Adebayo Faleti, a poet, journalist, writer and actor. also known as a Yoruba translator, a broadcaster, TV exponent and a pioneer of the first television station in Africa, Western Nigeria Television is dead.
He died at the age of 86 on Sunday in his home in Ibadan due to old age.
One of Faleti’s son, Adeniyi, said that he was helping his father with his bath when he died.
According to him, his father observed the early morning devotion with his family members and soon after told them that he had prayed to God to send someone else to continue his mission as he was tired and longing for home.
He also said that he asked for hot pap, which he took before his death.
Adeniyi said, “After the morning devotion, I helped him to the bathroom as I normally did. He said he wanted God to send someone else to come and complete his work because he had done all he could do. He also said that he wanted to go home.
Suddenly, I noticed that he was not breathing again. We took him to the University College Hospital, Ibadan where he was confirmed dead. We shall miss him greatly.”
Faleti in his time was responsible for translating Nigeria’s National Anthem from English to Yoruba.
He also translated speeches being made by military president of Nigeria Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Ernest Shonekan, Head of National Interim Government of Nigeria, from English to Yoruba.
He also published a dictionary containing the formal or official use of Yoruba names.
And has received many awards, both locally and internationally, including the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) the Festival of Arts award with Eda Ko L’aropin and the Afro-Hollywood Award for Outstanding Performance in Arts.
