The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South Africa Chapter has tasked Nigerian leaders to remember and emulate the selfless sacrifice of founding fathers and heroes past as that remain a major recipe for Nigeria’s growth and development.
The Chairman, People Democratic Party South Africa Chapter, Hon. Ekos Akpokabayen said this in its 56th Independent message to Nigerians made available yesterday in Lagos.
In the statement, the Chairman said that the history of Nigeria from independence in concert with the show of heroic, rare personal sacrifice made by the likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Michael Okpara, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Saduana Sokoto, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa are quite commendable and should be emulated by all Nigerians.
He said that the self sacrifices of our heroes will hunt this new generation of leaders if they don’t retrace their steps by toiling the path that would take Nigeria out of deliberate oppression, excruciating pain of hunger and unmerited suffering.
He said “despite the current economic uncertainties, it is important to always hang our hopes on the fact that there will always be trying times in the life of every nation, but times like this are meant for sober reflections which will culminate into that will drive us into that future of our dreams.
Akpokabayan also seize this opportunity to call on the present government in Nigeria to go back to history lane and take the part of wisdom, togetherness of our founding fathers that gave birth to what we are celebrating today. They should see this day as a day of history to reconnect with that founding spirit of unity so as to usher in the much desired prosperity for all.
He said “our leaders must cultivate the spirit of truth and do away with falsehood and propaganda that have undermined prove-able development in the past 55 years of our existence as a sovereign entity, Nigeria is a country dangerously blessed by God with the endowment of rare natural resources and wealth of man power”.
He further said that we should use this day to celebrate Nigerian women and the role they played in fostering the unity of the country, we need to recognize the contributions and supports of our women and give them an ample branch to perch on in our political sphere and governance as this will enhance and accelerate good governance and economic transformation.
He noted that the federal government must realize that now is the time to bring back education to our children, bring conventional exposures to our youths, feed our people, carter for our aged, priorities industrialization, create massive employment for our youths return a fair, favorable and all inclusive governance, purposeful leadership, come up with people oriented and investors friendly policies, ones based on sincerity that will lead to building a solid and unshakable foundation which will see every Nigerian walk tall anywhere in the world with boastful pride.
He thanked Nigerians for no more being conservative with the truth, urging them to continue to speak out and also be prepared to prove a point with their votes in 2019 when that opportunity will call again for them to show that they also belong to this 21st century like their contemporaries in other parts of the world.
Tag: Chief Obafemi Awolowo
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Independence: PDP South Africa tasks leaders on selfless service
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‘How the North chased Awo with bees’
Pa Raheem Olajide Adegbite was a youth leader of the defunct political party, Action Group in Remo in the early 1940s through till 1967. Now at 85, the old man looks back at those exciting days, when the enigmatic late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his contemporaries bestrode the politics of the time with lofty ideals and rivalries. He spoke to Taiwo Abiodun about the politics of the time.
HUNG on the wall of his living room were youth photographs of him with prominent people of his time on different political occasions. In one of them, the chubby-cheeked youth was with the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and a monarch in 1958; in another, he was with party leaders and supporters among others in his prim black suit and tie; whilst in yet another, he was reading out a speech while the late Awolowo sat with a monarch and looked on.
Now an octogenarian, Pa Raheem Olajide Adegbite paused, brought out another picture, gave it to this reporter and spoke slowly, as he pointed at a figure. “This is the late Tai Solarin in the middle, delivering his speech when we visited him at his Mayflower School, Ikenne.”
Uncle Tai, as he was popularly called, was in a Yoruba flowing gown (agbada) and it was on an occasion when the youths were coming from a meeting with the late Awolowo in 1960.
As he sorted quietly through some more papers and documents, Adegbite, who was then youth leader and Social Secretary of the Action Group party, Remo Division in the then Western Region (now Ogun state) spotted his old membership card, with the inscription, ‘Action Group Youth Membership Card’ and the palm tree symbol on it, picked it up and brandished it with pride.
Said Adegbite with visible nostalgia, “The late Awo,” as Chief Awolowo was fondly called, “was an enigma, faithful and strong leader, whom the youths of the time looked up to; believing in his ideas and principles to deliver his political manifestos. Awo was known to us generally; he was simple and spoke to us in the language we understood.”
My Closeness to Awo
Adegbite, who hails from Sagamu, the divisional capital of Remo in the old Western Region, was however quick to say that he didn’t have any special closeness to the late sage, except that “as secretary of the youth wing of the Action Group Party, I used to go to him with one Mr. Makanjuola Lawal.”
Reminiscing further, he said: “What I understand about him was his greatness, agility, brilliance, dexterity in politics, humility and faithfulness. He was a gift to Nigeria; little wonder he was described as the ‘best president Nigeria never had.’ He was a clean man; very clean and straightforward. His type of politics is rare. He possessed that magnetic power, such that wherever he was, he enjoyed loud ovation. He was just great.”
