The blogger ibikunle Abraham continues the second part of fifty sonnets of Yoruba educational leads in black Africa
Sonnet I: The Lead of Industry (Iṣẹ l'oògùn Ìṣẹ́)
Based on the famous educational lead that work is the cure for poverty.
Work is the medicine that cures the poor,
The steady hand that opens every door.
Do not rely on wealth from fathers passed,
For silver fades and gold will never last.
Your strength is in the labor of your day,
To drive the shadows of the lack away.
The idle mind is where the weeds will grow,
But he who plants is he who comes to sow.
Rise with the sun and let your sweat be sweet,
Before the dust of failure claims your feet.
For those who wait for luck to bring them bread,
Will find a stone and hunger there instead.
Stand tall and let your purpose be your guide,
With honest work, there is no need to hide.
Sonnet II: The Lead of Character (Ìwà l'ẹwà)
Based on the principle that character is the true essence of beauty.
If you have gold but lack a gentle heart,
Then all your riches are but hollow art.
A face may shine like morning’s early light,
But cruel words will turn the day to night.
The world respects the one who walks in truth,
The crown of age, the glory of our youth.
Take care of character, your only stay,
The only thing that will not decay away.
When beauty fails and strength begins to tire,
Good character remains the steady fire.
A man of peace is worth a thousand kings,
And carries joy on quiet, humble wings.
Seek not for fame that rests on lies and pride,
But let a noble soul be deep inside.
Sonnet III: The Lead of Self-Reliance (Apá Lárá)
Based on the teaching that one’s own arms are their best kin.
Your arms are relatives that never fail,
A sturdy ship to weather every gale.
He who depends on others for his meat,
Will often find an empty bowl to greet.
The world is wide, but you must find your path,
Or face the biting wind of sorrow's wrath.
No brother's hand can lift you to the sky,
If you yourself are not prepared to fly.
Trust in your mind and in the skills you hold,
More precious than a chest of stolen gold.
For borrowed strength is but a broken reed,
That snaps the moment you are most in need.
Behold your palms, the tools of your design,
The light of self is how you truly shine.
(Educational Note: These sonnets translate traditional Yoruba Ewì (poetry) concepts into the English sonnet form to bridge cultural gaps, as seen in the Yoruba Sonnets Project. This pedagogical approach is used in 2025 to keep indigenous African wisdom accessible to the global diaspora.)
Sonnet IV: The First Graduate (Olu of Warri)
Commemorating Dom Domingos, the 7th Olu of Warri, the first Sub-Saharan African to graduate from a European university (Coimbra, 1611).
In Coimbra’s halls where ancient wisdom flows,
A prince from Warri’s shore did take his stand.
Dom Domingos, through whom the knowledge grows,
The first to bring degrees to African land.
Before the modern schools their gates did wide,
He mastered Latin and the Portuguese tongue.
With silver crown and noble faith as guide,
His name through centuries of grace has rung.
A graduate when oceans were the street,
Between the old world and the rising new.
He returned with learning at his feet,
To lead his people with a broader view.
The seeds of scholarship he planted deep,
A promise that the African mind would keep.
Sonnet V: The Master of Data (Professor of Statistics)
Honoring Professor James Nwoye Adichie (1932–2020), Nigeria's first Professor of Statistics.
He saw the world in numbers, clear and bright,
James Nwoye Adichie, the data’s king.
To Nsukka’s halls, he brought a piercing light,
And made the silent equations start to sing.
From Berkeley’s heights to Ibadan’s fertile soil,
He tracked the logic of the human state.
Through decades of a scholar’s patient toil,
He taught the nation how to calculate.
The first to chair the science of the chance,
He mapped the trends and found the hidden truth.
In every digit was a rhythmic dance,
A legacy he left for every youth.
A patriarch of wisdom and of grace,
Who gave the African mind a measured place.
