Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the life and time of the quintessential naval officer, administrator and politician, Vice Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe, who recently passed on at 68.
He was blessed with an excellent gait, a sound mind and a heart of steel and stone. The physical attributes positioned him for soldiering. The indomitable energy and uncanny capacity for risk taking manifested at the naval training sessions, which groomed Michael Okhai Akhigbe for a military career spanning 32 years. His motive, like his contemporaries in the military school, was to become the Chief of Naval Staff. Not only did he achieve self-actualisation in this regard, he also became the number two citizen under the military rule.
In retirement, he was not idle. Again, like many retired soldiers, Akhigbe returned to the school to study law. He set up a thriving law practice, specialising in maritime law. He achieved a breakthrough in business. Having tasted power before, he was apparently seized by nostalgic feelings. Therefore, he turned his attention to politics, cohabiting with many retired Generals in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Unknown to many, the retired Admiral nursed a major pain in his heart. Tortured by cancer, his life was ebbing away. Like a gallant soldier that he was, he fought the ailment with characteristic bravery. Two weeks ago, he gave up the fight.
It was ironic. In Edo, Akhigbe means “somebody who cannot be killed”. But death sneaked into the naval dockyard, snatching the naval chief and throwing his family, relations and associates into mourning.
At home, he was not a prophet without honour. Gloom enveloped Fugar, his home town, immediately the news of his demise was broken. The community was in a sober mood. Schools were closed. The Chairman of Etsako Local Government, Hon. Emmanuel Momoh, declared a three-day mourning period. Akhigbe’s elder brother, Joseph, who expressed shock, described the deceased as a home boy. “It is said that no Nile, no Egypt. So, no Mike, no Fugar”, he said, adding that the community will miss him.
Akhigbe’s footprints are visible in the rural enclave. When the Etsako Council was created, Fugar was named as the headquarter because he was in power. But he also attracted other social amenities, including a hospital and water project. Villagers recalled that the retired Admiral also influenced the government to construct the culverts and tar some roads in the area. “Admiral Mike Akhigbe assisted a lot of youths when he was alive. He assisted people to go to school, get work and start their businesses”, said an indigene, who urged the government to immortalise him.
However, more encomiums have come from higher quarters. It was because Akhogbe was a national asset. His colleague at the Course Three, Nigerian Defense Academy, Senate President David Mark, hailed his dedication to professional excellence. He said that he was perceived as a man of the future as a military student, adding that, when that future came, he did not let his country down in his various military and administrative assignments.
President Goodluck Jonathan, who also paid tribute to him, said that he was among those committed to the “re-proffesionalism of the Armed Forces after decades of involvement in politics”. Many politicians have also described him as a professional in politics, noting that he had stood for good governance in Edo State, where his comments brought him into collision with his party.
Although Akhigbe came into limelight, following his appointment as the military governor of Ondo State, he had paid his dues in the Navy before his posting. He succeeded the former military governor, Commodore Bamidele Otiko. He was a soldier, but he managed to assemble a good cabinet. He appointed some egg heads as commissioners. But the military had no blue-print for governance. Therefore, he was like a sole administrator in a highly sophisticated state.
In the Old Ondo State, Akhigbe will be remembered for two things. He fought for the resuscitation of the Cocoa Board, which was banned by the government. The farmers were happy and they started to relate to the board in a better way. The former governor was also concerned about the infrastructural decay in the state. In 1986, he had stormed Efon-Alaaye, a rustic town in Ekiti Central District, to inspect the erosion sites. Alarmed at the menace, he declared the town as a “disaster area”. Akhigbe appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of the agrarian community. After persistent pleas by the community, the Federal Government awarded the erosion contract, which saved the town from the scourge.
In 1986, Akhigbe was transferred to Lagos State as governor. It was a different terrain. But he also justified his posting. At that time, the controversy over the Structural Adjustment Policy (SAP) was raging. As the governor of the most populous and politically conscious state, he lent his support to the agenda, defending military President Ibrahim Babangida and advising Nigerians to make it work.
He was confronted with the infrastructure challenge. He unfolded plans to build more roads to ease transportation. He also build a special hospital for drug addicts. Alarmed at the congestion in the prison, he called for better treatment for the prisoners to facilitate their easy re-integration into the society. He also freed 242 prisoners, urging them to borrow a new leaf. The former governor called for more medical personnel in rural areas.
