The world stood still for Chief Stephen Ayodele Fatiregun, the Obalua of Egboro land on Tuesday 3rd of August, 2021 as he launched his book to mark his 82nd birthday.
The setting was the cozy Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos and notable Yoruba elders drawn from different works of life, including the Elegboro of Ijebu-Jesa, converged to celebrate a rare feat by a living legend of Ijebu-Jesa descent.
Titled ‘THE WISDOM OF OUR YORUBA ELDERS’, the remarkable book is a collection of 10,000 carefully selected proverbs, fables and legends with English translations plus a compilation of 130 notable Nigerians of Yoruba origin.
An alumnus of the prestigious Harvard University in the United States of America and a former Managing Director of the multinational company, Hagemeyer (Nigeria) Plc, Chief Fatiregun who is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Certified Accountants of London, dedicated the book to the memory of his treasured father, Pa Samuel Ajayi Fatiregun.
The book which was largely described as generational encyclopaedia for the Yorubas, narrates the historical background of the children of Oduduwa.
Emeritus Arch Bishop of Methodist Church, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu and former Nigerian Ambassador to Phillipines, Dr Yemi Farounbi did justice in the review of the over one thousand pages book. They also recommended it for scholarly activities and for everyone willing to get more grounded in the Yoruuba cultures and value systems.
Many of the dignitaries present hailed the heroic feat of the Author as they celebrate an unusual accomplishment of the octogenarian with much reference to Ijebu-Jesa and many icons of international reckoning produced from the noble town.
According to the author who noted that he had notified his children that a copy of the book be buried with him at death, the book is a thoroughly researched effort that took him a whopping 55 years to put together.
