THE STORY OF A LIFE-CHANGING GIFT THAT INSPIRED A GENERATION
INTRODUCTION
Madam Global President, distinguished ladies, members of the Alumni Association of the Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos founded in 1879.
I am sure you have noticed that my introduction did not refer to you as “Old Girls”.
The reason is, my mother turned 80 just two weeks ago.
On the day, she was quick to remind me that a lady never reveals her age and that ladies of a certain age are simply referred as distinguished ladies.
Today I am privileged to speak with you, not just because you are distinguished ladies.
Today I am privileged to speak with you because you are distinguished CHANGEMAKERS.
You have given up your time,
You have suspended your preferred activities,
To honour a great institution today.
And that’s why today, you are going to make history.
Today, you are going to inspire a story.
A story that will be told in the future, by a girl you may not meet.
A girl who will inspire a generation you may not know.
But first, let me tell you my story.
The story of the gift that changed the life of a boy, who inspired a generation.
This story explains why your gift today and your continuing support for your alma mater, is a seed whose harvest will return to you in unexpected ways, in your lifetime and in your future generations.
Are we all ready to listen to this life-changing, generation-inspiring, story?
Thank you, Madam Global President.
WHO IS EDNA?
On a cold and grey morning,
Sunday 26th March 1944, to be exact, at the height of the Second World War.
Edna was sitting in her usual place on a church pew at the Holy Trinity Church, Tottenham, London.
It was not the best of times.
In fact, it was a faith-testing time for Edna.
Edna worked in a local furniture factory, located in Tottenham.
At least that’s what it called itself on the signboard outside the premises.
In reality, the factory produced spare parts for fighter planes.
Edna was homeless.
Her home on Earlsmead Road, Tottenham had been flattened by a bomb during one of the many bombing raids that tried to pound London into submission during the second world war.
Her husband was a butcher.
Was, because he was dead.
He had been at home when the bombs fell.
Both their sons had been called up at the start of the war and were on the frontline. She hadn’t heard from either of them in a long while.
And that’s why she was in church on that Sunday.
To join in the congregational prayer for safety and victory.
CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY
The Vicar explained that they had a guest speaker that day.
Usually, guest speakers were government officials who came into churches to share the latest directives regarding the ongoing war effort.
To her surprise, the Vicar introduced the guest speaker as one Rev. Henry. D. Hooper.
To make matters even more interesting, depending on your perspective, Reverend Hooper did not come to talk about the
war effort.
Instead, he came to ask for help on a completely unrelated matter.
You see, Reverend Hooper was from the Church Missionary Society (C.M.S to you and I). He was in charge of CMS missions to Africa.
He had come to ask for help in supporting the education of African boys and girls.
He must be having a laugh, she thought to herself.
Here she was, no home, husband dead, God knows what had happened to her sons on the front line, barely enough to eat because of food rationing, and this Reverend gentleman was coming to ask for help, to educate Africans?
But something kept her listening to Reverend Hooper.
He was soft-spoken and had the air of someone who had truly walked through the valley of the shadow of death.
He had about him, the quiet confidence, of one who had experienced the grace of God, first-hand and had learned to trust God in all things, and for all things.
In his overview of the work of the CMS, Reverend Henry Hooper talked about the expansion going on in a boy’s school that had been established in a kola nut forest.
The boys’ school was called Igbo-obi (Igbobi) College.
THE SHILLING STARTS ITS JOURNEY
The boys’ school had been established in 1932 by a joint mission of the Methodist and Anglican communion.
Reverend Hooper acknowledged the fact that,
he was asking the congregation of Holy Trinity, Tottenham to support children they may never meet.
He was asking them to inspire a generation of people they would never know.
He closed with a rather strange prayer.
Strange because you will not find that prayer in the “Book of Common Prayer” used in all Church Services.
He prayed:
Almighty God,
From generation to generation, you are God.
Cause that every gift and every seed sown today,
Shall return as a bountiful harvest not just in the lifetime of the giver,
But that the harvest of blessings will continue through all their generations. Amen.
The offering bag was quickly passed around.
Something about that prayer made Edna reach into her handbag and she dropped the princely sum of one shilling into the offering.
Let me quickly put that 1-shilling coin in context.
That shilling meant the difference between being able to buy food, or not being able to buy food that week.
A PRIZE IS GIVEN
3 months later, 3:30pm, Sunday 25th June 1944 to be exact.
It was the Annual Prize giving ceremony of Igbobi College.
The boys school built through joint Anglican and Methodist effort, in a kola nut forest.
FOR THE NINTH TIME!!
A voice called out his name…
“Awarded the school prize in History”.
The hall erupted in a clatter of handclaps that rapidly rose into a crescendo, like the frantic drumbeats of a hundred talking drums.
Wooden benches, stools and chairs grated on the hard mud floor as fellow students, teachers and family members rose to give a standing ovation.
Solomon Adeboye Babalola, marched forward to collect a school prize from the Principal, Reverend J Allen Angus, for the 9th time!
The 18-year-old had created an academic record by securing A in all nine subjects,
the maximum number of subjects you could sit at the Senior Cambridge Examinations.
He was also possibly, the youngest and only pupil in the Colony of Nigeria, to achieve that academic feat, at that time.
As his hands reached out to collect the book prize titled:
“Outline History of the British Empire 6th Edition” by Woodward W.H, (1932), Cambridge Press.
Edna’s one shilling coin had completed its journey.
A LIFE IS CHANGED
Her one shilling coin had helped purchase, that very book, from the CMS bookstore on Broad street, Lagos.