Sonnet VI: The Pantheon of Pioneers
Celebrating the "First Professors" who led the way across all disciplines.
The trail was blazed by giants of the mind:
Oyenuga in the fields of farm and grain,
Ogunlesi in the healing arts we find,
And Olubummo with the math’s refrain.
Mabogunje, the first to map the earth,
While Longe taught the sparks of digital code.
Each discipline received a second birth,
As Yoruba scholars walked the lonely road.
From Law to Physics, Pharmacy to Arts,
The first professors broke the heavy seal.
With integrity and fire in their hearts,
They made the dream of African learning real.
From Warri’s prince to modern chair and gown,
They wear the education’s golden crown.
To honor the pioneering "leads" of Yoruba academic achievement, these sonnets trace the historical path from the first African graduate to the foundational professors across the major sciences and professions.
Sonnet VII: The Statistician King (Biyi Afonja)
Honoring Professor Biyi Afonja, the first African President of the African Statistical Association.
Where numbers dance and patterns find their form,
Afonja rose to lead the data’s light.
Through logic's lens, he weathered every storm,
And brought the African mind to global height.
At Ibadan, he sowed the seeds of chance,
The first to chair the continent’s decree.
He made the digits join a rhythmic dance,
To map the future for the world to see.
A leader in the halls where truth is told,
He wore the mantle of the scholar’s crown.
With wisdom deep and courage brave and bold,
He brought the walls of ignorance to ground.
For every trend and count that we display,
Afonja’s vision paved the modern way.
Sonnet VIII: The Healer’s Path (Professor Ogunlesi)
Honoring Professor Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi, Nigeria’s first Professor of Medicine.
From Sagamu’s soil, a healer’s heart did grow,
To mend the body and to clear the mind.
Ogunlesi, with a gentle, steady glow,
The first in medicine for all mankind.
He built the wards where hope and health reside,
At UCH, he led the noble quest.
With discipline and honor as his guide,
He put the ancient ailments to the test.
A father to the doctors of the land,
He taught the art of mercy and of grace.
With steady pulse and steady, healing hand,
He gave his people strength to run the race.
The medicine of truth was his decree,
A legacy for all eternity.
Sonnet IX: The Earth’s Map (Professor Mabogunje)
Honoring Professor Akinlawon Ladipo Mabogunje, Africa’s first Professor of Geography.
He mapped the cities and the winding stream,
Mabogunje, who saw the earth’s design.
He turned the desert to a scholar’s dream,
And made the geography of Africa shine.
From Ibadan’s heights to global halls of fame,
He spoke of urban growth and human space.
The world soon learned to honor and to name,
The giant who defined the African race.
He saw the land as more than just the soil,
A living breath of culture and of change.
Through decades of a scholar’s patient toil,
He brought the distant horizons in range.
The first to see the map with African eyes,
And lead us to the wisdom of the skies.
Sonnet X: The Pantheon of Science (The Firsts)
A compilation of Yoruba firsts across major disciplines.
The list of giants grows with every year:
Oyenuga led the fields of farm and seed,
While Olubummo made the math appear,
And Muyiwa Awe in Physics took the lead.
In Chemistry, Awokoya held the flame,
And Longe brought the digital code to birth.
In Law, Elias earned a global name,
While Oyawoye mined the gems of earth.
From Architecture’s plan to Nursing’s care,
From Psychology to Forestry’s green shade.
The Yoruba mind was found in every chair,
In every craft where excellence was made.
650 paths they blazed with pride,
With integrity and wisdom as their guide.
(Summary of Key Educational Leads (2025 Context)
Statistics: Professor Biyi Afonja (First President of African Statistical Association).
Medicine: Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi (First Nigerian Professor of Medicine).
Geography: Professor Akin Mabogunje (First African Professor of Geography).
Agriculture: Professor Victor Adenuga Oyenuga (First Nigerian Professor).
Law: Professor Teslim Olawale Elias.
