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Tag: Adedibu

  • Between Adesanya and Adedibu

    Abraham Adesanya and Lamidi Adedibu offer contrasting paths, which present-day politicians are free tread.

    Chief Adesanya died 10 years ago.  But today a sterling assemblage, split into resource persons and the audience, is gathering in Lagos to discuss the future, tied to his memory.  The title of the symposium: “Leadership and the future of Nigeria”.  It is a classic of facing the future, armed with stellar legacies from the past.

    Alhaji Adedibu is not quite dead for 10 years.  He died seven years ago.  Perhaps to mark 10 years of his death, in three years time, his Amala-and-Gbegiri brood of rambunctious politicians would gather to do him requisite honour.  Until then, we’ll have to see what happens.  But given the reported abandonment of his once quaking Aafin Molete in Ibadan, the prognosis is not so good.

    That would appear the difference between the narrow and winding way of politics that leads to salvation; and the wide and merry way that leads to perdition.

    Adesanya, all his life, stuck to that narrow way, no matter the odds; no matter the discomfort, no matter the danger.  A faction of the South West progressives share federal power today, courtesy the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential triumph in the 2015 elections.

    But Adesanya, though he epitomized the Yoruba political ethos as much as anyone in his generation, never basked in federal power.  All his political life, he played opposition politics, but with dignity, with rigour, with principle.  He lived and died, revered by friend and foe.

    Adedibu was an unfazed wheeler-dealer, if ever there was one.  Politics to him was just another pay cheque, without scruples.  During the Abacha iron dictatorship, when Adesanya and other National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) braves were virtually walking in the valley and shadows of death, Adedibu and co were making merry in an unending gravy.

    When he showed up as a putative member of then All People’s Party (APP), his political leprosy so nettled the purists, who later fled to form the Alliance for Democracy (AD), to trumpet: Abacha People’s Party!  That was the end of that poor party in Yorubaland.

    Adedibu’s political merchandizing would drive him into the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after it had been fully formed in then sitting President Olusegun Obasanjo’s grim image, and the more decent elements in-there had been weeded out.

    The Alaafin Molete, in his capacity as Obasanjo’s South West garrison commander, took full charge, as sector commander in the South West electoral front, in the infamous do-or-die electoral war of 2007.  When mighty Lamidi sneezed, even sitting governors, like Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, caught a cold and trembled with fear!

    Adedibu, linked to Adegoke Adelabu, the great Ibadan politician, again echoed the Karl Marx quip that history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce.

    Adedibu farcically aped the Adelabu school of street-wise politics, but without Adelabu’s clock-like ticking intellect.  Busari Adelakun first essayed that aping.  He ended a tragedy.  Adedibu tried a second encore.  He ended a farce.

    Still, the Alaafin Molete had something going for him — proverbial generosity, and fellow-feeling for his plebs, many of them opportunistic, power-craving hustlers without scruples.  That was why his Aafin rocked with Amala-and-Gbegiri feastin g, 24-7, with the multitude feeding in tribute to Abula politics!

    But less than 10 years after, it’s deathly quiet on the feasting floor!

    It is the exact opposite with Adesanya, who followed the narrow and tortuous way; but left a legacy to crow about.  The evidence is today’s Lagos gathering, 10 years after.

    Adesanya of Adedibu?  Current politician can make their choice.  As the English say, as you lay your bed, you lie on it.

     

     

  • Adedibu once wrote me a letter in RED ink -Ex-Oyo Resident Electoral Commissioner

    A former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in four states in Nigeria – Oyo, Ekiti, Taraba and Akwa Ibom – Elder Chidi Frank Wihioka, hails from Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State and currently represents Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. In this interview with our Port Harcourt Bureau Chief, BISI OLANIYI, the former lecturer says he never experienced sexual harassment or ‘sorting’ in his almost 27 years of teaching. He also proffers solutions to the Niger Delta militancy and Boko Haram insurgency, having done his national youth service in the old Borno State. Excerpts:

    Let us start from the beginning. How was life as a growing up child?

    I started life from State School 3 Primary School, Elele in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State, where I had my first school leaving certificate in 1973 and I came out with distinction. In the same year, I got admission into County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche, where I finished in 1978. I came out with Grade 2. From there, I proceeded to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, formerly Rivers State College of Arts and Science, where I did Higher National Diploma (HND) in Animal Science. I then proceeded to the University of Calabar (UNICAL) in Cross River State on a part-time basis before I did my Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) and Master’s in Education.

    After HND, I did the national youth service in 1984 in the old Borno State. When I returned to Rivers State after the youth service, I first taught at Girls Secondary School, Iba, Emohua LGA, before I got another employment opportunity to be a lecturer at the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt, then the School of Basic Studies, where I taught for almost 27 years before I veered into politics.

    When my people felt that it was very important for me to run for election, instead of putting in resignation letter, I put in retirement letter in 2014 and retired from the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt, which was later upgraded to Port Harcourt Polytechnic by Governor Nyesom Wike and recently renamed Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in honour of the late literacy icon, who hailed from Aluu in Ikwerre LGA of the state, to vie as a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency of Rivers State.

    I was appointed as Ikwerre Local Government Caretaker Chairman of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1992 as a public officer and we managed NRC until we conducted election and had NRC officers and we left. I also got appointment as a member of the Rivers State Land Use and Allocation Committee. Even when the military took over, we were retained, handling everything relating to Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) and allocation of government-owned lands, until 1999 when I was appointed as General Manager of Rison Palm, then wholly owned by the Rivers State Government before investors were later invited.

    You functioned as a Resident Electoral Commissioner at some point…

    Yes, I later got appointment at the federal level as a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), first in Oyo State. I was then moved to Taraba State. I conducted the 2003 general election in Taraba State. Thereafter, I was posted to Akwa Ibom State and then Ekiti, all as REC. It was in Ekiti State that I completed my first tenure of five years as REC and I left. I then veered into politics.

    Shortly after a former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, an indigene of Ubima in Ikwerre LGA, now Transportation Minister, became governor on October 26, 2007, after the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment of the previous day, I was appointed the Chairman of Rivers State Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Agency, a position I occupied until 2014. I was still a lecturer at the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt, but I took a leave of absence.

    How easy was your election into the House of Reps?

    My election into the House of Representatives was the longest election in the history of Nigeria. From 2014 when I retired from the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt, the election of 2015 continued till 2016 when we had a rerun on December 10 and I was declared winner by INEC on December 12, 2016. By the grace of God Almighty, I was elected by my people to represent Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I thank God that I have the experience and what it takes to represent my federal constituency.

    You said you served in old Borno State in 1984. How will you compare Borno State then and now, considering the Boko Haram insurgency?

    Then, Borno State was a very nice place. I served in Marugaba, but I had a house in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. When I served in Borno State, even at 2 am, you could walk on any road and nobody would harass you. You would even see people sleeping in front of their houses. There was no threat to life whatsoever.

    As a parent, how did you feel when you heard that Boko Haram insurgents had kidnapped close to 300 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State where you served?

    I felt very bad. Imagine how you feel if your daughter is somewhere you do not know. You will neither be able to eat nor sleep. No parent can comfortably say he/she will eat, drink or move around with such an unpleasant experience. There was a day I watched a carol in Abuja after the kidnap of the Chibok girls, and one lady from Chibok was talking. I broke down. I looked at her and I looked at my children. I asked myself a question: If this had happened to your children who are with you here, how will you feel?

    I thank God that by His grace, the Federal Government and the military are making progress now to free the remaining Chibok girls who are still in captivity while Sambisa Forest has been cleared of Boko Haram insurgents. The release of the Chibok girls will bring joy to their parents and other Nigerians.

    You are from the Niger Delta. Militants in the region are doubting the sincerity of the Federal Government with regard to transforming the oil-rich region and empowering the marginalised people. How would you advise President Muhammadu Buhari on this?

