Relations and associates of the former governor of Ondo State, the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, will converge on the International Conference Hall, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, today for the first anniversary of the demise of the former university don and astute administrator. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reflects on the life and time of the foremost politician.
His death was even shocking to his foes on the slippery political field. When news of his passage was broken, political differences disappeared. Relations, friends and foes were united in grief. All had nice things to say about Olusegun Kokumo Agagu, geologist, former university don, Third Republic deputy governor of old Ondo State, former Minister of Aviation, and later, Power and Steel, governor of Ondo State and acclaimed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader.
Tributes poured in torrents. Old school mates, former colleagues at the University of Ibadan where he taught for years, board room gurus in oil industry, and political associates extolled the virtues of an unusual politician. “He was a honest adviser, a dependable associate, a confidant, a hardworking colleague, a sober and peace-loving politician, an indomitable leader and loyal follower, a lover of his community and a selfless and committed worker in the political vineyard,” said former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Paying tribute, Vice President Namadi Sambo said Agagu was a vibrant politician whose exemplary life and loyalty will be greatly missed in the PDP and the country. Echoing him, Senate President David Mark described the deceased as “a quintessential administrator who was prudent in the management of public resources.” Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko alluded to his intellectual brilliance, capacity for hard work, multi-disciplinary talent, disarming social grace, endearing wit and knack for instant name recall. “I bid farewell to an erudite academic, a worthy political flag bearer of Ikaleland, a great son of Ondo State, a prominent state and national leader, and above all, the immediate past governor of the Sunshine State,” he added.
But, former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, spoke on the legacies of the politician. “He left many indelible marks on the sands of time, which will continue to speak for him. If anything, his unique style of live and let live politics, the Olokola Deep Sea Port, which he started during his administration as governor, his large heartedness and deep love for the state will continue to speak for him,” he stressed.
Agagu exemplified two virtues. He was incorruptible. Also, he was not a political oppressor. As governor, he promoted transparency and accountability in governance. He was prudent. When he left office, he walked freely on the streets without being threatened by arrest and prosecution by anti-graft agencies.
In his life time, he was at peace with his neighbour. Either as a teacher or oil worker, he was very accommodating and a good mixer. Even, as a politician, many have testified that he was not desperate for power. In 1999, he was defeated at the governorship election in Ondo State. When the result was announced by the electoral commission, he congratulated the winner, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, who he later succeeded as governor.
Agagu had borne the vicissitudes of political life with a mixture of shock and philosophical calmness. Since he was comfortable, he did not perceive politics as an avenue for primitive accumulation. Agagu was an accomplished Nigerian before he entered politics. He was full of life. Indeed, he enjoyed life to the fullest as a social guru and political gladiator. Yet, he was not reckless in socio-political dealings. In and out of power, he was on the service lane. The PDP had just enlisted his service as a reconciliator before answered the final call. Although he had hoped to live beyond 65, fate decided otherwise. Death, as it is said, is inevitable.
But, the good man never bargained for any funeral turmoil and crisis, having led a good life and made great contribution to socio-economic development. Little did his family, associates, and friends think that another agony will herald his final journey home. A year ago, the Agagu family had to endure multiple tragedies. The plane convening his body to Akure, the capital of Ondo State, for a state burial, came down at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja. The chief undertaker, Tunji Okunsanya and his son, Commissioner Deji Falae and few people on board lost their lives. Ironically, those saddled with his burial arrangements died before the ceremony.
It was a sad day in Iju-Odo, Agagu’s home town. Family members were enraged. There was a rush of emotion. People were raising puzzles: What was the condition of the aircraft? What actually went wrong? The dead had no business with these questions. But, for the living, they were burdensome.
The death of former Ondo State governor created vacuum on many fronts. Agagu was an esteemed community leader in Ikaleland. He was a homeboy. As minister, he tried to resolve the electricity problem in the Ikale/Ilaje axis. The people of the area will also continue to treasure him for the university he established in the South zone. In fact, when he left the Alagbaka Government House, Agagu had narrowed down his political pursuits. Sources said he had expressed the desire to serve as an ambassador in one of the Caribbean countries before retiring to his Iju-Odo. In the Ondo State PDP, he was the undisputed leader.
