THE HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS TO MY STUDYING SOCIAL COHESION COURSES
For longer years even before I was born, my father had been a strong upholder of the rights of kinship. He held and led Bolaji family in Ibadan and elsewhere to which I belong with empathy and open-mindedness. The narratives on Alhaji Apola Bolaji were tactful. They were reminiscent of linking every individual; whether familial or marital. This is part and parcel of my family traditions. He would persuade adults to be conscious of compatibility in their choice of future partners. Besides, he was used to encouraging broadening the family size. Even an inclusion from other tangential or distant tribes was never a headache to him. In fact, he always stands to perfect that. As a result of the large presence of family members around him, my father displayed extra boldness in confronting challenges of piloting this affairs and his approach of making everyone felt important contributed greatly towards his successes. His incessant encouragement did transfer an indelible impact on me. I cannot give a second thought to an opportunity promoting a concern for human well-being except to go for it. Thus, a career in Social Science and Humanities remains a plus for me.
Tangible events around have concretized that interest in me. In a self-willingness exploit, I made it to Lagos. I could remember that vividly now. It was on one of Chief Jimoh Bolaji - my cousin’s visits to Ibadan. I found myself clung to his neck determined to accompany him to Lagos in his Toyota Corolla car. My father could do nothing but inform my Mum. Being a true soul-mate of my father, she joined him in bidding me farewell. I recognize this moment as the epiphany of the struggle of many heads of African families, sacrificing the enjoyment felt with the presence of their off-springs around themselves for a greater good in linking and keeping the rights of kinship. It was not surprising to me as the head of Lagos Bolajis himself has one time fared under the tutelage of my father before establishing himself in Lagos. Therefore, I refuse to consider my adamant to go with them strange. Yet every time I took a breeze of memory from this incidence, curiosity and inspiration to excel always overcome me.
Though my father is late now, the two marriages of the family’s eldest son and his immediate sisters to a somewhat fetish tribe in Yorubaland remained peaceful and prolific till date. I observed this as a trait from bravery in facing challenges with positive mindset. This line of thought was exactly recorded to my feats when I met my father-in-law some years back. It was in Ondo State, Nigeria. I have gone to him along with a friend of mine to ask for my wife’s hand in marriage. Prior to this, I never had any chat with her but had only stolen a glance at her once. I approached my father-in-law while being confident of my readiness to get married and not to commence a game. Everything thereafter worked out well!
