The book: “Tenderly Moulded through the Kiln (2023, Impeccable Publishing),” tells the story of Professor Fatai Adeniyi, the current Deputy Provost, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. Published on his 50th birthday, the book discusses his triumph over the vagaries of life, his victory over poverty and lack in his journey of life. And it is written by his very elegant wife, Dr. Yetunde Adeniyi.
The first three chapters give details about his birth, significant dates and places his family lived, his parents and their vocation.
So we are informed that our subject is an indigene of Kishi, the headquarters of Irepo Local Government in Oyo State. We learn that he was born on this day 50 years ago in a place called Agwarra in Niger State. We learn that his father was a tailor and his mother, a trader in locally made creams.
Typical of children born to highly mobile parents of those days, Ade, our subject and protagonist, would find himself transported all over towns in Nigeria. In the quest to make life more meaningful for their children, Ade’s parents moved further northwards to Bagudo in then Sokoto State. That was where he spent most of his childhood years.
One might be drawn into appreciating the fact that our subject is today a professor of repute, and an administrator per excellence. This is because his childhood was nurtured in Bagudo, a part of the country where education was not a priority at the time. It was not the best of times to be around; there was a paucity of role models. The incentive to go to school was not there. The author presents the scenario this way: ‘Generally, within that community, Ade, like any other pupil, would just usually wake up, get into his complete or sometimes incomplete uniform, with or without books and head for school. He was not really sure of what it was to be in school and not in tune with what the expectations of a school pupil were. The school he attended from Primary 1 to 4 was Bagudo Model Primary School.’ (P6)
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The fourth and fifth chapters give a detailed expose on his childhood, immediate environment and schooling, including early childhood escapades, while the sixth chapter lays before us the special place of his mother in his life, including her daring ambition for him.
There are many interesting intrigues in this book, Tenderly Moulded through the Kiln. For one, the family of our subject is said to usually place 16 bold tribal marks on the face of their children. But our subject does not have these. Well, his mother played a trick on the family. What did she do? The answer is in the third chapter of the book.
In this book, you would read about the strong influence a mother wields in the life of a child. In the case of our subject here, accompanying his mother on her trading engagements in Bagudo with a tray of wares on his head equipped him with invaluable skills that shaped him into the person you see today. The sixth chapter of the book has all the details.
Essentially, the author presents for us the strong, unquantifiable influence his mother had on him. Particularly, we are shown the ultimate effort that his mother put into making him go to school, knowing that keeping him in the inert environment of Bagudo at the time would be utterly counter-productive. So his mother pulled him out of Bagudo and shipped him to a primary school in Erin-Ile, Kwara State. It was at Ejire Nursery and Primary school that Ade’s intellect came to life. All these details are presented in chapters eight, nine and ten. All these chapters, including the eleventh and twelfth discuss his journey to Ogbomoso and schooling experience at Anglican Grammar School.
One other stand out matter in this biography is the author’s recollection of the stark difference between public schools and private schools in Nigeria, even in the 80s. Although private schools were outnumbered nine-to-one, by public schools, they seemed better positioned to deliver quality education. That was the experience of our protagonist. On arriving at his new school, he found it almost difficult coping with their pervasive use of English language, their better dressed teachers, and so on. But with time, he was able to get on track.
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The icing on the cake is the changes observed in the life of our subject in this book. These changes also speak to the great gulf between education and illiteracy and between quality education provided by conscientious administrators of private schools and nonchalant delivery of education by public schools. The author writes: ‘Of course, there were readily noticeable changes in the boy. And the onlookers were able to see that, and they commented to that effect. They were able to notice a lot of calmness and neatness in him. In the past, Ade used to be extremely restless and always looking very unkempt and rough… In addition, he was speaking Yoruba or Hausa as necessary, but his tenses were interspersed with some English words. This was the highlight of the evening.’ (P63)
Indeed, this book, Tenderly Moulded through the Kiln, is loaded with so much motivation and inspiration, both oozing from the life of our subject, Prof Ade Fatai Adeniyi. It is a text on motivation because he had to wade through a background of want and poverty to excel. In spite of the depravation, his drive and hunger for academic triumph stems from his resolution to make his mother proud of him; to give her joy and fulfillment that her efforts were not in vain. So, all the details of our protagonist’s travails and triumphs during his university days are contained in chapter thirteen through fifteen. In them are discussed his sojourn to University of Ibadan, and the passing of his mother. And the last two chapters (16 and 17) expose to us the guiding principles by which he has lived his life and his staying power in life.
The book is also a testament to a mother’s unyielding quest to rescue a somewhat derailing child, make a gem out of him and disabuse the pinching torments of naysayers. This is ultimately what the author reflects in her closing statements in the book: ‘The current book lends credence to the gains of parental resilience and optimism in raising a child. It has showcased the power and influence of a “true” mother in scripting the course of a child’s trajectory.’ (P109)
Even as a reader of this work, one could not but feel the pain of our subject at the demise of his dear mother. This was a woman who had made all the right impressions and laid the foundation for him to fly, soar, and gallantly arrive at the summit of his academic career and achieve great milestones.
But after the passing of his mother, things began to get difficult. He however waded through it all, digging deep to find urgent solutions to his immediate financial needs. There was financial support from people he had helped before. But his is a rather unique survival strategy. The author writes that he ran errands that had to do with driving. He washed cars, took children to and from school and took vehicles to the mechanic. Because of his calmness and reliability, people could trust him with their vehicles and their children. He even washed cars, and also was involved in facilitating the delivery of groundnut oil from Niger State to Ibadan for some readily available customers. (P100)
In the final analysis, this book, Tenderly Moulded through the Kiln, is a striking testimonial about the life of a man whose life has been tenderly guided by focus and moulded by providence. It is often said that the best way to sell a product is by testimony. So here is the testimony, intricately delivered through the pen of a reliable storyteller. In this testimonial are potent nuggets drawn from the life of Prof Ade Fatai Adeniyi, guiding principles that are practical, yet in short supply to many today.
. Olatunbosun is a broadcast journalist and fact-checker at Splash FM 105.5, Ibadan, Oyo State.