Curtain falls for Eleyinmi

Oba Funso Adeolu, the Alaye-Ode of Ode-Remo, who played the role of Eleyinmi in the now rested The Village Headmaster drama series, has taken a final bow from the stage, with his death last week.

Assistant Editor (Arts)Osolua Uhakheme chronicles the life and times of a cultural icon .

Unknown to the late Oba Funso Adeolu (Eleyinmi of the Village Headmaster), the Alaye-Ode of Ode-Remo, the dream of resuscitating the rested popular television series, will not be realised in his time. There were plans to bring the drama back on screen.

Until, now there had been confusion over his state of health while rumours of his death had gained ground. But relations and close associates spiritedly denied the rumours.

The monarch’s widow, Olori Folasade Adeolu, in a report published by a newspaper (not The Nation) denied the rumour. She had said: "It was true that Kabiyesi was ill, but he is not dead. He is alive, recuperating in a London hospital.

"I wonder why the newspapers are writing this type of story. And this is not the first time. About December 2007, a rumour like this was spread."

The Balogun of Ode-Remo, Chief Kola Oyefeso, was reported to have denied any knowledge of Oba Adeolu’s death, saying it was true that the monarch was ill and receiving medical attention in London.

"But dead? I have not heard any thing of such," he had said.

The creator of The Village Headmaster, Ambassador Segun Olusola, also could not confirm Oba Adeolu’s death.

However, the matter was laid to rest on Monday through a condolence message by the Ogun State Government. Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Kayode Samuel, who signed the message on behalf of Governor Gbenga Daniel, commiserated with the people of the town over the demise of their traditional ruler. He described the passage of the monarch as a great loss to traditional institution and the arts, given his great contributions to both.

"Oba Adeolu was a great king. He loved his people and contributed significantly to the development of society all though his journey through life.

"We note with satisfaction his sparkling contributions to the development of Nigerian modern drama. He was a colossus in the drama genre, a cultural icon of no mean standing and a traditional ruler par excellence. Oba Adeolu, through his role as Chief Eleyinmi in the now rested television series, The Village Headmaster, showed his rich talent, distinguished himself and brought happiness to many homes across the country. The government and people of Ogun State will sorely miss him," the statement added.

The late Oba Adeolu, an old student of Methodist Boys High School, Lagos, was a man of many parts. Before he became the traditional ruler of Ode-Remo, he acted the role of Eleyinmi in the drama series, which ran on prime time for years. Many Nigerians would easily remember his role, especially for his many antics on stage.

The late Oba Adeolu, who was the second in-command to Oba Ajelende in the drama series, which he starred in years after he appeared on the production of "Things Fall Apart" in Enugu, acknowledged the good work of the producer in the choice of casts. To him, he was lucky to have been part of the production.

The graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and London School of Journalism (1962), started his working career with the Federal Ministry of Education as an education officer. He taught at Kings’ College, Lagos. He left the ministry as Senior Inspector of Education in 1968 to join Texaco Nigeria Ltd, as area manager. He later joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation as a sports commentator in 1970. He transferred his services to the Nigerian Television Authority where he set up the sports department.

But in 1975, he left the television to join Rank Xerox Nigeria Limited as the training manager from where he left to set up a private business in advertising, public relations and film production in 1977. His productions included the popular The Millers in which he played the lead role.

He was crowned the Alaye-Ode of Ode-Remo in 1990. A year later, he was made Justice of the Peace (JP) by the Ogun State Government. In 1997 the Federal Government honoured him with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).

To Oba Adeolu (Nicodemos Ologbenla, as he used to refer to himself in the drama series) acting in his days was a lot of fun and dedication. "At that time, it was love for the theatre, love for the arts that compelled us into doing things like that. I could remember when we started The Village Headmaster; we were paid four guineas, later it was increased to eight.

It was like that and I think the highest we got when we were producing The Village Headmaster was something like N80 per episode.

"So, it tells you we were very committed; we would go for rehearsals. I used to go from Anthony Village to Victoria Island for rehearsals. We rehearsed three times in a week before recording so, it was a lot of self-interest, dedication, devotion and love for the arts that motivated us more than the monetary aspect," he had recalled.

Despite his impressive track record in drama productions, the late Oba Adeolu never hid his dislike for Nollywood. He dismissed the medium as sub-standard and would never be of interest to him if he was still on stage. "If I were outside, I would have taken the place before the arrival of Nollywood. The standard of ‘The Miller’ was very, very high, so I couldn’t have been involved with Nollywood. They would have come to us and learn," he had said.