Computer Science: Professor Olu Longe.
Physics: Professor Muyiwa Awe.
Geology: Professor mosobolaje oyawoye)
Sonnet XI: The Logic of Data (Professor Biyi Afonja)
Honoring Professor Biyi Afonja, the first Nigerian President of the African Statistical Association.
Where Adichie mapped the early count and line,
Afonja rose to lead the data’s light.
Through logic's lens, he made the numbers shine,
And brought the African mind to global height.
At Ibadan, he sowed the seeds of chance,
The first to chair the continent's decree.
He made the digits join a rhythmic dance,
To map the future for the world to see.
A leader in the halls where truth is told,
He wore the mantle of the scholar’s crown.
With wisdom deep and courage brave and bold,
He brought the walls of ignorance to ground.
For every trend and count that we display,
Afonja’s vision paved the modern way.
Sonnet XII: The Digital Spark (Professor Olu Longe)
Honoring Professor Olu Longe, Nigeria’s first Professor of Computer Science.
Before the screen was bright in every hand,
Olu Longe saw the future in the code.
A pioneer within the hollowed land,
He walked the circuit on a lonely road.
From Ibadan, the digital seeds were sown,
Where logic gates and binary dreams began.
The first to claim the silicon as his own,
And map the processing power for the man.
In every chip that pulses in our day,
His legacy remains a steady beat.
He cleared the tangled wires from the way,
To lay the future at the nation’s feet.
The first to lead the science of the byte,
He filled the African dark with digital light.
Sonnet XIII: The Master of the Soil (Professor Victor Oyenuga)
Honoring Professor Victor Adenuga Oyenuga, Nigeria’s first Professor of Agriculture.
He saw the gold within the darkened earth,
Oyenuga, the father of the grain.
To Agriculture, he gave a second birth,
And turned the field into a scholar’s plain.
The first to wear the emerald-green gown,
He taught the science of the leaf and seed.
From Ibadan, he earned his rightful crown,
Providing knowledge for the nation’s need.
A pioneer of nutrition and of growth,
He mapped the path from farm to hungry plate.
With diligence and honor as his oath,
He made the harvest of the mind so great.
A giant in the fields where life begins,
He led the way to Africa's steady wins.
Sonnet XIV: The Master of Motion (Professor Muyiwa Awe)
Honoring Professor Muyiwa Awe, Nigeria’s first Professor of Physics.
In atoms’ dance and stars’ eternal fire,
Muyiwa Awe sought out the hidden law.
He tuned the Physics to a higher choir,
And saw the world with wonder and with awe.
The first to chair the science of the force,
In Esie’s son, the light of Newton grew.
He mapped the energy’s unending course,
And brought the African mind to something new.
From light to heat, from magnetism’s pull,
He taught the youth to measure and to weigh.
With equations that were beautiful and full,
He led the Physics to a brighter day.
The first to speak the language of the spark,
He led the way out of the scientific dark.
Sonnet XV: The Architect of Law (Professor Teslim Elias)
Honoring Professor Teslim Olawale Elias, first Nigerian Professor of Law.
He built the walls where justice finds her home,
Elias, with a mind like sharpened steel.
Across the seas and under every dome,
He made the African law a living wheel.
The first to wear the silk and academic red,
He mapped the statutes of a rising land.
With ancient wisdom in his noble head,
He held the balance in his steady hand.
From Hague’s high halls to Lagos’ busy street,
He defended truth with eloquence and grace.
He made the law and liberty to meet,
And gave the African judge a global place.
The first to lead the legal mind so high,
His legacy is written in the sky.
(Pioneer Summary for 2025:
Statistics: Professor Biyi Afonja (First Nigerian President of African Statistical Association).
Computer Science: Professor Olu Longe (First Nigerian Professor of Computer Science).
Agriculture: Professor Victor Oyenuga (First Nigerian Professor of Agriculture).
