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Tag: Odyssey

  • Odyssey of a man of many parts

    Odyssey of a man of many parts

    The book comprising of 278 pages and segmented into 15 chapters is dedicated by the lead author to God Almighty and specifically to both parents i.e Late Alhaji Atanda Balogun and Alhaja Ramota Balogun (Nee Akinboro) together with the Late wife, Monsurat Mosunmola Ipesa-Balogun. Whilst the dedication to parents is predicated on their inspiring sacrifices, the dedication to late wife is resultant of her dotting love.

    The book is a compendium of the odyssey of our own Hon. Afeez Ipesa-Balogun through birth, infancy, early school age, high school and tertiary institutions. Mostly centred on dreams and its accomplishments, it also chronicled the young man’s forays into political landscape up till this day of diamond jubilee celebration. The narrative is not devoid of his travails along the journey of life.

    Basically, the author has two major dreams which he virtually accomplished. One, he dreamt of being an aeronautical engineer but ended up as an aircraft maintenance engineer. I can recollect his aphorism: if you want to get to the top of a tree, aim at the moon, you may find yourself on top of the tree, at the least. There were obstacles along the line but they were substantially surmounted.

    Secondly, the author dreamt of being a Speaker but that move was thwarted at the Lagos State House of Assembly. However, he had achieved the ambition at another level earlier at the Ogun State Polytechnic, where he served as the Speaker of the Students Representative Council. In the spirit of resilience, and doggedness, it is not over until it is over, hence, speakership of the House of Representatives is still attainable by Afeez.

    In Chapter One – “A Baby comes to Life”, the author chronicles his early life from conception, birth, through to infancy. The chapter reveals the author’s humble parental background and the meaning of his surnames. Of importance in this chapter is the transmutation of baby “Afisu” in 1964 to Afeez in 1998.

    Chapter Two titled “Afeez Heads for School” delves on the author’s early educational life and the passion for western education by his virtually illiterate parents. He entered primary school when an applicant must stretch hand over his head to touch his ear. From Mushin Town Council Primary School to Holy Saviour’s College Isolo, Lagos State. This chapter significantly disclosed the bravery of young Afeez who confronted a much dreaded senior that later became friendly to him. The chapter also revealed that young Afeez was a member of Boys Scout of Nigeria and also managed to make the reserve bench of the school’s football team. In the Chapter, we also discovered that Afeez was not perturbed by his lack-lustre performance at the WASCE as he went on to retake his papers at the Abeokuta Institute of Continuing Education Centre where he eventually came out in flying colours.

    The Third Chapter titled “Propelled by Dreams” evaluates the importance of dreams. It unearthed the author’s incursion into politics even at the polytechnic level. It also revealed how Afeez got himself into Electrical/Electronics Engineering course due to non-availability of Aeronautical Engineering course in Nigerian higher institutions.

    This Chapter is also of significance because it reveals an instance when Afeez was nominated in Abstentia for a political post by a friend, Biodun Orekoya which eventually charted Afeez’s path into elementary politics. The Fourth Chapter is basically on the emergence of Afeez as the Speaker of the Students’ Representative Council at the Polytechnic.

    Chapter Five is titled “The Power of Dreams” It revealed the series of efforts made by Afeez to achieve his dream which were frustrated by the federal government policy on forex for students. The chapter also delved on how Afeez eventually settled for his PLAN B at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Zaria. We saw how his membership of Rotaract Club in Zaria exposed him to philanthropic and welfaristic dispositions early in life. This also featured in his membership of Gentlemen’s Club, for socialization and relaxations, which turned out to be a profit making venture.

    In Chapter Six, titled “Closer to the Dream: An Aircraft Engineer” the author highlights his engagement with the Concorde Airlines as an aircraft maintenance engineer. The chapter also revealed the overseas’ training opportunities and the conception of the dream for the State House of Assembly. Afeez joined S.D.P (Social Democratic Party).

    Chapter Seven is titled “Foray into Politics” It is an analysis of Afeez’s preparation for the House of Assembly race. His consultations with Pas Olabintan and Banjoko for their endorsements also panned out here.

    In Chapter Eight titled “The Race for Lagos State House of Assembly” We saw how volatile developments emerged during the race for the state house of assembly, especially at the primary level. We also discovered how schism can destroy structures and initiatives to cause disunity between party members, based on factionalization between the Agbalajobi and the Sarumi groups (Prime-rose).

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    We also saw in the chapter how Chief Ademolu Banjoko became a game changer for Afeez. The emergence of Sir Michael Otedola who had 4 NRC representatives in the house as against S.D.P’s 26 members, as the governor of Lagos State is also historically indelible in our memories.

    Chapter Nine, titled “The Elections” has to do with the election into the House of Assembly, the structure of the house i.e 19, 7 & 4. The chapter also revealed the processes leading to the election of Engineer Kinyomi as the Speaker and how Afeez contested against him and lost.

    In Chapter Ten titled “In the Exalted House” i.e, the Hallowed Chamber, the activities and intrigues of the race for speakership of the House of Assembly came to the fore with Afeez losing to Engineer Kinyomi. We also saw processes especially the motion for the construction of drainage from Shogunle to Airforce base. There were also oppositions from Afeez to several infractions made on the floor of the house, especially the constitution of the Standing Committees. Significantly, Afeez kicked against the move by the F.G to amend Decree 50 of 1991, which seeks to give powers to the Governor to appoint Commissioners unilaterally.

    Chapter Eleven of the book is titled “New Alliances”. Of significance is Afeez alliance with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who was endorsed as the Lagos West Senatorial district candidate through the newly formed Justice Group which followed the dissolution of Prime-rose circle. Afeez also formed alliance with Opeyemi Bamidele (now Senate leader) who was just fresh from the Nigerian Law School then. Afeez supported and emboldened Opeyemi to contest for House of Representatives Primary. Opeyemi lost the election but Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu was impressed about Opeyemi’s performance despite the loss and with Afeez backing, Asiwaju requested that Opeyemi should follow him to Abuja for further political fine-tuning.

    Another alliance formed by Afeez was with Chief M.K.O Abiola and Prince Eludoyin.These alliances festered into formidable political structures in the later years.

    In Chapter Twelve titled “Forced into Exile”, Afeez’s going to the exile became inevitable upon the annulment of the result of 1993 general election where M.K.O Abiola emerged as the President. We saw how General Sanni Abacha became despotic and crippled political structures. Afeez, Opeyemi, Ahmed Tinubu and a host of other democrats fled the country to fight for the release of Abiola’s mandate.

    There emerged the birth of NADECO. Tinubu eventually emerged the Governor of Lagos State in 1999 and the democrats started returning home. The chapter further revealed how Opeyemi Bamidele and Akeem Apatira were able to make Tinubu’s cabinet and they prepared the ground for Afeez to return. He eventually returned in 2001.

    In Chapter Thirteen titled “Mr Chairman Sir,” We saw an expose of the chairmanship tenure of Afeez both during his first term and his second term, culminating to 7 years altogether. Interestingly, while his first term (2004-2008) was under Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu’s governorship, his second term (2008-2011) was under Mr Raji Fashola. His achievements were chronicled and these spanned through school renovations like St John Catholic School and Afeez-Ipesa Primary School, Beko Public Library, donation of patrol vehicle to the Neighbourhood Watch, Construction of Isopakodowo plank market, Road constructions/repairs, bursary grants to outstanding students and donation of numerous motorcycles through the poverty alleviation scheme. There were basically two travails of Afeez during his chairmanship. First was his mother’s storey building which was engulfed by fire during the campaign for his second term and the second was his detention for seven days at Panti SCID during the electioneering period of Governor Raji Fashola. There is actually no paean without pain.

    Chapter Fourteen which is reputed to be the shortest in this book is titled “Contending with the Sharks of Oshodi,” In the two page chapter, Afeez revealed how the factionalization of the O.P.C militia resulted in loss of several lives and property at a time. This took place during his Chairmanship and he had to deploy means of striking a truce between the contending factions. There were several other security threats to peace and tranquility of the citizens in the environ.

    Chapter Fifteen titled “A Bridge Builder”, is a declaration that with the enormous and vast experience gained so far by Afeez, he is better placed to do better justice to governance when the opportunity unfolds itself soon. The chapter is also a sort of admonition for good conduct, probity, accountability and altruism in governance and public service generally for the betterment of the general populace.

    book review

    Title:             AFEEZ IPESA-BALOGUN:                                               MR SPEAKER … exploration of                                    the archives

    Author:       Afeez Ipesa-Balogun

    Reviewer:  Ohis A. Ojeifo

    Publisher:  Pezolar Nigeria Limited

  • Odyssey of politician Obi

    The Anambra election threw up winners and losers.  Willy Obiano, re-elected governor, is clear winner.  So, is his party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) which, for now, has escaped the drop.