Passage of time
Just as he reflected on the passage of most of his contemporaries with whom he rocked the political terrain in the 1940s and 1960s, Adegbite said he is pained that the late Awolowo died without becoming president of Nigeria as his followers wanted. “Many of us who were members of the youth wing have passed on. Even though I am based in Lagos and have not been going home regularly, I can still remember people like L. Abiodun, Amusa Shittu, Isiaka Adewale, Mustapha Erinle, M.O. Akodu, although I am not too sure who is still alive or gone amongst them even as I speak.
The Awo campaign train
Reflecting on the campaign train, Adegbite said “Whenever Awo arrived at a campaign ground, people would cheer and cheer and cheer because of his charisma, exposure, education and promising manifesto. He was treated with honour and respect. He was an icon, an idol. Whenever there was a campaign, I would be asked to mobilise our people to meet him. I was the social secretary and it was my job to go round and announce his coming. It was a highly honourable job to do and an influential position too. I used to go with him to the campaign ground anytime he came to Remo.”
The many attacks on Awo
Adegbite confirmed the hostilities among politicians of the time and the use of voodoo, assassination and verbal attacks on the late Awo. “Yes, the politicians used juju to attack one another. Then assassination was not as rampant as we have these days, so Awolowo was attacked several times with juju. He was also verbally and physically attacked; but he always escaped unhurt because he was very powerful. There was a time he went to Oyo town with the late Bode Thomas and they were accused of being rude to the Alaafin of Oyo (the father of the present Alaafin). It was alleged that somebody used juju on them, but Awo was not affected. The rest, like they say, is history.
“Not only that. The Igbos refused to vote for Awo, alleging that he had campaigned that he would ban stock fish, which is a popular item amongst them. Up north, he went to campaign and they said he was a pagan and stoned him. They even sent bees to sting him, but he brought out his handkerchief and warded them off. But in spite of all these, he made friends amongst Northern leaders like the late Aminu Kano, JS Tarka amongst other.”
Penkelemess
Asked to explain what the ‘penkelemess’ slogan was all about, Adegbite said “From the beginning there was friendship. Awo was in Action Group and the late Adegoke Adelabu, who was an Ibadan indigene, used to say all what Awo was doing was ‘a peculiar mess.’ They used to tackle him by going to motor parks, but Awolowo used to do his own in a very decent way.”
As a rule, no civil servant could join in active politics, but Adegbite sort of contravened that instruction, as he participated actively in politics as secretary of Remo Local Government. But that, he said, was possible because he was a member of Action Group and Action Group was the ruling party at the time.
The Awo magic
On the story that Awo performed magic by writing his name in the sky during a campaign, the old man laughed and said it was not magic but scientific. “Awo only flew a balloon in the air and wrote Action Group on it. That was new then and everybody looked at him in amazement.”
The AG crisis
At this point Adegbite said he didn’t want to talk about the crisis any longer but volunteered that it was a result of a power tussle between Awo and Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola between 1952-59. “Awo was Premier of the Western Region, but had to go on to play federal politics. But when he came back and wanted his seat back from Akintola, there was a disagreement and this led to a split in the party ranks, as some people followed Akintola, while some followed Awolowo.”
Again, when there was a need for the party to form an alliance, Awo wanted the NCNC but Akintola preferred to go with the NPC (Northern People’s Congress) led by the Sardauna, late Sir Ahmadu Bello, because he could speak the Hausa language. But this led to rioting all over the place, with people burning houses in the South-West. Many houses were burnt in Sagamu, Iperu, Ishara, Ode Remo, Ikenne and other places. Many ran away for their dear lives , while majority of us could no longer attend party meetings. But Awo was not happy with the situation and appealed to the people for calm.”
An ardent Awo disciple, Adegbite said, “Our hope was that if Awo became president, he would provide employment for the youth; but since he lost, he couldn’t do anything and there was bitterness amongst his supporters in Remo and Sagamu and elsewhere, where people believed in him.
Adegbite said it was a sadder occasion, when Awolowo was jailed in 1963. “People were not happy about it; he was our messiah; he was an idol amongst the youth.”
God, greater than all
The former youth leader was however not happy with the way the late sage’s body was treated after his demise, arguing that it was against God’s wish for a dead body to be preserved forever. “I was in Ikenne after he died to pay my condolence and pen down my thought in the register, but I believe he should have been buried thereafter.”
He said the attempt to preserve his body, however failed, when his remains began to rot and the family had to hurriedly bury him. “It showed us that God is powerful and greater than us all.”
While admitting that Awo had his weaknesses, Adegbite said he is still baffled by his ability to woo people, likening it to a magic wand. “People would be held speech-bound for hours, shouting ‘Awo!, Awo!!, Awo!!!’ He was a good leader, no doubt; a good teacher and a pace-setter. He was the first to bring television and radio to Nigeria.”
Was Awo a proud man?
The self-confessed Awoist said: “I cannot say he was proud, but he knew what he wanted. He used to say ‘It’s not life that matters but the courage you put into it.’
