By Remi Oyeyemi

The value of a philosopher isn’t really about producing concrete things like a scientist or engineer might—it’s about shaping how we think, which quietly influences almost everything else.

At the most basic level, philosophers question assumptions. Someone like Socrates built his whole method around asking, “How do you know that?” That habit—examining beliefs instead of just inheriting them—is foundational to critical thinking, science, law, and even everyday decision-making.

Philosophers also clarify ideas that people use all the time but rarely define. Think about concepts like justice, truth, freedom, or consciousness. Immanuel Kant, for example, reshaped how we think about morality by arguing that intent and universal principles matter more than outcomes alone. Whether you agree with him or not, that framework still underpins modern debates about ethics, human rights, and responsibility.

There’s also a practical side. Philosophical thinking helps with our daily choices in terms of what we do amongst ourselves. It is difficult to clearly construct the role of conscience in “philosophizing”, but evidently there had to be a body of values that would serve as framework for certain expectations. What appears to be inalienable variable of philosophy is the ability to ask questions about any belief. It is not intellectually safe to characterize some beliefs as “positive” or “negative”, until such has been subjected to a body of variables that the community considers as acceptable.

Thus, decision-making (weighing values, process and not just outcomes) remains one of the areas that “philosophy” has influenced our daily trajectories. Tools for the task would include but not limited to argument analysis (spotting weak logic, bias, manipulation) and meaning and purpose (what makes a life “good” or worthwhile).

It is no-gainsaying that the entire existential concept in all ramifications had been influenced by philosophy. The social systems. The economic systems. The religious systems. The political systems and many other human systems are rooted in philosophy. Ideas from thinkers like John Locke influenced modern democracy—concepts like individual rights and government by consent didn’t just appear; they were argued into existence.

That said, philosophy can feel abstract or disconnected. Its “merit” depends on whether you see value in reflection versus action. A fair criticism is that philosophy doesn’t always solve problems directly—it often reframes them. But that reframing can be powerful: the way a problem is understood often determines what solutions are even possible.
Philosophers don’t just give answers—they improve the quality of the questions. And better questions tend to lead to better thinking everywhere else.

The extent to which this has been responsible for the emergence of AWOISM, enunciated by Obafemi Awolowo, is open to debate. Awoism as a philosophy encapsulates the focus of all its tentacles on MAN. A philosophy that identifies the challenges of MAN in his environment. And how MAN could overcome such challenges to live a successful and fulfilling life. How Awolowo has been able to “philosophise” his ideas into existence is for the science of politics and philosophy to extrapolate and decipher. That many have been advocating for the emergence of “philosopher kings” or more appropriately, “philosopher Presidents”, “philosopher Prime Ministers”, or simply “philosopher leaders” is very instructive. It pre-supposes that there are embedded values in those types of leaders.

This is the task that Professor Olawale Awodiya has been doing all his life. He has been asking questions on various aspects of human endeavour, and creating better thinking humans all over. He has authored fourteen books, co-authored eight others, written several Journal articles, several papers, presentations and workshops. Professor Awodiya has been “philosophizing.” He has been asking questions. He has been spreading the gospel of critical thinking. He has been shaking the tables. That some of his books have been adopted as Course books in some universities on merit, without any peddling of influence whatsoever, is a testament to his depth, extent of his horizon and the panoramic nature of his vistas

Obafemi Awolowo had met the challenge of “practicality” with his own “philosophy”, and through that, impacted the lives of his people transformatively and pervasively over several generations. Olawale Awodiya has chosen to answer the connectivity of his own philosophy to humanity in a slightly different way. He is impacting the lives of many in several academic institutions across the continents. From University of Lagos, Nigeria, to the Delaware State University, Delaware, USA. From Suffolk County Community College in New York to Bowie State University in Maryland, USA. From Rowan University in New Jersey to the University of District of Columbia in Washington DC. From Nassau Community College in New York to Charles Community College in Maryland and to the College of New Rochelle, in New York. A member of University Senate in many institutions

Obafemi Awolowo in his 1968 book, My Early Life, reflecting on his dedication to intellectual work and public service over hedonism, stated as follows:

“While many men in power and public office are busy carousing in the midst of women of easy virtue and men of low morals, I, as a few others like me, am busy at my desk thinking about the problems of Nigeria and proffering solutions to them. Only the deep can call to the deep.”

This is the principle that Prof. Wale Awodiya has lived by all these years. His love of solitude is amazing. His affection of solitary is intriguing. His love of seclusion is breathtaking. His need for mental space is insatiable. The mental space that guarantees his “inner focus” or “companionate solitude” (being alone with one’s thoughts) even when physically in a crowded place. Solitude provides him peace, gets his mind engaged constructively and approbates his mental productivity. He fits the perfect characterization as a connoisseur of recluse.

He seldom appears at ceremonies. He is social but very disciplined. Eight out of ten times, you are likely to find him in the library than in a party. He is a bookworm. He projects a complex constitution, a remix of reticence and a glowing affability. He is a warm, polite, and courteous gentleman. He makes others feel comfortable in conversation. He is hypnotizing in his succulent mien. He exudes a calm countenance. His personality is a consummation of control and coolness. He radiates a deportment of gentility. His geniality is laced with refrained enthusiasm.

As could be seen from the above, he is a very successful academic, whose influence and tentacles stream across very many reputable institutions in Nigeria and the USA. But here is a man just like the sage Obafemi Awolowo who was also a journalist. He had gone through the grind in stride and marched through the mill to become a distinguished journalist.

