Ibukun Babarinde

Ibukun Babarinde Poems

Ibukun Babarinde Biography

Ibukun was born on January 3rd 1981, at Baptist Medical centre, saki, he started his primary education in 1987 at the age of 6 when his right hand could barely covered his left ear; a practice that was used in the olden days to ascertain a child’s maturity to start schooling. Ibukun started his primary schooling at the then Ajegunle Baptist Primary school, Ajegunle Saki, and proceeded to Ayekale Community High School, Alade also in Saki for his secondary education in the September of 1992. he later left the school in 1995 to continue his high school at Ijokodo High School, located along Sango-Eleyele express way, Ibadan when his family relocated to the capital city of oyo state. Ibukun Babarinde finished in secondary school as the senior prefect in 1998, he made a brief sojourn into the university of Ilorin in the year 2000, his ambition to have a degree at ilorin University was cut short by the mishaps that resulted from the ASSU’s face off with the school’s administration, the effect of that crisis is still very fresh in the nation’s education sector. In 2001, he was at the polytechnic, Ibadan, from where he left for the source, in 2003, ibukun came into the University of Ibadan as an undergraduate, full of hope, full of dreams, and full of vision. He once said that one of the great things that have happened to him in the past five years is his studentship in University of Ibadan, from where he will be graduating with the 60th convocation set. Ibukun’s self consciousness could be dated back to the 1993’s era of political unrest, that was when schools were shut, he could recollect that he had some experiences that was mind bugging, a muse like feeling, he will respond to them by chanting or by saying some words, after which he will be relieved of the bugging. In his primary school, he was involved in school end of the year drama, and this afforded him an opportunity to be featured on the then radio O-Y-O, children drama programme. Also in his Alade school at Saki, Ibukun started his oratory exploits when he could engage any other student in a school debate, though as a junior boy, he won many debates against his seniors. Ibukun could later recollect that he had a good ability to retell a story he had listened to, words for words, and that made him to become a friend to many of his class mate girls and boys, but certainly, he had more of girls. He would narrate a movie or a book he had read to his ever listening audiences. He started a feeble writing when he would only step-out to the chalk board before a teacher would come in, to write some lines on the board. He said he couldn’t recollect what those lines were saying, but for sure they were quite thoughtful, for they could catch the attention of everyone in his class. At Ilorin, ibukun consolidated his writing by keeping his poems in a file, the file he had kept to keep his correspondences from his writing pals, the most faithful of his writing pals then is Kolawole Titus Adeoye, (Ondo, Nigeria) . However, he owes an acknowledgement to the library of is late uncle, late Dr. Bayo Ogunjimi, where he had a more mature contact with the African Writers Series, and other literature works, Ibukun had once fallen in love with a library of the Lagos State Library Board, Epe division, that was where he met Mr. Kola Adeoye. He started student journalism at the polytechnic, Ibadan where he was a member of The Press Club, he later served as a Central News Agency (CNA) member of the school’s press council. How do some other people see Ibukun Babarinde. He is a big brother to me; I have been greatly influenced by his writings, such that I want to become a poet Jesuloluwa Babarinde, Oritamefa Baptist Model College, Ibadan. I shall have no other mentor. He brought me into lime-light, thereby making me realize my dream of a million nights. Dayo Peters,100L, Linguistics/French department, University of Ibadan. Ibukun Babarinde, unhh, the mania of poetry; full of ideas, full of thoughts. A colossus who bestrides the U of I with the gaits of a giant that he truly is. A model of thoughts he is; to the youths of this famished generation. Hassan Ade Tajudeen 300L Psychology & Chairman, Students’ Union Transition Committee, University of Ibadan. Ibukunolu Babarinde is in the commendable habit of writing very touching and philosophically deep poems. I knew this well because I was not only a campus journalist, but an avid reader of Ibukun's many agidigbo columns. What makes his writings unique is the societal relevance and significance they carry.. Tunde Oseni, Postgraduate Candidate, African Studies Centre, University of Oxford, United Kingdom Ibukun writes in an enduring way: whether his poem addresses a present or future idea; his words, lie there in the sepulchre of space - undying. He strikes me as a dynamic person with this contagious ‘can-do attitude’. You don’t find much of him around in this world. Bayo Akinloye, Forum co-ordinator, Bolgwriters. Mr. Babarinde Ibukunolu David crept into the literary scene of the University of Ibadan, almost unnoticed some five sessions ago (2003) . None of us actually knew how like of a giant he will soon be holding sway in the literary scene. At the end of his first year in the University of Ibadan, he had started his agidigbo poetry features on the editorial board of Mellanby Hall; the premier hall of residence in the nation’s foremost University. His poetry brought him into limelight when he made a shot into a crisis that was engulfing the leadership of his hall of residence. “Our Warder Is Mad Again” became the talk of the whole campus, even for long after the resolution of that crisis. He has been published on many campus-based Artistic and Journalistic publications, he was adjudged the best creative writer of the year 2004/2005 by the Union of Campus Journalist, University of Ibadan he is also a fellow of the Okigbo Poetry Prize of the Department of English, University of Ibadan. The main aim of choosing the agidigbo icon is to disintegrate the fools from the whole lot of the people, and to address the sought-out on a high level of an intellectual play. His socio-political interventions have reflected in his extensive writing on the last general election (2007) held across the nation. With his predictions for cancellations of some stolen mandates coming through, we the Friends of the Arts have decided to give him a chance, and we want you to partner with us. Ibukun is an orator per excellence, he led the team of the University of Ibadan to an inter-varsity debate in August,2006 at OAU, Ile-Ife, and also he was the captain of the debating team of Ibadan, at the Ibadan-Legon Bilateral Games and Debate, held in Ghana, January 2007. Ibukun Babarinde also known as poetdave was a student in the department of Agricultural Extension And Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, he was involved in various developmental and leadership commitments throughout his five five years in the University of Ibadan.)

The Best Poem Of Ibukun Babarinde

On Okigbo's Last Night

On okigbo’s last night
The riffles rattled…

In the troughs of the nation’s left-spheres
I hear the splitting reverberations
Of the tribal wars.

Then on cross fires
One of metaphors, quill feather and ink-jar,
Others of bullet and grenades.

But
When the war ended:

A life had departed with the dark nights,
The quill feather had gone with the early morning storms
The ink-jar was clobbered by the rising sun’s rays.

On okigbo’s last night.
The riffles rattled..

In the troughs of the nation’s left-spheres
I heard the reverberations
Of the clannish wars, splashing.

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