“I followed his principles. I have only one wife. I am honest and will never steal a pin. After retiring from working at the Remo Council, I also worked at Nigerian Paper Converters; manufacturers of “Day by Day ” toilet paper, drinking straws, printing and stationery manufacturers. When I resigned from there, I went into rug business and retired into selling cement.”
Asked if his sticking to one woman was all about following Awo, he said: “My father had three wives; my grand-dad had five wives, but they were always quarrelling. My mother actually wanted me to have more wives but I said ‘no.’ When wives fight, they always sided with their children. I am 56 years in this marriage and we are still alive. I have no child outside and I am contented.”
Between Buhari and Awo
Adegbite praised Buhari for trying to tackle corruption. He said “Buhari is in Awo’s shoes. Awo said he would probe the military but lost the election; but Buhari said the same and was elected. That is life. Now we are all seeing how corruption has destroyed the country. We should all support Buhari for toeing Awo’s line.”
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Ibru left great legacies behind – Anyaoku
Chief Emeka Anyaoku (CFR, CON, GCVO) has described the death of the First democratically elected Governor of Delta State, Felix Ibru, as a passing of an outstanding player in the democratic evolution of Nigeria, and of Delta State in particular.
According to Chief Anyaoku, as a Senator of the Federal Republic, Ibru demonstrated notable perspicacity and unalloyed patriotism in the debates of the National Assembly.
“As the first civilian Governor of Delta State, he did not only exemplify a true sense of public service but also left behind legacies, some of which his successors have adopted to the benefit of the State.
“In his last years, I had the privilege and indeed the pleasure of working with him as a member of the Selection Committee of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo Leadership Award which I chaired and will always remember his quiet sense of humour and sterling contributions to the Committee’s deliberations.
“I convey my deep condolence to his family and prayer that his soul will rest in perfect peace,” Chief Anyaoku said.
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Obasanjo, Gowon, Shonekan, Tinubu storm Ikenne for HID Awolowo
Dignitaries from all walks of life on Wednesday stormed the Ikenne, Ogun State, home of the late ex- Premier of the old Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, for the burial of his wife, Hannah Idowu Dideolu ( HID) Awolowo, who died in September 19.
The inter-denominational service held at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Kehinde Sofola Way, Ikenne, was graced by former heads of state, past and current governors, politicians, captains of industry, religious leaders and others. Even the common man on the street was not left out of the carnival-like funeral ceremony in the church and other places in the city.
Those that attended the interdenominational service were former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, ex- Head of the Interim National Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan, ex-Chief of General Staff, Oladipo Diya, and the National Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi.
Also in attendance were former governors of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Otunba Subomi Balogun, ex- Lagos governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande and his Ondo State counterpart, Niyi Adebayo.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, some senators, Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo) Ben Ayade ( Cross Rivers) , Jubrilla Bindiow (Adamawa), Rauf Aregbesola ( Osun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Minister of Health, Prof. Wole Adeosun, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu and business mogul, Aliko Dangote, were also in Ikenne to pay their last respect to the matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty.
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Late HID Awolowo gets Post-Humous Doctorate Degree
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The Tai Solarin Universiy of Education (TASUED), Ijagun on Tuesday announced intentions to confer a post-humous honourary doctorate degree in Business Education on late Chief Mrs. HID Awolowo. The institution will honour late matriarch of the Awolowo family during the University’s 2015 convocation and 10th anniversary ceremonies slated for Saturday, November 28, 2015, as encomiums continues to pour in. According to the TASUED in a letter dated November 9, 2015 and signed by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Oluyemisi Obilade, the University said the decision to honour the late HID was in recognition of her passion for education, business acumen and service to humanity. The letter addressed to the Awolowo family, reads in parts: “We are delighted to inform you that the University Governing Council has approved the recommendations of the Senate to honour the matriarch, Chief (Mrs.) H.I.D Awolowo, with the post humous degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.Ed) (Honoris Causa) in Business Education of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun. (The premier University of Education in Nigeria) at the forthcoming 2015 Convocation and 10th year Anniversary Ceremonies scheduled to hold at 10:00am on Saturday, 28th November, 2015 at the University Auditorium, Ijagun Main Campus.” “This award is in recognition of her passion for education, business acumen and numerous contributions to the advancement of human race in Nigeria. The University takes special cognizance of her being a role model and legendary example of womanhood, leadership and family support. The University joins well-meaning Nigerians in celebrating the enviable worth of mama and her outstanding legacy in the service of humanity. We also congratulate you and your family on the noble achievement. May the Almighty God uphold the Awolowo family and keep them united.” It would be recalled that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo not only revolutionised education in the then Western Nigeria with the introduction of The Free Education Programme of his political party, he also praised the support of his wife, describing her as a “jewel of inestimable value”. -
Open letter to ‘Black man in White House’
- “Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe, that something inside of them was superior to circumstances.” – Bruces Barton.
