Sanusi Adebisi Idikan, The First Notable Entrepreneur In Nigeria
The man who paid tax for the whole of Ibadan!
In a world of big names and propaganda, true heroes are often unsung.
Our icon is Ibadan’s 19th-20th Century definition of humanity and success, Sanusi Adebisi Idikan.
If ever there was a man who left indelible marks on Ibadan’s landscape in commerce and engaged in philanthropy and humaneness in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that man was Sanusi Adebisi Idikan.
Born in 1882 in Ibadan during the reign of Aare̩ Latoosa, the Baale̩ of Ibadan to Ades̩ina, an Ofi cloth weaver – a traditional Yoruba cloth maker – who had migrated from Efo̩n Alaaye (Ije̩sha Stock) in present day Ekiti State.
Adesina had moved to Ibadan with his paternal half-brother, Alabi and settled in Aremo̩ in the household of Lanase̩.
Adesina, whilst plying his trade of Ofi weaving, was also the spiritual consultant to Alaafin Atiba who had betrothed his most precious daughter, Princess Ogboja to him in recognition of Adesina’s great spiritual impact in his life.
Adesina got married to Ogboja and begot three children – Adetinrin, Adeoti and Adebisi.
Although Sanusi Adebisi was the last child and started out hawking Ofi clothes with his siblings in Ibadan, he expanded to surrounding towns before the age of 18, became an instant success and even retired his siblings from the business.
He thereafter ventured into large scale farming with a cocoa plantation in Ashipa village, Mamu and soon acquired about 200 Acres of land in Apata, Ibadan where he developed another cocoa plantation.
In no time, he was made the Giwa Egbe (head of the society) by his fellow successful merchants like Otiti, Ekolo, Afunle̩yin, Ladimeji from Isale Ije̩bu and Adeyemo̩ Owonbuwo from Oopo-Yeo̩sa.
At a point in time, tax payment became such an issue that a Balogun of Ibadan, Balogun Ola, son of Baale̩ Orowusi, would rather commit suicide than to see Ibadan young men in perpetual tax agony and detention.
Payment of tax became a social symbol and tax defaulters were usually mocked and despised by the popular song, ”Owo ori ti d’ ode o, o o’ode o, baba wa lo ko̩ san. Awo̩n o̩de̩ ti o le san o, wo̩n nbe̩ lati mo̩le ni Mapo.”
Sanusi Adebisi was at this time one of the first set of Ibadan elites.
And arguably the first person to own a car, apart from his hordes of horses.
Uncomfortable with the situation, he drove to the office of the Chief Tax Officer for the Ibadan Colonial Office at Mapo.
In his meeting with the officer in the colonial office, he brokered an understanding.
“I want to be paying tax on behalf of every taxable adult in Ibadan.”
The officer was shocked and asked Sanusi if he knew the financial implication of his gesture?
But Adebisi insisted on paying.
Henceforth, the colonial officer would calculate the amount of tax expected from all Ibadan taxable adults and he would go to Sanusi Adebisi Idikan’s residence to collect the money.
On the 26th of November, 1926, Adebisi was installed as the Ashaju Baale̩ of Ibadan, jumping about 10 rungs of the ladder of the O̩tun Olubadan (Civil) line.
Money “is the god of the world”, sang Akinpe̩lu Obise̩san.
Sanusi Adebisi Idikan was a man of excessive generosity whose milk of human kindness was ceaseless.
Coming from a visit to E̩de̩, where he had gone to see the reigning monarch, the Timi of E̩de̩, he saw a handcuffed man being taken to the Agodi prison yard in Ibadan by some prison warders.
He stopped to ask for the man’s offence and he was told that the man was a debtor.
Adebisi asked the warders to follow him to collect the money and release the debtor.
Despite Adebisi’s intervention, the freed debtor refused to leave Adebisi’s household and insisted that he would rather remain and live with him as one of his boys.
Adebisi gladly obliged.
Adebisi had a legendary style of writing off debts without being prompted.
He would ask his Secretary/Personal Assistant, Adeso̩kan to read out the names of debtors and how much they owed.
He would tear the pages and order for a match stick.
He would strike the match and burn all the papers containing the debtors’ names.
He would write off the debts whilst saying, “No one likes to be a debtor.”
He also became the President of the Ibadan Land Court in 1936.
While in ill health, Adebisi visited the then renowned surgeon, Dr Doherty in Lagos.
When he was advised to stay back in Lagos to recuperate, Adebisi bought a house at 34, Whitman Street, Ebute Me̩ta to enjoy a well-deserved rest.
In January of1938 when he was in his last moments, he brought out money to assist debtors.
He brought out the papers containing the debtors’ names, tore and burnt them without anyone noticing anything.
After a brief illness of a few hours, he bade Mother Earth goodbye on Friday, June 21, 1938 at the age of 56 years.
And such was the glorious exit of the unparalleled, uncommon benefactor and philanthropist.
Proudly Ibadan!
