Category: Special Report

Samuel Joseph Samuel is passionate about agriculture and the need to develop the sector. According to him, progress in the sector is being hampered by a number of reasons including what he described as internal bickering among various stakeholders and groups. He spoke with our correspondent, DELE ANOFI, recently in Abuja. Excerpts:

What is the essence of the government, private sector  partnership in Agriculture value chain to support Agriculture Transformation Agenda put together by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group?

With this inaugural government/private sector  partnership in Agriculture Value Chain to Support Agriculture Transformation Agenda, the Nigerian agriculture is having a voice, it is having a direction and this direction for the first time is being driven by the real sector; and the private sector players. Over a long period, we have observed that there are several coming together of groups to support agriculture in Nigeria, but we have not seen the effect of these groups on the economy and agriculture itself. Associations have been there over the years and there has being increase in the number of imports of agricultural produce into Nigeria like rice and tomatoes. In 1993, Nigerian agriculture was up the ladder and it came down and down until 2003 when we had a stablilty and then we are going up a little bit now, but we are not yet where we were in 1993.

What is the effect of this association?

Our thinking is that with an association like this, you can have the private sector player driving the agricultural sector, which in turn will give direction to other sectors of our economy. For the first time, stakeholders came together to discuss real issues, share experiences and collate data of their members in various states of happenings in the various sectors. It is significant to say that feat is informed by the fact that for the first time also, we have a major contributor, a private sector player as our Minister of Agriculture. We are also very lucky at this time that there seems to be planning in the process of governance and management in Nigeria. So, for us in the agric sector, this new group is a rallying point where you can go and find data of what is happening in Nigeria. Of course, our core challenge over time is how much data do we have locally,  shortfalls and the need areas and how do we harness  these need areas if they are available? So, with this group, we are definitely going to have the areas plumbed.

How would all of this impact on Nigerians, put food on their tables and ensure food security?   Now, you are going to have to know that we have X number of tomato farmers and these are the capacities of these tomato farmers and the challenges they are facing and this is what government is doing to solve it. Also, it will become accessible, where government has made a policy that will support, for instance,  tomato growers, the cocoa farmers, cotton farmers.  That policy will be able to flow down quickly to the farmers or the people who need this information which is a gap that we used to have. You will also be able to have for the first time, real sector players approach as a group and say these are your problems and this is what we want to do. Basically, this is the kind of solution that I feel the sector wants and is given now. In a nutshell, this development will lead to the maximisation of our agriculture potentials as knowledge and experience are shared with larger group for greater effect. The eventual result can only be a multiplier in dimension with more agricultural produce and products for local consumption and export. The effect will not only rub off on other sectors, employment generation, wealth creation, but the sustenance of the middle class is also assured.

Don’t you think  land development as a challenge can impede whatever growth envisaged by this development and how do you think farmers can overcome the challenge?

Land development is a big issue for farmers and the agriculture sector in general. The core challenge with it is the cost of land development. In some areas, the cost of maintenance is the main challenge which  is the reason why the North has an edge over the South. But again, government is putting together bodies to be able to solve some of these issues, but I can say clearly that most of the challenge of land development has a lot to do with consistency. I give you an example, invest N100m  to open up a land in Ekiti and after one year, you abandon this land, before you go back the next year, the land has turned to a forest. So, if there is no consistency in maintaining some of this land, there will be problems. We have a lot of farm estates in the South West for example, that were opened up, cleared, groomed for some years and then abandoned. All these farm estates have now turned to gigantic forest. Policy consistency which would interest the farmers to want to  continue in that sector is an area that requires proper attention. Funding is key, if  you put in fund that requires 10 years to recover, then, it means that farmers need to be there for the 10 years to be able to pay for it. On the other hand, if the farmer abandons the land after two years, what it simply means is that the man won’t have his money back. As of now, there is no interest in land development, they are critical issues that need to be looked into in the area of agriculture. Government has a lot to do in that aspect because it is too huge for small holding or medium scale farmers to embark on, if we are looking at maximum impact on a national scale.

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina  commended your organisation for its Green House initiative, what motivated you into that initiative?

It won’t be wrong to say that for the first time, Nigerians are responding to government, particularly the call to have more investors and more money put into agriculture. That goes to show that there is a semblance of conscious effort on the part of government and that was what  informed our group’s desire and continuous investment in agriculture. The Green House initiative is very clear, what we are saying is that there are areas where states have competitive advantage. For instance, a state like Lagos does not have a huge land mass like Ekiti or Oyo States in the upland of Kano and Bauchi, but can play a big role in agriculture through the Green House system. The investment outlay may be huge but of course, the impact on the economy is large. So, we decided to go into Green House development and it is in response to the continuous calls by government and of course, the stable environment that we are having now.

Vegefresh seems to be blazing a trail in its chosen area. What’s your view?

Well, what Vegifresh did and what our interests are, what are the problems and how we can solve them are some of the issues. One, the problem is that we don’t have improved yield, there is no enough tomatoes for processing, processing is not taking place.  So our group took all the effort by researching into improved yield by investing in the tomato value chain. With that, we set up tomato farms in Nigeria and we have processing capacity in Bauchi, Ekiti and Lagos. This processing capacity is what we are now giving back. That will help the farmers have a place to process their tomatoes, reduce wastages and reduce importation of tomatoes. When we started in Lagos, we realised that you could not grow tomato in Lagos, so we went into Green House farm in Lagos. In cassava, we realized that there was no processing capacity, we built it. Most of what we do is to create capacity where there are challenges and that is what we have been able to successfully do in the area of agricultural mechanisation. So our mechanics of agric development is more of the interest where Vegifresh is working very hard to develop.

How do you meet funding challenges, either in partnership with government or some private sector players?

We are wholly private sector funded and we are looking at the possibility of partnering with several governments because no one can do it alone. We are also looking for loans to finance our project. For example, if you want to develop 10,000 acres of land, land clearing and development in a place like Osun, it will cost you N420m for 10,000 acres. The implication is that if you do 20,000 acres of land just for land development, you have N840m. We are not talking about how to develop the crops, among other attendant factors before getting to the consumer.  So, these are the areas where Vegefresh group is working very hard to partner with the government and the people.

Meanwhile, at  Vegefresh,  we  have a programme to encourage more farmers to serve as our Argo workers and the key thing is to reduce entry requirement, that is the cost of entering into a farming interest for new farmers. Basically, what we are doing is to look at the possibility of preparing the land and bringing on board farmers we can mentor to grow. Up and coming farmers are the future of Nigeria and there are no two ways to it and we are encouraging them.

Notwithstanding critics’ position that roads in Delta State are in deplorable state and therefore cannot justify any investment by government in transportation, what could be described as a silent revolution is taking place in the transport sector in the state.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan confirmed this much recently at the launch of the1,250 tricycles to replace motorcycles popularly called Okada as a means of transport in the state in September ending.

While addressing the gathering, the governor declared: “We are improving the transport sector and very soon, more commercial buses and boats for the riverine for our people. The time has come for us to adopt a comprehensive transport system that would guarantee the safety of lives and property in the state”.

Taken at face value, this mind set could have probably informed the flurry of activities in the last three months in the state that has seen the government launch buses, tricycles and taken delivery of water buses to boost both land and marine transport.

“This is a massive investment by the governor in his bid to give the state’s urban transport a facelift. Those who are saying the roads are bad, that we should continue with Okada are not mindful of the security implication of continuing with that mode of transportation; the havoc people use Okada to inflict on innocent people and the fatality of the accidents involving Okada. Let the government continue with the urban transport renewal project, it is a good idea that we should not continue to postpone for any partisan consideration. At least we have started, let us see how we progress from here”, a source who craved anonymity told The Nation in Asaba, the state capital, last weekend.

The government’s plan is to introduce the tricycles as means of transportation, in strategic cities across the state in phases to replace the popular albeit controversial Okada form of transportation. The plan has already taken off on November 1, in the three major cities of Asaba, Warri and Effurun.

To make the introduction of the tricycles appealing and to ensure that it does not constitute a financial yoke to the primary beneficiaries – the Okada riders in the state – the state government bent backwards to assist them by announcing a subsidy of about 70 percent in the price of the tricycles. What ordinarily should cost about N400,000:00, with the kind approval of the governor, was given out for N150,000:00.

But typical of almost every initiative of government in this part of the world, unscrupulous elements would always find a way to abuse, if not destroy it for selfish reasons. And in a show of a propensity for self-destruct, it was gathered that those who got the tricycles for the subsidised rate connived with crooked businessmen who bought it of them for between N250,000:00 and N300,000:00 thereby making an instant profit of between N100,000:00 and N150,000:00.