Years back, I became interested in the startling story of one of the finest American presidents: Theodore Roosevelt. After reading something very striking about him somewhere, I jumped into the study of this bright and enigmatic leader. In the course of my dramatic search, I later discovered that the famed and one of the longest serving United States presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was related to him (note: Franklin was his cousin). Surprisingly, other information and facts began to emerge, much to my intellectual excitement.
Interestingly enough, one of the items that sparked up this article was when I realized that this widely-known great president of the United States, added the adjective, ‘WHITE’ to the official presidential residence of today’s U.S. presidential lodge, the famous ‘White House’. Immediately, something struck the ‘walls’ of my inquisitive mind.
My world temporarily stood still. Questions began to crowd the sanctuary of my now awakened mind. Questions such as: Why the choice of white? The colour black, as it were, was synonymous with blacks, niggers and slaves! Was America, at that time, a white- only country? Were there no promising blacks, Jews, native Indians and\or other potential immigrants? What conditions of the mind or circumstantial factors and other unknown sources conspired to influence the president’s choice of ‘WHITE?’
At that moment, a gentle thought knocked on the doors of my ‘overcharged’ mind, the words of B.F. Skinner swam like a wave through it saying, ‘When you find something interesting, drop everything else and study it.’ This writer, obeyed.
So, the quest began and I had to put on my research gloves and thinking cap. The first thing I expended my energy and thinking on was, what could be the relationship between my desire to probe the ‘White” adjective and the emergence of the first black American president – Barack Obama? Suddenly, a thought provoking title gushed out of my mind like a volcano!
This intellectual insight birthed the title of this research-driven article. I quickly wrote the title in a file, and like Sir Isaac Newton, under the apple tree, I started thinking, researching, wrestling with my brain to provide insights, ideas, information and direction to take in the creation of an article, that, putting into consideration the already established literary tradition, will not benefit the Nigerian cumAfrican students alone, this time, but the entire black race!
At this juncture, I shall formulate hard scientific questions, which will assist in giving literary direction to the entire body of this confidence-building and life-enriching article, especially for the black race! Note that a great mind once said ‘you know a person who is knowledgeable by the person’s answers; and the wise person by the nature of their questions.’
The first question is: How did this fatherless African American (whose ancestral home is in Kenya), rise to be the first black man to occupy the most sought after and enviable office in the world – ‘The White House? This question is so important considering the various odds and obstacles the blacks have to contend with in the world, especially in the United States, even today!
Kindly ponder on the words by Professor Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, while trying to explain the conditions of the black race in the southern states, in the 19th century. They argued in their insightful book titled, ‘Why Nations Fail’, that, ‘In the meantime, blacks continued to be excluded from power and are repressed. Plantation-type agriculture based on low-wage, poorly educated labour persisted….’
Honestly, one cannot fully say that the situation has completely disappeared in the 21st century! So, the second question is: What are the core factors, or defining characteristics responsible for the political evolution of this black man (Barack Hussein Obama, Jr), and his bold ascendance into the Theodore Roosevelt’s so-named ‘White House?’
Third, linking Obama’s behaviors before his emergence as the President of the world’s most powerful nation, with the broad-based behaviours which he has consistently displayed, so far, in his close to seven years in the White House, what insights and lessons can one glean, and if possible, package, for the benefits of Africans, Nigerians and blacks, everywhere?
In my long-term and continuous study of successful students, groups, peoples, and nations etc., I have repeatedly found one basic unifying trait, common habit synonymous with this unique sect. And, this group of distinct habits, which I term – HBR (Habit, Behaviour and Routine), is one of the core reasons behind their successes, no matter the nature of their competitive fields.
Like one of my distant literary mentors wrote in one of his brilliant books titled, ‘The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business and Success’, Brian Tracy puts it thus: ‘You can study others who have achieved the same goal and by doing what they did, you can get the same results”.
I argued in a recent article, which was published by ‘The Nation’ and ‘The Leadership’ newspapers, respectively, titled, ‘Education: The Cloning of a Nobel Laureate’, (many thanks to these patriotic and ingenious organizations); this writer talked about the concept of (HBR) at length.
Besides, in my research for this academic article, I came across the story of this interesting American acclaimed self-made millionaire, Dr. John Demartini. How he studied the lifestyles, behaviours and belief systems of Nobel Laureates.
He applied the insights he gleaned from his study in his life, and today, he is not only a leading light in his field, he consults for CEOs(Chief Executive Officers) and other top leaders in the world.
Therefore, another thought-generating question is: what are the basic behaviors and beliefs of President Barack Hussein Obama, Jr, that if applied by blacks all over the world in their diverse fields, would, based on natural laws and principles of human progress, generate – ‘The Barack Obama Effect’? That is: Blacks, emerging firsts, bests and tops in all fields of human endeavours, including the scientific realm and other brain and mind driven arenas, not majorly football\soccer, boxing, music, basketball and other brawl and muscle oriented endeavours?
I studied and keenly observed Barack Obama, read books written by him i.e. ‘The Audacity of Hope’; critically listened to his various mind-grabbing speeches, public addresses, watched documentaries, commentaries, critiqued his thoughts and quotes, tried to understand the nature and texture of his belief system etc.; in order to pierce through the Barrack Obama ‘thought-sphere’.
