Tai Solarin
Augustus
Taiwo "Tai" Solarin (20 August 1922 – 27 June 1994) was a
Nigerian educator and author. He established the famous Mayflower School, Ikenne, Ogun State in 1956. In 1952, Solarin became the
principal of Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo, a post he held till 1956 when he became the
proprietor and principal of Mayflower School.
Early life
Solarin's
exact birth date is unknown, but it is assumed that he was born in 1922 in
Ikenne, Ogun State, in Western Nigeria. He attended Wesley College Ibadan. Solarin was inspired by
the writings of Nnamdi Azikiwe who encouraged young
people to travel abroad for study. His initial attempt to gain a passport fell
through but he later enlisted in the British Air Force and served with the Royal Air Force as a navigator in the Second World War. He remained in Britain, studying at University
of Manchester,
and then at the University of London. Tai Sholarin married
English-born Sheila Mary Tuer in 1951.[2]
Solarin
returned to Nigeria and became a tutor at Molusi College, which was supported
by the community and Christians in Ijebu-Igbo. In 1952, he was appointed the school's
principal succeeding Stephen
Awokoya
who had just been appointed the regional Minister for Education. Solarin, an
humanist had a mission to 're-educate' the community and decided to make some
changes. He removed morning prayers and religious studies as a subject in the
school. However, some of the changes found opposition within the local
community where his brother was a reverend. He decided to quit and found his
own school with the approval of Awokoya the former Principal. He established
Mayflower school on January 27, 1956.[3]
Mayflower
The
Mayflower campus, which he established, is made up of hundreds of hectares of
land, based in Tai Solarin's birth Place, Ikenne, Ogun State. Approximately 8,000 students are in
attendance .
The
campus includes classrooms, administration buildings, small houses for many of
the teachers, dormitory accommodations for about 2,000 boarders, and a farm.
The school is noted for very high academic achievement.
Post independence critics
Tai
Solarin is one of the post-Independence civil rights critics and activists in his native Nigeria;
some others were Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (musician) Beko Ransome-Kuti, Wole Soyinka (Nobel Laureate), Ayodele Awojobi, Dele Giwa, Gani Fawehinmi (lawyer), and Ken Saro-Wiwa. For the majority of the first forty years
after independence, Nigeria had no effective opposition to the mostly military
government of the day. These activists acted as an effective opposition to the
ruling government. In 1975, when the General Gowon Regime delayed returning power to a civilian regime, Tai
published his "The Beginning of the End" statement, which he then
physically distributed on the roadside. He was subsequently imprisoned for this
act. Throughout his lifetime Tai fought running battles with various governments
in a bid to improve the lot of Nigerians.
Mr.
Solarin was an intellectual guru for Nigeria's disenchanted and disfranchised
for four decades. His writings in magazines and newspapers, highlighting what
he called the hypocrisy and vulgarity of the Nigeria of his day, frequently
angered people in power.
He
was a vehement critic of military rule in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, and an
ombudsman in three states in 1976 and 1977[4]
As
a columnist, Tai was a relentless critic of Nigerian military rule, as well as of corruption
in the government and the church. He was often jailed for his public remarks.
Modesty
In
a country and an age where dignitaries wore flowing Agbada to show their wealth and position, Tai was
known to always wear simple khaki shorts and shirt.
Quotes
'I
fight with an indomitable spirit, my back to the wall, defeat is for those who
accept it' 'The greatest strands of affection are woven in adversity.
Leadership means suffering. The Leader, who has no marks, indelible marks to
show either on his physical body or in his mind have never led'. 'How many
Socrates did Greece breed? How many Negro's did India breed? They have one each
but they all had one thing in common, sense of mission. An unquenchable thirst
to get things done. We need as in this instance only one courageous Nigerian to
take a stand. But no Nigerian wants to offer his head to break a coconut'. http://nigeriaworld.com/articles/2003/oct/070.html
Prophet of self-reliance
One
of Tai Solarin's basic principles was self-reliance, a part of the curriculum
at Mayflower.
The Peoples Bank
In
1989, The Peoples Bank was founded by the government, and Tai Solarin became
the first chairman. The bank was created to disburse soft loans and other forms
of credit to the very poor to start their own businesses.
Humanist
Tai
Solarin was also a well known humanist and atheist who opposed the ownership of the schools by
churches. Tai Solarin once said that "black(people) hold onto their God
just as the drunken man holds on to the street lamp post—for physical support
only."[5] In 2004, the Mayflower School played host to
an International Humanist Conference, commemorating the life and work of Tai
Solarin. It was attended by guests from the United States, Africa and Europe.[6] Uncle Tai, as he was popularly known,
derived immense pleasure in selflessly and fearlessly advocating for a better
Nigeria, an action borne out of genuine, unfettered, earnest and heartfelt
feeling about the state and future of the nation and the future generation. He
was dissatisfied with the mindboggling erosion of values, the misrule and total
collapse of all facets of life and sectors in the country and expressed shock
at the unfathomable silence and culpability of the leadership and people. He
was never known to capitulate to ephemeral inducements, paradisal
accountrements and corporeal appurtenances. Tai Solarin was unequivocal and
explicit on the side of justice, truth and fairplay, was always ready to suffer
for the sake of others, share in their misery and stand by the weak
Tai Solarin University of education
In
November 1995, the Nigerian National
Universities Commission (NUC) formally recognised the "Tai
Solarin University of Education" (TASUED) Ogun State, as the first
specialised university of education, the 27th state university and the 76th
university in Nigeria.
Works
- Towards Nigeria's Moral Self-Government,[7]
- Thinking with You.
- A Message for Young Nigerians.
- To Mother With Love.
- Mayflower; the story of a school.
- Timeless Tai.
References
· a Columnist of Nigerian Tribune journal
· · Onabule Duro. (1975). Tai Solarin:
Educationist, Reformer, Atheist. Spear Magazine. P. 12
· · "Tai Solarin, 72, Nigeria Educator And Critic, Dies –
New York Times". Nytimes.com. 7 August 1994. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
· · International Humanist and Ethical Union. "Remembering
Tai Solarin". Iheu.org. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
· Soyinka, Kayode (4 August 1994). "Obituary: Tai Solarin – People,
News". London: The Independent. Retrieved 17
November 2010.
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