Besides, tongues started wagging that the scheme was all about political patronage designed by the government to settle “the boys”. But the Commissioner for Transport, Ben Igbakpa, debunked the allegation in a subdued angry tone, saying mischief makers would stop at nothing to discredit a laudable programme. Speaking to The Nation, Igbakpa said: “That is very funny. I sat with His Excellency, the governor, and it was agreed that these tricycles should be given to the commercial motorcycle unions. So they have their leaders and have been doing their things. When the governor commissioned the tricycles, he handed them to the unions. They are to collect the money and pay into government’s account, and when we see the proof of payment, then I release the number of tricycles they have paid for to them. So they were the ones doing the distribution really not the government and there was no particular yardsticks used in distribution as only the Okada riders are the ones doing it, not to talk of using it as a tool for political patronage.

“You may even go and cross-check what the governor said on that occasion. It was as if he knew. To me, those who are saying this are equally saying that if they were the ones in position, they would use the programme as political patronage. Sorry, His Excellency is not like that.”

For the record, Governor Uduaghan at the launch of the tricycles had stressed that they were exclusively reserved for commercial motorcycle operators, warning politicians to keep off as they were not meant for political patronage.

He specifically enjoined politicians not to see the policy as an avenue for providing jobs for their boys and advised them to go to the open market if they were interested in empowering their boys with tricycles.

His words: “I like to appeal to the political class not to interfere in the distribution of these tricycles. Do not use it to settle your boys. The tricycles are strictly for the Okada riders who are transiting from Okada to tricycles.’’

Barely a month after the launch of the tricycles, Governor Uduaghan also launched 160 new buses in October to further boost the transport sector in the state. They included 50 units of Marcopolo buses, 100 units of Toyota Haice buses and 10 units of Tata buses.

While commissioning the buses in Asaba, Governor Uduaghan explained that investment in the transportation sector was part of his Human Capital Development agenda, adding that the objective was to touch lives in the rural areas.

He said the aim of investing in the transportation sector was to reduce the cost of transportation and make Deltans travel in a more comfortable condition. He maintained that Deltans were entitled to enter good vehicles whether they own one or not.

And, again, critics soon latched unto the announcement that majority of the Marcopolo and TaTa buses would be run by private transport services, while 50 of the Toyota buses would be run by the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

Igbakpa, again, defended the policy, saying the trend is that only government businesses with private touch tend to do well as a general observation. He argued that of all the operators the government has been dealing with, the private operators have been exceptionally good and therefore government has no hesitation in engaging it to manage the larger number of the buses.

In like manner, the government is not detached from the transport needs of the riverine communities in the state. The government has taken delivery of 110 units of Almarine built 18-seater water buses out of the 130 units that were approved by the State Executive Council. It was learnt that the remaining 20 units are already at the Apapa Port and would be delivered anytime from now to the government in the state. Once the numbers are complete, they would be commissioned and given out to be managed by competent private transport companies that specialise in marine transport.

Signs that the transport sector would enjoy some fillip showed early in the year. When the removal of subsidy was announced as a New Year gift to Nigerians by the Federal Government, it would be recalled that it generated a lot of tension across the country. Yet, in Delta State, all was calm. Igbakpa linked this to the foresightedness of Governor Uduaghan who had had about 100 buses bought and had to commission them then to quickly cushion the effect of the hike in the pump price of petrol.

In fact, when it was noticed that owners of transport companies were diverting fuel subsidy palliatives in the state, the government threatened them with severe sanctions. The state government had directed the transport companies not to increase fares as a result of the hike in the price of petrol, noting that it would bear the extra cost occasioned by the increment. But some of the operators were playing smart.

The governor, who was said to have been visibly unhappy with the action of the transport companies, lamented that after several discussions and agreements with them, they still went ahead to corner the palliatives provided by the state government.

“I don’t want a repeat of this. Do not collect more than the fare you were charging before Christmas. If you repeat this, I will show you the way out. Transport companies should be humane rather than exploitative at this material time in the nation’s history. Do not exploit the people. Be considerate and charge moderate fares. There should not be anything like special seasonal fares. Instead of high fares, it should be lower”, the governor was reported to have warned the operators concerned.

While attention is fixed on the current effort by the government, a source in Asaba said there is nothing new in the drive by the Uduaghan administration for urban renewal in the transport sector. The source, who would not want his name mentioned, insisted that since 2008, the governor has demonstrated his commitment to safe, clean, affordable and efficient transportation in the state.

“The truth is that the state government’s policy for the provision of cheap and affordable transportation for Deltans dates back to 2008. I have been in this transport business for a while now. That year, I remember the government launched the State Urban Taxi scheme with 170 taxis. These taxis have helped to alleviate the transportation problems in the state.

“Then between 2009 and 2011, the government bought about 500 units of 18-seater buses for the State Urban Transportation Programme. Some of these buses, about 40, were given to schools as shuttle to assist the students who were then experiencing transportation problems”.

The state government moved in to alleviate the transport challenges faced by tertiary school students by providing in nine units of 38-seater Nissan Civilian buses to them.

The buses were distributed to the three campuses of Delta State University at Abraka, Asaba and Oleh, the three polytechnics at Ozoro, Otefe and Ogwashi-Uku and the Colleges of Education at Agbor, Warri and Mosogar.

Evidently, the transport sector in the state has enjoyed good attention from government, a development Igbakpa said must be encouraged. According to him, “The transport sector is an important component of the state economy, impacting on socio-economic developments and people’s welfare. Only an efficient transport infrastructure and services will provide some of the economic and social opportunities the state needs to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). In fact,transport is one of the key sectors that play a crucial role in achieving the goals of poverty eradication and sustainable development, the sectors is very much linked and influences development in other sector of the economy”.

But then, the general concern about the parlous shape of roads across the state continues to be a source of worry to many people. They argue that the first thing would be to fix the roads if the government wishes to see the many buses it is buying serve the people for a long time. Besides, they also argue that no amount of professionalism would guarantee efficient and sustainable transport system where the roads are manifestly bad. The call has been “please fix these roads.”

A prominent indigene of Asaba, told The Nation that those criticising the government for not doing enough on rehabilitation of roads and or construction of new ones are by all standard justified and can be called patriots. He jokingly asked in Pidgin English, “abi the vehicles wan fly? No bi road them go pass? Dis no be politics, this one na the right thing to say, we all be PDP and na we all get Delta”.

But while conceding that the state is facing challenges of roads, Igbakpa insisted that critics are not fair and have failed to cross check their facts. He argued that the state is unique and the terrain very demanding as is with all Niger Delta states. Besides, he insisted that the resources available are small in relation to the number of issues begging for urgent demand. He revealed that the governor last week gave the contractors up to December 15 to perform or be fired.

The hope is that the contractors will perform so as to ensure that Deltans celebrate the coming yuletide season enjoying good buses and plying good and safe roads.

Chief Michael Adeniyi Koleoso served as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) between 1999-2003 in the Lam Adesina’s administration. Koleoso, a former National Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), relives his experience with Lam Adesina whom he referred to as a ‘bossom friend’ for over five decades when he spoke with OSEHEYE OKWUOFU in his Saki residence in Saki West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

