Summary of The Saint By Tade Adegbindin

The Saint is a novel written by Tade Adegbindin. The novel is about Baba Agba, who is a pagan and his son Ladepo who is a pastor/former teacher. Ladepo, with the use of his father’s spiritual powers, opened a church where he performs miracles. On this blog, you will discover the summary of the Saint by Tade Adegbindin.

Without further ado, let me proceed with the brief summary of The Saint By Tade Adegbindin. You will be able to understand, while Ladepo is a hypocrite. I hope you find it interesting.

Summary Of The Saint By Tade Adegbindin

Ladepo and his wife were poor. They can barely feed or maintain themselves. Life was so difficult for them. They live in a small and cheap apartment, which they are even unable to pay house rent. All these made Ladepo to think for a way out of poverty.

Baba Agba is a strong medicine man who empower his son to perform miracles and wonders. His son’s name is Ladepo and people did not know that he is behind his son’s miracles. Ladepo resigned from teaching profession after he served for 10 years.

He founded a church because he wants to make a lot of money, and with the support of his father’s spiritual activities, he was able to perform a lot of miracles. The people who attend his church did not know that those powers are from occultic power.

People in the city do come to consult Baba Agba in Alabata Village where he live. Men and women, soldiers, traders, politicians and others do consult him too for either promotion or protection. Even his grandson Aremu is amazed by the number of people and quality personnel that visits his grandfather.

Ladepo had to send his son, Aremu, to London to study theology in a seminary school. This is because Aremu went against his father’s choice, insisting that he wants to study philosophy. Though Ladepo already had prepared his son to study a course in religious studies at a university so that he can take over from him.

Continuation of plot summary of The Saint by Tade Adegbindin

As time goes on, Baba Agba kicked the bucket (i.e. he died). His son who is a hypocrite refused to attend the burial of his father. His reason was that his father was a pagan. Despite that he collected money from his church members, they still commend him for not willing to attend his father’s burial, not knowing that he is a hypocrite.

After insisting not to go to London, Aremu finally accept and travel with Rev. Ferguson who is his father’s friend to study Theology. But Aremu went on to study his dream course, which is philosophy. He got a degree in philosophy, then returned home, got a job and married too.

When Aremu visited his grandmother, she told him how they burnt her husband’s shrine and other objects of worship. She converted to Christianity, while all Baba Agba’s legacy was burnt to ashes.

Reconciliation and quarrel

Aremu’s wife, Adetoun, made sure that a reconciliation meeting was fixed with Pastor Ladepo. Atiba, Yele, who are Aremu’s uncles, including his mother, were present in the meeting. The meeting ended in a quarrelsome way. Aremu had to send his father out of his house.

Jimi accompanied Aremu to a shrine in Irefin village. At that place, Ladepo and Aremu met each other. They had gone to seek the blessings of the gods when they collided. Aremu came to look for a solution to his wife’s infertility (unable to conceive a child).

During Aremu’s search for solution to his wife infertility, he was duped by Alamutu. When he found out, he left him and decided to visit another native doctor. He later went to visit Fawolu, where his father (Ladepo) receives spiritual powers. Each time Ladepo comes there for renewal of spiritual strength, he does lie to his wife that he is going for a Christian conference at Ile-ife. And that was a deep secret his wife never knew about.

The nemesis

At Fawolu’s shrine, both Ladepo and Aremu were present for their personal issues. Fawolu the native doctor didn’t even know that Ladepo is the father of Aremu. The native doctor told Aremu that the cause of his wife’s infertility is not from his/her organ.

He went ahead to tell Aremu that the issue is from the atrocities his father committed. His father have been using a lot of innocent souls for sacrifice. Immediately his father was about to offer sacrifice with a cloth he brought, Aremu and his friend jumped at Ladepo. He ran away and left the shrine.

Fawolu the native doctor started begging Aremu and Jimi for forgiveness. On the other hand, Ladepo had an accident along Ibadan – Ife expressway. The news came on the television, and Aremu was shocked, suggesting that his father (Ladepo) must have committed suicide to avoid embarrassment, shame and unveiling of the atrocities he committed.