    Militancy in the Niger Delta has changed from genuine agitation to youths now being used for political gains. If you go to some of the communities in the Niger Delta where they are bombing pipelines and other facilities of oil companies, you will find that the real people in the villages are not the ones benefiting from the agitations. Ogoniland in Rivers State is very rich in crude oil and gas, with many oil wells. Ogoni people had problems with oil companies, especially the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), which was sent packing from Ogoniland in 1993 and is yet to return to the four LGAs of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme. But Ogoni people did not damage pipelines.

    If you look at reports from security agencies, you will find that some of the pipes the oil companies are claiming were being damaged by militants are pipes that have stayed beyond their lifespan. Any slight touch on the pipes, they will tear apart. So, the oil companies should change their pipes.

    The people benefiting from amnesty scholarships in the Niger Delta are not the militants. Some of the people at the helm of affairs of the amnesty programme put the names of their brothers and sisters, who are being trained overseas as pilots and engineers. Most of the benefiting youths never took part in militancy. If you want to eliminate militancy in the Niger Delta, we must ensure manpower development, especially training the ex-militants as middle-level manpower. They can be properly trained as welders and other trades. After their training, they can be employed by the companies or they will become contractors to the companies, in managing their pipelines.

    The people defending the Niger Delta militants today are the people that are making the gains. They are the people negotiating with militants for cash. But there are genuine people who are negotiating on behalf of the Federal Government. Can’t you see some Niger Delta leaders who are defending the bad boys, just because they are benefiting from the negotiations? Niger Delta militancy should not be a source of revenue for some leaders.

    The Federal Government should do away with Niger Delta’s unpatriotic leaders/channels and identify the real community leaders for the Federal Government and oil companies to ensure real development of the Niger Delta communities. In some communities in the Niger Delta, you will find camps of multinational oil giants with good water, constant electricity and good roads leading to the camps and everything functioning very well, but the adjoining communities where the oil firms are drilling crude oil are without social amenities.

    If you wake up in the night in the host communities of oil companies in the Niger Delta, you will see light in the camps of the oil firms. You will be hearing loud music and the happy people will be dancing while the people of the communities who own the crude oil are in total darkness. It would get to a point where the neglected people of the host communities in the Niger Delta would want to revolt. As the oil companies are developing their camps, they should also be developing their host communities.

    You were a REC of INEC in Oyo, Taraba, Akwa Ibom and Ekiti states in the days of do-or-die politics. What did you experience?

    As a REC of INEC, I saw the good, the bad and the ugly. What was important to me, as at then, was my name and my determination to do something right. While in Oyo State as REC of INEC in 2002, we had the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the then Alliance for Democracy (AD). The then governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina, was of AD. There was a day the then strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, wrote me a letter with a red biro. I read it and I remembered when I was in the university and we were using red biro to write letters to threaten somebody. I saw Alhaji Adedibu’s letter as one of those experiences in life. I read the letter and I dropped it inside my drawer, without allowing the content to bother me.

    What was the content of the letter?

    It was a private letter. He wrote to me and talked as a politician.

    Did he threaten to harm you for not supporting his preferred candidates or his political party?

    No comment.

    How did you cope with pressure from influential politicians and top government officials as REC of INEC in four states of Nigeria?

    While still in Oyo State as REC of INEC, another thing happened besides the letter from Alhaji Adedibu. The then governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina, called me and said he got a report that I was giving registration forms to PDP members. I just laughed. He drove to my office in Ibadan with the then Chairman of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), many aides and supporters. They talked for a very long time. When they finished, I said His Excellency, this your SIEC chairman will put you in problems. He asked why and I told him that the SIEC chairman brought photocopied OMR forms being used to capture people directly, but I insisted I would never allow photocopied documents to be used since INEC only deals with original documents.

    I told Alhaji Adesina how I advised the SIEC chairman against doing things that were not in line with INEC’s rules and regulations, but he (SIEC chairman) ended up telling the then governor lies, which made him (Alhaji Adesina) to leave his official duties to come to INEC office. The then governor asked the SIEC chairman if what I said was true and he said yes. Alhaji Adesina was so disappointed, got tired, told me sorry and they left.

    I conducted elections in Taraba State, a quiet place. There was no trouble or violence. After the announcement of the results of the elections, I walked a distance of half a kilometre from the hotel where I lodged to go and eat without any security, and nobody abused, harassed or attacked me. In Akwa Ibom State, I conducted state House of Assembly by-election. In Ekiti State too, I conducted House of Representatives’ by-election. By God’s grace, I am honest and straightforward, and I place emphasis on integrity and honour.

    How did you meet your wife?

    We met in school, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt. I entered first in 1979, while Comfort (his wife) was admitted with supplementary list. We did some courses that had to do with Mathematics, Survey and Physics, but she was not good in Mathematics. We were in the same Faculty of Agriculture. She was in Agric Economics Department, while I was in Animal Science Department. I was then teaching her Mathematics, Survey and Physics.

    How did you propose to her?

    Both of us proposed to each other while teaching.

    How has it been since you got married?

    We got married in 1990. Since then, it has been very nice, sweet and rewarding, to the glory of God Almighty.

    Will you like any of your children to go into politics?

    I will not stop my children from anything they want to do. That is one policy we have in our family. We do not dictate. The only thing we can do for our children is to give them sound education. Any other thing they want to do, as far as it is not criminal, they are free.

    You were a lecturer for almost 27 years. Did you experience sexual harassment or ‘sorting’ with sex, money or gift?

    No. I did not experience sexual harassment. While teaching, I was also holding political offices and I was always in a hurry to finish my lectures, mark the scripts and go out. In those days, there was nothing like ‘sorting’. It is now that I am hearing about ‘sorting’ and I am surprised. In those days, no lecturer had time for nonsense. We were very busy, concentrating on how to teach and we had a very good environment. We had a staff canteen where lecturers could eat or drink after lectures. The canteen was exclusively for lecturers.

    How did you come about the title of ‘Elder’?

    They used to call me Radical Chidex, because if you did things that were not okay, we would fight. One day, one of my friends, Kwashi, a Ghanaian and now a lawyer in Port Harcourt, came and called me Sir Elder Baba Chidex. He later turned it to Elder Chidex. From that day, people started calling me Elder Chidex and later shortened it to Elder. If you went out and said you were looking for Chidi Frank Wihioka, they would tell you they did not know the person. But immediately you mentioned Elder Chidi Frank Wihioka, they would tell you they knew him.

    Your kinsman from the same Elele, Emma Okah, a lawyer and current Rivers State Commissioner for Housing, who is of the PDP, alleged after INEC declared you winner of the December 10 legislative rerun, that you wanted to kill him and that the election was rigged for you by INEC, police and the military as directed by the Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi. How will you react to the allegations?

    All the allegations levelled against me by Emma Okah and other members of the PDP are not true. Emma Okah’s mother worships in the same church with me. His mother cannot come to Anglican Church’s altar to say I threatened to kill her son. Even Emma Okah, when he leaves office as Nyesom Wike’s commissioner, he will deny most of the things he has said. I made Emma Okah, by God’s grace.

    How?

    When I was REC of INEC in Oyo State, Miss Tosin Odukoya, now Mrs. Tosin Dokpesi, a journalist with Africa Independent Television (AIT), then in Lagos, but now the Managing Director of AIT, Abuja, came to Ibadan from Lagos to interview me. When AIT aired the interview, Emma Okah saw it and he did not know that I was a REC of INEC. He then called somebody to give him my number and he called to congratulate me, saying that the interview was nice.

    Emma asked of my location and I told him I was in Ibadan. He asked if he could come and I said yes. Emma came, and that was how he started visiting me from Lagos and later staying with me in my house in Ibadan for many weeks. All through my stay in Ibadan, any time I was coming to Port Harcourt, I always paid Emma’s flight ticket. He is my relative. We are from the same village. I do not know what he was doing in Lagos then.