A journey that started at a Sunday service three months ago, at Holy Trinity Church Tottenham in London, had ended in Lagos, in the hands of a boy she would never meet.
Though it was the end of the journey for that shilling, it was in fact the beginning of S. A Babalola’s illustrious career.
14 years after that Prizegiving evening,
S A Babalola would become the first indigenous Principal of Igbobi College.
During his tenure as Principal, he inspired an entire generation of pre-independence Nigerians, including my father (then a teacher at Igbobi College).
S. A. Babalola became a,
Fulbright Scholar,
Renowned Yoruba anthropologist,
Professor Emeritus and,
Nigerian National Merit Award winner.
Edna’s gift helped changed the life of a boy she would never meet,
A boy who inspired a generation she would never know.
Edna’s shilling is the reason this story was written.
Edna’s shilling is the reason I am able to speak with you today.
You see, Edna’s gift changed the life of a man, who inspired my father,
teacher and House Master at Igbobi College, to send his son to Igbobi College.
This story shared with you today,
by the son of that teacher, inspired by that student,
is the consequence of a gift, given exactly 77 years ago.
A GENERATION IS INSPIRED
Edna could never have imagined that her gift would continue to pay forward, generation after generation.
Edna could never have imagined that her gift would be the basis of a story shared with distinguished ladies she would never know.
Edna could never have imagined that she is the inspiration for you to go and do likewise. Give a life-changing, generation-inspiring gift.
Distinguished ladies and changemakers.
Who knows how far your gift will travel?
Who knows how many lives your gift will touch?
Who knows how many generations in the future,
You will impact, TODAY!
I am going to pause here for a minute, to display the account details into which you are going to make your Life-Changing, Generation Inspiring, GIFT.
Account Name
Methodist Girls’ High School OGA
BANK
Stanbic IBTC
Account Number
0021646910
Your Shilling TODAY may be N5million, N2million, N1million, N500,000.00 or N100,000.00 or N50,000.00 or just N25,000.00.
No matter the value of the Shilling you choose to give today, remember, it represents your story waiting to be told.
Someday, Someone, is going to find the records of today’s meeting.
That someone, will share your story.
The story of the gift you gave today.
The girl who shares the story, you are writing today,
could be sharing your story, behind a seal that says:
Madam President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Please go ahead, write your story by bank transfer from your mobile devices to the MGHS-OGA account on the screen.
Remember, the story of Madam President cannot be told tomorrow if you do not help her write the story today.
For love’s sake,
For the sake of that girl you may never meet,
Who will inspire a generation you may never know,
Please give.
Give because YOU are,
A distinguished lady.
Give because you are,
A Life-Changing,
Generation Inspiring,
CHANGEMAKER.
Account Name
Methodist Girls’ High School OGA
BANK
Stanbic IBTC
Account Number
0021646910
Madam Global President, I thank you for the opportunity of speaking before this audience of distinguished ladies and changemakers.
My time is done, but my task is not yet quite finished.
Madam Global President, may I crave your indulgence for just two more minutes.
There is an incident that happened that is directly related to Edna’s shilling that I would like to quickly share.
An incidence that is stranger than fiction had I not witnessed with my very eyes.
An incidence that confirms that God answers prayers,
even when those prayers do not conform with the prescribed format.
LIFE IS STRANGER THAN FICTION
In 2015, 70 years, after Edna donated her 1-shilling gift,
Igbobi College Old Boys Association, (ICOBA) Europe Branch, as is their custom,
held their Founders Day Church Service at the Holy Trinity Church, Tottenham.
Yep, the same church Edna attended.
Also as is their custom, after the church Service, ICOBA Europe held a general meeting in the main church.
I don’t know if you know this, but Wives of Old Igbobians, (WICOBA as they are known), actively support the North American and Europe Branches of the Igbobi College Old Boys Association (ICOBA).
In fact, we refer to them as the ICOBA Engine room.
Now please stay with me on this.
I was there on that day. I witnessed this thing live, as we say.
Here’s the thing.
The Founder’s Day service was conducted by an Old Igbobian,
He also happens to be the current Vicar of Holy Trinity, Tottenham.
As well as a Prebendary or Canon, at the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral, London.
Now, during the meeting, WICOBA had distributed lottery tickets to raise funds.
The draw for the main prize took place at the end of the general meeting.
When the winning ticket for the main prize was called, who do you think it went to?
No, it’s not who you are thinking.
It was won by the wife of the Vicar.
But why her?
Why not the Vicar of the Church, where it all started?
Let me tell you why.
You see, I am convinced in my heart she won the main prize of that lottery because,
SHE SAT IN THE EXACT SAME PEW,
IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT THAT EDNA HAD SAT,
7O YEARS AGO,
WHEN SHE GAVE HER GIFT OF A SHILLING.
It gives me goose pimples when I think that 70 years later,
Edna’s shilling had literarily come back home.
Life, is truly stranger than fiction.
Your gift today will likewise return to you in a harvest of abundance in diverse ways you will never expect or imagine, in your lifetime and in your generations to come, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.
For love’s sake,
For the sake of that girl you may never meet,
Who will inspire a generation you may never know,
Please give.
Give because YOU are, A distinguished lady.
Give because you are, A Life-Changing,
Generation Inspiring, CHANGEMAKER
Account Name
Methodist Girls’ High School OGA
BANK
Stanbic IBTC
Account Number
0021646910
I remain in God’ service and yours,
Jonathan Robson-Odugbemi
Chairman
Igbobi College Old Boys Association
(ICOBA) Abuja Branch
I am a Messaging Strategist and Book Publisher
I help leaders like YOU, Develop and Deliver MESSAGES that
Make Change Happen