INTRODUCTION: We have been fortunate at BHS to be blessed with some of the most loyal public service providers – devoted school
Administrators like Baba Akinokun, Baba Ogundiran, et al; office staff like Baba Ibukun, Mrs. Adekanmbi, Mr. Awolola (Bros. Reuben), and more; and field staff like our Person of the Week today, Alhaji Ismaila Shittu (AKA Bros. Face).
Nickname “Face” was given him from his youthful days in Togo, where he worked with his father as clothing merchant before returning to Saki in 1960.
The Early Days: He was born and raised in the Republic of Togo, returning home in his teenage years. His family is from Ẹlẹ́pa Compound in Iyá community of Saki. Based on his reflections of landmark issues around him when he was growing up, we could estimate our POW’s age to be something between 80 and 85 years.
Service to Idi Araba: The year was 1969. The second principal in the history of the school, the late Baba S. L. Akinokun, had just been transferred from the school, becoming a Vice Principal at Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo. A new principal was posted to the school, the late Baba S. O. Ogundiran. One of the first and biggest concerns and challenges that the new principal faced was seeing the students at the Elam Dormitory walking all the way to the school in the morning and walking the four- or five-mile journey back to the dormitory after school in the evening every blessed day. Therefore, the principal approached the Baptist Convention, visited various churches in the community, raising funds for a school bus. In the end, the school purchased a fairly used Morris Guizer Mummy Wagon, that could sit more than 20 students at one loading.
According to our POW of today, not long after the purchase was made, the principal had to travel to Ghana for the West African School Certificate Examination. Meanwhile, words had gone around that the school was looking to find a school driver. There was a lively young man in town who was apprenticed to vehicle owners and was driving to Ilesa-Ibaruba, Boriya, Okuta, all in Ibariba land, immediate north of Saki. His name was Ismaila Shittu. When he heard of the need for a driver, he walked all the way to Baptist High School, Aha (now Oje Owode) Road. There, he met Uncle B, who, impressed by the credentials of this impressive young driver, single-handedly interviewed and hired him on behalf of the principal. The rest, as they say, is history.
Social Life: Bros. Face, as was popularly called by all of us students of the time, was exuberant, friendly and extraordinarily outgoing. You could almost call him a socialite, walking with a swagger when not driving, and even when driving, Bros. Face sat with a diagonal pose that made the art of driving attractive to novices like us. With a stick of cigarette stylishly tucked between the index and middle fingers of his right hand, he was as friendly to the students as he was to staff members. He was, for example, a good friend to the then Mr. John Adebayo Oguntona (Uncle B), as well as to Mr. Kunle Ogunmola (Ogunse), both of sweet memories now. His closest friends among students were the now Alhaji Kareem Sanni (AKA Sanmari), Alhaji Mudasiru Aremu (Rode Rigo), the late Bright Ameli, the late Collins Akpeh, and a few others. He did his work with all his heart and faithfully served our school with seriousness of purpose and transparent honesty.
From as early as 7:00 am, Bros. Face was on the road with the first batch, came for the second batch, and less than forty minutes afterwards, he was back in the dormitory for the third batch. He would carry the sports teams to anywhere, at any time. He did all this for more than half a decade without complaining, and without a single blemish attached to his name.
Retirement and Self-Employment: Bros. Face retired from BHS with meritorious service just as the Udoji Commission’s recommendation was being implemented in 1975. Probably with his own share of the payout, he purchased his own vehicle that he used as taxi and became self-employed, independent taxi driver.
Family: Our POW is blessed with adult children as he continues to live in his natal home. When asked for what advice he would like to give to the alumni group, and younger members of today, he said, in his own words,
“Kò yẹ k’á máa gbàgbé araa wa o. O dáa k’á máa wá araa wa. Kò sì yẹ k’á jẹ́ oníkanra sí araa wa. Ara eeyàn ni oore wà.” (We should never forget each other. It’s good to seek after each other. We should never be irritated by the thought of each other. After all, favor is a benefit of association, and could only be derived from, and by, humans).
Song of Praise: For the umpteenth time, when Bros. Face drove us on excursions around the country, one popular song we sang on our journeys – be it to as far away as to Kainji Dam or as nearby as to the Ọ̀gẹ Dam, while Bros. Face was hauling us all over the place we all sang in unison, “Baba Mi L’Oloko ti N Wa’kọ̀ Rẹ̀.” The line goes . . .
Baba mi l’ọlọkọ ti n wakọọ Rẹ
O si mọ pe mo wa ninu ọkọ.
Maa ṣe jẹẹjẹ maa wa mi lọ, Babaa mi
Má mà jẹ n jìn sí kòtò,
Babaa mi
Má mà jẹ k’ọ́kọ̀ mi wọ’gbó, Babaa mi.
Baba mi l’ọlọkọ ti n wakọọ Rẹ
O si mọ pe o wa ninu ọkọ.
And so, we have chosen today as our Person of the Week, the faithful pilot of our memorable lorry, Alhaji Ismaila Shittu, alias “Face, Baba!” We, members of the Alumni Association of Baptist High School, Saki, worldwide greet you. We thank you for your years of faithful service to our school, and with pride, joy, and heartfelt appreciation, we greet you, Sir!