It is based on this observational cum exploratory research and my modest scientific understanding of this black African presidential phenomenon that this article was conceived, birthed and taken to the print for the sole benefits of one of the most-maligned races on Earth: the Black people!
In effect, I uncovered what I term the ‘4Bs of Barrack Obama!’ They are, first, Brainpower; second Belief System (BS); third, Bold Aspiration (BA); fourth, Best Mind-set (BM). Empirical evidence and other supporting data are employed to proof each of the 4Bs.
The world, and especially the 21st century is today, a ‘Knowledge Economy.’ Contemporary writers, however, call it – the Information Age, Talent Age or the Age of Thinkers etc. Before now, Africans and blacks in general are taken for people who are intellectually-laid back.
Some say they lack CIA (Cognitive and Intellectual Ability); and even some believe Africans and blacks are sub-humans. So many other laughable labels are formulated against this race, in order to keep their backs, permanently down!
Put differently, education, as generally agreed, is one of the most important elements of the brain and if incorporated with DHL (Daily Habit of Learning), it transforms the human brain into brainpower. President Barack Obama is lucky to be born in the 60s; that is, 50 years plus in an ecosystem with the best educational system in the world, today. Being raised by educated parents (Dad, the late Barack H.
Obama, Sr, was a senior Kenyan government economist and mum, Stanley Ann Dunhan, an American anthropologist), even though his dad died when Barack was very young, his mother, Indonesian step-father, and relatives ensured that his education didn’t end up benighted.
He capitalized on the opportunity to get himself the best of education. After his primary education, and post primary, he preceded to Columbia University and later, Harvard Law School, where he became the first black president of Harvard Law report.
It is no secret that the legal profession is predicated on thinking, reasoning, research and communication; all these factors convert brain into brainpower! Via solid and sound educational background, Obama has been able to use his mind (intellectual competence) and mouth (communicative prowess) to bewilder the American electorates.
These, amid other vital forces, gave him the political clout to emerge as the first black U.S. president. What do these aforementioned insights mean for all blacks? Truth is, it means, as the evidence clearly shows, that we need to strive and get the best of education, first, with this in our competitive kit, then, we can embark on the race for the top in all fields.
We all know that our educational backwardness, resulting in our meagre global knowledge output, is the most critical bane of black undoing amongst other races. Nelson Mandela puts it like this, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.’Also,the first black African American first lady, Michelle Obama adds, ‘A good education can lift you from the most humble circumstances into a life you never could have imagined…’
Could it ever, have crossed Obama’s mind to aspire to the world’s N0. 1 office if he was an illiterate in one of the drug-dominated slums of Alabama, U.S.? I surrender the answer to you, dearest reader!
In the second place, from my study, one important and revealing behavior of Barack is his Belief System (BS), or personal ideology, generally speaking.
Right from the day he hit the global headline, when he delivered a groundbreaking speech, in 2004; his style of behaviors has not changed, although, it might have been upped and polished, due to his current political status. More so, in ‘Contemporary Chinese Politics: An Introduction’, James C.F. Wangwrote in his information-laden book that ‘Ideology is a set of political values, feelings, and ideas that guides individuals to behave in a certain manner for the purpose of achieving a particular goal.’
Any keen observer of this great African American phenomenon will agree with me that President Barack Obama has not deviated from this unique habit. He believes in himself, in his noble ideals – what I call – ‘the audacity of self-belief.’ His personal philosophy has repeatedly been demonstrated in his pattern of practice.
And these distinct patterns of behavior have consistently spurred enviable empirical outcomes. The big question, again, is: How can this unique behavioural trait benefit the black race as Africa rises to take its highly-courted position in the comity of continents and earthly races?
After all, Barack Obama, like Neil Armstrong, walking on the moon for the first time, in 1969; has stepped on the moon for us (Africans and everyone whose skin is black!) We need to believe in ourselves; develop a consciousness that whatever we can conceive, we can, definitely attain; and this irreligious awareness will help us rise up to global greatness, in due course. Look at Asia, especially China, in today’s world.
Furthermore, call it scientific faith if you like, especially if you don’t subscribe to the concept of any Higher Power. Regarding Bold Aspiration (BA), as one of the observed characteristic of Barack Obama, this is a trait that one cannot fail to notice in the life of this great African American president. Obama displays this in the way and manner in which he attempts things that naturally, or based on circumstantial conditions, seem, ‘un-attemptable and sacred.’
It is the peculiar belief system of Obama that inspired him, to aspire to the presidency of the world’s most powerful nation; despite all the multifaceted odds against him. Blacks and Africans all over the world need to immediately remove the remaining vestige of slavery and start believing in themselves; especially by employing the ‘Barack Obama Model’ as anchor, in order to aspire and attain audacious aspirations, or what I conceive as 3G(Great and Grand Goals),beginning from now.