    Still, except strenuous efforts are made, to broaden it into, at least, a dominant South East regional voice, APGA’s future would still appear shrouded, beyond the sentiments and excitement of the moment.  But even as a vibrant regional party, it would only replicate the South East equivalent of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 1999.

    Ironically, an Igbo elected as president, from a party other than APGA may well fast-track the end of that party, with the central-minded tendency of Nigerian politics and politicians, even with the clamour for “restructuring”.  So, as former President Olusegun Obasanjo destroyed the AD to consolidate his own central power base, so would a non-APGA Igbo president destroy APGA to create fresh power base for himself.  Right now, however, APGA is flush with victory — and deservedly so.

    Many say the federal ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were losers in the Anambra election.  In a way, they are right, for APGA retained its governorship.  But in another way, coming from near zero in 2015, to gross the second position, even if distant, can’t be said to be a total loss in real terms.  So, APC could be said to have notched some vital gains in its loss.

    That cannot be said of the Peoples Democratic Party (former ruling party over there), now dropping third, below APC, the 2015 election-time “Muslim” party in a predominantly Christian Anambra State.  That should give PDP strategists a lot of concern, as the party struggles to stage a comeback in the 2019 general elections, both at the federal level and in states where elections are due.  Towards that end, Anambra presents little hope.

    But the biggest loser, by the Anambra election, is Peter Obi, the former state governor, famed for his frugality and savings while in office.

    Perhaps it was political calculation gone awry.  Perhaps it was hubris, made more reckless by the hurt of a godfather, sworn to unhorsing a brash and ungrateful godson, by taking away the gubernatorial lolly.  Perhaps it’s a medley of the two.

    But whatever it was, Obi just committed near political suicide by the result of the Anambra polls.  Packing Onitsha, the South East’s number one commercial hub, with former President Goodluck Jonathan in tow, and all Obi could deliver to PDP is a distant third?  That’s a catastrophe!

    Worse, there are already whispers about some entente between APGA and — wait for it!—the “Islamic” and “Islamist” APC!  And the way a flush Obiano is singing the praises of President Muhammadu Buhari, thanking him for letting the wish of the people to prevail—is it supposed to be otherwise? — then you can’t just dismiss such talks.

    However it pans out, both Obi and PDP face a torrid immediate future.  In the long run, however, you are either dead, or reinvent yourself.

    Again, as many have always suspected, Obi has yet again betrayed his scandalous faulty political antenna, which appears so blunt it mistakes when to attack for when to retreat and vice-versa.  The result was the Anambra debacle, where the godson, with electoral panache, just buried the godfather!

    But again, maybe Obi and his PDP could reinvent and yet resurrect?  Time will tell.  Meanwhile, joy to the godson, grief to the godfather.

    After all, every political career, as they say, ends in failure!  But don’t count Peter Obi out yet.

     

     

  • Odyssey of citizen Josephine

    The story could not be starker — at 50, she has neither a husband nor a child.  But in her quiet optimism, she was doing daily savings, from her drinks and grocery business, to adopt a child — at least to be a mother.

    But now, her money — all N5.7 million of it — is reportedly gone!  Just like that!  How heartless can some folks be!

    From a report in the The Nation Saturday of November 11, Josephine Okoruwa, resident of Benin, Edo State, has been saving with a micro-finance bank, over a period of time.  Though she started her trading business in Lagos before relocating to Benin, such was her long-term relationship with the bank that her transactions — mainly pooling and saving daily proceeds — had traversed four different account officers.

    But the last of the officers — according to the report, one Faith Egbi — has allegedly landed the woman in soup.  From the story trust, which nevertheless comes with the banking ethos, would appear her nemesis.

    Ms. Okoruwa tells her story: “The problem started in July when Faith introduced one Ese to me as the new person assigned to me. Faith said she had been transferred to another area.  Not long after, Faith came to tell me that I should bring the papers so that the bank could update the account.

    “I gave her the papers,” she continued, “not knowing that Faith had been sacked three months earlier.  Most times, when I had money in my store, I would call Faith and she would come and collect the money.  The next day, she would bring the tellers.  She has been doing that with the fixed deposit account.  I trusted her because I believed the bank would not send a bad person to a customer.”

    Well, call it fatal faith from the customer’s end, for that transaction would land Ms Okoruwa in hospital, with a flared blood pressure — her money was gone!

    She would later learn, from the bank’s management, that Faith had been sacked allegedly for fraudulent acts.  Now, her money appears gone — and with that her dream of ever adopting a child, to which the whole savings scheme was tailored.  Her health too would appear on the balance.

    Ms Okoruwa has taken the civilized path by retaining a lawyer to fight her cause.  That’s okay on the civil front.

    But beyond that, the state should step into the matter fast.  For starters, the police should investigate the matter.  They should haul in, for questioning, as many people as are involved from the bank.  With the case dutifully investigated, every offending soul should be prosecuted and punished.

    In the immediate, however, the state should come to the aid of the traumatized woman — help with her hospital bills, as well as link her with support groups to calm her nerves, so she could better cope with her current plight.

    Most importantly, the state should apply every legitimate pressure on the bank to ensure the woman gets her money back — and fast — and realizes her dream of adopting a child of her own and giving that child a dream home as she had wished.

    That is the only way to ease the odyssey of Citizen Josephine.

     

     

  • Odyssey of an exceptional educator, democracy hero

    IN the annals of Nigerian educational system, the 70s and 80s were significant periods that paved way to critical reconstruction and massive participation in education at all levels. The objectives of secondary education, in tandem with the National Policy on Education laid huge emphasis on the calibre of teachers, the curriculum content and teaching methodology. Pa Chief Gabriel Edward Kolawole Fakehinde, an astute and exceptional educator was part of the implementation of the reforms. His philosophy was hinged on producing out outstanding students with the right values. He began his teaching voyage after taking over ‘History subject’ from an expatriate and demystified it as the easiest to obtain a distinction at the West African Examination Council (WAEC). He was as well supervising the school time table, drama, cultural group, quiz and excursions. These groups won laurels for the school.

    The drama group came first in the whole of Western region in the play titled: Keep our Secrets Secret. Mayflower school excursions brought into limelight the Ikogosi Warm Spring, the Ipole Waterfalls and the Erin-odo Waterfalls. As an astute writer, committed to helping his students with simplified approaches, History the Pivot of all Knowledge, 1967 1968, Three Rules for Success and Happiness 1970, The Techniques of Studying, were articles published in the in the school journal Winslow. He was transferred in September 1975 to New Church Grammar School, Owo. He was there for only three months before he was transferred in December 1975 as an acting Principal Grade III to assist the Principal, Baptist College, Iwo. When Ondo State was created in 1976, he was transferred to Aramoko District Grammar School, Aramoko. It was here his promotion to Principal Grade III was confirmed, in August 1977, and was transferred to Ijan-Ekiti, on community request to be the Pioneer Principal of Ijanmodu Community Grammar School Ijan- Ekiti. There, he put into practice all that he learnt and imbibed at Mayflower School, Ikenne. Pa Kola made his new school very popular and approved for writing WAEC Examination with all science subjects.

    The principal that succeeded him, Mr. Ige, now His Royal Majesty of Egbe Kingdom was asked to under study his administration for two weeks before taking over. He was then transferred to Annunciation School, Ikere- Ekiti in September 1984. Pa Kola brought to bare improved academic standard and the tone of discipline in his new school. He was appointed the Pioneer Supervisor NCE Primary Sandwich Programme, Ondo State College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti in 1985, Annunciation School was made the centre. In December, 1987, he was transferred to African Church Comprehensive High School, Ikere-Ekiti from Annunciation School, Ikere-Ekiti. The grading of schools done that year classified African Church Comprehensive High School as Grade One and Annunciation School as Grade Two. Therefore, he was moved across the road to African Church Comprehensive High School, being a Class One Principal. In November 1992, he was promoted to Principal Grade Level 16 (Special) which was the peak of teaching Profession in Public Schools at that time.