Physics: Professor Muyiwa Awe (First Nigerian Professor of Physics).
Law: Professor Teslim Elias (First Nigerian Professor to be president of international court)
Sonnet I: The Lead of Industry (Iṣẹ l'oògùn Ìṣẹ́)
Based on the famous educational lead that work is the cure for poverty.
Work is the medicine that cures the poor,
The steady hand that opens every door.
Do not rely on wealth from fathers passed,
For silver fades and gold will never last.
Your strength is in the labor of your day,
To drive the shadows of the lack away.
The idle mind is where the weeds will grow,
But he who plants is he who comes to sow.
Rise with the sun and let your sweat be sweet,
Before the dust of failure claims your feet.
For those who wait for luck to bring them bread,
Will find a stone and hunger there instead.
Stand tall and let your purpose be your guide,
With honest work, there is no need to hide.
Sonnet II: The Lead of Character (Ìwà l'ẹwà)
Based on the principle that character is the true essence of beauty.
If you have gold but lack a gentle heart,
Then all your riches are but hollow art.
A face may shine like morning’s early light,
But cruel words will turn the day to night.
The world respects the one who walks in truth,
The crown of age, the glory of our youth.
Take care of character, your only stay,
The only thing that will not decay away.
When beauty fails and strength begins to tire,
Good character remains the steady fire.
A man of peace is worth a thousand kings,
And carries joy on quiet, humble wings.
Seek not for fame that rests on lies and pride,
But let a noble soul be deep inside.
Sonnet III: The Lead of Self-Reliance (Apá Lárá)
Based on the teaching that one’s own arms are their best kin.
Your arms are relatives that never fail,
A sturdy ship to weather every gale.
He who depends on others for his meat,
Will often find an empty bowl to greet.
The world is wide, but you must find your path,
Or face the biting wind of sorrow's wrath.
No brother's hand can lift you to the sky,
If you yourself are not prepared to fly.
Trust in your mind and in the skills you hold,
More precious than a chest of stolen gold.
For borrowed strength is but a broken reed,
That snaps the moment you are most in need.
Behold your palms, the tools of your design,
The light of self is how you truly shine.
Educational Note: These sonnets translate traditional Yoruba Ewì (poetry) concepts into the English sonnet form to bridge cultural gaps, as seen in the Yoruba Sonnets Project. This pedagogical approach is used in 2025 to keep indigenous African wisdom accessible to the global diaspora.
Sonnet IV: The First Graduate (Olu of Warri)
Commemorating Dom Domingos, the 7th Olu of Warri, the first Sub-Saharan African to graduate from a European university (Coimbra, 1611).
In Coimbra’s halls where ancient wisdom flows,
A prince from Warri’s shore did take his stand.
Dom Domingos, through whom the knowledge grows,
The first to bring degrees to African land.
Before the modern schools their gates did wide,
He mastered Latin and the Portuguese tongue.
With silver crown and noble faith as guide,
His name through centuries of grace has rung.
A graduate when oceans were the street,
Between the old world and the rising new.
He returned with learning at his feet,
To lead his people with a broader view.
The seeds of scholarship he planted deep,
A promise that the African mind would keep.
Sonnet V: The Master of Data (Professor of Statistics)
Honoring Professor James Nwoye Adichie (1932–2020), Nigeria's first Professor of Statistics.
He saw the world in numbers, clear and bright,
James Nwoye Adichie, the data’s king.
To Nsukka’s halls, he brought a piercing light,
And made the silent equations start to sing.
From Berkeley’s heights to Ibadan’s fertile soil,
He tracked the logic of the human state.
Through decades of a scholar’s patient toil,
He taught the nation how to calculate.
The first to chair the science of the chance,
He mapped the trends and found the hidden truth.
In every digit was a rhythmic dance,
A legacy he left for every youth.
A patriarch of wisdom and of grace,
Who gave the African mind a measured place.