In the same vein, the late Nigerian sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo even put it philosophically, when he said, ‘It is not life that matters, but the courage one puts into it.’ Obama, from all intents and purposes, has consistently shown the audacity of boldness, of courage and of change, not only hope!
Barack Obama, himself said, ‘It is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself, that you will realize your full potential.’
He could not be further from the truth, taking a critical look at his life, the audacity of ambitions, his characteristic demonstration of courage , even when it relates to policies that seem utopian and outlandish like – ‘the largely contentious –‘Obamacare’ and the list is endless!
In reading the book of one of the brightest and early pioneers of ‘Positive Psychology’, James Allen, the legendary author of ‘Mind is the Master’; I diligently read and reflected on one of his collections titled, ‘As a Man Thinks.’ In this brilliant book, Allen clearly stated that ‘our thoughts determine our lives.’
If you think you are the best and that you deserve the best, this believe materializes in your life. Wait a minute, dear reader, please, let us reason together here, especially as it relates to Best Mind-set (BM) theory, have you pondered on why Obama vied for the president of the U.S.? Why he chose to study law, considering the fact that lawyers have ruled America more than people of other professions? Why he aspired to the president of the Harvard law report, and becoming the first black American to achieve such intellectual feat?
Why he elected to ‘net’ Michelle, a lawyer and obviously his senior in the field? The list goes on and on. Can you see similar patterns or mode of mind and of course, motion? What insights and lessons do all these present to every Nigerian, African and black, all over the world?
However, this reminds me of one time U.S. first lady, the intellectually wise Eleanor Roosevelt, who said long time ago that, ‘No one can make you feel inferior, except by your consent.’ I am aware of the psychological wounds, some of us still carry around, as a result of our past, skin pigmentation, and the continuous injuries and mental insults blacks suffer from remarks and biased studies being propagated and of course disseminated by some researchers, scientists and writers with regard to black intelligence, (IQ) as it is popularly known.
I am also aware of studies (and media utterances!) by James Watson, Professor Authur Jenson, Richard Herrnstein, Charles Murray etc. I have come across and sometimes read and reflected on other arguable and contentious intellectual works such as ‘The Bell curve’, ‘The Origin and Nature of Intelligence’, ‘Gene and Genius’ ‘Jewish Genius’, ‘Chinese Phenomenon’ etc…
Surprisingly enough, all this, didn’t deter President Barack Obama from believing in himself and aiming for gold! In fact, it should not restrain any of us; rather, inspire us to take the ‘right’ risks. Fellow blacks and Africans, it is all in the mind! Tony Robbins had said we should ‘Awaken the Giant Within’; and Lance Secretan wrote in world-class book, titled ‘Inspire! What All Great Leaders Do’, that ‘However, if you reflect honestly and deeply to mine the riches that are buried among your most precious inner resources – you may just change your life.’
We cannot afford to do less; it is inside each of us as a race. God is never partial! Therefore, henceforth, we should make education a matter of continental priority in general and national security issue in particular; believe in ourselves as God’s own people, too; put on the garment of courage and aspire to great and audacious dreams and inculcate the mindset of the best, going forward. The 21st century will not only be the ‘Age of Asia’, alone; but of the ‘Rise of Africa.’ Yes, we definitely, should!
Adedayo A. Olumuyiwa
An Academic Consultant
The author of ‘Education: Secrets of Chinese and Asian Students.’
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Theme: Your best may not win the race
Text:”……Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither ( 1 Samuel 16:11)
Ignorance of who God is and how He works facilitate desperation in the world. It is this lack of knowledge that makes people get severely competitive in the race of life, run down peers, peddle damaging rumours, damage campaign platforms of opponents, bomb offices of co-competitors, abduct opponents ahead of election, harbour death wish for other contestants and even go to the satanic extent of murder,forgetting that God has the final say (Psalm 62:11).
Ahead of the 1979 Second Republic election among the five political parties of Greater Nigerian People’s Party, National Party of Nigeria, Nigerian People’s Party, People’s Redemption Party and the Unity Party of Nigeria, the aspirants to political offices under the parties’ platforms traversed the length and breadth of the country to canvass for votes. Their campaigns were devoid of ambiguities, they were issues based, more engaging and focused than what the present political terrain has sliced into.
The Unity Party of Nigeria’s Presidential flag bearer, Chief Obafemi Awolowo presented the most coherent plan of action during the electioneering campaign which was predicated on 5 cardinal points and was consequently touted as the person that will very likely win that election. But, ahead of that election, someone in corridors of power, who probably had knowledge of times and seasons, spoke prophetically before the election that, “The best candidate may not win”. That statement was a verbal bombshell that drew the ire of all and sundry but when the election result was announced, the words of that man was proven to be veracious.
While it is good to be as swift as an athlete, it is axiomatic that God determines the race of life; oftentimes, the person that breasts the tape is not always the best athlete, and many times, it is the person God wants to use for a purpose that comes top. His ways are unknown and incomprehensible to man (Is. 55:8-9). When He decides to do whatever, none can hinder Him or ask Him why?(Job 9:12).