    He retired on 6th September, 1993 after thirty-five years of meritorious service. Pa Fakeinde was a man of great insight, hindsight and foresight, who brought to bare his academic vision in all the schools he headed, before retiring. He was a leader who was particularly passionate about building from scratch and making something out of nothing. He took great delight in turning impossibilities to realities and revamping a hopeless situation to the pride of the society. In all the schools he headed, Pa Kola built new or rebuilt broken fences; built blocks of three classrooms; built school sports arena and similar facilities that repositioned the schools for national greatness. He was exceptionally good in this. The academic laurels he won are testimonies to this fact. Although, Pa Kola left active teaching after putting in 35 years, he was not retired in its true sense. After his formal retirement, the same College of Education employed him as a consultant on contract appointment.

    This he did from January 1995 to December 1999.During his tenure, the College Staff School had more pupils admitted to the Federal Government Colleges than ever before. The school was awarded Certificate of Merit by National Mathematical centre, Abuja in 1977, and 1998 having three winners in the National Competitive Examination in Mathematics conducted by the centre for the year 1996 and 1997 respectively. Away from his investment in education, Pa Fakeinde, like the usual fashion of few iconic patriots of the Nigerian democracy, the quest for people-oriented governance was not a thing of dispassionate penchant for emerging trend, but a personally charged conviction that political and socio-economic freedom was pivotal to inclusive development. Such conviction was particularly difficult and perhaps fatal to sustain during the military era, howbeit, true patriots like him saw through their belief.

    The mention of him may not reverberate like democracy synonyms and post-independence activists as Tai Solarin, Wole Soyinka, Dele Giwa, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, GaniFawenhinmi or Ken Saro-Wiwa, his exploits were largely a gratis movement for emancipation. During the heat of military dictatorship between the late 70s and early 80s when the Daily Times championed the Media sphere, Pa Fakehinde in toeing the path of his mentor Tai Solarin, engaged the soldier boys in a media tussle. The media trial was so fierce that the military regime pledged to shut any media house that published articles from Tai Solarins desk; a social activist who then had published a statement challenging General Gowon regimes delay in returning power to a civilian government.

    When the media eventually succumbed to warnings to gate-keep for the military, Pa Fakeinde was instrumental in the circulation of Tai Solarin’s articles in handbills. After printing in an unknown destination, he and his mentor distributed the news materials to higher institutions such as University of Ibadan, Yaba College of Technology and among others. He would usually sneak the publication to these institutions from where the students shared to anxious readers. Other times, both men spread the publication en masse to various locations in the southwest, particularly Lagos, then capital of Nigeria for distribution. Spreading the message was a common goal that the military could not block. As a young activist, Pa Fakeinde was a devotee of the Obafemi Awolowo’s struggle for democracy and was so loyal to the course that the former Premier of Western Nigeria confided in him.

    But unfortunately, the yearly Democracy Day passes with neither his reverence nor his mentors; an omission of vital information in history recording. Additionally, the Ekiti Judiciary Commission appointed Pa Fakeinde on contract, as a Customary Court Judge from April 2001 to September, 2004. Pa Fakeinde belonged to many organizations which including: Church of Nigeria Anglican communion, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigeria Association History Teachers, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary schools (ANCOPSS), Rotary International, Egbe Omo Usi-Ekiti to mention but a few. Born on September 29, 1936, he died on December 22, 2016 but his story leaves salient lessons of patriotism. Whether recognised or not citizens should drive collective good in the various cadres of their profession. •Ayetoto sent this piece from Lagos

  • From theatre to the media: Odyssey of Yemi Ogunbiyi at 70

    From theatre to the media: Odyssey of Yemi Ogunbiyi at 70

    A former Personal Assistant to  ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Domestic Affairs, Mr Tunde Olusunle, in this piece, examines the contributions of a former Managing Director of Daily Times, Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi, who clocks 70 today, to the media  industry 

