CHIEF JACOB ISRAEL TAIWO BABATOLA WAS BORN AT IDERE COMPOUND, OSIELE, ABEOKUTA ON 10TH DECEMBER, 1928. HIS FATHER WAS LATE PA DANIEL AKANBI BABATOLA, WHO WAS THE EKERIN IJO AND LAYREADER OF SAINT MARY'S CHURCH, OSIELE, ABEOKUTA. HE ANSWERED GOD'S CALL ON A SUNDAY IN 1942.

HIS MOTHER WAS LATE MADAM ALICE BABATOLA, WHO WAS BORN AT IKOPA COMPOUND, ITOKO, ABEOKUTA. SHE ALSO PASSED ON, ON A SUNDAY EARLIER IN 1941.

AT A TENDER AGE OF 14YEARS, CHIEF BABATOLA STARTED LIFE AS AN ORHAN. BEFORE THE DEMISE OF HIS PARENTS, HE ATTENDED CHRIST CHURCH PRIMARY SCHOOL, BAKATARI, IN 1936 AND LATERWENT TO ST. MARY'S ANGLICAN SCHOOL, OSIELE, IN 1939.

CHIEF BABATOLA WAS BAPTISED IN 1930, MARRIED MADAM SUSSANAH BABATOLA (NEE AKINOSI) IN 1954. A THOROUGH AND PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN, HE WAS APPOINTED AS THE DIOCESAN LAYREADER IN 1979 AND ASIWAJU-IJO OF ALL-SAINTS ANGLICAN CHURCH, ILARO (THE CHURCH HE CO-FOUNDED IN 1950) IN 1961 BY REV. CANON OSIYALE. HE BECAME A SYNOD DELEGATE FROM 1975 AND SERVED THE NIGERIA CIVIL DEFENCE AS A FIRE FIGHTING OFFICER.  

CHIEF BABATOLA WENT ON HOLY PILGRIMAGE TO JERUSALEM, CLIMBED THE MOUNT SINAI AND WAXED EVEN STRONGER IN FAITH.

CHIEF BABATOLA'S PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE IS CRYSTALIZED IN THE FOLLOWING BIBLICAL TEXTS: PSALM 119:105, ISAIAH 40:31, JOHN 16:33, JOHN 14:27, AND ROMANS 8:37-39.

HIS FAVOURITE CHORUSES "TA LO DABI 2X OLORUN MI 2X TALO DABI, OLORUN MI, TO S'ELERI TO MU'LERI SE". AND "KO SORO, RARA KOSORO 2X KOSORO F'ELEDA MI, LATI S'ORO MI DAYO, ORO MI S'OLUWA, KO SORO..." STILL ECHO LOUDLY!

DADDY JOINED THE SAINTS TRIUMPHANTS ON SUNDAY, 13TH OCTOBER, 2013 AT THE AGE OF 84 YEARS.

DADDY, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND WE MISS YOU EVERY SECOND!!!