I cannot say I was close to him, nor is it clear that he probably remembered me, but I had a first and last encounter with the late Abubakar Olusola Saraki which left lasting impressions about this political colossus that I would want to share with the rest of the society.
As a young lad in secondary school, at Offa, Kwara State, his name was all over the place. We remember him as that field marshal in politics whose popularity in the state would not allow J. S. Olawoyin, our late hero in Offa to become Governor of Kwara State and we wonder what was it that made this man so tick? Was it his money, his resources, his talent, his popularity, his general acceptance by the rank and file, his dynamism, his astuteness or his brand of politics? That made him so exceptional as to make him hold Kwara politics by the jugular? Why was he able to hold on to the people as the preferred choice so much that if he endorsed even “a tree” to be anything in Kwara State, “that tree” would be elected a governor. So much was his fame and popularity as well as his general acceptance that the word of the ‘Waziri’ was law and his presence heralded so much attention that all struggled to get his favours, at least until he breathed his last. That was Abubakar Olusola Saraki, popularly called “Baba Oloye”, the former Senate Leader and the kingmaker of Kwara politics for close to five decades.
I didn’t know much of the secrets behind the exemplary success of this man because I’ve never been a politician, even if some people would argue that all human beings are political animals. I’ve never been a card-carrying member of any political party but I believe that consciousness should be the bedrock of intellectualism in any society and because of this belief; I admired him from a distance and marvelled at his brand of politics, the uniqueness of his person as well as the peculiarity of his style.
Many would remember him as an extraordinary politician who bestrode Kwara politics with his charm and brand of politics. But someone who should know was later to inform me that he was a highly successful medical practitioner. In the early ‘60s, particularly around 1965 and beyond, he was said to have floated a popular clinic around Apapa Wharf in Lagos, through which he serviced major clients around the area, gained popularly and made tremendous fortune from his sheer wizardry in medical practice. It is said that he made his millions a long time ago as a professional. But how was I to know this since I was a kid; but history exists to guide us and for this reason this truth cannot be controverted.
My admiration for “Baba Oloye” continued until one day shortly after the 1999 general elections in Lagos, specifically at the Murtala Muhammed Airport when I had the rare privilege of having my first and last encounter with this enigma. I came out of that encounter understanding why he became what he was – an enigma, a legend, an institution, an avatar, a generalissimo and field marshal in politics, the father of the “Talakawas” and “Mekunus”, the charming and dashing politician that won the admiration of all the people whose lives he touched so positively.
I had gone to the airport to see-off a friend who was taking a flight to Abuja, and because this friend had a good standing in the society, I had the privilege of accompanying him to the VIP lounge. Seated alone at the lounge was no other person than the irrepressible Olusola Saraki, clutching a newspaper. Of course, I recognised him, having seen his pictures many times in the newspapers. I walked towards him and prostrated to pay homage to this extraordinary Nigerian who I was seeing for the first time at close range without obtaining any visa! It was an opportunity I grabbed with both hands. After exchanging pleasantries, I asked respectfully the elder statesman who he and his followers supported as the presidential candidate between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae, especially since the “Baba Oloye” was not known to belong to any of the political parties of the two leading presidential candidates at the time. Trust the crafty politician, he didn’t give me a direct answer but rather went into a long narrative in the expectation that at the end of his narration I should be able to make my own deductions. What did “Baba Oloye” tell me?
In responding to my question, he informed me how on the eve of the elections, his loyal supporters in Kwara State, young and old, male and female as well as the masses thronged to his residence in large numbers, awaiting his directive as to who they should vote for in the crucial elections. He told me of how he had arrived late from a journey to Ilorin and how in spite of this, the army of loyal supporters waited patiently, defying all odds, with the objective of confirming who his choice was among the two presidential candidates. He said after thanking the supporters for waiting for such a long period, he had asked them whether they wanted to know who to vote for and they responded “Yes”. He told me that without mentioning the name of any of the candidates, he just looked into the sky observing that the atmosphere was very cloudy, which was an indication that there would be a heavy rainfall by tomorrow morning when the elections would take place. Since it was likely to rain, he would advise his supporters not to forget their umbrellas when leaving the house to exercise their voting rights tomorrow. With that statement he had bided the supporters “goodnight”, admonishing them not to forget their umbrellas because of the impending rains. He said he hoped that had answered my question.
That was my first encounter with “Baba Oloye” and ironically it was to be my last encounter with him. But that encounter revealed to me that “Baba Oloye” probably became what he was because of his extraordinary gift of wisdom. It was this wisdom that I now remember with fondness and in our study of Saraki’s brand of politics and political engineering; it may be useful to research into the role his gift of wisdom played in defining his political calculations.
Today, in remembering Abubakar Olusola Saraki and his brand of politics, I want to invite our leaders across the world to apply wisdom in the running of the nation’s affairs and seek the advice of the elderly and gifted in that regard.
There is no doubting the fact that he was evidently a great man with deft moves and who understood politics, particularly the Nigerian brand of politics. It can be said that “Baba Oloye” breathed politics, ate politics, acted politics, danced politics, spoke politics and practised politics throughout his life. Indeed, another name for “Baba Oloye” is “politics.” It would be useful to undertake a research into his peculiar brand of politics as we all pay tribute to the strong man of Kwara politics. As we remember this fallen hero, the question is what will become of Kwara politics after his exit? One thing is clear though, Abubakar Olusola Saraki, 1933 -2012 came, saw and conquered. Adieu “Baba Oloye”!
Shittu is a Lagos-based lawyer
