Alaba Alakija: A life of privilege, passion, and enduring friendship

Alaba was born with huge advantages and privileges. His parents were aristocrats – Sir Adeyemo Alakija and Lady Alakija. The pedigree of the Alakijas was matched in equal measure by the maternal side – James George, who owned land in prime locations in Lagos, namely Odunlami Street/Broad Street (jointly with my grandfather Dr J.K. Randle) and Ikoyi (James George Street). We can afford to ignore the experts who insist that breeding/pedigree, advantages and privileges are powerful factors for determining handicaps in polo, horse racing, golf, etc. Sir Adeyemo Alakija attended Oxford University in England.

Alaba and I were friends for over seventy-five years, and our paths first crossed at the Lagos Race Club, where horse-racing flourished at the centre of Lagos. The race course is now known as Tafawa Balewa Square. Sir Adeyemo Alakija was the chairman, and my dad, Chief J.K. Randle was the vice-chairman. Time and space will not permit me to dwell on the dramatic events that revolved around which horse had won and which one had lost. The camera was not always the final arbiter in the photo-finish!! Some of the older folks may well recall the songs that captured the essence of perceived injustice and shenanigans at the Lagos Race Club. “Mori Alakija to fun esin lomi, oro po nibe” (I caught Sir Adeyemo Alakija…) and “Awon J.K. Randle won pa kadara da. Esin Baba Bandele je lodan, won gbe fun…” There is no need to translate it. If you know, you know.

Alaba was very much a family man. He had an older brother (late Taiwo); an older sister, Titi (who thankfully is still with us); and a younger brother, late Yinka, whom everyone adored. Yinka was a victim of sickle cell anemia.

We are not here to mourn but to thank the Almighty for granting Alaba a long life and the abundant blessings of his loving wife Judith and children – two boys, Yinka and Adeyemo; and two daughters, Banke and Tosin – as well as thirteen grandchildren.

Much as Alaba loved his family, horses (horse-racing/polo) and dogs (dog-racing) were formidable rivals for his time, love, affection and devotion. It is not by happenstance that the venue for this Evening of Tributes is the Lagos Polo Club, of which he was a trustee and his son Adeyemo is the current president. I was once the treasurer of the club.

I recollect that Alaba attended St Peter’s School, Faji/Ajele, Lagos, and survived the collapse of the school wall in 1955. He was briefly at St Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos (just a stone’s throw from his home on Keffi Street) before proceeding to the United Kingdom.

During our student days in London, Alaba was the undisputed authority on horse racing and dog racing and, to a lesser extent, polo. He was never an innocent bystander. Accompanied by his brother Yinka (plus cousins and friends), his day would start with visits to the bookmakers (who styled themselves as turf accountants) to place his bets or be physically present at race tracks – Sandown, Ascot, Goodwood, Brighton, Newbury, etc. The evenings were devoted to dog racing at White City, Harringay, Romford, etc.

“During our student days in London, Alaba was the undisputed authority on horse racing and dog racing and, to a lesser extent, polo. He was never an innocent bystander.”

In this sporting enterprise, Alaba and Yinka may have cast a spell on their ever over indulgent uncles–Chief Oladipo Moore Q.C and Chief (Dr) Modupe Norman-Williams who absolutely believed in the wizardry of their nephews to pick winners having committed hours of diligent study to the form of the horses and dogs combined with the owner; odds, weight, jockey, trainer, handicap and ground conditions of the racetrack. They were all incurable optimists. Whenever they lost, regardless of the size of the losses, they would be back the following day and night vigorously seeking not only to recoup their losses but also with a fierce determination to bankrupt their tormentors – the bookmakers (turf accountants who could never lose).

I can bet that up there in heaven, Alaba must have recouped his losses on planet earth. For most of his adult life, the deceased kept a tight circle of family and friends. I do not need to mention their names. They know themselves. Perhaps I should say we know ourselves, as I count myself as his loyal friend, especially as he asked me to be the godfather to one of his twin sons, Adeyemo. Also, in the resolution of the longstanding dispute between Wemabod/O’dua Properties Limited over the leasehold of the prime land belonging to Dr J.K. Randle, James George and the Cathedral Church of Christ directly opposite the church, Alaba represented the James George family, while I represented the Dr Randle family. We were allies on the side of justice and fairness.

Somewhere along the line, the deceased switched from being a regular churchgoer (Anglican) to becoming an evangelist of the Baptist Church. He became a more committed believer, but his devotion to horses and dogs remained robust and enduring.

Our regular banter revolved around the relish of his breakfast, which, regardless of time, location or circumstances, must be the full English breakfast – tea, toast, sausages, bacon, eggs and, most especially, kippers.

Tribute to Alaba Alakija; Being a speech delivered on 15th April 2026 at the Lagos Polo Club, Lagos.