    This essay attempts an examination of the variegated professional career of Yemi Ogunbiyi, one of the most prominent shapers of the contemporary media practice in Nigeria and his contributions to Nigerian theatre scholarship; literary criticism and new journalism in Nigeria. It traces his vocational origins as a theatre scholar and practitioner, through his venture into journalism, as an innovator and seasoned administrator in two of Nigeria’s largest newspaper conglomerates in their time, Guardian Newspapers Limited and the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, and his more recent endeavours in public relations, advertising and publishing.
    It is not unexpected that contemporary engagers of the Yemi Ogunbiyi phenomenon will most readily define him within the context of his most recent endeavours in advertising, public relations and publishing.
    This will be most fitting for a man who has devoted the better part of the last three decades in the challenging terrains of these variegated, albeit mutually compatible vocations.
    For the avoidance of doubt, about 25 years ago, Ogunbiyi launched into advertising and public relations, when he established Tanus Communications Ltd, to compete in a market hitherto dominated by much older brands in the industry. With pre-existing labels such as Lintas Ltd; Insight Communications Ltd; SO and U Ltd, and similar outfits, already setting the pace in the sector, Ogunbiyi’s creation was without doubt, a neophyte.
    Ogunbiyi’s Tanus Communications, which began operations May 1992, started less than five months after his exit from the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, where he had functioned as Chief Executive for almost three years. Followers of his media odyssey, which began at the turn of the 1980s with the establishment of The Guardian, had, presumably looked forward to the extension and continuation of his career in journalism, the profession which had brought him so much fame and goodwill in the preceding years. His foray into these extensions of the mass media, without doubt, elicited confoundment from many.
    Not too many remember, however, that Ogunbiyi actually began his illustrious professional career, which has spanned the better part of the past five decades, in the theatre. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature in English from the University of Ibadan in 1971; attended the New York University, Brooklyn for graduate studies and received a Master of Arts and Doctorate Degrees, respectively, between 1972 and 1976. His Doctorate thesis, supervised by the American scholar, Richard Schechecner, was based on film criticism. He subsequently returned to Nigeria to take up a lectureship appointment at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).
    As he turns 70, April 13, 2017, however, it becomes germane to interrogate the career and enterprise of this scholar, former university teacher, journalist, administrator, public relations doyen and publisher, to properly situate his contributions to these professions and to national development. This is critical so that salient aspects of this endeavours are not casually subsumed under the canopy of his most recent ventures in the Nigerian business and commercial sector.
    Yemi Ogunbiyi’s vocational origins are resident in the finest traditions of the academia, his ideological affiliation and scholastic temperament distinctly of the left-wing Marxian hue, without genuflections. He thus found good company in the Department of Literature of “Unife”, (the abbreviation by which the University of Ife was popularly known), with colleagues like the venerated Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, and the younger Biodun Jeyifo, the fiery critic and theorist; Kole Omotosho, the prolific novelist and literary documentanist and the highly respected oral literature scholar, Godini Gabriel Darah.
    Ogunbiyi joined Soyinka, Omotosho, Femi Osofisan, Dapo Adelugba, Rasheed Onikoyi, Joel Adedeji and Femi Johnson, on the cast of the film adaptation of Kongi’s Harvest, written by Soyinka and co-directed by Soyinka and the African American film director, Ossie Davies, during those years preceding the eventual blossoming of a film and television sub-culture in the University of Ife.
    It was not any surprise therefore, that following the re-configuration of the Department of Literature and the subsequent establishment of the Department of Dramatic Arts in 1977, Ogunbiyi was one of the very first members of the academic staff to be redeployed to the new creation, to join Soyinka.
    Ahmed Yerima in his keynote address at the Third Edition of the Ife International Film Festival, November 29 to December 2, 2012, notes the foundational role played by Ogunbiyi in the development of a film and television curriculum for the University of Ife:
    Film and Television did not come into the Department of Dramatic Arts curriculum until 1978, when the degree programme was started…..
    The Ife curriculum was greatly inspired by Yemi Ogunbiyi (who) was seconded from the Department of Literature to assist Soyinka in setting up the Department of Dramatic Arts…. Ogunbiyi’s background in film gave birth to the course which was titled “Film and Television”.
    Against the backdrop of his endeavours in film and indeed his facial resemblance to the revered African American film actor, Richard Roundtree, who was a household name in the 1970s and whose stage alias was “Shaft”, Ogunbiyi was equally nicknamed Shaft by his numerous contemporaries and friends. He later proved to be the critical shaft of many organisations and initiatives in which he was involved, over time.
    In 1981, Ogunbiyi released the seminal work: Drama and Theatre In Nigeria: A Critical Source Book. The volume which was edited by him, is an assemblage of rigorously researched academic essays by some of the most formidable names in dramatic criticism. These include Soyinka, Jeyifo, Ossie Onuora Enekwe, MJC Echeruo, Ola Rotimi, Dapo Adelugba, Ulli Beier and Ebun Clark. The work remains an invaluable resource material for teachers, students, researchers and enthusiasts alike, in the generational evolution and multicultural dimensions of drama and theatre in Nigeria, as envisioned by Ogunbiyi in the preface to the book. There he defines his motivation for the volume as one informed by the need to:
    …Readily make available those essays which are not quite accessible to students of African theatre history in our universities and colleges. It would also promote a serious starting point for the much needed re-evaluation of Nigerian drama and theatre. (xiii)
    Side by side with his teaching pre-occupation, Ogunbiyi also teamed up with Jeyifo to co-found Positive Review, a journal of society and culture in Black Africa. The journal encapsulated the thoughts and ideals of a generation of left-inclined creative writers and scholars, including Omolara Ogundipe-Leslie, Odia Ofeimun and other more familiar names at the time.
    Ogunbiyi rose to the position of Senior Lecturer and Acting Head of the Department of Dramatic Arts, before he joined the Editorial Board of The Guardian newspapers on an initial one-year sabbatical, at the inception of the newspaper, in 1983.
    Recounting his first meeting with the founder and pioneer publisher of The Guardian, Alex Uruemu Ibru, in a December 12, 2011 tribute, Ogunbiyi says:
    I recall clearly my first meeting with Mr. Alex Ibru. It was in June of 1983. After months of prodding from Dr. Stanley Macebuh to join the nascent team at The Guardian, I accepted his offer to visit the premises of the organisation at Rutam House.
    And as was the tradition in those days, Dr. Macebuh took me to see Mr. Ibru first. Coming from Ife, with my heavy dose of latent left wing biases, I was not sure that I wanted to meet Mr. Ibru just yet. The meeting turned out to be brief…..
    Ogunbiyi subsequently agreed to join the Editorial Board of The Guardian, the intellectual engine room of the organisation.
    In The Whole Truth (2004) a compendium of selected editorials of The Guardian from 1983 to 2003, edited by Reuben Abati, Ogunbiyi is listed in the top ten bracket of 72 full time members of the board; visiting members and consultants alike, among some of the most highly regarded names in the media industry. His colleagues included contemporaries from the academia like Macebuh, Onwuchekwa Jemie, Chinweizu, Osofisan, Herbert Ekwe Ekwe and core media professionals like Sully Abu, Sonala Olumhense and Lade Bonuola.
    Whereas his primary editorial brief consisted of generating editorial topics, canvassing them at regular sittings of the board, drafting editorials and sustaining regular op-ed contributions to the newspapers, the creatively restless and expansively-minded Ogunbiyi spawned several editorial novelties.
    Consistent with his primary commitment to the development of criticism and the growth of creative writing, Ogunbiyi, in response to the challenge and encouragement of Macebuh, initiated the Guardian Literary Series, GLS, in conjunction with Osofisan. The objective was to create a public platform for the appreciation of Nigeria’s very rich literary tradition.
    In his foreward to Perspectives on Nigerian Literature: 1700 to the Present, Volume One (1988), a collection of some of the essays published in the Guardian Literary Series, Macebuh notes that:
    The Guardian Literary Series began as an experiment. Creative writing in Nigeria had a long history. But only a few older writers were sufficiently well-known and this was mainly because most of their major works had been published before the economic slump of the late 1980s….
    The idea at The Guardian, initiated primarily by Yemi Ogunbiyi and Femi Osofisan, was to step in where book publishing companies could not and offer on a weekly basis in our newspaper, a series of critical appraisals of Nigerian writers (viii)
    Ogunbiyi corroborates Macebuh in his preface to the second volume of the publication, Perspectives on Nigerian Literature: 1700 to the Present, Volume Two (1988), when he says:
    It was quite clear from the inception of The Guardian as a serious daily newspaper in July 1983, that sooner or later, the newspaper would have to participate in the effort to help “popularise” our vibrant literature.
    It was clear to the founding fathers that the literary pages of a serious national newspaper, had an abiding duty to participate, initiate and even stir up debate in the all-important area of literature and culture. In a broad sense that was the objective for starting the Guardian Literary Series. (xi)
    Giants in literary criticism who contributed to the project included Wole Soyinka, Abiola Irele, Dan Izevbaye, Isidore Okpewho, Biodun Jeyifo, Akinwunmi Isola, Ernest Emenyonu, Sam Asein, Chidi Amuta, Femi Osofisan, Olu Obafemi, Catherine Acholonu, Ibrahim Yaro Yahaya and Adebayo Williams.
    Ogunbiyi equally initiated a series of exclusive interviews with world leaders, which added diversity to the regular buffet of the editorial content of The Guardian. He interviewed Presidents, Heads of State and Prime Ministers like: Shimon Peres of Israel; Muammar Gaddaffi of Libya; Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso; Julius Nyerere of Tanzania; Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
    Reminiscing on his interview with Gaddaffi which he undertook with the founder of The Guardian, Ogunbiyi recalls:
    By far the most bizarre of our trips was our encounter with Col Gaddaffi. We had arrived on a Saturday for a scheduled Sunday appointment with the “Leader” as he was fondly called in all of Libya. At breakfast the next morning, officials from the President’s office came for us, politely chauffeured us to the airport and flew us out without prior knowledge of our destination, to Benghazi, for what we were assured was to be a prompt interview with Col. Gaddaffi… With the private jet that flew us neatly parked at a nearby aerodrome, we ended up spending three days in Benghazi, in near seclusion, without our bags or change of clothing….
    The publisher never accompanied
    me to another interview!
    Upon completion of his one year sabbatical, Ibru brought a lot of pressure to bear in Ogunbiyi and subsequently appointed him Controller, Office of the Publisher in 1985. In a manner of speaking, he became something of the Chief of Staff to the Publisher. Not long after, he was elevated to the Board of Directors as Executive Director, Public Affairs and Marketing from January 1986 to February 1989. In this capacity, he superintended over the Circulation, Transport and Advertisement Departments, the commercial and operational tripod of the newspaper.
    On March 1, 1989 Ogunbiyi was appointed Managing Director of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, to replace Olusegun Osoba, who had just completed a five year stint on the job.
    If Ogunbiyi’s six year sojourn in The Guardian enabled him to learn the ropes of newspaper administration and management, his appointment as Chief Executive of the Daily Times was an opportunity to put into practice the aggregate experience garnered and the lessons learnt. It has indeed been argued that there is perhaps no chief executive of the Daily Times, after the iconic Alhaji Babatunde Jose, who impacted as much on the organisation, as Yemi Ogunbiyi.
    The Daily Times of Nigeria Plc was a humongous conglomerate with almost a dozen diverse subsidiaries, notably: Times Publications Division, TPD, (Publisher of the Daily Times and a host of other publications); Nigerpack Ltd; Times Press Ltd; Times Books Ltd; Times Leisure Services Ltd, (organisers of the annual Miss Nigeria Beauty Pageant); Naira Investments; Naira Properties Ltd; Pilgrims Books Ltd and Times Journalism Institute, TJI. The organisation equally owned 80% stakes in the London based West Africa Magazine, which had a complement of Nigerian and foreign personnel alike.
    Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary defines a Shaft among others, as a “rotating rod that transmits motion”. If Ogunbiyi’s longstanding nickname was thought to be just another alias, his exertions at the Daily Times lent credence to the appropriateness of the name, as he proved to be the engine room that drove development in the organisation.
    Niyi Osundare’s impressions of the Times before the Ogunbiyi era in the Daily Times as espoused in Dialogue With My Country, (2011), was extremely scathing. In his essay titled: The Ogunbiyi Phenomenon, Osundare says:
    I stopped reading the Times in June 1980 (yes, I am very sure of the date!) I stopped because what before then was the undisputed flagship of Nigerian print journalism had sunk to such an abysmal level of sycophancy and depravity that is soiled even the hands of groundnut sellers whose unpleasant job it was to use its unsold bundles to wrap their ware. Truth rapidly took on a pale, partisan hue. The Times became a pamphlet in which the time-serving gladiators and opportunists of the Second Republic daily stroked their afflicted egos. Rational thought and a genuinely national discourse took leave of its pages. Obituary advertisements took over, bringing in tons of cheap naira, but systematically killing our national dialogue. What used to be a national dialogue became a national insult. (103)
    Ogunbiyi took up the gauntlet and resolved to reverse the trend. Recognising the fact that his vision for a radical turnaround of the fortunes of the organisation could only be steered by a very solid human resource base, Ogunbiyi began the immediate re-organisation of the manpower content of the organisation.
    The Daily Times of Nigeria Plc was not without select top-rated professionals and intellectuals in its editorial arm, though. There were household names like Onyema Ugochukwu, the economist-banker turned journalist who was one of the pioneers of contemporary business journalism, and Farouk Umar Mohammed, who had served variously as Editor and General Manager of the Daily Times.