From our text, God asked Samuel to go to the house of Jesse the Bethlemite to anoint a King for Him that will replace the disobedient Saul. Jesse brought out his best candidates that were suitable in physique, warfare, intellect, age and composure but God disapproved of them and told Samuel that “….. Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. ( 1 Samuel 16:7). Rather, God chose David, the seemingly useless and of course the youngest of Jesse’s children as King.
When the Israelites cried unto God to deliver them from the hardship under Pharaoh that they had been subjected to for 430years, God chose Moses, who had committed murder in Egypt and had been declared wanted by Pharaoh to be convicted of his murderous act, to return to Egypt and negotiate the Israelites’ release from bondage ( Exodus 2:11-15; 3:7-10). Furthermore, against norm and logic, God chose to send Moses, a stammerer, to be the deliverer and Chief Negotiator ( Exodus 4:10-12).
King Solomon, in his wisdom expanded this further that “….. the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all” (Eccles. 9:11).
When God decides to favour a person, He suspends all human calculations and expectations like tribal, family or educational background. In fact, when His favour comes, He overlooks human limitations and life is enriched with flavour. When God decides to favour you, for instance, He takes over the driver’s seat of your life, He takes you to the real destination of stupendous testimonies and not where you, in your limited human knowledge, want to go. When He takes over, He compels all the elements of life to cooperate with you. His favour makes you a person of valour.
Gideon was a nobody, a timid and completely hopeless man but His favour changed his story. He saw himself as someone who was incompetent, a man from a poor family in Manasseh and the least in his father’s house (Judges 6:15) but God’s favour conferred a mighty man of valour on him ( Judges 6:12). His favour makes you the best for a great assignment
What does His favour do? When God favours you, He separates you from your peers. He lifts your head up and above other people. When Joseph was in prison, God gave him “……… favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison
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UPN launches campaign rally
The Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) began its mega rally in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, yesterday with its governorship candidate, Rotimi Paseda, pledging to provide free healthcare and social security for the aged, if elected.
Paseda also promised to introduce free and qualitative education from primary school level to tertiary institutions to increase access to education.
The businessman who addressed a mass rally at Onikolobo, shortly after being presented with the UPN flag by the party’s Interim National Chairman, Dr. Abubakar Manzo, added that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s welfarist programme would be re-enacted.
He said: “I will declare free education the first day of my assumption of office. The free education will be from primary school to the tertiary institution levels.
“We will put in place a social security programme that will take care of the senior citizens in our state. In developed countries, old people are well taken care of and we are going to do the same here.
“We have a manifesto to follow. This is UPN the same party that our late father and leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, used to break many grounds- the Cocoa House, first television station and many others.”
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Embrace unity, says Awolowo’s wife
The wife of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mrs H.I.D. Awolowo, has urged Yoruba elite to embrace unity.
Mrs. Awolowo, who chairs the Yoruba Unity Forum, spoke at the forum’s general meeting held at Efunyela Hall, Ikenne, Ogun State.
She decried the relegation of the Yoruba, attributing same to unhealthy rivalry.
Mrs. Awolowo reiterated the need for the elite to bury the hatchet for a more virile and respected ethnic group.
At the event were the group’s deputy leader, Bishop Emmanuel Gbonigi; Senator Femi Okuronmu; Senator Anthony Adefuye and Moshood Salvador, among others.
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Awo and SLA: Two Exemplary Paradigms
Forty seven years after the assassination of Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola and twenty six years after the death of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the relics of the bitter war are still taking up positions behind their departed principals. It was an epic duel which defined and crystallised the Yoruba political identity and which has determined the subsequent position they will occupy in Nigeria’s political evolution.
Like the ancient and mythical duel between Shango and Gbonka, it is not as if the victor and vanquished of that royal battle between two of the most illustrious Yoruba sons ever are unknown. But the politics of memory can be as harsh and even more vicious than the original engagement. As Walter Benjamin famously puts it: “if the enemy wins, not even the dead are safe”
To choose between Awo and SLA is not to choose between a villain and a hero, but to choose between a fallen icon and a resounding and resonating avatar. Both of them represent two paradigms that are present in a people, a society and nations at every critical juncture of history. These are the paradigms of heroism and pragmatism.
Akintola might have entered contemporary mainstream Yoruba consciousness as a symbol of political perfidy and betrayal but the truth is more nuanced in all its minute and discriminated particularities. As a person, Akintola was not incapable of heroism and personal valour. His heroic last stand against Captain Nwobosi and his men attests to his unusual personal bravery. He went out with a bang, and with his sub-machine gun smoking, like Salvador Allende of Chile would do later.
Heroism has its limits, just as pragmatism has its limitations. The heroic may be nothing more than a quixotic quest, a march of criminal folly in the face of overwhelming odds and a recourse to wanton personal or collective suicide. But there are also moments when pragmatism defiles and dishonours a people, when it may be better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. Those who accuse the Israeli of a Masada complex, of wanting to fight to the last man know what they mean. Masada was the mythical battle site where the ancient soldiers of Israel perished to the last man rather than surrender. It has defined the Israeli nation till date.
