Isola was born in
Ibadan in 1939. He attended Labode Methodist School and
Wesley College. He then studied at the
University of Ibadan, earning a B.A. in French. He was appointed professor at Obafemi Awolowo University in 1991. Isola wrote his first play,
Efunsetan Aniwura, during 1961-62 while still a student at the University of Ibadan. This was followed by a novel,
O Le Ku. In 1986, he wrote and composed the
college anthem that is currently sung in
Wesley College Ibadan. He went on to write a number of plays and novels. He broke into broadcasting, creating a production company that has turned a number of his plays into television dramas and films. Though he claimed, "my target audience are Yorubas", Isola also wrote in
English and translated to Yoruba. On May 4, 2015, his book
Herbert Macaulay and the Spirit of Lagos was staged at the Performing Arts Theatre of the
University of Ilorin in
Kwara State. It was directed by Adams Abdulfatai Ayomide for the annual season of plays festival. In 2000, in recognition of his immense contributions, he was awarded the National Merit Award and appointed a Fellow of the
Nigerian Academy of Letters. He was also a visiting professor at the
University of Georgia. ==Personal life==