    Besides that, by God’s grace, I made Emma Okah to be close to the then Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili. I took Emma to Dr. Odili, describing him as a good man, who could write very well. As a lawyer, Emma was then writing articles in favour of Dr. Odili in The Guardian newspaper. When I took Emma to Dr. Odili, he told the then governor that I was the person helping him to survive. I then spoke with the current Minister of Transportation (Amaechi), who was then the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who facilitated the appointment of Emma as Chief Press Secretary to the then Governor Odili. When Emma started having problems in the village, I told him to be careful. The village that made you is the village that will destroy you.

    I won the December 10, 2016 rerun. INEC announced me as winner of the election on December 12. On December 13, I returned home and the whole Elele gathered to receive me. We moved round the big community and my people were singing all over. They took me round the whole Elele and it took me more than three hours to get back home. The next day (December 14), I travelled to Abuja and I was at the House of Representatives on Thursday (December 15) with other winners of the elections for our inauguration by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.

    Emma is my small brother. When I was in Class Five in County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche, Emma was in Class Two. Emma and other students from Elele were feeding in my corner. I was the Games Prefect. I loved football and I played football very well. All of them from Elele were then coming to my corner to eat, because while I was going to school, I would go with a lot of items and money, by God’s grace.

    Is it true that INEC, police, military personnel and the Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, rigged the December 10 rerun and hijacked electoral materials for you and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC)? Are you not worried about the decision of PDP’s candidates to challenge your victories at the election petitions tribunal?

    People who kill with knives will never allow anybody with knife to pass their back. PDP members and leaders are involved in rigging every day of their lives. Whenever other people win, they will say it is rigging. They declared PDP candidate the winner of senatorial election in Emohua LGA without results, but they did not call it rigging, I won the December 10 legislative rerun election for Ikwerre/Emohua federal constituency outright, in spite of all that PDP members did. You also heard Nyesom Wike on the first leaked audio tape through Sahara Reporters, when he was allegedly calling Ikwerre LGA’s Electoral Officer (EO).

    You can have an E.O. with an assurance that he would do everything for you. The PDP members and leaders forgot that you can take a horse to the river, but you cannot force it to drink water. That was what happened to them. PDP members tried rigging in Ikwerre LGA, but it did not work. INEC, police, military and Rt. Hon. Amaechi did not rig the elections for me and other candidates of the APC. Let PDP leaders tell the whole world the truth. No electoral material was hijacked. The result of my election was announced around 3 pm on December 12, not December 10, 2016 when the rerun took place. On December 12, Rt. Hon. Amaechi was already in his office in Abuja or in Lagos doing his official assignments. Will Rt. Hon. Amaechi be in Lagos or Abuja and hijack electoral materials in Rivers State? The hijacking of electoral materials could have only taken place in PDP members’ imagination or madness. PDP leaders are now crying because they could not buy the military officers and some policemen. They bought some INEC officials. Before, Wike would buy everybody. Any time you hear Wike shouting that some people are rigging, watch him, he is planning to rig, so that if he fails, he will then say he said it. The soldiers came out during the elections, did their security work and are back to their barracks. I do not know any of them. We do not need to destroy institutions because of our personal interest. A time will come when you will need them.

    In 2014, PDP leaders attempted to plant gun in my house in Elele, when Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was President. They broke the back fence of my house. They did not want me to vie for election, because they knew I would win. They wanted to use the planting of the gun for the police to arrest my security men in the village, who would be forced to write statements and sign that I was the owner of the gun, and they would put me in prison. One of the PDP members, who knew about the plan, called me immediately and said I had assisted him in life and he would not want me to be taken to prison, for what I knew nothing about. I quickly called and informed the then commissioner of police, who promised to get back to me, which he is yet to do.

    The whole of the village then trooped into my house. My security men are Fulani people with bows and arrows, and they injured one of the gun planters who ran and jumped into a waiting police vehicle, which quickly zoomed off. They could not drop the gun. I have passed through a lot of things. They took me to court and was forcing the then Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Elele to put arson in the charge sheet so that they would not grant me bail. The DPO refused. The then Rivers Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, made sure the then DPO from Taraba State was immediately transferred to Osun State. I went to court and won.

    During the 2015 general elections, PDP leaders wrote results in the house of one of its chieftains in Elele. We challenged the massive rigging at the tribunal and got victory. On March 19, 2016, during the rerun, PDP members caused the highest level of violence in Rivers State, especially in my area. The shooting was unprecedented. The election was shifted again to December 10 and I was declared by INEC as the winner. I will still win at the tribunal. Let the PDP members tell the world what they did during the December 10 elections in Rivers State.

    What did they do?

    I will not expose them for now. I am using my evidence at the tribunal. I am waiting for them at the tribunal and they will be shocked. Let them defend what Nyesom Wike said about Ikwerre LGA’s Electoral Officer. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, set up a panel to investigate the two leaked audio tapes and the massive rigging by PDP members during the December 10 elections, but Wike later hurriedly set up his own judicial commission of inquiry, headed by Justice Chinwendu Nwogu, who was made a judge about two months ago by the Rivers governor. Wike has never set up a panel to investigate the killing of many innocent people and security personnel in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA and Ahaoda Region of Rivers State.

    On January 6, police authorities dismissed six policemen attached to Governor Nyesom Wike for professional misconduct during the December 10 legislative rerun, but the governor said the policemen are innocent and has called for their immediate reinstatement. What is your reaction?

    Wike should not cry more than the bereaved. The six dismissed policemen have the right of appeal. Let them appeal. Wike should stop making unnecessary noise to whip up sentiments for public sympathy. The Rivers governor should tell the whole world the truth. I watched the video, how the six policemen were shooting at the Port Harcourt City Local Government Council secretariat, the Rivers East Senatorial District’s collation centre. Who broke the head of the INEC’s returning officer? What was Wike doing there?

    Is the governor not the chief security officer of the state who would want to ensure peace and prevent a breakdown of law and order?

    Why didn’t Wike go to Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, where DSP Mohammed Alkali of Mobile Police Unit 48 and his orderly, Sgt. Urukwu Nwachukwu, were beheaded on December 10, 2016 while on election duty, to stand there as the chief security officer of the state?

  • Seven years after, politicians desert Adedibu’s family

    Seven years after, politicians desert Adedibu’s family

    Associates and relations of the Ibadan political godfather, the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu converged on his residence last week for the seventh anniversary of his death.

    But, the atmosphere at the expansive residence was a sharp contrast from what it used to be. Seven years after the demise of Adedibu, his disciples have deserted his family.

    Those who benefited from his political clout shunned the annual celebrations.

    Islamic clerics dominated the entire event. The Chief Imam of Ibadanland,  Chief Imam of Ibadan land, Sheikh Abdul-Ganiyy Abubakri Agbotomokekere and other muslim scholars arrived, the late Adedibu’s Molete castle as early as 9a.m to offer a prayer for the diseased and celebrate with his family.

    The late Adedibu was a political pillar in Oyo State who mingled with Islamic clerics and politicians. He installed many governors, senators and local government chairmen before his demise in 2008. His political activism for over five decades forced politicians, even the opposition parties, to reckon with him.

    While calling on Adedibu’s sons and daughters to emulate the legacy left behind by their father, Agbotomokekere said Adedibu will be remembered for good.

    He said Adedibu contributed to human development and ensured that the less privileged were fed in his house.

    The cleric added: “Adedibu was able to contribute to human development while he alive. He helped many people, especially the less privileged. What do you want people to say about you when you die? It is left to you and I to decide. We need to do good, so as to be rewarded with good. God will reward us accordingly; therefore we need to do good.”

    Speaking on the low turnout, the wife of the deceased, Alhaja Abosede Adedibu, said whatever people sow is what they will reap.