  • Honda recalls 640,000 Odyssey

    Honda recalls 640,000 Odyssey

    Honda has announced it is recalling more than 640,000 Odyssey vehicle models due to two separate issues with seat locking.

    According to a statement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the first issue affects vehicles that are 2011-2016 models manufactured between August 17, 2010 and October 1, 2015.

    Outboard seats in the recalled vehicles reportedly have a release lever problem which could cause the seats to move unexpectedly.

    Honda plans to install a bracket and spring to the outboard seats for free.

    The second issue deals with model year 2016 Odyssey vehicles that were made between September 23 and October 24.

    Affected vehicles have issues with the second row centre seat – an adjuster may get stuck in the unlocked position.

    Honda plans to replace the adjustment bar.

    Both recalls are set to begin on January 23.

  • A pathfinder’s odyssey

    A pathfinder’s odyssey

    Nigeria’s first Chemical engineer, Pa Anthony Olufemi Shobo, turned 85  last month. The Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, which he founded and led as its pioneer president, held a lecture to commemorate his birthday. Pa Shobo tells Seyi Odewale his story in his Surulere, Lagos Mainland home.

    His sprightly gait belied his age. At 85, he is still agile. On hearing his name at the gate of his Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere, Lagos Mainland home, the bespectacled, tall, fair and lanky elderly man,  came out to meet his guests. He welcomed them into his one-storey building, which has a neat compound and well trimmed flowers. He led them to his study. Nothing showed that Anthony Olufemi Shobo, a chemical engineer, was in birthday mood. His mental alertness and ability to recall dates, events and places at his age, are unmatched. Shobo cut the picture of a modest man, despite his monumental achievements.

     

    My scholarship

     

    I was on scholarship from the Western Regional government. In fact, the scholarship started with the University College, Ibadan for two years and later extended to the University of Manchester for another three years. It is good you mentioned whether a bond condition was attached to the scholarship. Yes, there was a bond, but it did not apply to me because the company that brokered the bond did not satisfy the conditions involved in it.

    So, I had cause to resign and in any case, I had made my contact with the Western Regional government on why I was leaving. In fact, I had no grouse with the government, but the people were not treating us well. Remuneration was part of it. They were not paying us well and we were being treated differently from the expatriates, most of whom we were better than in qualification.

    In those days the expatriates and the colonial masters were somehow. I later took employment with Lever Brothers, now Unilever, first as an Assistant Development Manager and later rose to become the Technical Manager. I left as the as the General Technical Manager in 1984 after doing about 22 years with them. I later took up consultancy after that.

     

    My professional life

     

    As you can see, I’m a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemical Engineers. I’m also a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. In fact, I’m the first Nigerian to be so honoured. I’m also a Fellow of Academy of Engineers. That is the topmost Academy for engineering profession in Nigeria. I’m also a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical, just as I am a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

     

    Growing up

     

    Growing up was difficult for me. I didn’t have the support of my father. Why? I was just unlucky. I don’t want to talk about it. He was not in a position to help. It was difficult growing up. But with the support of my grandmother and my mother, particularly my grandmother, who brought me up from the cradle. She was Mrs Alice Tella, her husband, was a pastor in Ebenezer Baptist Church for many years. I stayed with her for a long time and with my mother. It was difficult then. It was really difficult growing through elementary school. In fact, I should have gone to the secondary school earlier with my mates, but I had to stay back. I was in Standard Six when my mates were already in the secondary schools because my parent had no means of sending me to school. But ultimately, I got into St Gregory College. I started with Class Two instead of Class One and a year later I was given double promotion.

    Then when you leave school you have to work, so I joined the Nigerian Railways and was there for about two years. I later took entrance examination into the University College, Ibadan. In those days, they just would not admit you anyhow, you have to sit for an examination, which was usually competitive. So, when you passed and you are admitted, you can then beat your chest that you have achieved something. This was what the examination looked like. Like I said, the examination was competitive because thousands would sit for it and only about a hundred would be admitted. So, passing such an examination makes you to be proud of yourself, hence you will beat your chest that you have achieved a feat. That was what happened to me.

    I did my pre-engineering course in Ibadan, between 1952 and 1954, and from there I proceeded to the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom (UK) to complete the course.

     

    My life’s trying moment

     

    To give you an idea of what I mean by being difficult, when I was admitted to St Gregory’s College, you know where the school is and I was leaving at Adekunle, Yaba on the Mainland. I used to trek every day. And during that time, we used to have two school sessions, from morning to noon, after which we would have a break to come back at 2:30pm to eventually break at 4:30pm.

    Sometimes we would have games because you know the school was very popular with games. We then close possibly at 6pm and I would start coming back again. This was simply because my parents were not buoyant enough to give me money for transport.

    But my children never experienced such hardship when they were at Corona Schools. Then I was working at Lever Brothers. I would first drop them at school before proceeding to work only to rush back to their school at lunch time to pick them. But as soon as I finished schooling and started working things changed for good for me.

     

    My feelings at 85

     

    When I tell people that I am 85 they usually don’t believe me. In fact, they always tell me that I don’t look my age. The secret behind this is my wife. She takes good care of me. We have been married for 59 years and by the grace of God our marriage will clock 60 years by next year. It has been a wonderful journey together with her. She looks after me very well with our three children. Incidentally, one of my children just left shortly before your arrival. I mean my first born.

    He studied Chemical Engineering like me, but I discovered that he was not very much interested in it; he later went for his MBA at the University of Lagos. He then went abroad to study Accountancy. He later worked with Centrica, a subsidiary of the British Gas. He just retired and is shuttling between UK and Nigeria.

    The second son is the Deputy Managing Director of First Bank, Gbenga Shobo. The first born is Tosin. The one in the middle is a girl and she is into interior decoration and furniture manufacturing.

     

    My influence on my son to read

    Chemical Engineering

     

    Initially, my first born talked about reading Electrical/Electronics, but I knew from experience that Chemical Engineering was better. This is because I thought getting a job would be very easy because of the Petroleum Industry. But I saw that he was not too comfortable, so he went ahead to do MBA and Accountancy.

    However, his background in chemical engineering helped him, especially when he was working at Centrica. In fact, I forgot to mention that he first worked at Marathon Oil before joining Centrica. He was their International Development  Manager.

    He was able to get that kind of job because of his background in chemical engineering. He was really high up there. Imagine a black man rising that high in a British establishment. I personally did not want him to stay in the UK, but he preferred to stay. My thinking was that if he had come home he would have got a lucrative job in the oil and gas industry. But thank God, he is equally fulfilled.

     

     Studying Chemical Engineering

     

    In 1957 when I was making Chemical Engineering  a course of choice, I did not know anything about the course. I will tell you a story behind it. In 1952, the then Western Regional government published that it wanted to give scholarship to students; that was Awolowo’s government. Prof Awokoya was the Minister of Education then in the region. Students reading Engineering courses were asked to apply; I mean all the arms of engineering.

    I actually wanted to study Mechanical Engineering, which was my first choice, but for some unknown reasons, the course was not on the list of those to benefit from the scholarship. The reason for the omission, I could not decipher till date. So, I chose Chemical Engineering as an option. To be honest, I did not know what Chemical Engineering was all about till 1952. I then said since I studied Chemistry and was good in Mathematics; I should be able to read the course.

    So, when I got to the venue of the interview for the scholarship, Prof Awokoya asked me what I knew about Chemical Engineering. I said with Chemical Engineering background, I should be able to make soaps. He then asked me how to make soap. He was interested in it because of he was a chemist, he read chemistry. Chemical Engineering started as a course when he was in the University of London studying Chemistry.

    Of course, with the knowledge I gained at St Gregory College, I gave him the equation. He then asked me about the product, this showed how thorough he was. In fact my interview didn’t last longer than that. I was given the scholarship.

    But before this, I had attended the Federal Government Scholarship Board examination at the secretariat on the Broad Street. Although I did not make their scholarship list, they recommended me to the Western Regional government scholarship. That together with my performance enhanced my being awarded the scholarship. Even when I came back to Nigeria, not many people were aware of the course. But fortunately, the Blue Circle Cement Company knew about it and it was not a problem getting jobs for us. They knew what chemical engineering was and how to utilise it.

    Even when I joined Lever Brothers, the Technical Director I worked with was also a chemical engineer. He was an expatriate. But many other companies did not know about chemical engineering. In fact, they confused it with Chemistry. So, when we found the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, of which, I was the pioneer president, one of the duties we took up was to publicise the profession.

