By.Olakunle Allison
Honestly speaking, when I saw how Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour butchered the Yoruba language at the recent Town Hall event for Gubernatorial Aspirants in Lagos State, i sincerely felt sorry for him. I felt a second-hand embarrassment for him.
Such a handsome and accomplished gentleman at age 43 with a first name that is Yoruba, but cannot speak Yoruba, not even moderately. It is very unfortunate.
But I understand from people that he speaks Igbo language quite frequently and fluently being that his late Mother, Nkechi Rhodes-Vivour, was from Abia State.
His father, Barrister Olawale Rhodes-Vivour, is a Yoruba man, arguably, from Lagos State. At least his first name is Yoruba.
His mother, Nkechi Rhodes-Vivour, was an Igbo woman from Abia State.
Gbadebo himself was born on the Lagos Island and raised in Ikeja, Lagos. He schooled both abroad and in Nigeria.
It is however clear that in terms of culture and language, his Mother had more influence on him than his father, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE DID NOT GROW UP IN IGBOLAND.
This, in my opinion, was a mistake. A fatal mistake in parenting, by his father!
I am saying, with all due respect, that his father, Olawale Rhodes-Vivour, failed him in this regard.
His father is the reason for the avoidable embarrassment that he is currently facing as a Gubernatorial Candidate in Lagos State.
Gbadebo is now an object of mockery on his own native land (we can always debate this, but his extended family all have Yoruba names and ancestors) simply because he cannot speak clearly and fluently HIS OWN FATHER’S LANGUAGE. But his Mother’s native tongue he speaks fluently.
Gbadebo’s father did not display FORESIGHT.
When a man – who is the head of the home according to God – is naming his child, he should do so with the future in mind.
When that same man with foresight is raising and training his child, he should do so with the future in mind.
People just name their kids and raise them without thinking about the future.
How can you give your son a Yoruba first name, but failed to raise him and immerse him into the Yoruba culture and language?
To make it worse, he gave birth to Gbadebo in a Yoruba State in the 80s and raised him in the same State, and YET Gbadebo somehow grew up speaking Igbo better than Yoruba.
That tells me that at home the ONLY LANGUAGE Gbadebo heard while growing up as a little boy was the Igbo language from his Mother. His father was apparently just in the same home as a figurehead.
Because tell me and explain to me in simple words why Gbadebo would be born in a Yoruba State, raised and schooled in a Yoruba State but still unable to speak Yoruba??? This is embarrassing for his father.
Guys, I went to primary and secondary schools in this same Lagos with Igbo boys and girls. I knew many Igbo boys and girls with Igbo names who spoke fluent Yoruba in my school and classroom.
One of my primary school friends was an Igbo boy by the name Anthony. He had an Igbo surname which i cannot remember at the moment.
This Igbo boy understood Yoruba better than even many of us with Yoruba names. In fact I learned a Yoruba word from him one day.
That day in the classroom, one Yoruba teacher asked the class who can translate the English word “assuming” into Yoruba language. I cannot forget this experience.
The whole class was quiet despite the fact that majority of us were Yorubas. Nobody raised their hands.
And then Anthony’s hand went up. We all looked at him stunned. The teacher said, “Go ahead”.
Anthony answered, “Sir, ‘assuming’ in Yoruba means ‘Kagba pe'”.
The teacher said, “That’s correct”.
The teacher said, “A round of applause for Anthony.”
The class clapped for him.
I was proud of my friend. Since that day i did not forget the meaning of the word “assuming” in Yoruba language. It was an Igbo boy who taught me.
But here we are with a Yoruba man wanting to be Governor in a Yoruba State, but he cannot speak a word fluently in Yoruba, his Father’s tongue.
Abeg, SHAME ON HIS FATHER!
His father clearly was not being thoughtful and intentional about raising him.
He did not think that one day his son might want to lead a State where 60% to 75% of the population will be Yoruba people and Yoruba speakers.
He sent him to the best schools in Nigeria and around the world, but he forgot to teach him the culture of the land where he was born and raised.
Once again, shame on his father.
Education is not only about learning math, english, science etc. It is, more importantly, about learning culture and tradition.
As a man, your children MUST learn your culture and your language FIRST because they bear YOUR LAST NAME, NOT THEIR MOTHER’S LAST NAME.
I cannot fathom how Gbadebo managed to learn his MOTHER’S language in Lagos but unable to speak his father’s language. It beats my imagination.
It suggests to me that his mother was in charge in their home. His father was just there like a furniture. He probably never spoke a single word in Yoruba to his son.
While growing up, my parents NEVER spoke a word in English to me and my siblings. It was Yoruba all through. But today, we all speak English fluently because that’s what schools are for.
The bottomline is that Mr. Olawale Rhodes-Vivour surrendered his son early to the whim and caprices of the world, and now it is too late to correct his mistake. His mistake is about to cost his son the most powerful office in Lagos State for a second time.
Please, Dear MEN, do not surrender your children to your wives alone to raise. Learn from Gbadebo’s experience.
Gbadebo’s father should have been more intentional about raising him in Yoruba language knowing that he married an Igbo woman. If he had married a Yoruba woman, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
Some things money cannot buy. Culture is one of them.
Raise your children in your culture. Make them love it. Make them desire it. Make them speak it.
They would thank you later in the future for it. Trust me.
I am almost sure now that Gbadebo wishes that his father taught him Yoruba at home. He wishes.