    She said: “I thank God. God has always been there for me. I don’t hold grudge against anybody and I am not going to fight anybody because God has been faithful to me. I have not seen them (Adedibu’s political associates) since my husband died, but thank God I am coping. The turn out is not too bad though. As you know, it is the seven years anniversary and people still turned out to join us in the prayer. It shows how important he was while on earth. When we did the five years anniversary, the turnout was impressive, but we still thank God for His faithfulness. We must do the prayer because it is very important for him and we shall continue to do it every year, so that he can sleep well.

    “The family is working hard to ensure we immortalise him because he was too important to be forgotten so soon. For successive government not to immortalise him, I want to say whatever you sow, you shall reap. I won’t say more than that.”

    The first son of Adedibu, Professor Aderemi Adedibu, said he was happy to be part of the prayer. he urged people to continue to pray for the family.

    He tasked the clerics to give all his siblings the prayer points they used to give his father before his demise.

    “All of you clerics here present, please continue to pray for the family, most especially the immediate family. I also want to ask you to give us the kind of prayer point you used to give my dad while he was alive.”

    Speaking on his political influence, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin said the death of Adedibu was responsible for the political instability in the state.

    “We all missed baba. He was a hero; he was a father. He was our political oracle. It is a pity we don’t have him around at this critical time. But, we shall continue to celebrate and pray for him.”

    The former Secretary to the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Alhaji Basiru Akanbi, said the death of Adedibu was responsible for the dwindling fortunes of the PDP in the state, Southwest and Nigeria in general.

    “Many negative things have happened to the PDP since the demise of Baba Adedibu. Baba was a legend. He was an institution. He was a gift to Oyo State. He was a pride to all of us and his family. He lived a fulfilled life and he died as a martyr.

    “He was brave. He was courageous. He was always achieving results. The absence of Baba made PDP to  break-up in Oyo State, in Southwest and in Nigeria as a whole. His death has made things fell apart for us. He was intelligent, rich, and nice man. He was a leader,” Akanbi noted.

  • Oyo politics without Adedibu

    Oyo politics without Adedibu

    As political campaigns and related activities peak in Oyo State towards this month’s elections, Correspondent BISI OLADELE weighs the dynamics of the campaigns against the era and style of the late ‘strongman of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, and how residents are responding.

    Politicians in Oyo State, like their counterparts in other states, have been on the hustings, trying to convince the electorate to back them.

    From Ogbomoso to Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa to Oyo and all across the length and breadth of Ibadan, the state capital, politics is in the air as candidates and their parties bombard the airwaves with their messages. Billboards and posters adorn strategic places in the towns, cities and even hamlets. Open spaces have been turned into campaign grounds for rallies, drawing people in their hundreds and thousands.

    But hard as the candidates and their supporters try to electrify the crowds at the campaigns, the atmosphere seems to lack drama and razzmatazz associated with such events in Oyo State, especially in Ibadan, the political capital of the Southwest.

    Regarded as the heartbeat of Yoruba politics, Ibadan stands tall in the politics of the Southwest, thanks largely to the number of  colourful politicians who have come out of the ancient city, who in their own unique ways defined politics and politicking in the state.

    From the First Republic through to the present dispensation, the city has thrown up many renowned gladiators, chief among who were Chiefs Adegoke Adelabu (Penkelemesi), Busari Adelakun (Eruobodo) and Lamidi Adedibu, all late. As campaigns and other political activities get hotter for this month’s elections, the flambouyance that marked the approach of the trio of Adelabu, Adelakun and Adedibu (all godfathers of Ibadan/Oyo politics in their time) to politics seems to be gradually fading.

    Political headquarters

    Five major gladiators from different political parties are in the current race to the Agodi Government House. They are Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Rashidi Ladoja of Accord, Senator Teslim Folarin of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala of Labour Party (LP) and Engineer Oluseyi Maknde of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

    In spite of each of them commanding large followership, no residence of anyone of them or office can be referred to as the headquarters of political activities unlike in the days of Chief Adedibu, the last of the godfathers.

    As the most experienced politician in Ibadan and the state,  during his time, Adedibu’s Molete, Ibadan residence played host to crowds of party faithful, budding politicians, aspirants, candidates and political elders all day long. At the expansive palace, Adedibu also received some of the most notable national political figures, captains of industry, top Islamic clerics, opinion leaders as well as emissaries of traditional rulers.

    Ordinary folks, itinerary drummers, beggars and all sorts also thronged his residence in search of alms and daily bread which they never lacked once they found their way into the compound.

    But the shine is gone in the present time. Though the houses of the four governorship candidates of Ibadan origin also play host to many visitors daily, none presents the strength of Adedibu’s Molete palace, which looked like a market every hour of the day.

    If Adedibu were alive, his Molete residence would have been the first port of call for the presidential candidate of his party, the PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan and other leaders of the party during their recent campaign in Ibadan. They would have also visited the residence regularly to perfect strategies on how to win all the states in Southwest Nigeria.

    Influence/money-for-ticket factor

    Adedibu was a master strategist and consummate politician. In his lifetime, he either played a major role in who became the governor of the state, since the second republic, or singlehandedly chose who occupied the government house at Agodi. Because politicians, particularly members of his own party naturally surrendered leadership to him, he practically decided the party’s candidates in all the previous elections in the state. The major factor in his decision, according to one of his followers, who preferred anonymity, was money and the influence each aspirant wielded.

    This accounted for why, in 2007, Adedibu produced two senators within his large extended family. He played the leading role in the emergence of Senator Rashidi Ladoja as governor in 2003 and singlehandedly produced Chief Alao-Akala as governor in 2007.

    The same cannot be said of any living politician in Oyo State today. In fact, since Ladoja contended with Adedibu, a dispute that led to his illegal impeachment in 2006, Ladoja emerged as a new political bloc in the state but initially struggled to gain acceptance and strength. But today, Ladoja’s bloc is a force to reckon with in Oyo State politics. However, it cannot be safely said that money and political influence determine who picks ticket for offices within Ladoja’s camp.

    The same development plays out in the camp of the current governor, Abiola Ajimobi, who emerged as another political bloc since 2007. As years roll by, Ajomobi political bloc, formerly dubbed ‘Senator Abiola Ajimobi Campaign Organization’ (SENACO), and which has dissolved into the APC, is unarguably the most popular and strongest political group in Oyo State today. Unlike Adedibu’s style, however, money and influence are not the primary factor determining who becomes what in political schemes. As it happened in the December primaries of the party, only popular aspirants emerged as candidates. In the process, even Farouk Alao, the son of the late Ibadan business mogul and Islamic leader, Aare AbdulAzeez Arisekola Alao, failed to pick the party’s ticket for the Ibadan North Federal Constituency during the popularity test. So were the renowned unionists and pro-democracy crusaders, Hon. Ibrahim Bolomope and Mashood Erubami respectively. In the days of Adedibu’s reign, no one would go against baba’s choice. Losers were also compensated with appointments, however.

    The same can be said of Alao-Akala’s, Teslim Folarin’s and Seyi Makinde’s camps. No aspirant needs to grease the palm of these political leaders to pick the party’s ticket.

    Godfather and defection syndrome

    Because of the improvement in the polity and influx of more educated and middle-class people into partisan politics, Adedibu’s exit marked a watershed in the godfather factor in Oyo State politics.

    Once any budding politician enrolled in his Molete ‘school of politics’, his decision was final on their ambition. Anyone that challenged his verdict risked political persecution, together with members of his household. He also risked political oblivion because Chief Adedibu knew all the tactics and wielded so much influence.

    But in today’s politics in Oyo State the political godfather concept has given way to political leader concept. Followers now tell political leaders to their face that they would rather dump the party than settle for what is on offer – and they do just that! That was a taboo in days of Chief Adedibu. Baba’s was the supreme voice in the party and only top, experienced members could differ with the Ibadan high chief. Even at that, they would only stay away, not fighting from within. Such was too dangerous to dare.