HOW did you receive the news of the passage of your friend, Alhaji Lam Adesina, who died in a Lagos hospital last Sunday? Somebody called on the phone informing me that Lam died. I felt devastated because I didn’t expect him to die, though death will eventually come one day but he was full of life when I paid him a visit a few days ago before I got the shocking news. You know, we were together in the hospital where I had gone to visit him and we had a lively discussion. We read the dailies together and expressed our feelings about what we read together. It was a rude shock and immediately, I had to pick my phones and start coming to Ibadan. How long did you know him as a friend? Ah, I had known Lam for a very very long time, for over five decades and we had been close since that time. We were like David and Jonathan, just to tell you how close we were. And we had remained in the same progressives all along because we shared the same political ideology, the same principles etc. What can you say about Lam as a person? Oh, very amiable, selfless, and considerate fellow who cherished the welfare of others. He would not want any discomfort for anybody. He was very intelligent, somebody who always sought the good of others. You served together with him in the AD government from 1999-2003 as Secretary to the State Government. Can you share your working experience with Lam? As I mentioned earlier on, he was my bosom friend even before we were in government. Lam and I enjoyed doing things together. We planned together. When it was time for meals, we ate together. This was so much pronounced that people outside started saying maybe the two belonged to a cult. It was strange to hear such talks, because we didn’t believe in cult. Lam was a devout muslim and I am a practising Christian. But they were saying things because they could not find what was going on between us. We had to ignore them since we did not belong to any cult. All we knew was that we were very close as friends and it was not out of place for people to read meanings into people’s life style and relationship. We did things together. During meal time, while we were in government, we ate together in the office. And people kept wondering that there must be something between us. But I can tell you there was nothing other than love, understanding and sharing of common goals, aspirations and ideas. We never disagreed and that was why we were able to flow on many issues. Working with him was a very pleasant experience anybody would pray to have. He was tolerant, considerate and above all always seeking the interest of others first. He was full of brilliant ideas, and a very cheerful person who you would enjoy every bit of your stay with him. We can say our friendship endured because we shared many things in common- honesty, virtues, probity, courage and love of God and humanity. When was the last time you saw him and what was your last discussion with him? I saw him last when I went to St. Nicholas Hospital to visit him in Lagos. And we had a very pleasant time a very useful discussion together. We talked about the state of the nation, our party in the state, especially how to strengthen and harmonised all interests. We talked about the activities of the government and he advised that we should work together for the progress of the party. Did he have a premonition of his death? No, because all our discussions ended on one note that when he returned to Ibadan, then a lot of things would be done. He had the mind of coming back and everybody was eager to have him back home. He was also eager to come home and I could read this from our discussion. That is why I said that his demise was sudden and unexpected. He died at a time all the people were eagerly waiting to receive him back home. So, it was a rude shock to me that he passed on at this time. Lam was a great man, a true friend and a lover of the people.

Alhaji Fatai Ibukunle is popularly referred to as Lam’s boy. He served as Personal Assistant to Alhaji Lam Adesina for close to 30 years. In this interview with OSEHEYE OKWUOFU at Felele, Ibadan residence of the late political icon who breathed his last Sunday in a Lagos hospital, the current Special Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, spoke on his experience working with the late Lam Adesina, his political philosophy and what he told him during his last moments in the hospital. Excerpts.

BABA Adesina was a father to me because he took over my upkeep right from my tender age and brought me up since then. He took over everything that had to do with my upbringing since he became the House of Representatives member in 1979. He mentored me on how to live life and on how to chart the political terrain. How do you rate him as a leader? He was a fine gentleman. Adesina was my own Awo because I never lived with Awolowo, but I have been with Adesina and he was a very kind and considerate leader and he loved people and loved putting his followers in positions of authority. Ask people the question, who made you chairmen of local government chairman? And the answer will be Lam. Who made you commissione? Lam. Who made you the House of Representatives member? Lam. He loved to put people in positions and making people happy. He didn’t even have much time for himself, but was always addressing others’ problems. So, he was a complete gentleman. How do you rate him as a politician? He was a fine politician. He would never harbour any grudge against anyone. He would say things the way they were without fear or favour. He would tell us look, whenever you want to go to for political struggle or contest, make sure you go with your brain and diplomacy, and that as a politician, you must be diplomatic and must succumb to the will of Allah. And that anytime you are looking for something, you should prepare your mind that it is going to be a failure. If you success, okay, but if you fail, it will not be a problem to you because you have already prepared your mind. That’s is why some politicians develop hypertension. Throughout his life, he never suffered blood pressure or undue anxiety because anytime we were going for any contest, he would tell us, look Fatai, let us prepare our mind to the fact that humans are what they are, we should never look for perfection, human beings can change. Let us believe that it’s either we win or lose. And let us put in our best that will make us win. But if we lose, it should not be a shock to us. So, Lam was a complete politician. You know he started in 1979 when he contested the State House of Assembly election, but along the line, Baba Awolowo said no, he should go for the House of Reps. So, his mind was to go to the State House of Assembly, a lower position, but Awo said he should go higher. Then, in 1987, he was prepared to go for local government election, but Babangida banned them and thereafter they said he should come, but he said no, he was no more interested. That was when Baba Alayande’s son became local government chairman. Recall that the late Lam Adesina had made attempt in the late 1980s to become governor of Oyo State, but somewhere along the line, that wasn’t to be. What happened? Well, what happened was that in 1988, his people came to him and asked him to represent them in the Constituent Assembly, and he went. So, during the 1988-89 Constituent Assembly, he and others like of Chief Segun Osoba came together and formed a political movement which later on metamorphosed into SDP. So, he tried to become governor at that time, but people disappointed him. People like Adedibu and co., they sabotaged his effort and he was left resigned to fate. And in 1983, when he wanted to go for the deputy governorship, with Chief S. M. Afolabi, they disappointed him again. But those who believed in him urged him to go for a second term in the House of Reps, but he was still resigned to fate. Chief S. M. Afolabi and others went to NPN, but Baba Lam said he was not leaving the UPN because his own philosophy was tied with the progressives. He said he was not leaving. And he did not leave the party even when the likes of Eruobodo went to NPN. A lot of people went to NPN then in annoyance because Awolowo disappointed them but Baba Lam said no. So, despite the disappointment in SDP, he did not leave the party. He remained there when Adedibu and co disappointed him. At a point in time, it was learnt that Abacha tried to lure him to his side. What happened after that? They were urging him to leave the struggle then in NADECO. A lot of enticements were brought to soften Baba’s stance but he turned them down and later Abacha wanted a reliable politician and sought him out, but he said no, he was not leaving the struggle. He said he was a NADECO member and that they were going to fight Abacha till he left that office. And after Abacha’s death, with all the struggles including imprisonment, they asked him, sir, what are you going for? But Baba Lam said he was not desperate. He said he didn’t know, but God will tell him the thing to do and the right way to go. After some time, they told him to go for governorship and after much consultation, he went for governorship. And he became governor in 1999. How would you describe your relationship with Lam? The relationship was that of a father, mentor and son. A father who loved his son so much. Many thought I was his biological son. But no! It was just out of interest. He took me in when I was very young and for over 30 years, I was with him as his PA. And throughout the period, any meeting he wanted to go, he would call me. Even when at the Constituent Assembly, whenever they had a meeting at night, and if other colleagues of his said I should go out, he would say ‘no, he must be here, I am mentoring him, let him stay with me, he is my Personal Assistant. Then, there was a day in 2011, he wanted to go on a trip with the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, I think it was Maputo. So, when we got there, he said I would go with him. But when we were at the airport, the chief of Protocol to Chief Obasanjo deliberately sidelined me at the tarmac. So, when I saw Baba Lam coming with Obasanjo, I went to him and hold his agbada and said Baba, they said I should not go with you again. Baba Lam immediately told Obasanjo that he was no more going with him again because they didn’t pick my Personal Assistant (PA). Then Obasanjo said: ‘Why this Fatai all the time? Anything you want to do is Fatai. He (Obasanjo) asked where is the Fatai? Lam said here is Fatai. Obasanjo now said oh, is it this young man? No wonder Lam will not do without you. He then turned to his Chief protocol and said you are a thief, simply because you did not want to give him his own estacode that is why you don’t want him to go with you. That was how we went on that trip. So, for many years I was part and parcel of Lam. What was your last discussion with him before he died? Before he died, he called me about 11pm and said Fatai, how are you? I asked Baba, why are you calling me at this late night? He said ‘it’s because I wanted to talk to you.’ I asked, what happened? He said ‘I just want to talk to you about the political terrain of Oyo State and I want to admonish you that everything should take place decently and in order. You should work with the party and strengthen the party and let the party remain united and strong. You know my ways, my ideas, and how I go about everything. You know my associates well, call them, let them rally round Ajimobi. Don’t let the party down, and make sure the party is in good shape.’ And I asked, why are you telling me all these? He said no problem, that I should not fear, and that he will return to Ibadan and when he arrived, he will call me first and I should come and brief him on what is happening on the political scene in the state, and that he will then give his own advice on how to restructure and harmonise the party. He said he would call the governor and three of us would sit down and work out the best way the party would go. I said okay sir, thank you. Thereafter, I called a boy with him, Jide and ask him why did Baba call me this night, I hope there is nothing? He said no, that he was sleeping only to later wake up and asked him to call me that he wanted to talk to me. I asked, what was happening? He said that Baba only said that he wanted to be sure that things were in good position and that he didn’t want anything to happen to the party (ACN). He said he just remembered those things while he was sleeping and he felt he should tell me. I said okay, I will join you in Lagos on Saturday. Then Governor Ajimobi told me that he would be going to Lagos on Saturday and I felt that I should allow the governor to go first, after which I would later be in Lagos on Sunday morning. But on Sunday morning at about 6.am, Jide was called me repeatedly. I felt then that something must have happened. Before long, Dapo, his son, called me and said daddy was in coma. I said that must have been the reason why Jide was calling me. I asked what do we do? I said we would go to Lagos and join them. He said okay, that he will be waiting for me in their house at Felele and that I should pick him up there. About 15 minutes later, the governor called and told me that Baba had already passed on. I broke down. I asked myself, why this time? Just when everybody was expecting him back to Ibadan. And since that Sunday I have not been myself, because there were a lot of things we needed to do. Since 1979, I have never left Baba for a day, except when the military took over in 1983 when I went to get the civil service job. We have been together. Since 1979, Baba had never disappointed me and there was never any day we disagreed. In fact, some people thought I was the first born. I have been with Baba for all season. And anything I have become today, anything that I have, I owe them to God, and to Lam Adesina. Baba would sleep at night and he would wake up very early in the morning and ask, where is Fatai? We thank God that Governor Ajimobi is going to carry on where Lam Adesina left off because before his death, he (Ajimobi) had already taken over people like us. And Lam had told me that the same loyalty I gave to him, I should give to Ajimobi. We thank God that he lived a good life. He was a man that was agreeable to God’s heart and very religious. He went to bed at 1.am and would wake up very early and begin his prayers. He would see all his grandchildren go to school before he got up. So, that was his routine. He had always told me that if he died the next day, he wanted to be seen in the right place. He said I have left everything about this world. I will say the truth, I will stand by the truth and I will say whatever God asked me to say. I don’t want anything on earth again. I don’t want any house, what I want is to be closer to God. And Baba Lam was closer to God. And even when he felt sick, we rushed him to UCH and by 12 midnight, he was praying on his sick bed. So, he was a man closer to God, and a very good family man and role model for all generation. He loved his wife and his children so much. You also worked closely with him when he was governor between 1999-2003, as his Personal Assistant, what was your experience working with him? You see, one thing with him was that if he resumed in the office, I would be with him every day in his office by 7.30am. He would give me all his day’s programme, the people he would see and he would ask me to take the programme to the protocol and I should discuss it with him every morning. So, before his arrival in the office, I would have perfected everything. He would ask me to bring all the files and he made sure he treated all the files. He never took any file home or taken any file on a trip. He would ensure all files were treated in his office. If he travelled for one week and the files were up to 200 or 300, he would treat everything in the day and he would not talk to anybody. I would not go to his office because I knew he would not welcome anybody during that period. After treating all the files, he would call me on the intercom and say I should come. So, he was a dutiful man who loved his people so much. He would never delay any file for a second. I could tell what his body movement meant. And whenever he whispered, I knew the deeper meaning. It was said that Alhaji Lam Adesina never visited hospital except once when he was rushed to UCH and St Nicholas Hospital…? Yes, for close to 30 years that I was with him, I had never seen any doctor treating him for any illness. His only sickness was malaria. And he treated malaria by himself. In fact, when he was in the House of Reps, and he happened to travel for ten days, after four days, Baba would come back to the country. He would say he could not stay abroad. Though he was in his early 40s then, but he would say he was not interested in staying there because the place was too cold for him. That was Baba Lam for you, so he was not known to visiting hospitals throughout his life. While in the Constituent Assembly and House Reps, unused estacodes were said to be returned by Lam Adesina, were you ever privy to this? Yes. I handled the whole thing with strict directive from Baba Lam. He would ensure that all the unspent money was returned to the treasury. When the military took over in 1983, while he was leaving for Ibadan, he told me then that Fatai, if a spoon should miss in this house, I will hold you responsible. He said everything that I would need to return, let them sign the inventory and bring it to me in Ibadan. When he was in the Constituent Assembly too, he said Fatai, if anything should be missing here I will hold you responsible, make sure you let them sign the inventory for you and bring it to me. I said it’s okay, so, that was the true nature of Lam, in fact, I can call him a perfect man. He didn’t want any blemish at all. Why was he given the nick-name ‘Mr. Point of Order’? He was always happy to hear people call him that name because of what he stood for. He was a man who wanted things to be done the right way; a man who had the interest of his party at heart. And the name came about when he was always saying the truth, and standing by the truth. Most times, he would make that statement on the floor of the House to correct any wrong or misgivings about the state of the nation. We will miss him greatly.

