Israel Adebajo
Israel Adebayo Ogunyeade Adebajo (21 January 1920 – 25 July 1969) was a Nigerian entrepreneur, football club owner, and sports administrator. In 1958, he founded Stationery Stores Football Club widely recognised as one of Nigeria's first privately-owned football clubs.[1] He served as treasurer of the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) from 1958 until his death at the age of 49.[2]
Early life and background
Adebajo was born on 21 January 1920 in Imobi, a town in Epe, present day Lagos State.[1] His grandfather Jeremiah was a missionary credited with bringing Christianity to Imobi and with constructing St. Michael's Church there.[3] His father's death, when Adebajo was 14, placed significant household responsibilities on him at an early age. In 1939, aged 19, he travelled from Epe to Lagos and enrolled at St. Peter's Church School in Faji, having previously studied at Epe Grammar School. He pursued secretarial and typing studies but never attended university.[1]
Business career
Adebajo secured his first Lagos employment as a typist at the Daily Times in 1942. To supplement his wages, he organised relatives to sell stationery and paper products at bus stops across the city. During his time at the newspaper, he identified a commercial gap in the supply of reliable office materials to Lagos businesses and began informally meeting that demand.[1][3]
In 1944, Adebajo formalised his enterprise by registering the Nigerian Office Stationery Supply (NOSS) Stores on Willoughby Street, Lagos Island.[1] The colonial administration became one of its largest clients, with Crown Agents purchasing goods in bulk. In 1956, Adebajo travelled to Britain to negotiate directly with suppliers including Rexel, returning as the sole Nigerian agent for a wide range of stationery and office equipment, including a monopoly on carbon paper. He also established Nigeria Paper Converters Limited as a manufacturing arm.[1] In 1960, Adebajo developed an industrial site in Apapa erecting what is believed to have been the area's first commercial building. His factory produced toilet rolls and accounting books.
Stationery Stores Football Club
Adebajo had been a sports enthusiast from an early age and was a member of the Island Club in Lagos, as well as a founding member of the Metropolitan Club.[3] In 1958, he acquired Oluwole Philips Football Club and reestablished it as Stationery Stores Football Club (SSFC), channelling company profits into its development.[1] This made him one of the first individuals in Nigeria to own a football club privately. Adebajo acquired land in the Lagos district of Agege on which he built a dedicated football ground.[3] The club became so closely identified with its founder that supporters nicknamed the team "The Adebajo Babes".[1]
Stationery Stores' players wore yellow jerseys with maroon stripes, yellow shorts, and yellow handkerchiefs at the neck, with a circular badge depicting a flamingo at the centre. The team earned the nickname the "Flaming Flamingos" for their style of play, which attracted a following in Lagos.[1] They competed primarily in the Lagos Challenge Cup.[3]
The club won the Lagos Challenge Cup in consecutive seasons in 1967 and 1968.[2] Nine members of those title-winning squads were selected for Nigeria's national team at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. [1] In 1968, Stationery Stores became the first Nigerian club to enter the African Cup of Champion Clubs.[3]
Sports administration
Alongside his role as club owner, Adebajo served on the board of the Lagos Football Association and as treasurer of the Nigerian Football Association from 1958 until his death.[2] In 1965, founded the Youth Sports Federation of Apapa (YSFA) to promote youth development through organised sport.[1]
Personal life
Adebajo had three wives and fourteen children. He was a committed Christian, active in St. Peter's Church on Lagos Island, to which he donated a marble baptistery in 1968. He also furnished St. Michael's Church in Imobi, which was later administered by his brother Alfred.[3]
Death
Adebajo's health deteriorated from April 1969 after he fell ill on Palm Sunday. He continued conducting business affairs from home as his condition worsened.[3] On medical advice, Adebajo flew to London on 28 June 1969, never returning to Nigeria alive. He was admitted to the Royal Free Hospital. He died on 25 July 1969, aged 49, from a massive gastro-intestinal haemorrhage following liver failure.[1]
His funeral was held in Lagos and he was buried at his country home in Naforija, Epe. A white marble statue, depicting Adebajo in traditional robes with his signature tall cap and neck chain, was erected at his graveside on the first anniversary of his death in July 1970.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Olukoshi, Adebayo. "Flaming Flamingo: The Life and Times of Israel Adebajo" (Parts 1–3). The Guardian Nigeria, 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Pioneer Football: The Story of Stationery Stores FC". Sports Village Square. Retrieved 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "Interview with Dr. Gloria Adebajo-Fraser". Punch Newspapers, 2019.
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