By Ademola Adegbamigbe
In the past one week or so, the £1,400 student loan
request that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo wrote to the
late industrialist, Chief Adeola Odutola (the Ogbeni Oja of
Ijebu Ode), has been making the rounds on social media.
However, what has not is the explanation offered by the
late Odutola before his death. However, he spoke
exclusively to TheNEWS.
On 25 March 1943, Awolowo made a loan request of
£1,400 from Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola and vowed
refund the money by 1955.
However, Odutola did not oblige him as a result of which
Awolowo failed to make the trip that year as planned to
study Law in England. Not a man to say die, Awolowo
worked harder and sought alternatives and travelled on 14
August 1944 to the UK. He was called to the Bar in
November 1946 and became Premier of Western Region in
1954.
However, TheNEWS management, in 1994, sent Waziri
Adio (now the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative) and Ayo Arowolo to
Ijebu Ode to interview the old man.
According to Odutola: “I did not know him (Awolowo)
then. I knew him only as a letter writer. He said he was
going to study abroad, I should give him money. He did
not tell me how much he wanted and how long it would
take him to pay it back. If he had told me these, I would
have probably acted differently…” Read excerpts of
Odutola’s interview after Awolowo’s letter to him,
published below:
Awolowo
Dear Mr. Odutola,
I think it will be an exceeding saving of time and more
business-like if I avoid all sweet preliminaries and go
straight into the object of this letter and say that I am
writing to ask you to be good enough to lend me a sum of
£1,400 (One thousand and four hundred pounds) free of
interest for twelve years.
It is a staggering figure! More staggering indeed does it
become, when it is realised that I, who am asking for this
loan, have nothing in all the world to give as a security for
this money, excepting my good faith and my brains which
again are of value only so long as I continue to breathe
the breath of life!
Nevertheless, I here proceed to outline in brief why I want
this big loan from you. And I hope you will be kind enough
to sacrifice some time to go through what I have to say,
even though , in the end you might find yourself unable to
do me this grand favour.
One great ambition of mine since my boyhood days is to
be a lawyer, a politician and a journalist, rolled into one. I
cherish politics and journalism as a career. ; and I desire
advocacy as a means of livelihood. For you will agree with
me that a politician or journalist who has no money with
which to support himself and family comfortably ,is like a
blade which has no razor.
Now, at one time, I was on the verge of making enough
money with which I could proceed to England in order to
pursue the object of my ambition; but I suffered a twist in
my fortune, and I crashed. Ever since, I have tried without
success to recover lost grounds, financially. But spiritually
and intellectually, I have made appreciable advance in
spite of towering difficulties, all of which have now been
surmounted.
As you are aware, I have just passed the intermediate
Bachelor of Commerce Examination. Next year, I am taking
the final B.Com. Having a degree is not my goal; I hate to
be a government or mercantile employee. Otherwise, there
are opportunities for me here and there to get a suitable
and well paid job under government or one of the
mercantile houses. As you know, however, once I become
an employee of government or a mercantile establishment
that is the end to my career as a politician and journalist.
I have therefore resolved that under no circumstances will
I take up such employment.
That is just by the way. I am now thirty-four years of age.
After careful thought, I have come to the conclusion that if
I could raise a loan free of interest sufficient to cover
expenses , I should go to England , this year and within
three years, I should qualify as