THE banner at the capacity-filled Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium fluttered with buoyancy and optimism. It bore such assuring declaration as “Edo is in safe hands: Welcome to the future”. As early as 8.am, students from different primary and secondary schools, crowd of party faithful, military and Para-military personnel and cultural ensembles, in their thousands, surged and fought their way to be part of the future that was being ushered in with the swearing-in for the second term of the new light of Edo politics, Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. At exactly 9.30 am, the stadium was already filled to the brim in kaleidoscope of colours don by an ecstatic and jubilant throng of citizens ready to hold the future in their own hands. Security personnel had a challenging time controlling the hordes of guests who wanted to be part of history that was being celebrated. History not because it was the first time a governor was being sworn in for a second term, but history that records the victory of one man one vote crusade that began sometime last year. History that celebrates the interment of the politics of godfatherism. History about a kingdom regained. History about a return from the wasteland. Despite the watertight security, the crowd was ready to break barriers to see their governor, who has come to be known as ‘Oshio Baba’ coroneted for yet another voyage that would put Edo State firmly in the pantheon of democratic and developed state. The Edo people were not alone in their felicitation with the Comrade Governor. Friends and associates, cutting across political divides braced the early morning showers to register their camaraderie. As at 10.30am, the roll call of political gladiators included the former head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Peter Obi of Anambra State, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Muhammed. Also on hand to honour Oshiomhole were former governors of Ekiti, Ogun and Anambra States, Chiefs Niyi Adebayo, Segun Osoba and Chris Ngige respectively, among others. A phenomenon that he has become in the state, even those in opposition could not but admit that this was an epochal as they turned out to witness the coronation of the diminutive gadfly whom God has given to the state. A gadfly who, even before his assumption of office, has fastened himself upon the citizenry, persuading and jolting them out of their political docility and obsequiousness. And a reproach for a few who for long reduced the state to a fiefdom. Much more than the convergence to witness the inauguration of Oshiomhole’s second term, was a demonstration by the people that once they find a leader who is not only selfless but one who has a demonstrable skills to lead, they are ready to follow. And with shouts of “Oshio Baba”, “Oshio Baba”, there was no denying the fact that this was a leader they had long been in crying need of. This was why they turned out in their thousands to celebrate what they regard as the extermination of the forces of darkness. A state whose people were for a long time reduced to miserable spectators, persuaded to believe that Edo was no longer viable as a state by a godfather and a coterie of his followers, the showpiece could not be embraced any more than as a political emancipation of some sort. In a veiled reference to the brusque manner with which the ghost of the past was exorcised, echoes of “Hurricane Adams”, “Adamant Adams” wafted all round the stadium. For four dizzying years, the people believed in and anchored their hope on the Comrade Governor and in the end, it turned out to be a voyage of promises kept, hope kept alive and an unprecedented transformation across the state. Speaking to The Nation in Benin, a former PDP member, Mr. Osahon Obazele, who said he defected to the ACN said: “For once, Edo people can trust their governor.” After nine years of growth stasis, the people can look back and heave a sigh of relief that the pains and deprivations of the past have been righted within so short a time by the Comrade Governor in the saddle. So far, there has been what Obazele described as “evidence of democracy for development, democracy for good schools, democracy for new roads, water supply, for women, children and youths.” Without fail, the slogan of ‘no youth, no election, no children, no tomorrow, no women, no nation became the plank on which the governor has anchored his developmental agenda for the state. Kingdom lost Regretting how the ancient Kingdom of Benin suddenly became a ‘Paradise Lost’, Governor Oshiomhole traced the cause of the rot to lack of planning and neglect: “Regrettably, in the recent past, the state became riddled with mismanagement, oppression, corruption, poverty, marginalisation of the people, suffocation of civil society, and the general neglect of the basic needs of the masses. There was hardly a difference between the rural and urban centres in terms of planlessness, unemployment, infrastructural deficit and decay, unaccountable leadership, political manipulation, waste and criminal diversion of state resources, and general insecurity. Investors refused to come to Edo State, security forces were overwhelmed, schools and hospitals were dilapidated, workers were not paid as and when due, many retired without benefits, pensioners died without pension and our people just continued to hope against hope. This situation, in a general sense, continued until November 12, 2008 when a new dawn began in Edo State.” This explains why in the first four years of his reign, he was focused on a blistering campaign of urban and rural renewal to regain the lost kingdom of Benin. Edo is working As part of the strategy to engender hope in the people and address the rural/urban drift, there was urgent need to take development to the people, if anything, to instill a sense of belonging in them. After reminding the people that everything that was considered impossible has been made possible, the governor belched with contentment and added that Edo is working, but not without firing a potshot at those he labelled godfathers. “We have proved the godfathers wrong and today, Edo is working,” assuring that in his second term, he would attract private investments, revisit water supply in Benin City and pursue the sinking of boreholes in the rural areas. Apart from developing the new Benin Layout and an effective land use act, he vowed to make the rural areas centres of development so that people “will no longer travel to the capital city to see civilisation.” Lending voice to the governor’s rural/urban renewal Continued from page 14