    In fact, those, who studied the course after us, suffered a little because not many people are Aware of the course and its usefulness. Whereas, they needed them in virtually all the emerging companies. So, we took up the responsibility of making the profession known to everyone through organizing workshops, seminar and symposia. In fact, there were only eight Chemical Engineers then in whole of Lever Brothers.

    But when the oil industry started booming the demand for Chemical Engineers rose, particularly when the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), they knew they needed Chemical Engineers. Let me give you an instance, the number of Chemical Engineers must be greater than any other professional they would be needing. They are the soul and heart of the industry.

     

    Meeting my wife

     

    My wife, Theresa Abiodun, is the daughter of Peter Afolabi, the Jagun of Oyo. Incidentally, her half sister was Cardinal Okogie’s mother. So, she is an aunt to the Cardinal. The Cardinal comes here every Friday and Sunday. I am from Abeokuta as my surname implies. Although, some Ijebus answer Shobo, but they call theirs Shobowale. I am from Erube in Ake section of the town of that road leading to Sapon. Our quarters are at the back of the hospital along that road. My wife was the founding Matron of St Nicholas Hospital, belonging to the Late Chief Koye Majekodunmi. She walked closely with him before she retired.

    At the time we met, she was a student of Holy Child College. Her school and mine were like twins. They were more like the female arm of our school, though under another management. The two schools had always complemented each other. She was introduced to me by one of my friends and the relationship blossomed. I was in the final year of my secondary education and she was in the fourth year of her secondary education. We were just boyfriend and girlfriend until we got serious and married in 1960 in England. Incidentally, I went to study at the University College, Ibadan, she was also admitted at  the University College Hospital (UCH), which again brought us closer to each other. This developed our love. When I left her and went to the UK two years later, she also came to the UK. God has designed our being together. We have spent 59 years together as husband and wife and hopefully by the grace of God, we will celebrate Diamond (60) years of being together. Not only that, we also have eight years of courtship. So, if all the years are added you know how many years we have being together.

     

    Secret of my marriage

     

    In marriage, couples must learn to be patient with each other. A couple is like the tongue and the teeth, which often fight, but neither of them has ever packed out for another. As elderly people we have learnt to be patient with each other. Again, we are Christians of Roman Catholic faith. So, divorce is out of it because the Bible says what God has joined together, let no man put asunder. I have my weaknesses, she has hers as well. However, sustaining marriage these days can be very tasking.

     

    My social life

     

    Well I’m not a politician. I don’t have the temperament for that. I can only hope that God spares my life long for me to serve Him until He calls me home.

     

    My lowest moment

     

    The lowest moment of my life was when my grandmother died because she was looking after since I was a baby.

     

    My highest moment

     

    This was probably when I had my first child. I think that was it. I can recall any other simply because all my job appointments, I got them on merit. I forgot to tell you that I worked briefly at the Nigerian Industrial Bank (NIDB) which is now the Bank of Industry. In fact, they begged me to come, but I did not last long there because Lever Brothers recalled me. So, they didn’t come to me surprises, but my first child, making me a father in life, was a thing of joy to me.

     

    Challenges

     

    I wouldn’t say I had challenges. Probably when I was at the Lever Brothers; I had hoped to be the Technical Director, but that was not to be. One can say probably that was a challenge, but I never saw it as one because I believe only God decides human’s fate.

     

    Advice to younger

     chemical engineers

     

    I advise them to be serious with their profession and take their jobs seriously. They should also support the professional society-I mean the Chemical Society of Engineers. We have done many researches on professional level. For instance, the body had made representations to the government long time ago on the issue of petroleum subsidy and other issues affecting both the down-stream and the up-stream section of the oil industry.

     

  • A boardroom chief’s odyssey

    A boardroom chief’s odyssey

    At 80, Felix Mathew Ogbeyewebor Osifo has every reason to thank God. From a modest beginning, he rose to the peak of his career at the United African Company (UAC). His odyssey is captured in a biography titled: From Machine Boy to Managing Director, written by Prof Hope Eghagha of the Department of English, University of Lagos (UNILAG). Pa Osifo, who  turned 80 on  April 19, grew up in the village; he had no secondary and university education. He joined the UAC at 20 and by 26, he had become a manager. Osifo spoke to NNEKA NWANERI on his life and the journey to the top.

    Growing up

    I was born on April 19, 1936, but was the second child and first son of my father, John Osifo, who died during the civil war. At seven, I enrolled at St Andrew School, Warri. I read till elementary level in 1952.

    “At the end of 1951, during the Feast of Tabernacles in the God’s Kingdom Society, where I worship, there was this great man, Kay Amachree, who was introduced as one of the delegates and was a doctor of machines. At that point, it struck me that I wanted to do machines. Moreover, I was quite good at using my hand to do technical things. The chord was struck and I decided that this was the way to go.

    “So, in 1952, while I was about preparing for my examinations, I had decided I will be a doctor of machines. That was how I settled for the repairs, maintenance and refurbishing of office equipment.

    “I learnt the trade as an apprentice at Kay Amachree and Co. from February 1953 till February 1956. The company was at 95, Broad Street, Lagos. While I was on the training, I stayed with the owner and proprietor of the company, who was a member of God’s Kingdom Society before moving to Sub-Bethel home of the church in Okesuna, Lagos.

     

    Why he chose machines

     

    “I chose machines because of the inspiration I got from the owner and founder of Kay Amachree and Co, who I neither never met before, until that feast at the church nor repaired machines before. It is motivational to have someone you can look up to for your profession. After that, I joined a UAC affiliate company called G Gottschalk and Company in March 1956 and got employed by an expatriate during the pre-independent times.

    “Somehow, they identified some latent qualities in me that made me to move fast. I was on the list of those the company had a lot of time for and subsequently was given a scholarship to the United Kingdom to further my knowledge of machines. I left in March to December 1958. I covered much grounds and I excelled. I also attended Imperial Typewriter College in Leicester. There were also expatriates there as well and many from different countries, who came there for the same training. When I came back in January 1959, I was seen as a high-flier and I was transferred to the North. I was based in Kaduna and oversaw the northern branches of Zaria, Jos and Kano to ensure that operations were up to the standard.

    “At about Independence time, I was called to Lagos for an interview. I was informed in writing that I have been transferred back to Lagos and that was in December 1960. I was moving up the ladder stage by stage and I made my mark with God blessing my efforts.

    “At that time after independence, the country was very stable. I was again asked to go back to the UK in 1961. I had to make sure that I got married so that I could have some reason to come back to Nigeria.  I didn’t abuse the confidence imposed in me. So, I met Beatrice and after much discussions, she initially didn’t want to have anything to do with me. She was under pressure from her friends to refuse me. But I persisted until she gave in to me. I was convinced that she felf the same way about me. She eventually accepted my hand in marriage. I left with  my late mother in Warri and in March 1961, I left for the UK and stayed there for six months.

     

    Whether he expected to rise to the top of his career as a machine boy

    “I joined as a technician, but I never knew I would rise to the height of service manager. I was less than 26 years old. I was in the UK and coming back, my superiors saw certain qualities in me that needed to be harnessed. So, it wasn’t that I set out, to be an MD.

     

    What inspired his

    phenomenal growth

     

    “One of my inspirations was my abiding faith in God. I believed that God’s creation must be dynamic and that confidence made me not to fall back on the level I had achieved, but to excel. For instance, while I was an apprentice, I was in touch with a corresponding firm where I was doing distant theoretical learning on office machines.

    I was also an avid reader of books, publications and the Holy Bible. Even at school, I saw every given assignment as an opportunity to excel.

     

    Reflecting on his career development vis a vis today’s reality

     

    “One of the things UAC did for me was exposing me to very vast areas of life. Not just me alone, it had a policy of human capital development that the company was reputed for. They were good at identifying individuals to various facets, depending on their area of specialisation. They helped them improve their knowledge and made the best of it.

    “Those sent to learn should have a sense of purpose to know why they were there as expected by their employer. They must acknowledge the effort of their employers and be focused. For me, I took advantage of the opportunity that I was given and excelled. That was why I moved to the next level because I was also exposed to the rudimentary aspects of management of people and resources.

    “The UAC had regular assessments of competence, capacity, talent and the field was open for those who wanted to succeed. The evaluators then were expatriates and after independence, Nigerians began occupying positions. But because these expatriates based their assessments on merit, they operated without ethnicity, tribe or religion or gender. All was done openly and without bias.