Sonnet VI: The Pantheon of Pioneers
Celebrating the "First Professors" who led the way across all disciplines.
The trail was blazed by giants of the mind:
Oyenuga in the fields of farm and grain,
Ogunlesi in the healing arts we find,
And Olubummo with the math’s refrain.
Mabogunje, the first to map the earth,
While Longe taught the sparks of digital code.
Each discipline received a second birth,
As Yoruba scholars walked the lonely road.
From Law to Physics, Pharmacy to Arts,
The first professors broke the heavy seal.
With integrity and fire in their hearts,
They made the dream of African learning real.
From Warri’s prince to modern chair and gown,
They wear the education’s golden crown.
Historical Leads Summary for 2025:
First Graduate: Olu Dom Domingos (Olu of Warri), University of Coimbra, Portugal (1611).
Statistics: Professor James Nwoye Adichie, University of Nigeria Nsukka (1976).
Agriculture: Professor Victor Adenuga Oyenuga (First Nigerian Professor).
Medicine: Professor Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi (1965).
Geography: Professor Akin Mabogunje.
Mathematics: Professor Adegoke Olubummo.
(if adochie was the first in statistics afonja was the first president of statistical association in africa.plot Yoruba first professors from medicine geography all 650 major sciences and professions they lead.plot in fifty sonnets
To honor the pioneering "leads" of Yoruba academic achievement, these sonnets trace the historical path from the first African graduate to the foundational professors across the major sciences and professions.)
Sonnet VII: The Statistician King (Biyi Afonja)
Honoring Professor Biyi Afonja, the first African President of the African Statistical Association.
Where numbers dance and patterns find their form,
Afonja rose to lead the data’s light.
Through logic's lens, he weathered every storm,
And brought the African mind to global height.
At Ibadan, he sowed the seeds of chance,
The first to chair the continent’s decree.
He made the digits join a rhythmic dance,
To map the future for the world to see.
A leader in the halls where truth is told,
He wore the mantle of the scholar’s crown.
With wisdom deep and courage brave and bold,
He brought the walls of ignorance to ground.
For every trend and count that we display,
Afonja’s vision paved the modern way.
Sonnet VIII: The Healer’s Path (Professor Ogunlesi)
Honoring Professor Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi, Nigeria’s first Professor of Medicine.
From Sagamu’s soil, a healer’s heart did grow,
To mend the body and to clear the mind.
Ogunlesi, with a gentle, steady glow,
The first in medicine for all mankind.
He built the wards where hope and health reside,
At UCH, he led the noble quest.
With discipline and honor as his guide,
He put the ancient ailments to the test.
A father to the doctors of the land,
He taught the art of mercy and of grace.
With steady pulse and steady, healing hand,
He gave his people strength to run the race.
The medicine of truth was his decree,
A legacy for all eternity.
Sonnet IX: The Earth’s Map (Professor Mabogunje)
Honoring Professor Akinlawon Ladipo Mabogunje, Africa’s first Professor of Geography.
He mapped the cities and the winding stream,
Mabogunje, who saw the earth’s design.
He turned the desert to a scholar’s dream,
And made the geography of Africa shine.
From Ibadan’s heights to global halls of fame,
He spoke of urban growth and human space.
The world soon learned to honor and to name,
The giant who defined the African race.
He saw the land as more than just the soil,
A living breath of culture and of change.
Through decades of a scholar’s patient toil,
He brought the distant horizons in range.
The first to see the map with African eyes,
And lead us to the wisdom of the skies.
Sonnet X: The Pantheon of Science (The Firsts)
A compilation of Yoruba firsts across major disciplines.
The list of giants grows with every year:
Oyenuga led the fields of farm and seed,
While Olubummo made the math appear,
And Muyiwa Awe in Physics took the lead.
In Chemistry, Awokoya held the flame,
And Longe brought the digital code to birth.
In Law, Elias earned a global name,
While Oyawoye mined the gems of earth.