effort, Chief Ihemien Omorodion told The Nation that until Oshiomhole became governor, access to electricity and potable water was a mere wishful thinking. The people were far removed from modernity. According to him, “For long, we were far away from civilisation. We did not know what electricity was, neither did we know how pipe-borne water tasted like. Yet we had people who carried on like our leaders, but failed to provide leadership. We cannot thank the Comrade Governor enough. The reason we are here today (the day of inauguration) is to show that we are solidly behind him.”

The next four years

Unveiling his administration’s agenda for the next four years, Governor Oshiomhole said there will be conscious effort at rebuilding faith in the citizenry and mobilise the people to rededicate themselves to the collective growth and development of the state.

“In the next four years, we shall continue to rebuild faith in government and governance at all levels; mobilise our people to commit to collective growth and development, and strengthen institutions for efficient and effective service delivery. It is our hope that traditional leaders and institutions as well as religious bodies and civil society groups continue to mobilise their members to complement our efforts. We shall not fail to deliver on all our promises and to complete all on-going projects.

“Allow me to say that while we will continue to work on infrastructure, we plan, in the next four years, to place emphasis on promoting sustainable economic growth and development. Our government will emphasize human capital development, training and retraining of teachers and public servants; promotion of agriculture for food production, employment and increased income to our farmers and rural dwellers; small and medium scale industrial development. We shall continue to attract local and foreign investors to Edo State so as to create more jobs for our people.”

Humbled by the overwhelming endorsement of his administration’s collective mission and support for the struggle to refocus, reposition and redefine Edo State for peace, progress and prosperity, Governor Oshiomhole was seemingly lost for words to qualify his gratitude to the Edo people whose unparalleled and unflinching support and encouragement saw his administration overcome all obstacles, booby traps placed in his administration’s path.

Symbolically, Oshiomhole’s return for a second term, the turnout as evident in the mammoth crowd for his inauguration, was by no means an open endorsement of his governance approach as well as the people’s collective rejection of domination, bad governance, bad leadership, and undemocratic conduct in the management of the state’s commonwealth in the nine years preceding his assumption of office in 2008.

He summed up his scorecard tersely: “Collectively, we set an example and political milestone for Nigeria and Africa as we showed that it was possible to defeat negative political forces, run elections without violence, and campaign on performance and the support of all strata of society.”

In his office at the Osun State House of Assembly, Osogbo, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, spoke with Assistant Editor, Investigations, JOKE KUJENYA, on the recent abduction and eventual rescue of his wife, Mrs. Muibat Salaam, from her abductors. He also used the period to portray the dangers that families of prominent politicians could be subjected to as well as what the Federal Government could do to curtail the dastardly act.

With your wife’s recent experience in the hands of her abductors, would you say that kidnapping is gaining inroad into the South-West?

Yes, it is. Or how else are we to explain what happened to her and the mother of another honourable of the federal republic? Unfortunately, kidnapping is gaining in-road into our terrain. But I know that they cannot last or withstand our forces in this part of Nigeria. And I repeat that they cannot stand the South-West because most of the people that have been involved in this evil act are not from our end of the country. We all know that they are from elsewhere.

There is no other way to describe it than to say it is a very bad development. And we can quickly curb it by being more security conscious. What happened to me and unfortunately, to the mother of a politician in Ijebu-Ode, from which people feel they can siphon money from us, but God, who is the only One that could really assist us, helped us to thwart their plans. And for this reason, I will use the opportunity to stress that ‘state or communal policing’ is a must for us in this country. It is an idea that must be given a chance and allow to stand.

It is the community people, using the vigilance group who were able to rescue my wife as an instance, who would be able to know when there are strange faces among us. Because they know every nook and cranny of their immediate environments, they would be able to easily note when there are people who have not been part of us. They will be able to take appropriate action, ask the right questions. It is these people that will be able to fully complement the effort of the Nigeria Police, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies like the SSS and others.

In some sections, the scenario was also blamed on the security lapse in the State of Osun…

Well, I don’t agree with that because the security in our state has greatly improved in recent times. The state government has done all within its capacity to beef up the security system. In fact, very recently, this House passed into law a security trust bill which has also received the assent of the executive. What is intended with the bill is to complement the effort of the Federal Government in assisting the Nigeria Police and the rest of the security services in their efforts to ensure that the lives and property of every Nigerian is duly protected from any form of harm. It is intended to ensure that our security personnel are given the necessary equipment to aid their work.

As we speak, we have nothing less than 30 vehicles given out to the state security personnel ad they’ve been plying major routes within the state to ensure the safety of lives and property. It is just that these evil people too understudy any area in which they plan to strike, and when they see that the security personnel have either gone to other places or are yet to get there, they quickly carry out their evil acts. In just a couple of months, what we are fully working on in terms of solid security operations in this state will come into public glare. It will be so tight that no evil planner will be able to escape the hands of our law enforcement agents.

Where were you when the news of your wife’s abduction first got to you?

In fact, on that day, I was on a state assignment. I was about to leave the governor’s office when I first received the call informing me that my wife had just been kidnapped by some men in a car. It was like I was in a trance and I knew I just quietly cut off the phone because it just didn’t hit me as real. In the first five to ten minutes, such a piece of news was unbelievable. I was still in that state when a second call came and the same piece of news was repeated. Quietly, I walked back to the governor who was still on his seat and said: ‘Mr. Governor, I just got calls telling me that some people had kidnapped my wife.’ For few minutes, the governor and I stood speechless.

Even as I stood there in his office, it just did not appear real to me that my wife could have been kidnapped. I know there was no way I could convince you about this; but silence fell on the whole governor’s office. We all just looked with surprise. I believe it took me up to about 30 minutes before I could find my voice to ask: ‘Are they saying kidnap, as in taking her away or what?’ And in asking that question, it was like I woke up from the slumber and then began to ask for details. So, briskly, I walked towards the door and into my car to go and take the necessary steps. As I got into my car, torrents of call began to come in and it was all about the sad news. So, I rushed down straight to Ejigbo, the scene of the incident where she has her shop, to see things for myself. I got there and the pandemonium I met on ground was enough to confirm that it was true.

And even when I got there and heard the conflicting accounts of people, I was trying to tell myself that maybe the people were armed robbers and they wanted to rob her of her money. But as minutes turned into hours and her whereabouts became shoddy, I knew we were in for some big shock. And another shocking impact was that my daughter who was with her in the car had been rushed to the hospital…

Is that the one that was reportedly shot by the hoodlums?

Yes. But she wasn’t shot. What happened was that when her mother left the car and tried to run out of fear, she forgot to turn off the engine of the car. She sustained some injuries in the process. As her mother ran out, she remained in the car, obviously confused. And because the engine was still running and the car had started descending a slope backwards without anyone to control it, the 17-year-old girl decided to jump out of the fast-moving-backward vehicle. They were on a hilly side and if she stayed, you can now imagine the devastation we might be in at this time. But thank God.

So, in order to jump out of the vehicle, she held on to one of the doors. As she jumped still holding the door, the vehicle tilted in the same direction she jumped towards and rolled on her. In fact, it was the quick intervention of the people around who all came together to lift the vehicle off her, if not, I doubt if I would be here talking with you about the whole thing. But the girl was not shot at all because the kidnappers did not even know who she was to my wife at that time. But after spending some days in the hospital, she’s okay now and at home with the mother.

In fact, the residents of Ejigbo, whom I remain grateful to, had moved her to a nearby hospital before I got there. But the Honda Accord car still got spoiled as it rolled off the slope before people could get back to it.