     

    Comparing the UAC

    then and now

     

    “They are two different dispensations. UAC began as a trading company and metamorphosed into an octopus-engaging in everything. The UAC today is different and is into manufacturing, property and convenience products. It is not the same. Why should it be? When life is dynamic and the only thing that is constant in life is change itself.

    “But in terms of ethics, culture of competence and continuous assessment of people’s performance and encouragement of its workers, it is still there from what I have observed as the President of the UAC Pensioners’ Union during the annual meetings. This way, they plan well by looking ahead of time and are not reactive, but proactive.

     

    On whether his not having a university degree affected his dreams

     

    “I never saw university education as the end of life. I saw it as an opportunity to further develop in latent talents. I call it an expanse base of knowledge. What is important is having the foundation basic knowledge and teaching. Learning is infinite, but I never saw that gap as a setback. I attended same management courses with those who were graduates. I went to Ashley College, Henley College in Switzerland and other colleges.

    My seven children are graduates, and that is the best legacy any parent can leave for his children. University education is important. Even those who went to elementary school with me saw that I was rising in my career. They were envious and wondered how I could cope when I never went to the university like them. In all, it was the Lord’s doing, that at the age of 26, I was a manager.

     

    Secret of his good looks

     

    “It is God. Ten years back, I didn’t know I was going to live this long. Yet, people embarrass me and say I don’t look 80. I can’t falsify my age. In all, one has to structure his activities to make room for various demands. Give family time and with a good wife, it is a valuable treasure.

    “I am also a member of the Institute of Management, Institute of Directors and I once served in the Chamber of Commerce. Then also, the church is a platform for serving God, where I am committed and active as the Chairman of the Laity.

    “I am very committed to community affairs. And I used to play Badminton at Ikoyi Club until I had an accident on my left leg in 1991. So, it is a multifaceted approach to life: having moderation in all things and having trusted friends.

     

    His philosophy of life

     

    “Summary of my philosophy is encompassed in the fear of God and the strive to do His will. Seeing the other person as an extension of one’s self. Balance the various demands of time in life. Be honest because integrity is paramount in whatever you do. Therefore, one may realise that wealth is just as transit as life, but a good name  is better than quick riches and is determined by the quality of life one  lives and not by the naira and kobo he has and the type of friends he keeps.

    “Belief  in the fear of God as the beginning of wisdom, and with the fear of God, one can elude all evil things. Mistakes are a learning curve in life, and don’t dwell too much on the past, but make it a reference point. I believe life is transient and we should not be afraid of death. Be content and be happy with what God has done for you. Too much worry will make one not to be contented.

    “I believe in integrity and I try to practice it. My church, Church of the living God, has helped me a lot in imbibing the teachings of God and the Prophets and tries as much as possible to practice those ways and practices about Christ.

     

    Any regret for not staying back for greener pastures in the UK? 

     

    “I remember the challenges I had in the UK. There were a lot of attractions. One mind kept telling me to stay back after the training. One or two young ladies said they loved me. But I was determined to come back to Nigeria and ensure that the confidence  my employers had in me was maintained. I thank God I took that decision.

    “After my training in the United Kingdom I was 22, but I still came back. But some of my friends, who went with me stayed back.

    “I thank God I came back. I have no regrets. This is my country. I have nowhere else to go even with all the amenities of the western world, I still believe that one day, we will get it right. Those older than me are still there till now. Funny as life is, if they don’t identify with their people someday, they will when they eventually die.

    “Nigeria is still relatively young, but we are one country and in the nearest future, we will get it right; devoid of militant youth and herdsmen and all, which began in recent years. Compare today’s primordial mentality with the days when we were winning medals at the Olympics; biases without tribal or ethical claims to have a share in the national cake no one baked.”

     

    Anything he would

    have done differently

     

    “Change is the only permanent thing in life. One would have done better in some areas.  I gave a lot of time to my work; would have given more time to my family, especially my wife, who has been wonderfully supportive. I hope to someday take her on a cruise. I hope other Nigerian women will be like her. If you have a virtuous woman, you don’t know what God has done for you. In all, God has been merciful to me. I don’t have more than two cars, so far as I can move from point A-B. I am not perfect, but others see me better than I see myself.”

  • Ese: odyssey of a nation

    Ese: odyssey of a nation

    The story of Ese Rita Oruru, 14, appears the odyssey of a minor whose youth faces sunset at dawn.

    If indeed she is five months pregnant, she would be only a child, in her womb, carrying another!  That has life-long implications — and complications.

    However, Ese is only a metaphor for a nation at war with itself, but living in denial: permissive youth, distracted families, dysfunctional homes and subverted institutions.  The result: subverted mores, laws and processes.

    Even closer, you see the traditional fault lines: Muslim vs Christian and North vs South; each guarding its turf, and spewing deep distrusts, biases and prejudices.  That unleashes a fierce but mutual cultural antipathy.

    In that moral netherworld, the natural (and rational) sense of universal good or bad is lost.  Evil is never evil without stupid justifications.  Good is never good without asinine reservations.  There is nary a sense of national outrage, no matter how outrageous the crime.

    It is a national and collective tragedy.

    What are the facts here?  Yunusa Dahiru aka Yellow, 25, took Ese Oruru, 13, from her Opolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, home to Tofar-Danga, in Kura local government, Kano State.  When the story climaxed, Ese had not only been converted to Islam, she had landed a pregnancy, at a mere 14 years!

    A unanimous Nigerian outrage should have greeted Yellow’s misconduct, which clearly landed Ese in yellow peril — and there is outrage, all right.

    But that anger is modulated by regional biases: moderated to protect, from ridicule, the northern ethos, no matter how skewed; or over-flared, to express southern ire, to the point of cultural and religious profiling.

    However, religious profiling also introduced a cross regional inanity: the imperative to defend your faith, no matter what, under mass attack.  That would explain the rather ridiculous intervention, with all due respect to the scholar, by Prof. Ishaq Akintola, director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

    He claims Islam has no age barrier in marriage — a right claim, experts in Islamic jurisprudence say, but in a wrong context.  In the context of the Ese saga, does it then mean a 13-year-old can be married off, even with the consent of her parents?

    To the extent that all foreign faiths, including Christianity and Islam, are cultural imperialism, there is always going to be controversies over the right Islamic position.  But when a foreign culture is hazy, what is the position in Prof. Akintola’s native Yoruba?

    It is clear, however, that the good professor just cracked under a felt anti-Islam blitz.  He had earlier told Punch that Ese’s purported conversion to Islam was a nullity, since a minor couldn’t be converted from the faith of his or her parents.

    But back to reportage and North-South bias, taking Daily Trust (North) and The Sun (South) as examples.

    Daily Trust’s March 6 story: “Ese & Yunusa affair: the untold story” gave the impression Yunusa and Ese were some love-struck Romeo and Juliet, that eloped to marry, shunning opposition from their respective parents.

    But the very supposition, that a 13-year-old can “elope” with a 25-year old, is galling.  That would appear a clear deodorisation of clear crime; and suggests some social permissiveness, which the newspaper may not be proud of, but felt obliged to rationalise.

    That was unfortunate because even if Ese really “eloped”, in the eyes of the law, she did not know what she was doing.  So, it was the lawful duty of the adult, Yunusa, to caution and redirect her.

    Besides, why did he take the girl to Kano and not remain in Yenagoa?  A damning motive that suggests Kano offered a more socially permissive milieu to whatever he planned to do?

    On the other hand, The Sun of March 7 interviews  with Ese and mum: “I don’t know how I got to Kano” (Ese) and “Irate youths almost killed me at emir’s palace” (mum), gave the impression Ese’s parents were victims of daughter’s kidnap by a total and unconscionable stranger.  Facts don’t support that.

    For starters, even from The Sun interviews, how come Mrs Oruru quickly connected her daughter’s disappearance with Yunusa’s, if Ese’s family and Yunusa did not have some prior relationship?

    From the Trust story, it turned out Yunusa had known the family for no less than 10 years.  So, in all of those years, how much did the Orurus monitor Ese’s relations to male customers at her mum’s eatery, to ensure the minor didn’t get in harm’s way?

    Still on parents’ negligence, Yunusa’s parents would appear even more indicted.  Yunusa’s father really sounded ridiculous to everyone but himself, when he claimed Ese followed his son willingly, so the Police should release Yunusa.

    Besides, aside from formalising Ese’s purported conversion, what else did Yunusa’s father do to sway his son from his illegal action?

    O, the purported conversion!  There is certainly something grimly cynical about trotting an under-aged girl to a Chief Imam, invest her in a new robe, gift her a new name, and declare her a Muslim, newly minted!

