Just to bring slippers from the room I started reciting “Qul hu Allah hu ahad”. The Yoruba have a saying: “Ti omode ba dé ibi eru, eru a ba” (When a child finds himself in a fright theatre, his timidity becomes apparent). To get the slippers from the room was a five-second assignment but the processing of how to do …

As at 17 November 1973, we were still debating an admission letter that was almost a month old. First, I hid it from my mother for three weeks, now we had spent another week on it trying to resolve custody right. My father, the one who was going to pay the school fees and buy all the items and provisions …

As a trainee in Darasingh’s Garrison, you must be “high on something” before training. There was no exception. Thuggery is not evangelism. The school of Thuggery is not a monastery. You must smoke something or you must drink something. Something that would take you from the normal level to “an abnormal altitude”. It was a rule hinged on a traditional …

The choice to make between going for training in thuggery under the mentorship of the famous and dreaded Darasingh and writing an entrance examination into a new private secondary school thereby seizing the opportunity of continuing my education without retaking my failed primary school leaving certificate examinations was made simple by Dada Adesegun. He was a member of my gang …

Few days after the raid, Iya Ibadan who turned 89 on 17 January 1973 asked me if I could be her “akowe” (Secretary). I smiled sarcastically thinking she was ‘whining’ me. I asked her what I would be doing for her that would be different from what I had been doing for her before. I used to help her write …

Having conquered the initial fears and anxiety about the direction and sustainability of my “Try Your Luck” business, my mind was set on expansion and possible diversification. For every business venture, there is always an ultimate goal. I had eliminated any form of distraction by convincing myself that business was it. Late-tua was in school, I didn’t need it. I …

There was no time to waste. I chose to go into business immediately. I picked “Try Your Luck” as my first business venture. Though it didn’t require too much capital, I still needed like 25 shillings to start small and about one guinea (one pound, one shilling) to start big. I thought that if I went for something small, I …

The three subjects in which I scored above average had inspired me to start getting serious with my studies. Another inspiration came from my Yoruba teacher, Mr Isiaka Olaoye whose subject was among the three that I passed. He monitored my activities with the noble intention to check my excesses and rascality. Another inspiration was our firstborn, “Broda mi Sehinde”. …

This time around, I didn’t go far. I was very close to them. I couldn’t hear their conversation but I could guess from their gestures that it was all about me. Their meeting didn’t last 3 to 4 minutes. “Broda” Lincoln was a man of ubiquitous itinerary. His movements were unpredictable. He came into the street from Western Avenue end …

The driver came back two minutes later to know if I was ready for business. I said yes, I was ready. He took me to his bus and told me to start calling passengers into the bus. By this time, other conductors had started arriving looking for work. I thought he was going to replace me but he didn’t even …