What’s your reaction to allegations that it had a political inclination?

In truth, I don’t agree with that. I don’t even see it from that point of view at all. We have read it in the papers, from the police and all areas that these boys are just after money. And I thank God that they did not get a dime before they were apprehended. And I know we have practised some sort of dirty politics in our country in time past. But as for this, it is just one unfortunate incident that we must all put behind us. My own joy is that my wife and child are safe and at home, and I still disagree with any allegation that it could be politically motivated.

Judging by the location where she was rescued, where do you think she was being taken to?

I doubt if they were to taking her to any other place. I even doubt their story of someone sending them as they told my wife. I believe that they must have used that location for many unfortunate victims like that for long until God decides to deal with them in his own way. To me, it was where they feel comfortable because how could a sane human being drink and eat inside a thick bush like that even for the five days that they were there? It could also be that they chose that place so that in case of sudden need for escape, they might be able to cross to other routes they might know. But to think that they have any backer or taking her to any other place, those hungry thugs with the police have no such luxury near their lives.

With the cases of the Representative’s mother and your wife, would you advocate security cover for families of politicians?

The scenario is becoming dicey. As it is now, I doubt if our families are safe. Or how do you explain if someone says because he needs money, it is by abducting the family member of a politician they could score their point? So, our families are not safe if it could happen to me, my wife, and the aged mother of a representative and even as we read in recent times, the abduction of VCs of some higher institutions. They did not even have respect for the age of the old woman. Can you imagine that?

It thus means that some people feel it is only through politicians that they can make quick money without feeling remorse that they could waste the lives of their victims in the process. But people should not forget that this is the South-West and we are not like the Niger-Delta and that we don’t have money to flaunt around as they think. So, if they come to us believing that they will get money, they will definitely not get anything. However, political office holders have to be more careful and alert.

Would you advocate special security for wives of politicians in particular?

Well, it would be good if this can be done. Just as security is provided for we male politicians, it could also be provided for husbands of female politicians. It is just unfortunate the kind of situation we now find ourselves. If not, we should all be able to walk freely within our country. Since things are beginning to look as if the political office holders are not the targets of these crime-minded people, it will truly be better to have a special security outfit to monitor the safety of our families across the country. And please allow me to use this medium to thank God for the commitment of the Vigilante Service of Ogun State to offer this life-saving service voluntarily. This is something they chose to do without being forced to do it. And they are doing it so well without really expecting to gain anything from anybody. I heartily thank and commend them. My wife too is very grateful to them.

For five days from Tuesday, October 9 to Saturday, October 13, wife of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mrs. Muibat Salaam, was abducted before her release was secured by men of the Vigilante Service of Ogun State. Assistant Editor, Investigations, JOKE KUJENYA, met her at the Speaker’s official residence in Osogbo, and she recounted her ordeal.

Wife of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mrs Muibat Salaam, began Tuesday October 9, 2102 on a rather busy tone. The day, according to her, was unusually eventful.

She said: “Right from the house, I was busier than I had been on any other day. By the time I had to set out for my shop, I had to put a few things on hold. Eventually, I got to my shop in Ejigbo area and the day looked very good. Because of the so many things I had to do on that day, I closed a bit later than usual. Normally, I closed around 6 pm. But due to the business of the day, I left at about 7 pm.

“But shortly after I got into my Honda Accord car and took off, I noticed that another car with some people in it was approaching me. The exact vicinity was around Ojugbo, which is a riverine area. They were in a car but I can’t remember the exact model now.

“I decided to drive fast so that I could get to a busy area where I could find people to call for help. But they gave me a very hot chase. So, as they pursued me and I could not get help as I had expected, I decided to run out of the car around Union Baptist Road, Oke-Oyo area and began to run as fast as I could.

“It was not that the people who saw me as I drove madly around the streets could not help me. The men had guns in their hands. So, I would not blame anyone for not coming to my aid at that time.

“However, as I began to run, the men, because they were faster and stronger, caught up with me. I think they were about seven in number. Eventually, they caught me and the first thing they did was to collect my handbag. I started begging them not to hurt me but that they could take all the money and everything I had in the bag away. They collected my rings and other jewellery on me. They also took my phone. In fact, they had all my belongings on them before they forced me into their own vehicle.

“I had told them what I said because I thought they were armed robbers. But as one of them snatched my bag, they pushed me into a car driven after them by one of their gang members. Immediately they caught me, they pushed me into the back seat of the car and pressed my face-down in the little space there. I shouted for help but no one could come near.

“Three of them sat on the seat but pressed me down with their legs. They put my head under their feet as they drove madly around. At this point, I no longer knew where we were or where we were headed. After they had driven me around for a long time, the car suddenly stopped and they hurriedly dragged me out and forced me into a waiting trailer.

“When we got inside the trailer, I saw two other men with their faces in masks. By this time, I could see the environment I was, where they parked their car. All the while, I was afraid but I kept calm. I didn’t know if I could think of anything. I was just watching them.

“After driving the trailer for some time, they parked by the roadside, dragged me down again, and pulled me roughly into a thick bush. We walked for long into the thick bush before we finally stopped at a point. At first, they didn’t talk to me. They just left me and talked to themselves in low tones. And that began my five days with total strangers.”

Asked if she was given any reason for the abduction or offered any type of food for the five days she spent in her abductors’ den, she said: “They offered me some of their can drinks and snacks but I did not collect anything from them. So, I did not eat or drink anything for those five days. They were all Igbo men, speaking a language I could not understand.

“They had a big Ghana-must-go bag, inside which there were all sorts of drinks and snack. We sat in the bush and they seemed not to be afraid that a wild animal could appear and harm us. We all sat up the way we were all through the night till Wednesday morning. I could not close my eyes for a second throughout the whole night.

“By the next morning, they told me that they would not kill me if only I and my husband would cooperate with them. Later, they told me that they had called my husband and made their demands from him. They also told me that they had no problem with me, but that they had to do what they were sent to do. I did not talk or ask them anything.

“Then one of them began to say that all Nigerian politicians are failing the people that voted them into power. They said they were angry because students often go to their school authorities to collect bursaries. But instead of getting the bursaries, what often happens is that they get chased away with guns on the excuse that there was no money to give the students. In my heart, I wondered what I had to do with all that.

“It was as if one of them read the question in my mind as he suddenly answered, ‘It is the money that students should be getting that all politicians share and stash away in foreign banks as if it is their fathers’ or mothers’ money.’ He added that if this was their own way to collect their share, it was not bad since government money is meant for every Nigerian.

“By Wednesday evening, the rain began to fall heavily on us. But since they did not move, I did not bulge either. We were all in the rain for the most part of the night. By the early hours of Thursday, they moved us into another part of the bush. There were five of them watching over me at every point. I was left in the open without any shade. They ran shifts watching over me. Some of them would remain in the trailer while others would stay behind. Then, the ones that had been in the trailer would come and another three would go probably to take their rest.

“We went on like that. And then they asked re[eatedly if my husband was not going to respond to their demands.

“Thursday was particularly a sunny day. And because I had been beaten by the rain over night, I needed the sun to get warm. I still did not sleep day or night. I didn’t know what their plan was, so I could not sleep.

“On Thursday night through the morning of Friday, we had another serious rain. By now, I had developed thick skin to my plight. But I remained prayerful, asking God to help me out. My clothes would get drenched and get dried up on me. I remained like that till Saturday morning.

“By Saturday morning, the sun came out very early and I decided to remove my scarf and nijab to squeeze out the water and lay them on the leaves to dry off. I guess it was while I was laying the clothes on the leaves that the old man I later learnt went to alert the vigilance group saw me.

“We were still like that and they were discussing the next line of action when suddenly, we heard voices that shouted: ‘Who are you and what are you doing there?’ It was, I think, about 3 pm or so. I wasn’t so sure. But as the vigilance men later told us, a villager who had climbed a tree had told the old man who was going to his own farm that he saw some men in the bush with a woman among them. The old man it was who later informed the vigilance group that later came for us.

“When they got to the place, they just shouted ‘Who are you?’ My abductors took to their heels but the vigilance men shot into the air. As they did, we all ran in the same direction but I could not run as fast as they did. As I ran after them, the vigilance men were shooting.

“At some point, I came to my senses and stopped running. Then I started asking the vigilance men to stop shooting, shouting on top of my voice that I was not their member and that I was a captive. But the vigilance shouted at me to keep quiet because they found it difficult to believe me. They later drew me back and asked me to stop at the location where we were. They then asked me to carry the bag containing my captors’ food items and other things. They also saw their guns and picked them up.

