Go and read your book:How a palace, a college, defeated a stereotype — by Adedokun Abolarin
By the Grace of God, I have something to be profoundly grateful for.
It is this: the old, derogatory saying — “if you want to hide something from a black person, put it in a book” — will never apply to me.
I have, by God’s grace, completely neutralized that stereotype. And I did not do it alone. I have ABOLARIN COLLEGE and the Palace to thank.
It all began at Abolarin College, Oke-Ila Orangun.
Our core philosophy was simple and uncompromising: “Character is power, and a leader is a reader.”
We were required to spend at least six hours a day studying under strict supervision. Weekends and the sabbath were our only pause.
As teenagers, we hated it at first. But friction polishes stone. Over time, the resistance wore away, and a habit was born.
My love for books was sealed in the palace.
My foster father, and the man who raised me in discipline, Alayeluwa Oba Adedokun Asola ABOLARIN, The Orangun of OKE-ILA, never tolerated laziness. The palace housed three well-stocked libraries, open to anyone willing to learn.
Whenever Kabiyesi traveled, he left us with an assignment: one book to read, and a full summary waiting for him on his return. Idleness was not an option around him. The moment he caught us slacking, we would hear his signature command: “Go and read your book!”
We even nicknamed him “LO KA IWE E” in secret — because that was his constant refrain.
What began as duty soon became delight.
I found sanctuary in the quiet of the palace library, with an Oxford Lexicon as my companion. It was the perfect escape from washing dishes and chores, and it became the doorway to the world.
I started with Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s trilogy — Voice of Courage, Voice of Wisdom, and Voice of Reason. From there I graduated to the biographies of world leaders I watched on the nightly news. My vocabulary exploded. I would test new words on my classmates with the pride of a young man discovering wings.
Soon, the enforced routine became an inner drive. I began spending my own pocket money on books. Fiction, biographies, health journals — if it was worth knowing, I wanted to read it. Today, reading is not just a habit. It is my culture.
What once felt like a high school punishment is now my place of joy. I walk into libraries for fun, the way others walk into a game house. Knowledge is freedom. And I am deeply proud of the foundation that made me a reader for life.
This beautiful reflection was written by Gabriel Michael, from Ila Orangun , a foundation student of Abolarin College, Oke -Ila Orangun. By God’s grace, ill health brought him into my household in the palace, and today he remains a cherished member of my home. He is now a Part 4 student of Sociology at the University of Lagos.
Gabriel’s story is my story. The story of Abolarin College , Oke-Ila Orangun.
A story that says: Discipline births excellence. Books build leaders. And character is power. LO KA IWE E.
–HRM Abolarin is the Orangun of Oke-Ila, Osun State
