Stephen Bolaji (aka Babajeje)

Stephen Bolaji, alias Babajeje was hardly known until around 1963 when he came back home from Chad Republic where he had sojourned for many years. He was the son of Osema, Daudu Akerejola's sister. Stephen took to driving from his youth, when the profession was a dignifying job in the country. He drove for multinational companies across and beyond Nigeria. It was this profession that took him to many West African countries including Niger and Chad where he settle for a long time. He married a Chadian lady with whom he raise 2 kids Benjamine Olu Bolaji and his sister. But as the saying goes, “K' ebeben, k'unini, I shall never forget my home, Ogori a yo Eko eke wura” , he had to return home.

This happened around 1963/64 and although he was not happy separating from his wife and daughter, it brought a lot of relief to him. It was joy to reunited with his family back at home and one could just picture the rousing welcome that greeted him on that occasion. Babajeje was one of the first to go into transport business in the village. When he first arrived, he joined business with ‘Area' the first transporter in Ogori. While the Area sounded the horn of his Austin “bolekaja” vehicle to motivate children's chant of “Area Motor”, Babajeje's own horning was greeted with “Babajeje”. But what really earned him that name was the gentle and extra-careful manner in which he conducted his driving business. He drove his vehicle meticulously, on an average speed, avoiding every pothole on the way. Not only that, he would address his passengers politely, and with his wit and sense of humour, appeal to their sense of sobriety. If you were in a hurry, do not travel in Babajeje's vehicle; because no matter how urgent your appointment was and irrespective of your haste, his motto was “It is better to be late than to be the late” “Those who are in a hurry should overtake and go ahead, if he did not meet them on the way, he would meet them at the station”. Out of his hard work, he acquired his own commercial vehicle later.

Babajeje was also a man of great experience. You could not miss the wisdom in his talk when you sat near his easy chair at the close of the day's business, with his blue transistor by his side broadcasting juju music and news in Yoruba from Radio Nigeria Ibadan. On such occasions, Babajeje would narrate stories of his journeys around the subcontinent, if he was not commenting on news items, while his mini, copper colour kerosene stove cooked his food or boiled water for tea.

When he first came, he spoke Yoruba mainly, but he soon recovered his Òkó language. He also knew Hausa; and later, as Okene was his main terminus, he learnt to speak Ebira. He lodged in Alate's house at Ogori initially, but later moved to Babalokoja's house. And when he also moved to Okene, he settled in one of the rooms in the white house at Lafia Street, where Babalokoja also resided. He eventually moved with him Opposite the Hospital where he lived for many years before finally moving to Iruvicheba.

He married a young beautiful lady who bore him Iyadun. His fame spread from Ogori/Magongo to Ebiraland where he worked. He became ill after receiving an injection for a minor illness. It was believed that the injection he received caused him to become inactive and he died a few months later, in the 80s.

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