    Campaign: Frivolities against important issues

    In the present dispensation in Oyo State the incumbent governor is being tackled on his policies and projects in the last three and a half years during campagns. He is being criticized on his urban renewal project, infrastructural development initiatives, welfare packages for traders, civil servants and management of followers, among others.

    Ajimobi is also hinging his campaign on his outstanding performance, always emphasizing that he outperformed all his predecessors, two of who are in the 2015 race.

    But in the days of Chief Adedibu, development issues were not the priority in campaigns. The high chief anchored his party’s campaigns on the dirty aspects of the opponent’s life. As he led his party’s campaign across the state, Chief Adedibu, who would have carefully dug out the negative sides of the opponent’s life, rolled them out with glee while the crowd of party supporters hailed him and saw the need to reject the opponent.

    This was an area of Adedibu’s dexterity. People loved to listen to him during campaigns. He was a crowd puller and he could be predicted on the content of his campaign.

    His sophistry, rendered in embellished Ibadan dialect, also made a great difference whenever he mounted the podium. The crowd would be silent to hear him while residents rushed to their television set or radio to listen to what Adedibu said at the campaign. The content of his campaign was usually the talk of town for days, weeks and sometimes for years.

    But today, issues confronting residents, communities and groups are the focus of campaigns. Debates are being organized for candidates where issues of developments are addressed. Party manifestos dominate debates and content of campaigns at rallies.

    Thuggery and the commercial drivers’ factor

    Chief Adedibu was the Grand Patron of the Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) until his death. His grip on the union was firm and his influence great on commercial drivers. He understood their needs, thinking and he spoke their language. This made him enjoy good followership among them.  The union’s chairmen paid homage at Molete and sought his advice.

    With this huge strength, members of the union were always available tools in Adedbu’s hands during political campaigns and other activities. He used them as party supporters and they followed him to wherever he went for campaign. The presence of the commercial drivers, most of who were thugs, formed a huge part of the crowd of supporters at campaigns and also helped him gain control of the crowd while giving his address. They responded with enthusiasm and were on ground to silence anyone that might want to express a dissenting voice against Baba’s position.

    On the other hand, their presence at campaign grounds made many decent people stay away from such places but they stayed glued to their radio and television later in the day to enjoy all Chief Adedibu said at the campaign.

    But in a recent interview with The Nation, his Personal Assistant, Alhaji Hakeem Gbolarumi, described the hoodlums as members of the party. “Those people were all members of the party. Baba never recruited thugs. They were members and they loved Baba to the core. That was why they could do anything for him.” He said.

    But today, even though some thugs are following politicians to campaign grounds, they do not enjoy such freedom and prominence as in the days of the late Chief Adedibu. In fact, any revelation that a candidate is rearing thugs will make him lose support in the state because people have gone through terrible experiences in the hands of the NURTW members in the build-up to the 2011 elections.

    One big breakthrough for the Ajimobi’s administration was how it succeeded in making NURTW members to conduct their activities peacefully. Since he banned activities of the Union on June 6, 2011 following the gruesome murder of many commuters at Iwo Road interchange, he succeeded in stamping out violence among commercial drivers.

    Again, the ruling APC is always hammering the violence and thuggery that marked the era of Ladoja and Alao-Akala from 2003 to 2007 as a reason voters should reject them again in this month’s election.

    Ajimobi’s campaign is wound around the concept of sustaining the peace and development he started three and a half years ago. The twin evil of violence and thuggery has become an albatross for both Alao-Akala and Ladoja.

    Music and food factor

    While politicians talk about stomach infrastructure today, Adedibu adopted the idea early in his leadership period. One of his popular saying was: “For you to survive as a political leader, three quarter of your income must be spent on your followers.” This was the concept that made him gain fame as an ‘amala politician.’

    Because of the low level of most of his followers, Adedibu understood the need to feed them and meet their other basic needs. He did this with gusto and what he gained in return was an army of loyal followers.

    But today, politicians have made the idea a corporate one, packaging raw food in potable bags and offering a pittance to their supporters. Amala is no longer on offer though supporters and needy people still throng homes of political leaders.

    In the corporate stomach infrastructure, however, some supporters get contract for purchase of raw food, packaging and distribution, giving them a decent income.

    Yet, political loyalty has waned unlike in the days of Adedibu.

    Also, while itinerary drummers led Adedibu’s team to campaign grounds, releasing tunes disparaging and abusing opposition candidates, today’s politicians employ the service of musicians who mount the stage at campaigns grounds.

    The musicians, aside eulogizing the party and the candidate that engage them also sing against their opponents. This has been the experience at at Mapo Hall and stadia in the Ibadan. The parties engage popular Fuji musicians in order to draw huge crowd to their rallies.

    While the APC has King Wasiu Ayinde and Rashidi Ayinde on its side, the PDP and LP have Abass Akande (Obesere) on their list. Saheed Osupa plays for the SDP and Accord.

    But at rallies in other towns, parties employ the services of local fuji musicians who they believe will also pull crowd, foster identity with locals and as well reduce cost.

    Speaking on the two eras, a chieftain of the PDP in the state and a governorship aspirant, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan said: “Adedibu has come and gone. He was a gem with his own style of politics. The situation today is different. Adedibu would organize elections all by himself. He did everything all alone. He didn’t believe in structures or election process because he set up his own and he controlled it.

    But he was a good planner, energetic and a master strategist. He did everything on his own with the assistance of his supporters.

    “Adedibu knew how to stoop to conquer. He knew how to get aspirants to support certain choices. The vacuum he left is very clear today. We don’t have any strong leadership again. There is nobody to actually look up to in ability to handle all tough political issues. That is why it has become extremely expensive to run campaigns today. In his days, Adedibu used to assess well. He knew how to bring up candidates that are able to defeat the opponent”.

    Gbolarumi, slightly corroborated Olaosebikan’s position on lack of leadership and insisted that PDP campaigns would have been better handled if the high chief was alive. He said: “When Baba was alive, he assigned me to accomplish all the tasks. But those in the saddle now are troubled with ego. They see me as a threat. Leadership is a problem in the state’s politics today. But we will soon work it out. We shall reach an understanding in the process of time.

    “ If Baba was alive, we in the PDP would have gone far into all nooks and crannies of the state for campaign. But today, there is no clear-cut overall leader. Those assuming leadership still have one thing or the other to learn. But there is the question of whether or not they want to learn.”

    Overall, the colour and glamour in Oyo politics have either changed or faded due to exposure, quest for better ways to handle politics and the passage of the late politician.

     

     

  • Adedibu political family seeks resuscitation from ruins

    Four years after his death, members of the political family of the strongman of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, are struggling to locate the thread that binds them, report BISI OLADELE.

    The expansive palatial home of the former Ibadan political warlord, Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu, is speedily dwindling in fame and importance. Located on a plane land by a large piece of land and a building of the defunct Nigerian Telecommunication (NITEL), the large compound is about 300 metres from the popular Molete Bridge.

    In the last few years before his death on June 11, 2099, Adedibu’s house was the most powerful political location in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. It was always a Mecca of sort as the high and mighty in politics across the nation visited continuously. The residence also received budding politicians coming to receive tutelage in the Nigerian kind of politics. So were hoodlums, mainly members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state. Adedibu was their Grand Patron. Residents who felt cheated by others as well as those seeking one favour or the other also thronged the politician’s house.

    The large compound received visitors from morning till evening, seven days a week, culminating in unending activities.

    But all that is dead. ‘Baba’, as he was fondly called, went away with all his power and influence.

    A visit to ‘Baba’s house, last week, revealed the death of all that was known with the late politician. Aside the repainting of the buildings that confirmed that the family is still together, nothing else announces Adedibu’s exploits in his hey days.

    The compound, made up of seven buildings and a mosque, was however, still kept neat and alive. Security men still occupy the gatehouse while some of Baba’s nuclear family members still live there. Weed has occupied an unused portion of the compound.