From Architecture’s plan to Nursing’s care,
From Psychology to Forestry’s green shade.
The Yoruba mind was found in every chair,
In every craft where excellence was made.
650 paths they blazed with pride,
With integrity and wisdom as their guide.
Summary of Key Educational Leads (2025 Context)
Statistics: Professor Biyi Afonja (First President of African Statistical Association).
Medicine: Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi (First Nigerian Professor of Medicine).
Geography: Professor Akin Mabogunje (First African Professor of Geography).
Agriculture: Professor Victor Adenuga Oyenuga (First Nigerian Professor).
Law: Professor Teslim Olawale Elias.
Computer Science: Professor Olu Longe.
Physics: Professor Muyiwa Awe.
Geology: Professor Mosobalaje Oyawoye.
(To honor the pioneering "leads" of Yoruba academic achievement, these sonnets continue the record of foundational professors across the major sciences and professions.)
Sonnet XI: The Logic of Data (Professor Biyi Afonja)
Honoring Professor Biyi Afonja, the first Nigerian President of the African Statistical Association.
Where Adichie mapped the early count and line,
Afonja rose to lead the data’s light.
Through logic's lens, he made the numbers shine,
And brought the African mind to global height.
At Ibadan, he sowed the seeds of chance,
The first to chair the continent's decree.
He made the digits join a rhythmic dance,
To map the future for the world to see.
A leader in the halls where truth is told,
He wore the mantle of the scholar’s crown.
With wisdom deep and courage brave and bold,
He brought the walls of ignorance to ground.
For every trend and count that we display,
Afonja’s vision paved the modern way.
Sonnet XII: The Digital Spark (Professor Olu Longe)
Honoring Professor Olu Longe, Nigeria’s first Professor of Computer Science.
Before the screen was bright in every hand,
Olu Longe saw the future in the code.
A pioneer within the hollowed land,
He walked the circuit on a lonely road.
From Ibadan, the digital seeds were sown,
Where logic gates and binary dreams began.
The first to claim the silicon as his own,
And map the processing power for the man.
In every chip that pulses in our day,
His legacy remains a steady beat.
He cleared the tangled wires from the way,
To lay the future at the nation’s feet.
The first to lead the science of the byte,
He filled the African dark with digital light.
Sonnet XIII: The Master of the Soil (Professor Victor Oyenuga)
Honoring Professor Victor Adenuga Oyenuga, Nigeria’s first Professor of Agriculture.
He saw the gold within the darkened earth,
Oyenuga, the father of the grain.
To Agriculture, he gave a second birth,
And turned the field into a scholar’s plain.
The first to wear the emerald-green gown,
He taught the science of the leaf and seed.
From Ibadan, he earned his rightful crown,
Providing knowledge for the nation’s need.
A pioneer of nutrition and of growth,
He mapped the path from farm to hungry plate.
With diligence and honor as his oath,
He made the harvest of the mind so great.
A giant in the fields where life begins,
He led the way to Africa's steady wins.
Sonnet XIV: The Master of Motion (Professor Muyiwa Awe)
Honoring Professor Muyiwa Awe, Nigeria’s first Professor of Physics.
In atoms’ dance and stars’ eternal fire,
Muyiwa Awe sought out the hidden law.
He tuned the Physics to a higher choir,
And saw the world with wonder and with awe.
The first to chair the science of the force,
In Esie’s son, the light of Newton grew.
He mapped the energy’s unending course,
And brought the African mind to something new.
From light to heat, from magnetism’s pull,
He taught the youth to measure and to weigh.
With equations that were beautiful and full,
He led the Physics to a brighter day.
The first to speak the language of the spark,
He led the way out of the scientific dark.
Sonnet XV: The Architect of Law (Professor Teslim Elias)
Honoring Professor Teslim Olawale Elias, first Nigerian Professor of Law.
He built the walls where justice finds her home,