“They were pushing me here and there, not realising that I had not eaten anything in five days. Amid the pandemonium, I spotted the trailer that brought me to the bush where it was Wife of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mrs Muibat Salaam, began Tuesday October 9, 2102 on a rather busy tone. The day, according to her, was unusually eventful.

She said: “Right from the house, I was busier than I had been on any other day. By the time I had to set out for my shop, I had to put a few things on hold. Eventually, I got to my shop in Ejigbo area and the day looked very good. Because of the so many things I had to do on that day, I closed a bit later than usual. Normally, I closed around 6 pm. But due to the business of the day, I left at about 7 pm.

“But shortly after I got into my Honda Accord car and took off, I noticed that another car with some people in it was approaching me. The exact vicinity was around Ojugbo, which is a riverine area. They were in a car but I can’t remember the exact model now.

“I decided to drive fast so that I could get to a busy area where I could find people to call for help. But they gave me a very hot chase. So, as they pursued me and I could not get help as I had expected, I decided to run out of the car around Union Baptist Road, Oke-Oyo area and began to run as fast as I could.

“It was not that the people who saw me as I drove madly around the streets could not help me. The men had guns in their hands. So, I would not blame anyone for not coming to my aid at that time.

“However, as I began to run, the men, because they were faster and stronger, caught up with me. I think they were about seven in number. Eventually, they caught me and the first thing they did was to collect my handbag. I started begging them not to hurt me but that they could take all the money and everything I had in the bag away. They collected my rings and other jewellery on me. They also took my phone. In fact, they had all my belongings on them before they forced me into their own vehicle.

“I had told them what I said because I thought they were armed robbers. But as one of them snatched my bag, they pushed me into a car driven after them by one of their gang members. Immediately they caught me, they pushed me into the back seat of the car and pressed my face-down in the little space there. I shouted for help but no one could come near.

“Three of them sat on the seat but pressed me down with their legs. They put my head under their feet as they drove madly around. At this point, I no longer knew where we were or where we were headed. After they had driven me around for a long time, the car suddenly stopped and they hurriedly dragged me out and forced me into a waiting trailer.

“When we got inside the trailer, I saw two other men with their faces in masks. By this time, I could see the environment I was, where they parked their car. All the while, I was afraid but I kept calm. I didn’t know if I could think of anything. I was just watching them.

“After driving the trailer for some time, they parked by the roadside, dragged me down again, and pulled me roughly into a thick bush. We walked for long into the thick bush before we finally stopped at a point. At first, they didn’t talk to me. They just left me and talked to themselves in low tones. And that began my five days with total strangers.”

Asked if she was given any reason for the abduction or offered any type of food for the five days she spent in her abductors’ den, she said: “They offered me some of their can drinks and snacks but I did not collect anything from them. So, I did not eat or drink anything for those five days. They were all Igbo men, speaking a language I could not understand.

“They had a big Ghana-must-go bag, inside which there were all sorts of drinks and snack. We sat in the bush and they seemed not to be afraid that a wild animal could appear and harm us. We all sat up the way we were all through the night till Wednesday morning. I could not close my eyes for a second throughout the whole night.

“By the next morning, they told me that they would not kill me if only I and my husband would cooperate with them. Later, they told me that they had called my husband and made their demands from him. They also told me that they had no problem with me, but that they had to do what they were sent to do. I did not talk or ask them anything.

“Then one of them began to say that all Nigerian politicians are failing the people that voted them into power. They said they were angry because students often go to their school authorities to collect bursaries. But instead of getting the bursaries, what often happens is that they get chased away with guns on the excuse that there was no money to give the students. In my heart, I wondered what I had to do with all that.

“It was as if one of them read the question in my mind as he suddenly answered, ‘It is the money that students should be getting that all politicians share and stash away in foreign banks as if it is their fathers’ or mothers’ money.’ He added that if this was their own way to collect their share, it was not bad since government money is meant for every Nigerian.

“By Wednesday evening, the rain began to fall heavily on us. But since they did not move, I did not bulge either. We were all in the rain for the most part of the night. By the early hours of Thursday, they moved us into another part of the bush. There were five of them watching over me at every point. I was left in the open without any shade. They ran shifts watching over me. Some of them would remain in the trailer while others would stay behind. Then, the ones that had been in the trailer would come and another three would go probably to take their rest.

“We went on like that. And then they asked re[eatedly if my husband was not going to respond to their demands.

“Thursday was particularly a sunny day. And because I had been beaten by the rain over night, I needed the sun to get warm. I still did not sleep day or night. I didn’t know what their plan was, so I could not sleep.

“On Thursday night through the morning of Friday, we had another serious rain. By now, I had developed thick skin to my plight. But I remained prayerful, asking God to help me out. My clothes would get drenched and get dried up on me. I remained like that till Saturday morning.

“By Saturday morning, the sun came out very early and I decided to remove my scarf and nijab to squeeze out the water and lay them on the leaves to dry off. I guess it was while I was laying the clothes on the leaves that the old man I later learnt went to alert the vigilance group saw me.

“We were still like that and they were discussing the next line of action when suddenly, we heard voices that shouted: ‘Who are you and what are you doing there?’ It was, I think, about 3 pm or so. I wasn’t so sure. But as the vigilance men later told us, a villager who had climbed a tree had told the old man who was going to his own farm that he saw some men in the bush with a woman among them. The old man it was who later informed the vigilance group that later came for us.

“When they got to the place, they just shouted ‘Who are you?’ My abductors took to their heels but the vigilance men shot into the air. As they did, we all ran in the same direction but I could not run as fast as they did. As I ran after them, the vigilance men were shooting.

“At some point, I came to my senses and stopped running. Then I started asking the vigilance men to stop shooting, shouting on top of my voice that I was not their member and that I was a captive. But the vigilance shouted at me to keep quiet because they found it difficult to believe me. They later drew me back and asked me to stop at the location where we were. They then asked me to carry the bag containing my captors’ food items and other things. They also saw their guns and picked them up.

“They were pushing me here and there, not realising that I had not eaten anything in five days. Amid the pandemonium, I spotted the trailer that brought me to the bush where it was parked. I quickly pointed the attention of the vigilance men to it. As we got closer to the trailer, one of the vigilance men who had not seen his other colleagues suddenly pointed his gun to shoot me. I begged him not to kill me.

“By the time we got to the trailer where it had been parked since we got there, the vigilance men stormed it and found three of the kidnappers who were still resting there without knowing that their colleagues were being pursued. The vigilance men disarmed and brought them out of the trailer. And because the trailer was parked by a the roadside, some passers-by had surrounded us to watch the unfolding drama.

“About the same time, a police patrol vehicle, which was just going on its own, saw the growing crowd. They turned and came to meet us. When they got there, they jumped out of their vehicle and some of the spectators ran for dear lives, but others stayed behind. The vigilance men told the police that they had caught a gang of robbers and their female accomplice in the bush.

“I quickly shouted and told the policemen that I was not the gang’s member but a victim. One of the policemen said if I was not a thief, I should identify myself. It was then I disclosed my identity and told them that I am the wife of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly. The policemen. who seemed to be aware of my predicament probably through the media, became alarmed and asked me to be real with them. I told them it was me and that they could call my husband or any other person in our state to confirm. Then the police began to parade the men before the people and everything began to work out as God must have planned it.

“One of the men who had parked his car nearby began to call one ‘Honourable’ in Oyo State to tell him about the development. Later, I learnt it was the ‘Honourable’ that was called in Oyo who later called the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly. By then, some of the policemen took me and the three arrested men to their station. Then, the remaining policemen followed the vigilance men into the bush to look for the fleeing men.”

“Another thing I have to thank God for is the fact that the men did not know that the girl they saw in my car was my daughter. On one of the days, they asked me how long I had been married to my husband. I lied to them that we had only been married for about six years. They also asked if I was the one that gave birth to a son for the Speaker. I told them no, that I only gave birth to just a girl. They asked who the girl in my car was at the time they were pursuing me. I told them it was a little girl that loved to go out with me. They said if she was my daughter, they would have taken her with me to get my husband to respond quickly to their demand.

“Today, I am in my husband’s custody and I thank God. I don’t know where they were taking me to and what they actually planned to do with me, and I don’t know who it was that they said had sent them. But I want to ask the government to please provide security for the families of politicians because what I had gone through in the five days that I was with those men was too inhuman to pray that even one’s enemy should go through.”

