……..I didn’t know my parents
…….Meaning of Alampasu,
…..They rumoured that..
……My son ran away for 7 years
TOMI ALAMPASU AT HOME
The building has become the cynosure of all eyes as many people now point to it, to describe who the owner. The building which was not completed before had been completed, thanks for the success story of Dele Alampasu the son of the owner of the building, Tomi Alampasu , father of Nigeria Under 17 goal keeper who won the World Cup for Eaglets some years ago.
Meeting Tomi Alampasu is interesting as he was happy , jovial and was filled with praises of his son, Dele Alampasu. As the man who is in his 60s brought out drinks for visitors , he said” I thank God that I have become a popular man now since my son became a celebrity , I thank God”, as he said he cleaned his nose ,no thanks to catarrh, he had. However , he used his snuff to blow it away, and said ” I am happy Oga journalist , I have been expecting you, ”
I DIDN’T KNOW MY PARENT
Tomi Alampasu said he did not pray for his children to experience the hardship he went through, he said ” I did not know my parents. I was told they died in the Nigerian Civil War, this is painful. I only knew my cousins and uncles, but I never set my two eyes on my parents for I was told they both died in the war”, as he said this be blew his nose and tears flooded on his cheeks.He continued ”So when my son became a celebrity it was a thing of joy for me . I am happy that he is doing well in my lifetime. Suffering is not the best my brother ”.
I SEARCHED FOR MY SON FOR WEEKS
Tomi Alampasu said his son left home for weeks and did not come back home yet did not know his whereabouts .He at a time went out looking for him. ”Later I was hearing rumour that I had used him for money making ritual , they said how would I say I didn’t know where my son went for weeks. But I kept my cool until I found him and everybody knew I did not use him for money making ritual” [ he burst into laughter].
According to Alampasu, he sent his son to school but he came back one day and said he wanted to learn welding of which he happily accepted and put him where he could learn it ,” but for some days I didn’t see him , and I started looking for him , infact I wanted to arrest his boss.
”Thank God that I saw him at last , but when I saw him he was in a football boot and I had to plead with him to come back home but he did not.I became confused .Later he ran away from home for seven years and I did not see him.He ran away from home and I began to search for him.The seven years was hell as I was disturbed searching everywhere for him”.
SUCCESS AT LAST
Asked how he eventually saw him , the man gave a heavy sigh and said “He left home for seven years before we eventually set eyes on ourselves but my people used to see him in football kit either while he was on his way for training or was going somewhere to lay his head .Then I was molding bricks to eke a living , in addition to my using my motorcycle for commercial purpose .When nothing was forthcoming I started on full time riding a commercial motorcycle , Okada to make money .One day , he (Alampasu) came to play at Odewale,( football field)and at another place called Iso(football field) he then went ahead to drop his phone number at Ajegunle Bus stop our Okada commercial terminal, in fact when he passed bye I did not recognize him again , and he too could not recognize me , his father again.He later called me on phone to come and sign for him.
“The day I went to meet him he asked me to come and sign some documents as his father for his visa , I asked what for? , and he said it was a thing of joy .I then packed my Okada somewhere and went to sign for him , in fact it was another man who assisted me to take my Okada home .Later he didn’t spend up to two weeks before he went to Abuja from where he called me and said he had been invited to Abuja , I advised him to be of a good behavior .But I must confess to you that I did not regret his running away now for he eventually brought good result!”
I HAVE ABANDONED OKADA
Alampasu said he has abandoned his Okada he uses for commercial purpose since his son had warned him to stop, he said ” My brother , okada business is not easy , it is a hard job and there is no money in it. I did it for many years including bricklaying but since my son , Dele has warned me and advised me to stop Ihave put a stop to it”.
I WAS IN ASO ROCK
The Goal keeper’s achievement opened doors for his father to have access to Federal and state government houses , he said , “Could you believe that I saw the former Lagos state governor Mr.Babatunde Fashola (SAN) one on one and former President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan and I shook hands with them in Lagos state office and Aso Rock in Abuja ? .All through my son who won the cup .I have never met anyone of them except through the television.I was excited when I saw my son sitting and shaking hands with the head of State President Dr. Ebele Jonathan and Governor Babatunde Fashola the then Lagos State Governor .Who am I to meet these people?, What qualification do I have ? . Me , an ordinary person? . But I thank God my son made it, and I am proud of him” .
Asked whether he too plays football, but the man who was excited said ” oh yes, my son took after me, I used to play football when I was young and in the military but since I left several years ago I had stopped . Infact I was acting too , I was in theater group but all these belonged to the past now”,
According to him , each time he sees his son on television and reads it in newspapers he feels happy and proud of him , he said ” sometimes ago when he came to visit me at Itoki , Ogun state ,he came in an entourage , while you people (journalists) were with him asking questions , I felt like carrying him on my back like a baby .All the Nigerian newspapers carried the news that he came to my house , the radio stations carried it too!”
ADVISE FOR PARENTS
The man Alampasu said “Everybody has his own destiny ,one should not imitate anybody . what I am rejoicing for today is another person’s regret. Whatever our children are doing they should be allowed to do it since they are not into crime .We should stop controlling our children’s future . If I had known that footballing will lead to my son’s greatness I would have encouraged him since instead of criticizing him”.
I AM NOW RECOGNIZED
Level has changed for Tomi , hear him “Before I became popular I was the only one living here , nobody even recognized me , but now the way I am being greeted has changed , those who were not greeting me before are now greeting me and those who were not my friends before have become my friends .Before, nobody recognized me , but now people greet me and say this is Alampasu’s father , this is Alampasu’s father (shaking his head), when I was still riding my Okada for commercial purpose I would come in quietly but now it is a different thing as I am seen and recognized”.
MEANING OF ALAMPASU
When asked the meaning of Alampasu, the man laughed , and said ”you know names have meanings, deeper meanings, Everybody has names, and all names have meanings , even the Bible gave spiritual interpretations to names , I am an Egun man, I am from Badagry. My son’s name is Dele Alampasu, and Alampasu means a warrior that cannot be defeated or confronted. That is that . Names are spiritual and you know what it means . I thank God in His infinite and help me to pray also”, as he said this , he took his snuff, sneezed and shook hands with this reporter and asked ” please let me know when you publish this story o. i want to read it ”.