternal uncle, STA Torimoro, arrived and took him to Lagos where he could continue his studies.
He was born in a very dangerous time. A dangerous time in history. It took place on September 16, 1915, in the small town of Isan-Oyin (now Isonyin), near Ijebu-Musin and Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria. In the dense groves of dense forests and in the shiny leaves of green tropical plants, the cries of newborns pierced the silence and peace of the forest. A woman named Grace Okuromiko Olunaike gave birth to triplets. Three at once!
As soon as she was told that she had just given birth to three children, her face became dark and sad. She couldn’t hide his sadness sad. Her heartbeat quickened as tears streamed down her flushed face. She was obviously confused. In some parts of barbaric Yorubaland, it was an abomination for a woman to give birth to triplets. A child must be sacrificed to the gods, the gods. I’m not sure how true this statement is, but the story goes that children were eventually sacrificed to the gods.The other two were spared. One of them is the one I am writing about now: Alajo Somolu. After narrowly escaping sacrifice to the gods, he came to Lagos in 1927 and was enrolled in St. Peter’s School. John in Aroloya. From there he continued his studies at Christ Church Cathedral School in Lagos, where he graduated in 1934.Two years after completing his studies, he became an apprentice to a tailor named Rojaye. He studied tailoring for nine years before gaining his “freedom”. When he started working as a tailor, he realized that the income would not be enough for him, and he immediately needed an alternative.
Therefore, when his late father’s younger brother, STA Torimoro, went to Cameroon on a trading trip, Baba Alajo Somolu decided that he too would seize the opportunity and follow him. So Baba Alajo Somolu was on his way to Paul Biya’s nation in 1950.Upon his arrival in Cameroon, Baba Alajo Somolu unleashed his fierce entrepreneurial spirit. Avery determined man, he tries various tasks and responsibilities in Cameroon. He sold goods and newspapers and engaged in many commercial activities. In Cameroon, a neighbor of his was an antique collector and told him about a job that immediately attracted him. Therefore, when he returned to Nigeria in 1954, he was already planning to start an ajo gbigba (used clothing collection) business.