I should qualify as a Barrister –at –law, and
also obtain with Honours the LL.B Degree of London
University. In addition this degree apart from giving me
good backing as a solicitor and Advocate will help me
immensely as a politician and journalist.
But where on earth could i get the money? Who in Nigeria
today could give £1400 free of interest to help his fellow-
man? J.Henry Doherty, Esq., of illustrious memory who did
the like to many successful Nigerians is no more. But after
meticulous, shifting and weighing, I hit upon you.
I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind that out of the
bounty with which providence blesses your grit and efforts
as a businessman, you can well easily afford to advance
such a sum of money. I have no doubt too that as a
young and progressive man you will be quite happy to give
the money for the pursuit of the project for which I desire
it.
But then, could you take this risk?
That is the question. As I have said before, I have no
security for this loan. Moreover, I want it free of interest.
So that you stand to gain absolutely NOTHING in the
whole transaction ,except the satisfaction that by helping
me to achieve my ambition you are indirectly or even
directly helping Nigeria or even Africa.
This risk becomes greater when it is borne in mind that I
might die in the course of my studies or immediately after ,
so that, since I have no security or surety, you stand the
chance of losing not only the money but also the
satisfaction which you may cherish that you are
contributing to the uplift of Africa. It is indeed a great risk;
the greatest any man ever embarks upon.
But, this is a big BUT, if I live, as I have no doubt I will do,
you will not only get your money back in full, but you will ,
to the end of your days , have cause to rejoice that you
have done one of the most outstanding and most
philanthropic acts any human being ever does. Among
other things, I shall make excellent use of the money while
in England by breaking records in my examination. On my
return to Nigeria, I shall strive to be one of the foremost
advocates, politicians and writers in West Africa, and while
I do all these, I shall make it a point not only to pay your
money back in full, but also to repay your kindness and
generosity towards me in every way I can.
All the same, it is a big risk! So , Sir, I like you to think
seriously about it, and see if you can take it in the interest
of a young man who has brains ,industry and
determination to back his ambition , but lacks the money.
I know we have never been close friends, but I have a
shrewd idea that you may take the risk and help me.
On this assumption, therefore, I proceed to the next and
last stage of this letter.
I shall not require the whole £1,400 in a lump sum. To
start with, you will help me pay a sum of £208-13s-3d to
the Inner Temple. I have already received an application
form from this Inn of Court; and from the details
forwarded, I gather that the sum of £208-13s-3d will
cover all the cost of training as a Barrister, examination
fees excluded.
When I am ready to sail, you will advance me a sum of
£100 to cover passage, provision for my family and any
other incidental expenses( NOTE: If i got torpedoed on the
way, you would certainly lose this £100 but you will
recover the £208-13s-3d).
At the same time you will remit to a London Bank the sum
of £491-6s-9d. It is out of this amount that I shall pay
the university fees for LL.B course a, and for special
courses in political science and journalism, when I land in
England. This is to say, the initial advance will total £800.
At the end of the first year, provided I make satisfactory
progress in my studies, you will give instruction to the
bank to honour all cheques from me drawn on this
account. There will be an arrangement to be signed by me
on my return.
On my return, I shall require TWO years within which to
establish a solid practice and build a good reputation.
After these two years, I should commence to pay at least

I should commence to pay at least
£200 per annum either in monthly, quarterly or annual
payments. So that in seven years after the first two years,
I should pay back the whole sum of £1,400. That will be
TWELVE YEARS from the time you help me to pay this in
April or so this year, then I should be due to pay the whole
of £1400 by April 1955.
Now, as you yourself will see, this is the farthest limit
within which I can pay the money. It may be possible for
me to pay the money within THREE to FIVE years of my
return. As a matter of fact, the sooner I pay it off, the
better. But it is much better to be on the safe side in a
matter like this. It is no making promises now which will
be difficult to fulfil in future. On the contrary it is better to
mention a period of twelve years and pay within SIX or
EIGHT years than to mention FIVE YEARS and fail to pay
within TEN years. Personally, I prefer that I should fail to
get the loan under theses unattractive but sure conditions,
rather than succeed in getting it under attractive but
precarious conditions.
Now, this is all I have to say. You have my request before
you, and the reason why I make the request. It is left to
you to decide whether it is worthwhile to take the risk of
helping me in the manner outlined above or not.
If you do me the great favour, not only myself and all that
are mine, but also God and Africa will be grateful, I shall
have no cause whatsoever to grumble or to blame you,
FOR THE RISK IS GREAT.
Since this is a very selfish request, I enclose herewith a
stamped addressed envelope for a reply to be sent to me
under registered cover.
With very kind regards.
Yours sincerely,
(Sgd) Obafemi Awolowo.
(Culled from the book, Chief Obafemi Awolowo: The
Political Moses by Adedara Oduguwa, Page 119-123).
What Odutola told TheNEWS :
Q: What will you say is the most difficult problem you
encountered in running the business?
A: I found out that people don’t like the way we do it, but
we have no alternatives. The style has served us well.
Q: What is this style they do not like?
A: That I oversee the business myself. They don’t like it.
But what do I do? I am still living.
Q: Some of the trading companies are not doing well. The
Odutola Stores for example, is quite unlike what it used to
be. It is not well stocked. Why is it so?
A: It has to do with the economy generally. The
purchasing power of consumers has reduced. Some of the
things we used to store there cannot be easily come by
again. Sometimes, they are very expensive.
Q: There is something that always comes for mention
whenever people are discussing you. There is this belief
that you are tight fisted, that you don’t like to part easily
with your money. What is your attitude to this?
A: What do you call somebody who is imprudent and
extravagant in financial management? (Pause)?
Q: You have just described it…
A: How do you describe somebody who knows how to
control his money and dishes out what he wants and at
the time he wants it? Naturally, people will call him
another name because he is not wasteful. Whatever people
say is an opinion. But what is important to me is that I
know what I want to do with my money and I use exactly
for that purpose. People are entitled to their opinion.
Q: Interestingly, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in one of
his books, mentioned that he wanted to go abroad to
study and he approached you for part-sponsorship, you did
not oblige. Any explanation for this?
Q: I did not know him (Awolowo) then. I knew him only as
a letter writer. He said he was going to study abroad, I
should give him money. He did not tell me how much he
wanted and how long it would take him to pay it back. If
he had told me these, I would have probably acted
differently. Besides, that time, myself and my brother were
running the business together. He needed to seek the
consent of my brother before I could release the money to
him. But I still don’t know why you are raising the issue
when the man is already dead. But do you know