-Prof A. Afolayan
Face Baba!! Great man! Awesome Driver with Class!! Congratulations.
-Mr Sunday Adegbola
Face Baba!!!. The man of people. I salute your for your love and kindness towards us . We are proud of you sir. God Almighty will continue to uphold, strengthen, protect and preserve you in good health and a sound mind. 🙏👏🤩
-Dns Ogunsola C.S
It was with high emotion and appreciation that I read the discourse on ” THE PERSON OF THE WEEK ” ALHAJI ISHMAILA SHITTU, aka FACEBABA
A concise description of a person who we all grow to love ,respect, and appreciate.
Baba Face has a unique personality worthy of emulation.
I met him last in 1986 when I made a courtesy visit to our late brother, Chief Niyi Otunla, then at ONADEP.
We spent almost a week together.
It’s a deserved honor given to him at his old age.
A golden driving medal has been sent to him today, 13 / 01/ 2025, through my friend Elder ROTIMI AGBOOLA.
May God give him a longer life in good health.
-AFOLABI J A
(DeJosco)
Congratulations Alihaji Face Baba ,as we used to sing Baba mi loloko to wa ko .Lagbara Oluwa igba odun odun ni yoo je
-Oke Michael Adebisi 1978 Set
Mo ki Baba Alh Ismaila Shittu ku oriire
A mo riri itoju yin nigbati a wa ni School
Mo tun ranti fila ti e ma nde nigbanaa
Mo gbadura fun emi gigun, ara lile, alaafia pipe ni iyoku ojo aye yin loruko Jesu aamin
-Dn E A Adekunle ’73 SURVIVORS
Ogbomoso
Alhaji Ismaila Shittu (aka Face Baba)’s life is a sermon.
Here comes an international man in his own right, doing his own business, making a decision of change of strategy, personally walking down to decidedly test the waters and being found adequate by the employer!
This is a man who jovially did the work for about five years and voluntarily retired about fifty years ago. Yet, his name still continues to ring in the minds of many for good! Definitely, Face Baba is preaching a practical sermon as I pray that our lives make positive impact to be reverenced, even long after we’re gone.
And so, I congratulate THE PEOPLE’S DRIVER for being honoured as our POW. Wishing him good health to enjoy his remaining days on earth. Congratulations.
-Dn Sola Togunde, National President.
FACE BABA as we used to him was a responsible, diligent and responsible man. Congratulations the person of the week. Thank God for the life of Professor MICHAEL OLADEJO AFOLAYAN for remembering people like Face baba.
-Adeniji Sunday Adesola 1973-1978.
Father of Drivers!
Face Baba will ever be remembered for his goodness in BHS.
Long may you live in the name of Jesus Christ.
-Ogunjimi Matthew Modede ’76 set.
Congratulations, Face baba.You will live long to see more goodies in your life time
– Adetola, Robert Ademola 1978 set.
Face Baba o je ayo mi lati ki yin ku orire pe won yan yin ni Eniayesi wa ni ose yi.Nigbati a se ayeye Adota odun ti Class 72 BHS SAKI pari ni Idi Araba ni odun meji le die seyin ti mo ri yin inu mi dun.Pe e tun ri Ojo ayo e ku Orire.E o tubo ma ri ojo ayo ninu alaafia pipe-Emi ni
– Charlotte Tinuoye omo Adurogbangba.
You’re highly appreciated and honored sir. The great pilot who God has used in the lives of many. God will give you long life and good health to eat the fruits of your labour.
-Mrs. Oyeniran Christianah Fadeke
Principal BHS 1
“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” Proverbs 22: 29. This passage of the Bible encapsulates the honour being bestowed on our POW, Alhaji Imaila Shittu, aka Face Baba. In our clime, Drivers are generally regarded as the dregs of society. Some people even don’t want to have anything doing with them, regarding them as plague to be avoided! However, our POW has proven himself to be a worthy Ambassador of that profession. I recall that while driving us, Face Baba, despite the age difference, brought himself to our level and interacted with us as friends and colleagues. I also recall that during our Set’s 50th anniversary held in December, 2022, Alhaji Shittu was among our Honourees. While congratulating Face Baba on this well deserved honour, I pray that he will live longer in good health and sound mind to enjoy the fruits of his labour to the peak.
-WOLE OLADOKUN
1972 SET
My Beloved Alhaji,congratulations,you really worth and deserve this award.My prayer is that you will live more stressless life and God will preserve you for His glory in the name of the Almighty Allah.
-Tayo Shittu “Afro”
Class of 1971
Bros Face Baba, Congratulations for being our POW. You will live to see many more fruitful years in good health and sound mind. As Old Students of BHS Saki, we are very grateful for your services while we were in the school. Agba yin yo da’le l’oruko Jesu Kristi, amin.
-Dr. Diekola O. Abiola
(Asst. Snr. Prefect, 1970/74 set).
I, Adewumi Bello (a k a Oke’Badan), personally feel obligated to thank you and rejoice with your well deserved recognition. Not ONLY were you relevant, you magnanimously mattered.