    And it is extremely provocative for fellow Nigerians, of different faiths, to helplessly suffer the capture of their children and wards, because they are locked up in emirs’ palaces, as trophies of forced conversions and worse: forced marriages.

    Ese’s is only one of hundreds of such crimes, though mercifully, she was not forcefully married before her seven-month odyssey ended.

    Such brazenness drives the southern profiling of the North, an unfortunate profiling that labels that region as some paedophiles’ haven, in which every single being is guilty.  That cannot be.  But that is why northern governments should deal with their deviants — and be clearly seen to do so.

    Back to the Trust story, one is rather impressed at the robustness of northern traditional institutions, at the centre of which is the Emir’s Palace: the office of the district head, the Hisbah Board, the Shari’ah  Commission, leading all the way to the Emir’s Palace.

    That the palace voided Ese’s purported conversion, on her procured age of 18, underscores robust checks-and-balances, that result in self-correction.

    Unfortunately however, there would appear wilful human subversion of processes, as those institutions are robust.  A serious case is Ese’s pregnancy.  If indeed she was under the care of  one Muquaddas Kura, an aide of the Kura district head, who got her pregnant under his roof?

    Again, the Kano government (and by extension, other northern governments) should weed off such wilful subversions, to eliminate charges of institutional cover-ups.

    But for those subversions, Ese would perhaps have been set free in a week or two, and thus forestall the pregnancy she now carries.  So, all those involved in that subversion and cover-up, from the Emirate Council to the Police, should be fished out, prosecuted and punished.

    By the way, why hasn’t anyone spoken to Yunusa?  Why is he quoted through secondary sources, when he is alive to state his own side?

    After all said and done, Ese is pregnant, a mere child carrying a child.  Beyond the tempest of blame and counter-blame, this national shame won’t not be over until she is well taken care of; and her future rehabilitated.

  • The Muhammadu Buhari Odyssey

    In Homer’s Greek poetic masterpiece, The Odyssey, the hero, Odysseus, was, by and large, depicted as a man of outstanding endurance, courage, wisdom, eloquence, loyalty, honour, magnanimity and skill. From his heroic feat during the Trojan War to his wandering travails, which lasted for 10 years as he struggled to return home after the Trojan War and reassert his place as rightful leader, Odysseus’ bravery and skill are represented throughout the epic.

    Every so often, through the ages, providence points out a person with the conclusive resolve, features or personality traits of a great leader.

    In the case of Muhammadu Buhari, his odyssey started from birth, continued through his career and did not end after his retirement.

    The name Muhammadu Buhari means different things to different people. Some erroneously claim he is an Islamic fundamentalist, while others say he is an ethnic bigot. However, the vast majority of the Nigerian people regard him as one of the most incorruptible individuals in the country and the man that can pull the country back from the precipice of self-destruction to which it is heading. This pervasive impression is founded on the performance of the military administration he once headed almost a generation ago. During election times, his person and reputation are consistently targeted. In other words, he is viewed in some quarters as one who loves his religion, Islam, and is proud of his Hausa/Fulani ethnic identity. But that does not automatically mean that he has an aversion to other religions or ethnic groups. As is usual, when trying to get a better understanding of people, it is important to look back at their origins.

    General Muhammadu Buhari was born on a Thursday, the 17th of December, 1942 at house No 14 Waziri road in Daura town, Katsina State, Northern Nigeria to a Fulani father and a Hausa mother. His mother was the daughter of Musa Sarkin Dogarai (Head of the Daura Infantry) who was also the son of the Kauran Daura Lawal (Head of the Daura Armed Forces) during the period of fierce battles between the Hausas and Fulanis for dominance in Daura in the early 1800’s. His maternal great grandfather, Mallam Adamu, was the son of a Kauran Kukawa, who was the head of the army during the fierce battles with the Rabe of the old Borno Empire. So it could be said that soldiering is in his blood. At the time of his birth, the world was still reeling from the horrors of the Second World War. On that day in December, 1942, the Allies issued the Joint Declaration by Members of the United Nations. This was the first time the Holocaust was publicly acknowledged.

    Unlike many other Northerners who were born into aristocratic or royal families, and rose to prominence by riding on their family names and prestige, Buhari was born into a noble but humble family. Having lost his father, Ardo Adamu Buhari at the age of three or four, there were limited opportunities for the young Buhari as he was the 23rd child of his father and the 13th and last child of his mother, Zulaihat. His mother was a widow with seven children before she went on to marry his father.

    Muhammadu Buhari lost his father early in his life at the age of four. All he could remember of his father was that he was tall and fair in complexion. Though his father was the Ardo of Dumurkol Village near Daura, the title didn’t have much bearing on his life, neither did it elevate his status in any way. At the time the only feasible alternative was to be a cattle herdsman. Muhammadu Buhari, not being one to cower in the face of adversity strove hard to excel in primary and secondary school.

    During his childhood, Muhammadu Buhari was fondly nicknamed and called “Leko.” This was due to the fact that he was born after a set of twins that died. Leko was the Hausa nickname given to a child born after twins who died. He spent his early childhood days playing around the dusty lanes and tree-lined roads of the vibrant Daura Township. Muhammadu Buhari’s most vivid childhood memory, which he still recalls hitherto was falling off a horse (a strawberry roan) on his way to the village well. He still recalls the fright he felt lying down between the feet of the enormous animal. He could see the horse’s big belly heaving and the five-stripes on its forelegs flashing before his eyes. At that instance, he thought to himself that the beast could kick or trample him to death. Still in pains, he hurriedly stood up, dusted his clothes, remounted the horse and continued his journey to the well.

    He commenced his primary education at Mai Adua Primary School in 1948-1952, where his senior brother Mal. Dauda Daura was the head teacher of the school. As a child Muhammadu Buhari was known to have a childhood disdain for going school and this resulted in naughty and mischievous behavior that often got him into trouble. Consequently, his break time was usually forfeited as punishment. According to his nephew, Mamman Daura, who is two and a half years older than Muhammadu Buhari and was also his senior in primary and secondary school, “Buhari was above average academically and more than usual naughty.” Similarly, Muhammadu Buhari himself also adds; “I was a truant in primary school. I spent a lot of my time playing around, but when I went to secondary school, I changed.” His classmates in primary school still fondly remember him as a fast runner and the centre-forward for the school’s football team. Another major attribute of his, which he was known for since primary school and which has stayed with him is that he is always very smartly dressed and neatly turned-out.

    He later attended Katsina Middle School in 1953-1955, Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Katsina) 1956-1961.

    His uncompromising knack for sticking to his principles no matter what, go as far back as when he was in secondary school. A story was related of how the young Buhari became a lone ranger of sorts when he refused, on a matter of principle, to join in a strike of his classmates despite the fact that he was the youngest and the smallest in the class.

    Some of his classmates recall some of his glowing attributes: Malam Mukhatri Zango, a former classmate of Muhammadu Buhari once stated, “He used to baffle me. He was strong-willed and principled. He always stood his ground and would not follow the crowd.”

    Another childhood friend of his, who grew up with him in Katsina before they joined the Military and rose through the ranks together, and who was the Deputy head boy to Muhammadu Buhari, the late former Vice President, General Shehu Musa Yar’adua also opined that, “He was reserved. He was one of the few boys in the school that was trusted by his classmates and who was quite dependable.”

    Some of his classmates at Katsina Provincial Secondary School included the former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi as well as the former Inspector General of Police from 1993 to 1999, serving under the military governments of Generals Sani Abacha and General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Ibrahim Comasie. Inspite of this evidence of fact, during the campaigns that preceded the 2015 elections, it was alleged that Muhammadu Buhari did not attend or finish secondary school.

    General Muhammadu Buhari is one of the most decorated Generals in the Nigerian Army. He is the recipient of numerous awards such as the Defence Service Medal, National Service Medal, General Service Medal, Republic Medal, Loyal Service and Good Conduct Medal, Forces Medal, Independence Medal and Congo Crisis Medal.

    ‘Coming soon,’ a thoroughly gripping and intricate insight into the full journey of a fascinating patriot; born to lead a nation towards positive change, the services he rendered to his country in various capacities, the challenge that saw him rise above incarceration, suspicion, defamation, persecution, to show the strength of character to be the ‘change’ he desired for his country, the ideal upon which he built a movement that, once again, gave a people a reason to believe.

    It is the odyssey that defines the calling of General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR from military leader, to head of state, to military/political prisoner, as well as the long political struggle that saw him, against all odds, emerge as the 16th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    This article was first published on this page in August 25, 2015.