    Molete itself is wearing a new look through the urban renewal exercise of the Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration. The open spaces under the bridge that used to play host to hoodlums and street trading has been protected with beautiful iron bars while commercial buses using the roundabout as park have been relocated to a piece of land in front of Baba’s residence, thereby bringing beauty and orderliness to an area that was once a dirty, dreaded motor park.

    Motorists now move freely without fear of being attacked or exploited by hoodlums.

    The change is impressive!

    However, the active members of Adedibu political family are returning to the basics. Having scattered and pursued individual ambitions laced with strife for four years, a common interest is forcing its way among the political players, paving way for a new harmonious relationship.

    But the odds are clear and strong as ambition still reigns strong in the heart of stakeholders.

    Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu died on June 11, 2009, taking colour and shine off partisan political activities in Oyo State and the Southwest at large.

    Adedibu, who was practically the backbone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, would be remembered for his shrewd politicking skills and astute political leadership and his controversial positions on political issues. He was a towering figure within his party and Yoruba land at large.

    Adedibu spent at least 80 percent of his lifetime playing politics. He wined and dined with national, regional, state and local government political figures, some of who passed through his Molete school of politics.

    His death did not come as a big blow to the political terrain, it dealt a heavy blow to many of his followers and beneficiaries of his leadership within the PDP. His was a huge star that dropped from the clime and his shoes were too big for any other player to wear, according to his followers.

    Members of his political family include Elder Wole Oyelese, Alh. Hazeem Gbolarumi, Nureni Akanbi, Asimiyu Adio, Bola Alphonso, Sen. Teslim Folarin and Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja and the late Chief Kolapo Isola.

    Confirming his membership of the family in an interview with The Nation, Oyelese said: “Not only am I a member of the Adedibu political family, I was the number two man to him. Together, we installed Sen. Rashidi Ladoja as governor in 2003.”

    He continued: “There are many other members of the family. They include Hazeem Gbolarumi, Nureni Akanbi and a lot of people you may not have heard their names. They include Aleshinloye, a former chairman of Ibadan Southwest Local Government, Ado, Bola Alphonso. Some of them have passed away. But the active ones include Asimiyu Adio and Layi Ajakaye.”

    Asked about membership of others such as Alao-Akala and Folarin, the former minister said:”Those ones came later. They were latter members of the family because they were initially beneficiaries. The family was formed since the days of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We started since 1988 and those people were not part of us then.”

    Is the Adedibu political family still alive?

    Oyelese believes that the family is practically dead but that members of the family may still find a way to work together towards the 2015 election. According to the politician, Baba made some mistakes like any other human being towards the end of his life which he believes led to the inability of the family to hold itself together.

    He said: “Unfortunately before Baba died, a lot of things happened and some of us were forced to leave the family. Unfortunately again, many of those who benefitted from the family ruined the family because they did not take concrete steps to sustain the family. I can say they neglected it because they were not original members of the family.

    “Some of us who were really loyal to him were already annoyed with him. The few who are still loyal to him did not struggle to put the family together. Those who benefitted behaved like birds which fly away after they are given birth to. They were not entrenched in the system. So, one could not blame them. Baba made some wrong choices and that is what is responsible for the family not being formidable as it should be.

    “I wouldn’t say there is an Adedibu political family now. No. There are Adedibu former followers but not a family. There is a big difference between those who merely benefitted from Baba and the original members of the family. The fist group benefitted, but were not original members or who only became members because of the benefit they enjoyed. There is a clear difference between the two. They are still powerful players in the political terrain but the former cannot still be called core members of the Adedibu family. They can trace their roots to Adedibu  but that still does not make them core members of the family. We started a long time ago. We built the family during the SDP days and it has weathered the storm until Baba passed away.”

    The PDP chieftain however, believes that Adedibu’s name will continue to reverberate in Oyo State politics because many players passed through him in one way or the other.

    “It is just like Chief Awolowo’s name. Chief Awolowo died a long time ago but his name is still ringing. People can still refer to what he did in Yoruba land. Chief Adedibu’s name will continue to ring a bell but his influence will not be there because he was a powerful, colorful politician. So his name will continue to ring bell.

    “But Baba made some mistakes, just like any human being. Those mistakes are now causing problems in Oyo State. He threw up a lot of people who should never have smelt the corridor of power. These people are inexperienced and they are now causing problem in the party. Baba’s method can only be practised by Baba. His method was unique and can only be practised by him. Anybody who tries to imitate Baba Adedibu will destroy himself. This is because he was a unique man. He had a system and the system worked for him. But things have changed.”

    Oyelese acknowledged that Oyo State politics cannot have the same colour it had in the days of the strongman of Ibadan politics because things have changed. Besides, he disclosed that those who could function as an overall leader are still interested in political offices.

    His words: “Adedibu knew that he was there with a big basket in front of him. Other people would go out to their local governments, they would win the positions and bring them (returns)and put them in the basket. Nobody can do that in Oyo State now. Those of us who can practise it are still interested in political contest. Baba Adedibu was not a contestant but a godfather. Not many people have that experience or the know-how. Those of us who have the know-how are still interested in political offices.

    “Baba Adedibu was an enigma. He would tell you things that are not in any political publication. He had it in his head and he would bring it out and it would work.

    But a lot of inexperienced people have been thrown up. That also is part of the mistakes he committed. Many of the people now parading themselves as leaders, where did they have their training? At the appropriate time, when we have to mention names, we will talk. And the boys will know themselves and the men will know themselves in Oyo State.”

    Speaking along the same position, another core member of the Adedibu political family, Alh. Hazeem Gbolarumi, stressed that the family was scattered by dictatorial tendencies of some members who believed they knew it all.

    His words: “Where one person is dictating, it can’t work. It is not done. That was the problem that faced the PDP then. But everybody has realised his mistakes.  We are integrating now; we are working together. Soon, you will see us together.

    “If Baba was alive, it would not have happened this way because Baba had his way of leading people. He would tell you why things had to be done in certain ways and people always fell for his wisdom. That was then when we all had a common rallying point. But for now, everybody wants to be a leader. There is an ego problem. But now, we are planning to have a common leader, a rallying point.

    “We all miss Baba Adedibu. In fairness, we all miss him. Even in the entire Nigerian political landscape, Baba Adedibu is missed. But we thank God. We shall get out of this problem.”

    As the last second in command to Adedibu, Gbolarumi believes that the family still exists because of the hope of working together again after all have come to the realisation that only a united family members can achieve success in the political terrain.

    “The family is still there. It is just that we are not all that united. The reason being that everybody wants to be the leader. Even people who had the opportunity to become councilor would claim they are leaders. Since the demise of Baba, everybody has become a leader. That has been giving us setback. They have forgotten that leaders emerge naturally. It is not by election, selection or appointment.

    “But we all miss Baba. Baba was a politician with local intelligence. We all benefitted from him. He was our benefactor, mentor – everything to us.  He was a good listener. He would ask everybody to contribute to issues. He listened very well and took advice. Once Baba discovered you, you won’t need to spend your money unnecessarily before he would present you for the right position.

    “We miss his advice, leadership, intelligence, wisdom. We miss everything. (The effect of )his death is like that of a father and a son. The father loved the son so much. He could do anything for the son. If such father dies suddenly, it is tragedy for the son.”

    Recalling how decisions were made during Baba Adedibu’s days, Gbolarumi said: “We would all gather. The issues would be tabled. Everybody would contribute and offer solutions. Then, Baba would take the final decision. The decision always came from our deliberations. By the time he took the decision, we would all embrace it.”

     

  • Adedibu: In the mould of Adelakun?

    Adedibu: In the mould of Adelakun?

    Like a lion, Chief Lamidi Adedibu roared till death in the Oyo State, Southwest and the Nigerian political climate. A member of the Alhaji Busari Oloyede Adelakun political family, Adedibu, had a firm grip on players of the game in his own time, reflecting the dominion of his political leader, Adelakun.