I knew Mama very well. We all loved her because she loved all of us. She gave scholarships to students whose parents could not pay their school fees. She even sent people overseas to study. I cried when I heard that she was dead. This is because I had hoped that one day she would give me a scholarship

Sheila Solarin, humanist and wife of late educationist, Tai Solarin, knew her time on earth was up and prepared for her eventual transition. As she prepared to breathe her last, the words on her lips were: “I want to go home. I want to seeTai.”

Sheila, who died on Sunday, October 21, 2012 at the age of 88, according to her daughter, Corin Solarin, lived for humanity. “I was with her when she went home. And the last thing Mama said was: ‘I want to go home. I want to see Tai.’ She knew she was going, and she prepared herself.”

Corins said witnessing her mother’s transition had further strengthened her resolve to live life like her and makes her (Corins) bold to face her last moments gracefully the way she did. “We’ll all get old someday. I hope that I can face it with as much courage and grace as she did,” she said.

Indeed, since she passed on, her home, located inside the premises of Mayflower Schools, Ikenne, Ogun State, has continued to receive visitors who troop there to pay their last respects to a woman acknowledged by many to be passionate about education.

Speaking with The Nation, Corin said although her mother’s death was painful, she and the rest of the family were happy that she lived a “Christ-like life” because of her untainted love for children.

And it was for her love of children that the Scripture Union (SU), Remo, Ogun State, stated in the condolence register: “Adieu Mama. Your love for children and youths brought us together to camp our youths for annual long vacation camp.”

The SU was not alone in the outpouring of emotions since news of her death broke. For Corin, the comments and outpouring of emotions were testimonies that “Mama has gone to be with the Lord.”

She added: “What I’d miss most about her is her hard work and her love for the people around her. She was an inspiration to everyone, especially me. She was a dynamo. I have been in this house receiving guests, and it is a sign that she was widely loved. I don’t think she had any enemy. You can imagine, the governor of the state, Ibikunle Amosun, was among the very first set of people to visit the hospital. The students have been here to show how much they will miss her. That shows you how the people viewed her.”

Corin is also not unaware that she cannot fill the vacuum created by the death of Mama. “She is one in a million and I will never be Mama, though I share the same DNA with her. I hope for my own sake that there is a lot of Mama in me, though I know that there is a lot of independence in me because I have been told that. I try to be as upright and caring as Mama was, but there was only one Mama.”

Talking about the legacies of Mama, Corin said they were never in fancy buildings or in wealth. And sure enough, you need not be told about this aspect of Mama’s life. Her living room remains Spartan, austere and devoid of the type of splendour and ambience you would expect to find in the home of a woman of her stature. The most conspicuous treasures on the wall were two paintings of Tai and Sheila. In another corner was a rich library of National Geography magazines.

Among the other things that make Corin proud of Mama’s legacies is her love for humanity. “I am humbled to be the child of a woman who lived her life for the people. All the people who have come to pay condolences have not come to see me. They came to see Mama. I am very proud to be the daughter of somebody who, as simple as she and Papa were, have continued to command the respect of the people.”

Corin is not alone in this outpouring of emotions for a woman who viewed education as the only way to set oneself free from poverty. Eleven-year-old Oso Aramide is a JSS student of Mayflower Junior School. She was among the many students who broke down in tears when news of the death of the woman they had all come to regard as Mama filtered into the school last Monday.

Oso, who started her education from the Mayflower Kindergarten, had hoped to benefit from Mama’s scholarship any time soon. But her death has robbed her of that dream.

“I knew Mama very well. We all loved her because she loved all of us. She gave scholarships to students whose parents could not pay their school fees. She even sent people overseas to study. I cried when I heard that she was dead. This is because I had hoped that one day she would give me a scholarship.”

Her friend and classmate, Elizabeth Ajabu, felt sad that Sheila was dead. Her death, she said, would rob the younger generation of students at the school the chance to benefit from her wealth of experience.

“As children, we heard a lot about Mama. She was loved by all of us because she showed concern for all of us. If she noticed anything about you, she would call you to find out. She was a mother to all of us.”

It was the same story for Farouk Olasunkanmi. A lively boy, Farouk said he and his friends were sad that death had taken away “our mummy.”

The Vice Principal of the school, Mrs. Kemi Yussuf, believed the teachers would miss the late educationist more than the children. According to her, Mrs. Solarin was a mother figure to the entire population of the school.

“Would you believe she still came to school till last July before we went on vacation? She was the Head of Department of the English Language. She took special interest in all the teachers and students. She taught letter writing and essay writing. She was too good. We will all miss her.”

The children are not the only ones that will miss Sheila Solarin. This was the message of the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Olusegun Odubela. Speaking with The Nation when he paid a condolence visit to the home of the Solarins in Ikenne, Odubela described Sheila as a pillar of education.

“You know Mama was a pillar when you talk of education in Ogun State. She was a woman of substance. She dedicated almost her entire life to the development of education. For us as a government, particularly in the education sector, if you talk about education in Ogun State and Nigeria, you must mention her name. For our governor in particular, he really cherished her. You know for him, education is key.”

Interestingly, Odubela’s first official function as a commissioner was a visit to Sheila. “My first official function after being sworn in as a commissioner was a visit to Mama. The governor had only administered the oath of office on us when he called me and said I would accompany him to Ikenne,” he recalled.

He also expressed optimism that the state government would do something to immortalise her. “Though it is too early for me to talk on that now, knowing our governor for who he is, I am sure he will do something to immortalise Mama.”

With her funeral fixed for November 8 and 9, 2012, her burial plans have no doubt eclipsed that of her husband who was buried in a simple grave a few hours after he passed on, in respect to his request.

But Corin explained that her mother’s funeral plans will not take anything away from her simple lifestyle. “Mama did not make any request on how she should be buried. But if you look at her very well, Mama was a simple woman. You wouldn’t catch her in lace material or gele (head gear). She was a very simple woman, and we will make the burial ceremony in keeping with what she would have wanted.

“We also want to ensure that the community of Ikenne and every other person who had contact with her are given the opportunity to pay their last respects to her. Mama had many children, though she had just two (biological) children. So, all of these people would be given the opportunity to say goodbye to her. But I can assure you that it will be devoid of any form of ostentation.”

While it is true that Mama had only two biological children, there are thousands of others who regard themselves as her children. Bonded together by their Alma Mata, Mayflower Schools, they all regard and address themselves as ‘Ex-May’.

One of them is Dr. Wale Omole, the Chief Medical Director of T&S Hospital, Mushin, Lagos. Young Omole first met Tai and Sheila Solarin sometime in 1973 when he arrived at Mayflower Schools for his secondary education.

The son of a farmer and a petty trader, Omole went to Mayflower, courtesy of an elder brother. But within a short time, the young boy had drawn the attention of Tai and his wife.

“My first encounter with Mama occurred sometime in 1973. I wanted to travel, so I needed permission to enable me travel. I went to see Papa to request for an exit but he wanted to know why I wanted to travel and I told him I wanted to go and see my brother for my school fees. He simply refused to let me go because, according to him, the roads were bad and I was too precious to the school. There and then, he offered me a scholarship.”

But Omole would end up not using the scholarship. He said: “One day, I was in the classroom when I received a note from Madam (that was what I called Mama then) that I should see her. When I arrived at her office, she simply smiled and gave me a strong handshake. She told me that I had won the Western State scholarship.”

From that point, he became a kind of unofficially adopted son of the Solarins. “I stopped going home for holidays. It really surprised me that people who didn’t know my parents would decide to take me as their own child. We were many like that who found home with them.”

The late Sheila was born in Carnforth, Lancs, England in 1924. She came to Nigeria in 1952 when she joined her husband to work at the famous Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State. She left three years after to become the principal of Ijebu Igbo Girls’ School.

She would move again to team up with her husband to establish the famous Mayflower School, Ikenne, in 1956. Her love and dedication to children made her a toast of the students who found a mother figure in her.

She was also appointed the founding principal of Ikenne Community High School in 1980. Four years after, she retired to oversee her pet school, the Mayflower Junior School.

Funny enough, the history of the pet school is tied to that of Corin. “Mama started that school with me and a few other children of our neigbours. When it was time for me to start school, she discovered that there were no schools around, so she decided to teach me and others. That was how the school started.

As the November burial date for Sheila draws near, her home continues to attract sympathisers who want to celebrate a woman who lived her life to ensure that as many children as possible get education.