He has combed the field of public relations and has also become a publisher.

One made efforts to see the confluence of philosophy and journalism. A journalist acting as a philosopher would be rightly described as “philosopher journalist.” As a matter of course, he bridges lived experience with intellectual inquiry, often focusing on social justice and moral failures to provide context to societal events. He merges the investigation of immediate events with the search for deeper meaning, treating journalism as “philosophy practiced under exposure”. He uses the tools of reporting—research, interviews, and narrative—to uncover universal truths and ethical implications rather than merely reporting facts, acting as both a guide and mirror of their age. This responsibility requires mastering judgments, discerning truth from propaganda, and maintaining a high standard of moral responsibility to the audience.

But when a philosopher decides to act as a journalist, the challenges become a little skewed. It behooves him to bring deep conceptual analysis, ethical rigor, and a focus on underlying principles to news reporting, transforming “what happened” into “what it means.” He bridges the gap between abstract ideas and daily events, enhancing the depth of opinion pieces and providing context that identifies the core ethical or social failures in a story.

It becomes his duty to clarify key concepts, cutting through jargon and buzzwords that often block political progress, ensuring precise, ethical language in reporting. It becomes his responsibility to analyze the ethical dimensions of crises, such as evaluating the justness of wars or identifying moral failures within criminal justice systems, focusing only on immediate facts, connecting current events to broader, often universal or eternal, questions about human existence. Most importantly, he brings structural discipline to argument-driven journalism (editorials), ensuring that arguments for policy or social change are sound and well-constructed.

This is what Professor Awodiya has brought to the table. The combination of these perspectives as his framework has gratified his trajectory as a journalist, authentic writer, public relations expert, communications guru and a publisher of note. From his earliest days as a Script Writer at Olu Holloway Limited, Lagos, to being the Sub-Editor at the Concord Newspapers in Ikeja, Lagos, and Regional Public Relations Officer to NITEL, he has trudged the thick forest of pristine professionalism, meandering through torn and roses. In fact, and indeed, many of his fourteen books are about communication in varied ramifications. He has examined the subject from every angle possible and has laid the foundation for the coming generation of intellectuals in that special field. As a publisher, his monthly publication of Nigeria University Times, has garnered qualitative reputation among those who seek to know the latest about the Nigerian tertiary education.

Prof. Wale Awodiya is authentically autochthonous to Ijesaland. There is no mixed blood in his veins. Chief James Esan Awodiya was his paternal grandfather and was the Odole of Ilesa from 1951 -1973. Chief Esan Awodiya was a two-time regent, the only person to have such honour in Ijesa history. He was regent 1956 – 1957 before Owa Obokun Ogunmokun Fiwajoye Biladu III was installed in 1957 and regent from 1963-1966 before Owa Obokun Adeniran Olatunji Agunlejika II, was crowned in 1966. Odole Esan Awodiya was married to Princess Aina Awodiya, (nee Fowowe). Odole Awodiya’s chieftaincy compound at Ifofin till today is an ode to history and heritage. It remains a veritable rendition of our culture and tradition in real time.

Chief Oladeinde Awodiya was Prof. Wale Awodiya’s father. He had a reputation for taste and class. Urbane and sophisticated. Genial and genteel. Always well-groomed with a carriage of nobility and aristocracy. He was also renowned as the General Manager of the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa. He was the Hospital Administrator for 35 years, a record that still remains unbroken. His house at Omiiru, Ilesa, remains an edification of the dalliance of tradition and modernity. A direct expression of pride in Yoruba culture in the warm embrace of modernity. The house was the hive of European doctors who worked at Wesley Hospital then. He was the Baba -Ijo of Methodist Church, Ifofin, Ilesa.

Madam Bukola Abeni Awodiya (nee Fasugbe) was the mother of Prof. Wale Awodiya. She was a scion of Pa Joseph Fasugbe family of Okesa, Ilesa. Madam Ojuolape Fasugbe, wife of Pa Joseph Fasugbe, was herself, the daughter of Pa Amodu also of Okesa, Ilesa. Madam Abeni Awodiya was a very formidable business woman. She was intimidatingly successful. She had distributorship of the International Breweries, Ilesa and Ewekoro Cement Factory. She was wholesale marketer of Kerosene and Flower in Ibadan. An astute leader, Madam Abeni Awodiya was for several years, Iya-Egbe of Cement Sellers Association of Challenge, Ringroad and Jericho, Ibadan.

Coming from this kind of beautiful and very distinguished background to become a very sound philosopher is very interesting. As pinpointed above, Prof. Awodiya shares a lot of things in common, with the Sage, the greatest Yoruba son since Oduduwa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his trajectory. He also shares the same common trajectory with Friedrich Engels (1820-1895), a German philosopher, social and political theorist, journalist, and businessman. Prof. Awodiya has the same background of some wealth like Engels. Friedrich Engels authored or co-authored at least 25 to 30 significant works, including books, major pamphlets, and posthumously edited volumes. While the exact count varies by how historians categorize his numerous essays and long-form polemics, his most vital contributions are well-documented.

Professor Olawale Awodiya is in good companies. His quest to shape the minds, to shape humanity via the asking of vital and critical questions would outlive him. Unwittingly, he is enshrining his footprints in the sands of immortality.