    Adelakun, affectionately called Eruobodo or fearless by political supporters, friends and foes alike, hailed from Ejioku, a less city in Ibadan.

    He was a formidable politician whose support was almost enough to win elections, at least in Ibadan in the Second Republic. He was a strong pillar of support for Second Republic governor of old Oyo State, late Chief Bola Ige in their days together in the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).He served in the government of Ige as a commissioner, before political differences in the run up to the 1983 general elections led to his defection to the opposition National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He remained a political juggernaut even in NPN where his influence helped the party to topple Bola Ige and UPN in the 1983 gubernatorial election.

    Adelakun left the legacy of deep, victorious political practice to Adedibu who hailed from the main city Ibadan. His grip of politics in the old Oyo State, particularly Ibadan, in the Second Republic was unique.

    Just like Adedibu, his competence and leadership acumen traversed the entire state at the period. His opposition to the then Governor Bola Ige, following their dispute, revealed his political strength across the state.

    Adelakun’s movement to the then opposition party in the state, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), largely led to the victory of the party over Bola Ige’s Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Mathematician Dr Omololu Olunloyo emerged the successor to Bola Ige.

    His political exploits earned him the alias: “Eruobodo” (River fears no one -a description of Adelakun as a valiant man).

    Reflecting on Eruobodo, the current Baale of Ejioku, Chief Yekini Adelakun, described him as a great, courageous and valiant politician. The Baale is the immediate younger brother of Eruobodo.

    The 70-year- old Baale recalled that Eruobodo used his political influence to bring development to the Ejioku community.

    According to him, Eruobodo was a peaceful man who was loved by, particularly every member of the Ejioku community.

    He said: “When he was alive, this town was lively and progressed. It witnessed development – he helped in getting employment for indigenes in the civil service, helped in bringing electricity, uninterrupted power supply, to the town and also provided pipe-borne water. He also established the Ejioku Community High School and a technical college. But since his demise, the technical college and other projects were abandoned. I had to covert the technical college to St Anthony Primary School II when there was no hope again.”

    He identified some of his followers as Adedibu, Dr Busari Adebisi, Chief Ayo Eniade, Supo Akinwale and Elder Wole Oyelese.

    One of his political sons, Chief Ahmed Oladosu, also reflected on Adelakun’s activities and praised his exploits.

    According to him, Adelakun had a dispute with Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Bola Ige which led to his removal as the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. He was later made the Commissioner for Health. But he resigned after a while to join the NPN.

    He said Adelakun was feared as a tough politician due to the controversial death of his two successors in the two ministries he headed. While his successor in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs was beheaded by his own brother, his successor in Health Ministry where he resigned suffered stroke.

    According to Oladosu, people believed that Adelakun’s vowed that no one would be able to occupy any seat he vacated in anger, and that made them to believe that he was behind the death of the two commissioners.

    A major difference between Adelakun and Adedibu’s style, according to Oladosu, is that while the latter sat at home to control how elections went on elections days, the former used to visit polling centres with his lieutenants on the election day. He added that Adelakun used to monitor election in the domain of the opposition, pointing out that with his presence, voting often went in favour of his party and candidate.

    However, not a few would be quick to point at the violence that rocked old Oyo State in the run up to the 1983 polls and the role played by Adelakun and his group which had Adedibu as a prominent player. The series of violence that also erupted in the state when Adedibu held sway as the undisputed leader , some would argue were indicative of the kind of politics the two played in their time.

    The names of the two politicians, no doubt, would continue to occupy a huge space in the annals of Oyo State and Southwest at large.

    In Adelakun’s epitaph was inscribed: “A philanthropist, businessman, politician, Bada Balogun of Ibadanland, Basorun Musunlumi of Oyo State, Defender of the rights of the masses. (Eruobodo).

     

  • Adedibu: Five years after

    Adedibu: Five years after

    The ‘strong man of Ibadan politics’, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, passed on five years ago. OSEHEYE OKWUOFU writes on Oyo State politics in the post – Adedibu era.

     

    On Tuesday, June 11, 2013, family friends, and political associates of the late Ibadan politician, Chief Ariyibi Lamidi Adedibu gathered at his expansive Molete home. It was to mark the fifth anniversary of the demise of the late People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader in Oyo State. When he died in 2008 at the age of 81, Adedibu was not only a dominant figure on the political terrain, he had also distinguished himself as a grassroots man, a national party leader, acknowledged party mobiliser and a charismatic leader of the rural poor.

    Apart from the fact that his political importance was widely acknowledged by politicians seeking elective positions, the impression created in some quarters was that of a man promoted violence and thuggery, an opportunist, and a very ambitious politician with a price.

    Chief Adedibu’s 57 years of overwhelming influence in Oyo politics earned him many titles such as the “Alaafin Molete” “Field Marshal,” “Adedibully,” “Dry Fish;” “Controller of Politics in Oyo,” “the Ashipa of Ibadanland,” “the Exponent of Amala politics”, “The only Father of the PDP,” and “the Garrison Commander of Ibadan politics.”

    But all that have gone with the politician, whose death was received with sadness and joy .

    Though enthroned by the late Adedibu, the former Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, shortly after the death of the politician, felt he could not carry on with the reign of terror that had taken over the state . He began a gradual withdrawal from the Adedibu political dynasty, a move which led to the subtle disarming of armed gangsters of the “garrison commander.” He could be said to have succeeded to a large extent before he was voted out of power in 2011. But Akala lacked the political will to rid the state of thuggery, brigandage, and violence since he was a product of the system.

    Morally, many argued that Akala was biting more than he could chew. The move by Akala to withdraw himself from a system of which he was a sole beneficiary, created a big crack in the PDP and the Adedibu’s political family. In no time, disaffection, bitterness and acrimony erupted within the ranks of party faithful and loyalists as many became aggrieved and marginalised .While some were said to have been pacified with huge sums of money by Akala, others fell out of the party and chose to pitch their tent with the ACN and Accord Party. The widow of Adedibu, Alhaja Bose, and the vestige of the political family that remained with Molete on the other hand, felt betrayed.

    Many of the political office holders, who Adedibu single-handed put in office, deserted the family. As the saying goes, the centre could no longer hold and everything fell apart. The once bustling Molete home of the “great leader,” and “strong man of Ibadan politics” has since lost its boisterous character; it is now more like a grave yard. Adedibu’s home, formerly known as “Mecca”, the place is now deserted, leaving the widow and few family members to occupy the vast estate.

    In his days, brigandage and thuggery held the state by the juggler. Many lost their lives and property, while others were raped, maimed and incapacitated . Though, Oyo State Police Command always mobilized its highest intelligent agents to dismantle the Ibadan ruffians, an end to political thuggery in Oyo State was not in sight. Security became a nightmare. The state chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) became an arm of the state government under the administration of Alao-Akala in his bid to secure a second term in office. it grew worse when the NURTW split into two factions. While Alhaji Lateef Akinsola a.k.a. Tokyo led one faction, the other was led by Alhaji Lateef Salako a.k.a. Eleweomo.

    There was a growing need for good governance, infrastructural development, security of lives and property in the state. The residents, outcry for security and peace grew. And this was demonstrated through the ballot box in the April, 2011, governorship election. It enthroned the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) flagbearer, Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi.

    His election ushered in a fresh air of security in the state. Shortly after his swearing-in, Governor Ajimobi inaugurated the state security outfit code-named Operation Burst. The governor identified two critical areas that needed urgent attention. security and infrastructure development. It was no longer business as usual. Many things began to fall in place as sanity was restored in governance. Political thuggery , brigandage, and violence were banished. And a new Oyo State emerged .

    Since Adedibu’s demise, there are many repairs that have been carried out: Restoration of security of lives and property, inauguration of the Oyo State Youth Empowerment Scheme (O-YES) , beautification of Molete bridge, a place hitherto famous as heaven for thugs and social miscreants, the beautification of Iwo bridge, formerly reputed as the battle ground for factions of NURTW , construction of the Mokola bridge, the longest bridge in the state, and massive urban renewal , just to mention a few .

