Agbo Areo (1940-2023): Exit of Nigeria’s bookmaster

 Agbo Areo (1940-2023): Exit of Nigeria’s bookmaster

•The late Mr Agbo Areo

“Books are the carriers of civilisation. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, desire crippled, thought and speculations at standstill” – Barbara W Tuchman, Harvard University History Professor

Few men and women, out of the thousands I have known, have left me feeling intellectually inferior and also lacking in wisdom as the late Mr Agbo Areo. I held him in such high esteem, that the greatest shock to me about the announcement of his death was that he actually passed on at only 83 years old. Just four years older than me, yet, he was so much wiser, more widely read and more totally self-composed than anybody I have ever known.

On at least three of our several meetings, he had revealed to me stories of huge financial losses on account of betrayal by people he absolutely trusted, with as little emotion as someone narrating a pin prick. Remarkably, there was never any trace of bitterness against anybody who wronged him. Not extremely rich, yet, you could not deal with him without feeling that you owed him more than he charged you. He was generous to a fault.

One of my Personal Assistants, a Muslim, Nurudeen, had worked on a small pamphlet, titled QURAN: A-Z, which he wanted published – without a kobo. The matter came up with Baba Agbo Areo as we called him in my Consultancy. He asked if I could guarantee the fellow.  I said “Yes Sir!” The booklet was published and released to us for circulation. He was a Christian member of the Baptist Church from start to the finish. Baba and Nuru never met for one second.

A LEGEND IN HIS OWN SECTOR

“If you want to live for a few years, buy shares; if for 30 years, plant a tree; if forever write a book”.  That was the advice given by a Chinese sage. Good advice. Book writers have lived longer in the hearts and minds of people than most politicians and rich men. Few of us can remember who the richest man in the world was in 1980; and we don’t even care. But, great books and their writers live long in our hearts. Soyinka, Achebe etc will live with us forever.

Baba Agbo Areo was possibly the greatest book professional Nigeria ever produced. His work in book writing, editing, proof-reading and publishing place him so far ahead of any of our greatest writers – including all the award winners. While the Achebes and Soyinkas only wrote, Baba Areo covered all the aspects of book-making – including buying paper, designing cover, correcting manuscripts, initiating text books for all the levels of education – from nursery/primary to postgraduate studies.

Baba Agbo was a writer of novels and text books used in several states of Nigeria – for primary, secondary and tertiary institutions for more than five decades. But, he went a step further than all the known writers who ever lived in Nigeria. He was, until his last breath, a widely acclaimed publisher; and, as such, has been responsible for releasing more than four hundred books by other writers, biographers and Professors  — especially at the University of Ibadan. He had published two books for me – ATTAH ON RESOURCE CONTROL (Revised Edition) and IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL (Attah’s Eight Years Achievement as Governor of Akwa Ibom State). He was still working on two books for me, simultaneously, scheduled to be published this year, when he died three weeks ago. Characteristically, perhaps sensing that the Grim Reaper was knocking at the door, he had made arrangements to ensure that the books will still get published – even if the launching date of the first will be postponed. That speaks eloquently to the man’s towering integrity and sense of responsibility.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BABA AGBO AREO

“You are the salt of the Earth…”

Nobody has ever died of not having billions of dollars, gold, diamond or exotic cars. But, deprive a person of all the salts required by the body; and most likely you will have a corpse in a matter of days. Books, representing knowledge, communication and information are the essential ingredients of civilisation as we know it now. Those who produce them, like Baba Agbo Areo, represent the ‘salt’ of our own civilisation globally. If we want to find out why our nation is losing ground in terms of development to other nations, we need look no further than our attitude to reading books. Most of our leaders don’t read. Buhari is an example. It is doubtful if he read a single book about global issues —  climate change, floods, heat wave, illicit drugs, terrorism etc – during his eight years in office. His Ministers followed his bad example and state Governors are too happy to just award highly inflated contracts. Baba Agbo Areo fought against the national decline in reading habits in vain. He died an unhappy man for that.

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The struggle started in the mid-1970s after he graduated from the University of Ibadan with Bachelor’s degree with Honours in English. He proved that he deserved the honour in life. On every occasion we met, he would speak perfect English – as if he was writing a well-rehearsed script. I was humbled by his command of the language more than anybody I have ever known. I discovered later that he had published a Junior Dictionary with Illustrations in 1983.

Harold MacMillan, 1894-1986, will live longer in history than most Prime Ministers of Britain because he was fortunate to have a publisher as father. MacMillan Publishers, one of the world’s largest book marketers, has released more books than anybody can remember in all fields of human endeavour. Nobody who ever attended an institution of learning, particularly tertiary, can fail to have read a book by MacMillan.

Baba Agbo Areo started his brilliant career in books at the Nigerian company – where he rose to Top Management; became an author himself and edited books written by several of Nigeria’s world-acclaimed scholars. He was fearless when presented with a document – even if written by a Vice Chancellor – as I got to know after meeting with him.

Eventually, he left MacMillan, the nation’s largest publisher, to follow his own dream and start his own publishing firm. His departure was a major blow from which MacMillan never recovered till today. Among his major contributions to MacMillan were the following: Pioneering the Pacesetters Series with his first novel – DIRECTOR (1977), co-authored MacMillan Junior Illustrated Dictionary (1983), Prescribed Poems for SSCE (1998-2000), with Notes and Commentary, among others.

Altogether, he had positively impacted the lives of millions of more Nigerians than most of our political leaders. In fact, people like Buhari have actually destroyed all that Baba Agbo Areo tried to build with books.

TWENTY FIVE YEARS ASSOCIATION

“In every parting there is an image of death” – George Eliot, 1819-1880.

We met by accident through somebody we both adored. My late half-brother, Professor B K Ogunmodede, popularly called B.K, had taught almost exclusively at the University of Ibadan. Among his few simple pleasures was to go to the Staff Club for only two bottles of STAR lager beer. Though we both lived in Ibadan from 1984, I was always on the road. We got together occasionally at the Staff Club. He had a good friend he called Agbo – who I did not meet for almost twelve years. Then, one day, we met at the Staff Club. Prof introduced “Agbo” first; then he introduced me. First, there was a short pause; followed by an explosion. “B.K, you mean Dele Sobowale is your brother?” Prof nodded.

“Dele, how is Kola Animasaun? You know, I buy VANGUARD every Sunday because of the two of you. I started with Kola and then you joined the great man.” To prove his sincerity, he reeled off about half a dozen articles we had written; which he wanted to discuss. He then proceeded to call five drinkers in the Club to “come and meet the man we discuss every Sunday – Dele Sobowale.”

My right elbow almost came off from so many handshakes from Professors. So, he recognised me. He went for more beer. Then my brother told me: “Perhaps, no Professor or Lecturer in UI will publish a book or anything in a professional journal without letting Agbo see it first.”

“Really? He is that good?”

“Yes! He is a genius in book publishing.”

It was my turn to be awed. I love books; I worship great writers; and here is our master going to bring me beer. I made up my mind to stick with him to the very end. It was of the best decisions in my life. Baba Agbo brushed me up as a writer. I never dispute any change he suggested. To me, it was an order to be obeyed; and always for the better. To be candid, although he had a near fatal operation about three years ago; it never occurred to me that he could die. People like him should never die.

Death can be so cruel and final. Now I am lost.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.