But do you know how
much I expended on him later?
-Excerpts of Chief Adeola Odutola’s interview, published in
TheNEWS, 12 December 1994 edition

thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/02/why-odutola-rejected-awos-loan-request-of-1400/

Interesting read.
In my opinion, whatever he expended on Awolowo wouldn't have been as appreciated as when he needed it to study.

Great compositions and well writing has been happening since Adam. One day, I will meet OBASANJO to borrow me some money from our generality money without security or it free of interest.

So that he stand to gain absolutely NOTHING in the whole transaction ,except the satisfaction that by helping
me to achieve my ambition. He indirectly or even directly helping Nigeria or even Africa.

This risk becomes greater when it is borne in mind that I might die in the course of my studies or immediately after, so that, since I have no security or surety, he stand the
chance of losing not only the money but also the satisfaction which he may cherish that he
contributing to the uplift of Africa. It is indeed a great risk; the greatest any man ever embarks upon.

But, this is a big BUT, if I live, as I have no doubt I will do,
He will not only get his money back in full, but he will ,
to the end of his days , have cause to rejoice that he have done one of the most outstanding and most philanthropic acts any human being ever does...

The Awolowo letter sounded extremely arrogant. Maybe it is just the way they write letters in those days. It is just like a random stranger writing a letter to a local rich man today, who didn't know him personally, demanding to borrow £20,000 without security, with payback period of 12yrs. I am sure the letter would be rightfully ignored. Even the Awolowo family of today would ignore such letters. Unless I am missing the context.

pluto04:
The Awolowo letter sounded extremely arrogant. Maybe it is just the way they write letters in those days. It is just like a random stranger writing a letter to a local rich man today, who didn't know him personally, demanding to borrow £20,000 without security, with payback period of 12yrs. I am sure the letter would be rightfully ignored. Even the Awolowo family of today would ignore such letters. Unless I am missing the context.

It's a matter of perspective but I couldn't entirely disagree with you.
Awolowo was fairly popular then, even the man knew him as a letter writer but not on a personal level as awo's letter implied.
I see a confident man with high sense of self worth.
I respect such people even though I may not subscribe to their ideology.

The Odutola man was really a business man! He could not give out his money to Awolowo when Awo was not popular and Awo said he could be torpedoed on his way to England, died before or just after his study, but Odutola invested in Awo when Awo came back and became really popular
I dont think Awo was arrogant in his writing; there was no personal relation between the two and Awo felt he should explain as far as he could without trying to be smart!
If I was in the position of the Odutola (and I really wish to help) I would have called the young man (Awo) and really have a serious talk with him. If Awo could personally convince me then I would have tabled his case infront of my brother/patner and if Awo is lucky my brother may agree and the money released! But Odutola was not interrestd in "wasting" his money and even denied knowing the details of the request when the writen communication is there for all to read!