Feting, distinguished radio man, Bàbá Gboin, By Oladeinde Olawoyin

In these years, Bashiru Adisa, Baba Gboin, has remained a polyglot whose unmatched sense of humour has been a therapy for millions of listeners on radio and television. From his stint with Gbenga Adeboye, through to his ‘Kasun layo’ days on Radio Lagos, he has indeed come a long way. Together with Ambrose Somide, he also brought endless joy into the homes of many via ‘Minijojo’ on AIT and Ray Power FM.

Veteran radio man and humourist, Bashiru Adisa (Bàbá Gboin), will celebrate his 40th year in broadcasting this May. The epochal moment, or so I heard, would inspire gongs, bàtá, ìjálá ode, and a grand ówàmbè. Amid the euphoria of the World Radio Day celebration this week, I reckon now that there are perhaps over 40 reasons why Baba Gboin’s place in the Yoruba creative space remains outstanding.

On the cusp of the millennium, radio took me to different places across Yorubaland, almost literally, particularly on occasions I yearned for indigenous Yoruba creative contents.

From our old man’s gramophone, Olanrewaju Olatunbosun’s voice boomed with clarity, digging deep into the issues of the day, as reported in the major newspapers and news magazines of that era. Tell. Tempo. The Comet. Nigerian Tribune. Champion. Newswatch.

With rich Yoruba idiomatic expressions, draped in hyperboles and metaphors, Olatunbosun dissected the news with magisterial dexterity, providing nuanced contexts in ways that even the most unlettered (Yoruba) listener would find relatable. That way, he brought simplicity to the most technical of issues around politics and policies during the Obasanjo era.

Today, it is easy for many, ensconced in their AC-ied offices and generator-powered homes, to downplay what Olatunbosun and other local presenters represent(ed) in the polity. But the listeners understand the presenters’ socio-cultural import: That they (presenters) fill a void that could have been due to their (listerners’) inability to access or afford cable television and daily newspapers.

And it would be no surprise, especially in the South-West, to find an Abebi Oniponmo or a Sunday Eleran or a Waidi Foga or an Ajiun Onidiri, who follows the news religiously and can dissect socio-political issues much more intelligently than many supposedly Western educated minds. All thanks to the presenters who design their contents to meet local taste, educating the mass of our people at the grassroots.

At the height of Olatunbosun’s reign on Radio Lagos, the trio of Kola Olawuyi, Gbenga Adeboye and Toba Opaleye also loomed large on the airwaves.

Urbane, gutsy and well read, Kola blended an analytical mind with rare gusto, digging deep into seemingly esoteric issues, with a tinge of investigative journalism skills that brought an aura of cryptic, if unsettling mystery into his broadcast outputs. Until his death, he was revered across Yorubaland and beyond.

Toba, perhaps the one who had no mystic aura among the trio, was quite mature and ingenious. From Abeokuta, he held sway on radio with majestic grace, paving the way for numerous other younger talents.

Gbenga, on his part, was the jovial, immensely talented, almost restless, and unusually funny yet philosophical happy-go-lucky radio man. With raw talents running endlessly through his vein, Gbenga dished out all forms of artistic contents imaginable under the sun: Ewi, esa, Ijala ode, ekun iyawo, fuji, juju, apala, awurebe, sakara, etc. An embodiment of talents, he excelled with his ingenious creation of fictional entities like Laisi Abesupile, Itu Baba Ita, Jango and other weird characters he brought to life with his ever dynamic voice.

Outside of the trio — who are now united by the Grim Reaper — there were several other talented voices.

There was the comical Omo Baba Tisa (BOND FM), as well as Sikiru Alimi (Radio Lagos), the one with the tender voice. Akeem Enudunjuyo, Abiodun Oropo (Oyinlomo Jooo Jooo marketer!), Sulaiman Adegbenro Konsoligbadun, Bimpe Atofolakin and Opeyemi Fajemilehin also shook the radio waves.

In Ibadan, there was the overly boastful Kola Olootu Omo Adabanija (BCOS, Oke Mapo), the runaway moviemaker whose facility for highfalutin words was quite incomparable. There were the Siamese twins of Olalomi Amole and Komolafe Olaiya (Radio O-Y-O), comic acts whose words were always wrapped in piercing satirical jabs. There was also the delightfully entertaining ‘Ode Ilu Ibadan’ and his flute; the comical Gboyega Lawal and his numerous wives; the young and amazingly successful Yemi Sonde Jigan Akala (oko Iya ife); the wailing dude with a migraine-inducing voice, Wale Lawal (Mr Promo); the calm and mature Feranmi Babalola (Feranminga); as well as the brilliant, philosophical, astoundingly knowledgeable Baba Supo Kosemaani.

In Abeokuta, the revered Alaagba Bunmi Ayelaagbe (OGBC 2) was the nightingale, Idowu Taiwo Ode-Aperin (Gateway Radio) mesmerised everyone with his uncommon knowledge of the animal planet, Awikoko hurled curses at those who dropped fecal material at the junction of Iyana-Mortuary on Thursdays, while Kasnati-elele was for us a reliable party rider. Wale Dada (the good!), Rasheed Ore-oba, Alawiye Egba and others at Paramount FM provided quality entertainment.

Akinkunmi Alabi, Fatai Adeniyi Dan Kazeem (Royal FM), Gbenga Filani (Positive FM), the late Mayowa Orishatola, Baba Ela l’oro (Adaba FM), Omidan Olayinka (Royal FM), Opa-ebiti, Dan Sharafa, Ode Ilu Ilorin, Omo Culture (Midland FM, apata Yakuba) among others, were equally worthy companions on radio.

To be sure, a major concern with their presentation has been the overt fixation on the macabre and grotesque, even when the tales are doctored. But they provided enlightenment and entertainment to our people, warts and all.

I met many of these guys before I met Teju Cole and Descartes and Rumsfeld, years before I met Kant and Locke and Wittgenstein. Decades after my encounters with these men, having gone through a mental shift in my conception of reality, I could see through the blandness of some of the things some of the Yoruba presenters wrapped in the garb of mysticism. But I remain grateful, still, to them for shaping my teenage years and my conception of the various things at the intersection of arts and broadcasting/journalism.

In these years, Bashiru Adisa, Baba Gboin, has remained a polyglot whose unmatched sense of humour has been a therapy for millions of listeners on radio and television. From his stint with Gbenga Adeboye, through to his ‘Kasun layo’ days on Radio Lagos, he has indeed come a long way. Together with Ambrose Somide, he also brought endless joy into the homes of many via ‘Minijojo’ on AIT and Ray Power FM.

Here’s wishing Bàbá Gboin, one of the shining stars of Igando High School — our beloved Alma mater in Lagos — the best of the remaining years.

Congratulations!

Oladeinde Olawoyin tweets via @Ola_deinde.