Theme of The Saint By Tade Adegbindin

Since I’m done with the summary of the Saint by Tade Adegbindin, let’s take a look at the theme of the Saint by Tade Adegbindin. The themes are:

• Poverty
• Deception
• Ritual Sacrifice
• Honesty
• Nemesis

Poverty

Ladepo and his wife were poor that they couldn’t feed well or pay their house rent. It was poverty that forced him into deceiving people. He had to retire from his teaching career to open a church as a business.

Deception

Since Ladepo couldn’t take good care of his family. He opted to open a church with the aim of deceiving his followers. He got powers from his father who is a native doctor, so that he can be able to perform miracles. Not only that, but he makes human sacrifice to renew his power. Also, whenever he goes to renew his powers, he lies to his wife by telling her that he is going for a church activity.

Ritual Sacrifice

Ritual sacrifice, in the novel, involves the use of human parts, which is being used by the native doctor. With the use of ritual sacrifice, pastor Ladepo was able to grow his church and perform miracles. He later died by accident.

Honesty

Baba Agba was honest to his clients till he died. He makes sure that he treat them right, and gave them answer to their questions. He helps to solve their positive and negative wants too.

Nemesis

In this theme, nemesis caught Ladepo. He committed a lot of wickedness. His son’s wife was unable to give birth because of his cruel life. He also, died when he has an accident. This also, affected his late grandfather because Ladepo is his son, and Aremu is his grandson.

Characters of The Saint By Tade Adegbindin

Here are the major and minor characters in the Saint by Tade Adegbindin.

• Baba Agba
• Ladepo
• Mope
• Aremu
• Rev. Ferguson
• Adetoun
• Atiba
• Yele
• Jimi
• Alamutu
• Fawolu
• Agwu

Baba Agba

Baba Agba is a spiritual and occultic man. He is the father of Ladepo

Ladepo

Ladepo is the son of Baba Agba. He founded a church where he deceives his followers with occultic powers, which earns him a lot of money. He stopped teaching after ten years of the profession.

Mope

Mope is the wife of Ladepo. She is the mother of Aremu.

Aremu

Aremu is the son of Ladepo. He is also, the grandson of Baba Agba. His mother’s name is Mope. He was the one that discovered the atrocities of his father.

Rev. Ferguson

Rev. Ferguson is a friend of Aremu’s father. Ladepo wants Aremu to study Theology under the tutelage of Rev. Ferguson.

Adetoun

Adetoun is the wife of Aremu. She is infertile because of his husband’s family atrocities.

Atiba

Atiba is Aremu’s uncle.

Yele

Yele is Aremu’s uncle too.

Jimi

Jimi is a friend of Aremu. He accompanied Aremu to a shrine in Irefin village because he (Aremu) is looking for a solution to his wife’s infertility.

Alamutu

Alamutu is a quack native doctor who duped Aremu.

Fawolu

Fawolu is a renowned native doctor. Ladepo goes to renew his powers every month at Fawolu’s shrine.

Agwu

Agwu is a man who was sentence to death by assassins hired by Pastor Ladepo.

Settings of The Saint By Tade Adegbindin

The settings of the Saint by Tade Adegbindin are the place in which the events took place. The events took place at Irefin Village, Alabata, Ibadan, and London.

Moral lesson on The Saint By Tade Adegbindin

The moral lesson on the Saint by Tade Adegbindin is that one should be positive, and avoid enrolling into danger. Just like in the novel, Ladepo knew that with his father’s spiritual powers, he can open a church and make a lot of money from it, which later works for him.

He ended up in the grave, and the truth came out. His negative thinking led him into such activity. He could not stop because of greed and quest for more money. At the end, nemesis caught up with him.

The Saint by Tade Adegbindin summary above sends a lot of messages to politicians, businessmen/women, and the people as a whole. A lot of people can be a hypocrite, while others would see them as a saint.

I hope you enjoyed this plot summary of the Saint by Tade Adegbindin. Of course, you do. Please share to your friends, and tell us how you feel in the comment box below.