PA JACOB ODULATE: THE MAN WHO INVENTED ALABUKUN POWDER OVER HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Alabukun, one of the oldest drugs in Nigeria and is still very relevant and popular today. However, not many know pa Jacob Odulate aka Blessed Jacob, a nigerian pharmacist, inventor and entrepreneur and the brain behind the brand that has remained relevant,selling in all parts of Nigeria, Benin republic, Cameroon, Ghana and some parts of Europe.
1. Jacob Sogboyega Odulate aka Blessed Jacob was born into a polygamous family in 1884.
2. He was originally from Ikorodu in Lagos State but later moved to the neighbouring Ogun State.
3. At age 14, he trekked for three months from Ikorodu before reaching Abeokuta to establish himself.
4. Blessed Jacob managed to create a brand from what served as his consulting room and workshop in Abeokuta. His modest headquarter was at the Sapon Area, not far from where he later built his famous three-storey building in Ijemo Agbadu.
5. In 1918, he invented the legendary Alabukun powder which is now a hit in the world’s most populous nation and in other West African nations.
6. He sent his children to study at some of the best universities in Durham, Newcastle, United States of America and London. e.g Mrs. Folake Odulate (later to become Chief. Mrs. Folake Solanke) who is the first female lawyer in Nigeria to wear the silk and she also became the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). In 1966, she established the first law firm by a Nigerian female at Ibadan, Oyo State and named it Alabukun Chambers in honour of her great father.
7. Apart from making the drugs, the energetic Blessed Jacob also produced other brands like Alabukun mentholine, other preparations and an annual journal called Alabukun Almanac which was widely distributed in Abeokuta and eventually all over Nigeria between the 1920s and 1950s.
8. He died in 1962 at age 78.
Thank God For His Life.
I wasn’t even born when he died. However, his alabukun made an impact on my life.
Nostalgic!
I used this lovely analgesic bajestically ??
So therapeutic!
Alabukun has been cooling nerves since 1900.
It’s similar to panadol and paracetamol but in powder form and in a sachet.
Is it still produced?
I think so. I still took it in early 2000s.
New geration aka indomie wouldn’t know alabukun.
Old school lapels used it bajestically ? Especially during our teenage days.
Baba odulate made a mark on the sands of time.
He left a good legacy.
God will continue to be with his. family.
May his soul continue to rest in peace.