It will take a harsh historical analogy to imagine the plight of the Yoruba nation in Nigeria after the imposition of the state of emergency in 1962 and the subsequent pincer-movement occupation of the west. Vichy France comes to mind. After the German Panzer divisions had blitzed their way through France in a stunning military manoeuvre that changed the concept of war, a group of respected Frenchmen came together and opted for an appeasement of Germany in order to save France from further devastation and punishment.
This was the birth of Vichy France. On the face of it, the argument was rational and respectable. It was the pragmatic thing to do. Marshal Pétain, the leader of the group, was not a spring chicken or a lily-livered coward. He was France’s most celebrated and decorated soldier. The hero of Verdun was arguably at that point the greatest Frenchman of the century. He was the most influential French statesman.
But unknown to Marshal Pétain and his collaborators at that point in time, the other paradigm, the paradigm of heroism, was stirring in the heart and bosom of many French people. Many were simply fed up with German military arrogance and the constant humiliation of their people. This spirit of heroic resistance was to find expression in a lowly obscure Brigadier.
Charles de Gaulle escaped abroad to make his historic broadcast bristling with fury and defiance. He was denounced as a traitor and promptly sentenced to death by the Vichy government. But at the end of the tunnel it was the spirit of heroism that triumphed. De Gaulle ended as the greatest Frenchman of the twentieth century while Marshal Pétain and his Vichy collaborators ended in the scrap yard of infamy.
While it lasted, the Awolowo-Akintola political marriage appeared to have been made in heaven: the one was a political genius while the other was a politician of genius. In terms of personality, they were also a perfect foil for each other. While Awolowo was retreating, reticent, remote and enveloped by a superb aura of mystical grandeur, Akintola was witty, down to earth and brilliantly alert. Affecting a jocose flippancy, nothing actually escapes his keen and agile and politically fertile mind. He was the grandmaster of political brinkmanship.
It is unfortunate that Akintola has not escaped a certain demonisation as an ogre. Nothing can be farther from the truth. He was in fact an unfailingly polite, warm and generous person, solicitous to a fault and an omoluwabi where it mattered most. It is possible that as he became more embattled, as his authoritarian scams exploded in his face and as the entire west rose in fury and resentment, the less flattering aspects of his personality came to the fore and he became a demonic nuisance, but like Marshal Pétain, he was not without his redeeming virtues.
The argument that finally separated him from his beloved boss was a classic instance of pragmatism versus heroism. Confronted by the overwhelming federal might and the awesome machinery of feudal compliance that the northern power masters brought to play, believing that politics is principally the allocation of resources, a function of who gets what and at which point in time, Akintola thought the west should be in alliance with the north.
It was, all things and the balance of force considered, a rational and prudent choice. There was no point in knocking your head against a brick wall. But to Chief Awolowo, this was nothing but a shabby compromise with evil, a shameless capitulation to the forces of servitude and feudalism. Documenting his aversion with the scholarly thoroughness and inflexible rigour that have come to be associated with him, Awolowo came to the rigid conclusion that Nigeria would never move forward until the feudal forces have been eliminated.
It was a harsh and bitter division but one that frames and maps the fault lines on which the modern Yoruba nation itself is founded. There are markers of cultural differences in the Awolowo-Akintola split which escapes most commentators. Although speaking one language, the Yoruba are not a culturally homogeneous group. Coming from the northernmost fringes of the nationality, Akintola’s people had a long history of continuous interaction and association with the north.
In fact throughout his life, the late politician was dogged by the rumour that his mother was from the Bachama ethnic stock. Were this rumour to be true, Akintola would have shared the same maternal lineage with the Sardauna as well as his kinsman Benjamin Adekunle, the tempestuous military hero.
Coming from solid Ijebu stock which looked toward the coast for cultural association and economic sustenance, Awolowo could not have been more culturally different and differentiated from Akintola. For him, the supremely calm and dignified Fulani aristocrats with their unfurling turbans would have been an object of unending intellectual curiosity and probable discomfiture.
In the event, it was at first a ding-dong affair. Akintola was unable to sell his vision while Awolowo was unable to extend his dominion to the Yoruba heartland. But what was perceived as his unfair persecution, unjust imprisonment and the hostile encirclement of Yorubaland dramatically altered the equation. Still bristling with the memory and ancestral resentment of repeated Fulani incursions and by now reaping the bounteous benefits of Awo’s visionary leadership, the Yoruba rallied wholesale to the Awolowo banner. The rest is history.
There are important lessons to be learnt from this historic face off. Let those who are attempting to rewrite Yoruba history as a result of recent internal colonisation deviously disguised as visionary emancipation beware. As the Yoruba enter another critical and crucial stage in the political evolution of modern Nigeria, the leaders they need are not those who show bravery after the event but those with proven records of heroism and gallantry in the service of the people.