    Many political thugs, who made their living from violence, have now been disarmed and rehabilitated into the good life. Now, peace, sanity and good governance reign in the state.

    As family , friends, and well wishers celebrate the fifth anniversary of the late politician, the people of the state also joined in the celebration. But, a celebration of peace, good governance , serene environment and massive urban renewal.

    The political phase, which the late Adedibu represented, whether good or ugly live for posterity.

    Chief Lamidi Adedibu, the “Alaafin Molete” and “the Garrison Commander of Ibadan politics” was born into the Olupoyi chieftaincy ruling house at Oja-Oba, Ibadan, on October 24, 1927. He attended Mapo Elementary Primary School, Ibadan, and Ibadan High School. He served as Publicity Secretary to the defunct Action Group (AG) in the colonial period and later became the Chairman of Youth Wing of the party in Ibadan. In May 1956, Adedibu contested election into the Western Regional House of Assembly on the platform of the Action Group in Ibadan East Constituency and lost. In 1976, he was elected a councilor into Ibadan Municipal Government. After the failed campaign for the late General Sanni Abacha for life President, Adedibu later pitched his tent with the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) during the advent of democratic rule in1999. He regained the control of Oyo politics in 2003 with the emergence of Senator Ladoja who, he sponsored against the AD government of Alhaji Lam Adesina.

     

     

     

  • Ajimobi has done well, says Adedibu’s widow

    Mrs. Bose Adedibu, widow of the late strongman of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, has said Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has had done well within his two years in office.

    She rated the administration high on security, urban renewal and environmental sanitation.

    Mrs. Adedibu, like her late husband, is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). She spoke on Monday during a weekly Yoruba television programme on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS).

    Mrs. Adedibu said the Ajimobi administration has restored peace to the state.

    She said: “I am not a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) but a staunch PDP member and I am not leaving the party. But I cannot say because I am a PDP member, I will not acknowledge good performance.

    “In all honesty and without being unnecessarily biased, Ajimobi is doing well. There is peace and security now, compared with the violence and brigandage that used to be perpetrated by street urchins.”

    Mrs. Adedibu said a couple of years back, the state was besieged by violence, which made it uncomfortable for virtually everyone.

    She said: “I remember vividly that at that time, the people of Oyo State lived in perpetual fear of insecurity. But now, everywhere is peaceful and people are going about their businesses without fear of molestation.”

    Mrs. Adedibu acknowledged that Ibadan and the entire state is wearing a new look, owing to the urban renewal programme of the Ajimobi administration.

    She dismissed insinuations by the opposition that shops were being demolished and that traders were subjected to unnecessary pain, saying only street traders were relocated.

    The widow said: “Those relocated were trading on the streets and the government’s action would ensure their safety and prevent avoidable accidents and loss of life.

    “I understand the government has been building some shops for the traders. I think they should bear with the government and see it as part of their sacrifice to ensure a cleaner and tidier environment.”

    Mrs. Adedibu urged politicians to create room for dialogue so as not to overheat the polity.

  • ‘Villains’ of June 12 struggle

    ‘Villains’ of June 12 struggle

    Nigerians on Wednesday marked the 20th anniversary of the most credible election ever conducted in the history of the country.

    The June 12, 1993 presidential election that was controversially annulled by Ibrahim Babangida –led military junta pitched the billionaire business mogul -turned politician – the late Chief M.K.O Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party against Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa, who contested the election on the platform of the proscribed National Republican Convention.

    Abiola, who died in prison on July 8, 1998, was coasting to a landslide victory in the poll until the Armed Forces Ruling Council announced its cancellation via a terse statement on June 21, 1993.

    The protests that followed the controversial decision pushed the country closer to another civil war until the former military president was forced to step aside on August 26, 2003. That development ushered in the Interim National Government headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan, who was also ousted in a palace coup by the late Gen. Sani Abacha in November 17, 2003.

    Gen. Abacha died on June 8, 1998 in a mysterious circumstance.

    While many Nigerians genuinely laid claims to the sobriquet of “heroes and heroines of June 12 struggle and albeit democracy.” There are others whose roles in the “extermination” of the June 12 dream would never be forgotten even by generations unborn.

    They played varying roles in extinguishing the collective hope and aspirations of millions of Nigeria who came out on that historical day to elect the candidate of their choice.

    To many Nigerians these people are “Judas Iscariot” of our time because they sold their conscience for “a piece of silver.” Ironically many of them are now major beneficiaries of the present democratic experiment, occupying public offices both at state and national level.

    HAMED SHOBIYE, Assistant Editor, Online looks at some of the “perceived villains” of the June 12 struggle.

     

    Ibrahim Babangida:

    Babangida was the head of the military government that controversially annulled Nigeria’s most credible election. He was forced to step aside after nationwide protests pushed Nigeria closer to another civil war.

    Sani Abacha:

    The late head of state was a frontline member of AFRC, the military council that annulled the election.

    He allegedly played pivotal roles in the annulment and also controversially incarcerated the presumed winner of the poll who later died in detention.

    His government pushed Nigeria closer to civil war. But he died mysteriously and paved way for Nigeria’s return to civil rule.

    Arthur Nzeribe:

    The controversial former senator also played huge roles in the annulment of that historic election.

    He founded the controversial Association for Better Nigeria alongside one Abimbola Davies. The ABN obtained an interim court injunction to stop the election, a development that paved ways for the poll eventual annulment.

    Nzeribe later became a senator when Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.

    Uche Chukwumerije:

    A senator in the current National Assembly was a strong member of Abacha’s kitchen cabinet and campaign vigorously against the election within and outside the country.

    Walter Ofonagoro:

    Another very vocal opponent of the June 12 struggle. He was the unofficial spokesman of Abacha’s government.

    Lamidi Adedibu:

    The late strongman of Ibadan politics was a very visible opponent of the June 12 struggle. He wined and dined with the military authorities. He also provided useful information on the activities of the National Democratic Coalition, a pro-democracy group that was in the fore-front of the struggle, to the late Abacha and his hatchet men.

    Ironically, the late Ibadan high chief was one of the major beneficiaries of Nigeria’s return to democratic rule until his demise few years ago.

    Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao:

    The Ibadan-based businessman would never forget the treatment he received from students of University of Ibadan when he visited the institution for a convocation programme in November 1998. He came to the university campus with the then head of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who had just taken over as Nigeria’s leader after the mysterious death of Abacha, ostensibly to placate the students for frolicking with the military during the June 12 struggle.

    But he was oblivious of the harsh treatment awaiting him in the hands of the angry students who pounced on him, seized his posh cars, set them ablaze and forced him to escape from the campus through one of the police pick up vans.

     

     

  • Family urges Fed Govt to immortalise Adedibu

    The family of the late strong man of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, has urged the Federal Government to immortalise its patriarch “in recognition of his contributions to the nation’s political growth”.

    The family spoke during the fifth year Fidau for the deceased at his Molete home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    They urged those who have benefited from the late Adedibu’s “political wisdom” to immortalise him.

    Speaking on behalf of the family, Senator Kamoru Adedibu, urged the Federal Government to name a street in Abuja after his father.

    He said hardly is there any political office holder today, who did not, in one way or the other, pass through his father’s home.

    The senator said: “My father contributed immensely to political stability in Nigeria. Baba was part of the struggle that returned the nation to civil rule. Naming a street after him in Abuja is not too much, as well as a post-humous national award.”

    The late Adedibu’s former Personal Assistant, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi, urged the Federal Government to declare June 12 a public holiday in honour of the late Adedibu and Chief MKO Abiola, saying “they are both pillars of democracy”.

    He said: “Baba’s footprints in politics were rated higher than that of the late Abiola.”