Thanks for your ever ready omnipresent smile and exuberance to see us every blessed weekday morning at Elam.
Your undiluted perfection to navigate “that rough jagged edge stony rough road” between Elam and the downtown motor Park should be commended.
Truth be told, you made my years in Saki smooth and pleasant since 80% of the years of my residency in Saki was spent within Elam/Idi Araba axis, thence, you can see why I appreciate you.
Speaking of Kanji Dam, your expertise spoke volume, it was a memorable excursion and I thank the good Lord for your kind; you were a blessing.
May you continue to enjoy the grace and glory of God for your good, kind and friendly deeds. You made life easy for people. I wish you peace and continue good health to enjoy this latter part of your living.
SHUKRAN BIKUDRATULLAH, JAZAKUMLLAH KHAIRAN.
– A. Bello
Wonderful. I didn’t know Boooda Feesii’s real name until this week.
Yet, we were together at Iya Quarter of the town.
That was the way some of us who were much younger than him ‘Yorubanised ‘ his name. At the popular Sango market in Saki where his age mates and fellow drivers usually cool down at evening time, you met them smiling and cracking jokes as long as Booda feesi was around.
The Great thing I usually remember him for was a day when he left Oke Adagba with Students in the bus and realized the break had failed. The Great driver in him just branched into the Okere Palace to bring the lorry to a halt. And that was how he prevented an accident that would have been a fatal One.
Thank God that he is being honored this week as the POW by Our Admin.
E kuushe o Ojogbon Maikeli Oladejo Afolayan.
-Dn. S.O Olujimi
RECOGNITION AWARD TO ALHAJI ISMAILA SHITTU ( FACE BABA)
As-Salam-Alaikum. I was excited by this recognition of our great School Lorry Driver, “Face Baba”. I made a phone call to him in Nigeria today and have conversations with him on one-on-one, it was really a great conversation and highly emotional to me. When I introduced myself to him as the caller he was really very excited during our conversation he said ” Dejo Afolayan nko? Omo daradara ni omo yan o, e ba mi dupe lowo re dada o, o ntoju mi daadaa ni, Omo alalubarika ni o, ba mi dupe lowo re o, ,he said further Aderemi Alalade na a nko, bami ki oun na o, then I told him that it is not “Aderemi ” but Femi Alalade, he said bami ki oun na o, se gbogbo yin ngburo ara yin dada?, e ma gbagbe ara yin o, e je ki awon omo yin kawe dada o, ki nwon ko eko dada, then due to power outage in Nigeria, the line got cut off abruptly. To me that conversation was very emotional.
As humans, we do confuse fame with validation or love, but fame is not reward, the reward is getting fulfillment out of doing the things you love, the biggest neurological turn-on for people is other people. This is what really excited us as humans, reward terms, it’s not the money, it is not being giving cash that’s nice, it’s doing things with our peer watching us collaborating with us. Appreciation can make a day even change a life, your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary, as humans, the majority see the obstacles, the few see the objective, history records the success of the later, while oblivion is the reward of the former, if no pain, no love, if no darkness no light, if no life no death, if no risk, then no reward, it is all nothing, it is the Law of NATURE, before reward there must be labor, you plant before you harvest, you sow in tears before you harvest in joy, infact the sea does not reward who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient, one should lie empty open, choice less as a beach waiting for a gift from the sea, much more, the highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, ,but what they become by it. There are those who give in joy and that joy is their reward, beginning today treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight, extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thoughts of any reward, your life will never be the same again, dignity does not float down from heaven, it cannot be purchased nor manufactured, it is a reward reserved for those who labor with diligence, happiness is not a reward, it is a result, suffering is not a punishment , it is a consequence, ambition has but one result, for all a little power, a little transient fame, a grave to rest in and a fading name “VANITY ” don’t worry so much about your self-estimed, worry more about your character, integrity has it’s own reward, God gave us faculties for our free use, each of them will receive it’s proper reward, then do not let us try to charm them to sleep, but permit them to do their work until divinely called to something higher. May God Almighty continue to reward you for your selfless service to humanity till the fulness of your time.
-Chief Atanda James
Congratulations to our brother, Alhaji Ismaila Shittu, aka Face Baba as our POW. I was the Labour Prefect Hostel of our class 1975 set. Part of my responsibilities was to make sure the cooks in the kitchen did not run out of firewoods. Almost every other weekend, we hunt for firewoods around the nearby sellers with brother Face Baba as our driver. Those times, being the perfect, I had the opportunity to ride beside him in front of the bus. Those days were always full of fun, excitement and laughter. We will hail him to and fro of the journey. He never took offense nor got angry at anybody.
Congratulations, Face Baba
– From Suuru Baba.
Congratulations Face Baba for being our POW, BHS Shaki.
You labored for us students then and God in his infinite Mercy has been rewarding you and He will reward you the more in your old age in Jesus Christ Mighty Name.
You will live the rest of your life in good and perfect health. Thanks so much.
– Sunday Adebayo Durojaiye..Survivors ’73