Adedeji Odulesi, 51 (born 12 October 1972), is a polyglot, agriculturist, master of ceremonies and content producer. He speaks seven languages – Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, English, French, Spanish and German (in addition to pidging English and the Ijebu dialect of his native Yoruba language). He studied agriculture at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, but is not known as a farmer or a player in the agro-allied industry. The father of two is rather known as one of Nigeria’s most sought-after masters of ceremonies and a consummate content producer on social media where he regularly interviews fellow polyglots, providing them a platform to showcase their talents.
In this interview, Adedeji Odulesi speaks about his career trajectory and how his knowledge of multiple languages shaped his worldview and transformed him into a high-income earner.
Excerpt:
PT: You speak at least seven languages (local and foreign). What are those languages and how did you learn them?
Adedeji Odulesi: I speak seven languages, which are Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, English, French, Spanish and German. I learnt Yoruba as a child from my parents, who are both Yorubas. I learnt English at home and at school. I learnt Hausa when my parents were transferred from Warri to Sokoto. I learnt Igbo at Owerri when I joined my parents on transfer to Imo state. I learnt French from secondary school (JSS1- JSS3) and followed up at Alliance Française, Lagos. I went to Goethe Institute, Lagos, to learn German and finally, I learnt Spanish online using various Apps.
PT: For how long did you live in Sokoto and Owerri that enabled you to attain the high level of proficiency you currently have in Hausa and Igbo respectively? And why were your parents consistently on the move?
Adedeji Odulesi: My parents were civil servants. My dad worked with the Federal Ministry of Education. I spent nine years at Sokoto, where I completed secondary school, and I also had my NYSC at Kaduna. This greatly helped me with the Hausa language. I spent about three years in Owerri, Imo State, after secondary school. Owerri was my parents’ last posting before they retired while Warri, Delta State, was where the journey began and that was where I picked up pidgin English.
PT: How easy or difficult was it for you to learn and understand French, German, and Spanish?
Adedeji Odulesi: It was easy learning French because there were and still are enough people to speak with. For German, it was not easy, but it came as a challenge after someone spoke it to me at a national conference where I displayed my language skills, and I couldn’t understand what he said. It was with that sense of challenge that I went to Goethe Institute. I even won the scholarship for the best student. Spanish has been the most challenging because I rarely find people to speak with and I couldn’t enrol in a school to learn it.
PT: How expensive is it to enrol in schools in Nigeria to learn these foreign languages?
Adedeji Odulesi: Learning languages in institutions is not really expensive. Apart from Alliance française and Goethe Institute, there are privately established institutions that also offer these services thus making the prices competitive.
PT: I believe you have siblings. How many are they? And since, like you, they also moved around with your parents, do they also speak Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and pidgin fluently like you?
Adedeji Odulesi: I have four siblings. Only my younger brother, Femi, speaks like I do except that he does not speak foreign languages. Otherwise, he is as good as myself.
PT: What did you study in school and what has your career progression been?
Adedeji Odulesi: I studied agriculture at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and thereafter started pursuing public speaking and language skills. I was at Broadcast Academy to polish my public speaking skills before venturing into hosting live programmes on the radio. These skills also made me go into anchoring corporate events on national and international platforms.
PT: So, how has your mastery of multiple languages impacted your career so far?
Adedeji Odulesi: Absolutely. It has opened fantastic doors that I didn’t dream of. It has given me a voice on many social media platforms.
PT: What kinds of doors are those? It would be nice for our readers to share your insights.
Adedeji Odulesi: I have anchored national conferences for professional bodies like CIPM, CIBN, ICAN, IoD, and many more. I have had the opportunity to introduce presidents and governors. Most importantly, I have anchored international programmes where Nigeria is the host and most recently the Bank of Industry CEO conference with 32 countries represented. It is these language skills that open these doors. In addition, it has given me a voice on many social media platforms where I promote national cohesion. On Facebook, for example, interest in my works has led to over 90,000 committed followers. These followers are organically generated.
PT: Can we say you now earn millions as a result of your language skills?
Adedeji Odulesi: Sure. This happened after a video of Deeper Life High School Valedictorian Service in 2019, where I spoke in seven languages, went viral. That very year, I started to earn from five digits to seven digits. It was a shock for me.
PT: What stood that video out? What did viewers find captivating about it?
Adedeji Odulesi: As the master of ceremony at the event, I speak English, French, German, Spanish, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Ijebu, my dialect, with precision and amazing eloquence. The video did not need editing, and it was full of humour. The ambience was also very colourful, and the audience was amazing.
PT: How did your mastery of multiple languages transform you from a no-earner to a low-earner and then to a high-earner?
Adedeji Odulesi: I got dissatisfied with those who insisted they couldn’t pay beyond five digits. I started to get coaching from someone who earned fantastic amounts. My skills got better and then came the viral video which became the game changer.
PT: Will you say studying agriculture was a waste of time for you since you are now earning a living with language skills you acquired formally and informally?
Adedeji Odulesi: No, studying agriculture provided the necessary platform to build on. The years I spent studying agriculture were preparatory years to face the future. No experience in life is a waste.
PT: How has your mastery of the three major Nigerian languages impacted your worldview and belief in your country?
Adedeji Odulesi: My ability to speak Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba has made me appreciate our diversity. Of course, I initially had culture shock, but after overcoming such, I am now a promoter of our diversity for inclusivity. For me, it is humanity first both within and outside Nigeria.
PT: What are those advantages inherent in our diversity that should be promoted? And what are those tendencies that should be discarded?
Adedeji Odulesi: Our Languages should not be left to die because of English. Our attires and food should be promoted too. The social media should be used to promote incidents that promote harmony rather than disharmony. There is no need to say that one tribe is superior and another tribe is inferior.
PT: You have been showcasing polyglots on your show on social media, allowing them opportunities to demonstrate their language skills. What exactly is the thinking behind that endeavour?
Adedeji Odulesi: I have discovered that many of these polyglots do not have a platform to showcase their talents, so I use mine to promote them. Consequently, a number of them have gotten better employment and value for their talents. In addition, they have become role models of how a functional, united society should be. Most of them simply see themselves as Nigerians and not as ijaw, Kanuri or Tiv.
PT: What advice do you have for people desirous of learning languages?
Adedeji Odulesi: There is no age limit to learning languages. Anyone desirous of learning a language should be open-minded and ready to speak, as it is in speaking that one learns. There are Apps online, and there are also language schools. One can also live among the speakers or deliberately hire hands who speak the desired language. People have been known to marry those who speak the language they desire to learn. The options are numerous, and so are the opportunities it creates nationally and internationally.
PT: Which of the languages you speak are you most proud of?
Adedeji Odulesi: French. There is this amazing reaction from those I meet who have a little idea of it based on their secondary school experience. They try to practice with me. Those fluent in it speak with me at conferences, producing a magical experience for onlookers.
PT: Does this mean that that is the language in which you are most fluent?
Adedeji Odulesi: No, but among the foreign languages yes.
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PT: Mr Odulesi, tell me: what are your goals going forward? Where do you aspire to be in the near and far future?
Adedeji Odulesi: I wish to acquire more international languages for global relevance. There are many more opportunities in the global space.
Languages like Swahili, Arabic and Portuguese, which I have started learning already.
PT: Thank you very much for speaking with us. Is there anything else you like to share with our audience?
Adedeji Odulesi: Yes, from the responses I get from my post on various social media platforms, I can see that the average Nigerian, and indeed human being, loves his neighbour irrespective of tribe or religion. It is humanity first.
PT: Thank you.
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