kagablog contributor omoseye bolaji is now, officially, chief bolaji
outstanding free state author omoseye bolaji has been conferred with a chieftancy title by the olubaban (king) of ibadan (nigeria). PHOTO SHOWS OMOSEYE BOLAJI (left) with king odulana odugade (centre) of ibadan.
August 21st, 2008 at 8:43 am
Fantastic! My hearty congratulations to the Chief!!!
August 21st, 2008 at 9:03 am
Wonderful. My congratulations to “malome” - I remember before he departed yonder to get his Chieftaincy I had the honour of cutting his (Mr Bolaji’s hair!
August 21st, 2008 at 9:13 am
I think I need a new poem to celebrate this occasion. Definitely. Congrats Chief
August 21st, 2008 at 9:38 am
My joy and excitement know no bounds upon being referred to this. We’ll all have to think of something special to say, really.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:40 am
Seems the photo has said it all!
August 21st, 2008 at 10:36 am
A glimpse into old Africa, ne? Congrats to Bolaji
August 21st, 2008 at 10:57 am
Without wishing to be disrespectful, I chuckled when I saw this photo. It was so unexpected - with Bolaji now a traditional man? He derserves his honours
August 21st, 2008 at 11:31 am
I have done some research on Ibadan - seems to be an old colourful city; first with TV station in Africa, one of the first modern stadiums, first skyscraper etc etc
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Fantastic. I am so happy for Bolaji
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I am not sure creative writers should accept things like Chieftaincies. But congrats all the same
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 pm
It has been suggested by some other readers here that I am being “confrontational again” which I can assure everybody is not the case; I was just thinking aloud
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
congrats chief for your official chieftancy because you were also a chief. any way congrats
August 26th, 2008 at 11:47 am
I am extremely proud to have met a Chief like Bolaji, no one deserves a title like this as he does. congatulations papa
September 1st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Good to see this - good to see that kagablog is back too!
September 1st, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Congrats
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Hearty congrats Bolaji…our love for literature goads us to greater heights.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Most people used to call Mr Bolaji “Chief” - now he’s a Chief for real!!!
September 4th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
And what a superb article on Mr. Bolaji that appeared in THE EXPRESS this week. Not that teh picture there beats this one, though
September 15th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Congrats olubaban (king) of ibadan (nigeria). You realised that our chief (Bolaji) is a REAL chief! Thank you our chief Bolaji for sharing yourself with us it’s an honour to have you with us!! Viva chief Bolaji !!
September 15th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Viva madam P.I know you, but will others realise you are a powerful author yourself?
September 18th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Let the drums rolls ceaseless with its bearded strings… another accolade to a gigantic literary guru… Chief Bolaji, enjoy yourself, my ship ill soon berth in our ancient city soonest, hope you would still be around!
September 27th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Hearty congratulations Bolaji - you continue to do us proud -
Simon Mboleka, Publisher, Seipone News
September 30th, 2008 at 10:48 am
MY CHIEF, MY CHIEF…Long live to the greatest man who loves nothing but writing. I want to take this moment to congratulate you and may THE LORD AlL MIGHTY BLESS YOU EVEN MORE.
Thank you for you are a teacher to all of us…
God Bless You, Sir Bolaji.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Time
The time is exactly 12:45 pm Suterday evening, I’m sitting at my favourite night spot, gingerly lifting a glass of my favourite brand. Patrons continue to pass to and from the counter where I’m sitted. My mind drifts back into the abyss that is my past, I look back at my life’s adventures, heish, I take a deep sigh, they have been many.
But what tops my mind is my recollection of the time spent with Omoseye (Chief) Bolaji, I first met him in the year 2000. I had walked into the offices of the now defunct Free State News. I was hoping to land a job as a rookie journalist. I had just dropped out of a law school, (a subject of another story altogether).
It was not because I had any experience as a journalist except for my gut feeling and passion for the written word that I felt ready to join a local paper and maybe by luck get contacts that would assist me to get my collection of poems and a short novel published.
The room was poignant with stale breath abound as the air-con had not been working in that hot summer day, as I walked into the room it was unbearably hot, but there in front of an old, weathered table, sat a burly, tough looking thirty something man typing away at an old manual type writer. I had been tipped off by a friend that in that office I would find a respected wordsmith and editor of the paper. He was non-other than Chief Bolaji himself.
I greeted him and introduced myself, he replied unperturbedly and waited for me to state my case, I went on to explain that one Teboho Mohanoe had said he’d be the man to see about matters that interested me most (literature and publishing) and possibly a job opening of any kind. The man was listening to me while slowly clicking away at that old manual typewriter, that later became our tool of choice in churning out many great pieces that can still be found to this day.
Although Chief Bolaji was clearly engrossed in an interesting assignment, the date of which was clearly over-due, He agreed to have a look at some of the material that I had written, from then on, we were almost inseparable. He helped to have my first book, a collection of poems “ The voice from Mangaung” published by a local publishing house.
And so started the beginning of a long journey, eight years down the line, ‘Seye as he is affectionately called by some, continues to nurture and encourage the writer in me to continue to put pen against the paper to produce many more pieces of literature.
It is for this and other reasons that our hearts swelled with pride when the news that he had been bestowed with the honour of chieftainship back in his native Ibadan reached us. We knew that indeed the name Chief has come full circle.
Heish, time is not on my side, but folks, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that ‘Seye has a special eye for talent and he saw something in me then that many chose to overlook.
I will forever be indebted to this great son of the soil.
You deserve it Boss. Live long Egbon Live Long.
October 14th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Mr Thaisi - the man who loves his beer! Secretary of the Eclectic Writers Club…fine contribution by you here. But really one wonders how sober you are sometimes…Free State news is in no way defunct! I myself have given you copies of the paper many times over the years; including this year!