As a mark of honour for late Adebayo Faleti, insideoyo.com presents some of the things you need to know about him.
1) He was born in Agboye, Oyo Town.
2) He is the first son of his father, Joseph Akanbi Faleti
He is the only child of his mother, Durowade Ayinke Faleti.
3) He had always had a passion for drama from an early age
4) His parents were poor that he had to put his primary education on hold.
5) At age 19, he gathered a couple of interested colleagues and started his own successful theatre group, named Oyo Youth Operatic Society (founded in 1949).
6) He re-enroled again, by getting a job in a primary school, in which he worked for six years to raise enough funds for his secondary schooling with the financial support of his father.
7) At 36, In 1966, he attended the University of Dakar, Senegal and obtained a Certificate of proficiency in French Language and Civilization.
8) Two years later, in 1968, he graduated from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, with an honours degree in English.
9) In 1971, he attended the Radio Netherlands Training Center in Hilversum, the Netherlands and received a certificate in Television Production.
10) He was teacher as once taught in Ife Odan, located near Ejibo Town.
11) He was also the General Manager of Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), which is also known as Radio OYO, Ibadan.
12) In 1959, he once worked at Western Nigerian Television (WNTV), now known as NTA Ibadan, as a film editor and a librarian.
13) He was known to have had three wives.
14) His first and legally married wife is Mrs. Moteniola Faleti.
15) His current wife is Mrs. Olubunmi Faleti.
16) He had up to 15 children.
17) His first child is Mrs. Adeboola Orunsolu (née Faleti).
18) He acted, wrote and produced a number of movies, which include: Thunderbolt: Magun(2001), Afonja (1 & 2) (2002), Basorun Gaa(2004), and Sawo-Segeri (2005).
19) ) He was a poet.
20) He was a journalist.
21) He was a writer.
22) He acted many films.
23) He was a Yoruba translator.
24) He was a broadcaster, TV exponent and a pioneer member of the first television station in Africa, Western Nigeria Television (WNTV).
25) He translated Nigeria’s National Anthem from English to Yoruba.
26) He also translated speeches made by military president of Nigeria, Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Ernest Shonekan, Head of National Interim Government of Nigeria, from English to Yoruba.
27) He published a dictionary containing the formal or official use of Yoruba names.
28) He is a recipient of the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)
29) His film- tEda Ko L’aropin (1995) got him the FESTAC award and the Afro-Hollywood Award for Outstanding Performance in Arts (2002).