His administration also laid an emphasis on staff training. Under its training policy, 22,000 public workers were targeted. The governor also laid the foundation for two model colleges.
The administrator completed some rural electrification projects in 1987. During the commissioning, he called for private investment in the rural areas. He had joined some Lagosians in decrying fund sharing formula of the DFRRI, saying that Lagos deserved a better treatment. That was when the metropolis served as the capital of the country. Twenty six years after, it is ironical that the Lagos is still struggling for a special status as a former Federal Capital Territory, but without success.
Akhigbe was governor in Lagos at a time the Babangida Administration kicked-off a transition programme. A lot of experimentation on diarchy was taking place across the country. Administrative structures were set up for the local governments. The governor ensured that only competent administrators were appointed. In fact, he rejected the councillors’ list from two councils on the ground that the nominees were not the choice of the people.
in 1992, the retired Admiral became the Director of Naval Faculty, Command and Staff College, Jaji. Later, he emerged as the Chief of Naval Staff, following the emergence of the late Gen. Sani Abacha as the Head of State. When Abacha died and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar assumed the reins as the military Head of State and Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), Akhigbe became the Chief of General Staff.
The administration hurriedly set in motion a transition programme. Many pro-democracy activists were skeptical. The number two citizen appealed to the stakeholders to support the programme, which was designed to halt the military rule. Initially, the Abubakar Administration wanted to restore two-party system. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chaired by the late Justice Ephraim Akpata had already registered two parties-the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Peoples Party (APP). However, the Afenifere chieftains pulled out of the APP, following irreconcilable differences. They hurriedly formed the Alliance for Democracy (AD). But the deadline for party registration had expired. The Head of State stood his ground. But Akhigbe, it was believed, urged him to rescind his decision on the proposed two-party system. He said that he knew the people of the Southwest better, having served as governor of Ondo and Lagos states. He explained to his boss that, should the leaders of the region, who were still in agony over the death of Chief Moshood Abiola, boycott the transition process, it may run into credibility crisis. That was how AD was registered.
The military administration, under which Akhigbe serves as the number two citizen, conducted successful presidential, governorship and parliamentary elections. Post-election litigations were minimal. The transfer of power to the civilian authority marked the end of Akhigbe’s military career.
In retirement, he joined the political fray. His next point of call was the ruling PDP. But at home, he also naturally emerged as the Afemai leader. The military had already become a factor in the PDP in the post-military period. But Akhigbe was not impressed by the activities of politicians that received the baton. He became a critic of the system as a lawyer, businessman and politician.
In 2007, the former Chief of Staff declared his bid for the Presidency in Abuja. Although he paraded intimidating credential, he lacked a solid political structure. The PDP had zoned the slot to the North and former President Olusegun Obasanjo had recruited the late Alhaji Umaru Ya’Adua for the job. In his home state, it was worrisome to him that the PDP government was not performing. He decried the incompetence as a party leader.
Akhigbe was more embarrassed by the third term agenda. He chided the proponents, saying that they were taking the country for a ride.
His opinions on the national issues were informed by reason and principle. He had opposed absolute immunity for leaders, saying that it smacked of indulgence. He said those who commit crime in power should face the wrath of the law.
Akhigbe was emotionally attached to his roots as a professional soldier. He had reflected on the state of the Navy, pointing out that it was under-funded. He said the Nigerian Navy could not protect the nation in its current state.
When crisis broke out in the PDP, he urged reconciliation. He said the party leaders should have considered the health of the party by finding solution to the logjam.
The retired soldier also defended the involvement of his colleagues in politics. At Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, he said the retired soldiers cannot be banned from politics because it is their fundamental right.
When critics blamed the military for the woes of Obasanjo Administration, he disagreed. Akhigbe said that the military did not force Obasanjo on Nigerians.
His solution to the tension created by the bitter power struggle among the six geo-political zone was instructive. The retired Admiral said that the Presidency should rotate among the regions for four years each.
Akhigbe lamented the loss of the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula. He blamed the loss on policy blunders.
On the shrinkage of investment flow, he said that the lack of sound guidelines was responsible. He therefore, called for a better regulatory mechanism to make Nigeria an economic giant.
Akhigbe was also concerned about the reputation of Nigeria broad. He called for a solid commitment to democracy. He acknowledged that the long military rule was a mistake. “Democracy will boost Nigeria’s chances of winning the seat of the UN Secretary-General”, he said.