In 1999, his colleagues in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) were shocked when he pitched his tent with the conservative bloc. He had justified the shift in allegiance, saying that the Yoruba could not afford to be in the opposition at all times. In fact, he maintained his links with his progressive associates, despite their political differences. In that Third Republic, his analytical prowess and sheer brilliance did not go unnoticed in the SDP caucuses. He was loyal to his boss, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua.
Agagu was a Geology teacher at the University of Ibadan in the ‘70s. He was a mentor and role model. He was famous for his numerous geological surveys. In the lecture theatre, he was a cosmopolitan tutor. When he moved into the oil industry, he emerged as power broker in the sector. The technocrat made money and he used it judiciously.
Agagu’s first contact with politics was in the Second Republic. He was fascinated by the men of the old order under the leadership of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He was one of the young stars who assisted Governor Adekunle Ajasin’s Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) with his expertise in statistics and information technology. Their efforts assisted the party in detecting the pattern of rigging by the desperate National Party of Nigeria (NPN). In his memoir, Ajasin pointed out this modest contribution.
For ethnic balancing, Agagu emerged as Olumilua’s running mate. They defeated the National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate, Chief Ayo Ogunlade, who was the Federal Commissioner for Information, at the governorship poll. Mimiko was the Commissioner for Health in that administration, which was short-lived. If the slot had been zoned outside Ekiti, Agagu would have been a leading governorship contender. But, since Ekiti has been on the queue for the governorship, the SDP gave its ticket to Olumilua, who defeated other Ekiti aspirants at the primaries. In 1983, when Olumilua lost the senatorial poll to Senator Lawrence Agunbiade, eyes have been on him. Thus, during the SDP primaries conducted by the party chairman, Hon. Blessing Kayode, Pa Ajasin mobilised the progressive family and the new breed actors to swing the pendulum of victory towards his direction. Other aspirants included Dr. Kunle Olajide, Chief Ayo Akinyemi, Prof. Opeyemi Ola, and Senator David Oke.
Between 1999 and last year, Agagu was politically visible. The year 2003 was the turning point.The 2003 poll was keenly contested. Ahead of the election, crisis had seized the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere. The group was losing its grip on the party it formed, the Alliance for Democracy (AD). A group of aggrieved AD chieftains led by Mimiko had defected to the PDP, following the protracted crisis. The tradition in Afenifere/AD favoured the distribution of political slots, based on seniority and record of contributions to the political family. But, the young men in the fold were in a hurry. Therefore, they collaborated with Agagu to defeat Adefarati. Since then, attention has been on Mimiko as the man of the future.
In 2007, Mimiko, who served as the Secretary to Government under Agagu, and later, the Minister of Housing, defected to the Labour Party (LP). The former governor could not prevent the split. In particular, he could not manage the irrepressible actor, Mimiko.The propaganda against Agagu worked. The former governor, who had become a victim of media war, was misunderstood by party chieftains, who wanted stomach infrastructure. Agagu was defeated at the poll by his former collaborator, the shrewd politician from Ondo Kingdom, who party faithful had nicknamed ‘Iroko’. Although the electoral commission rigged the election for the PDP, progressives forces in the Southwest assisted Mimiko in retrieving his stolen mandate.
The Ikale born politician never anticipated the turn of events. He was optimistic throughout the protracted governorship litigation. But, when the court deposed him, he accepted his fate. He was literarily chased out of the Government House. But, he bore the tragedy with equanimity and understanding of the indisputable reality that power was transient. As Mimiko was being sworn in as his successor, he headed for the church for a thanksgiving.
Agagu never bounced back, although he was held in high esteem by PDP chieftains who were loyal to him. If he had remained as the governor till 2007, he would have emerged as a more powerful force in the PDP and an ally of his former colleague, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. However, he did not retire from politics. For him, hope was an elixir of life. He contested for the Senate in 2011, but he was defeated by the LP politician, Kunlere, his former disciple. Initially, one of his boys, Eddy Olafeso, insisted that he would contest against him at the primaries. For Agagu, the senatorial race was not a do-or-die affair.
Despite the electoral misfortune, his leadership position in the Ondo PDP did not diminish. President Goodluck Jonathan has respect for the political warhorse. Thus, the PDP national leadership appointed him into the new reconciliation committee to resolve the protracted crises. Many chieftains in Ondo State looked up to him as a father figure and rallying point, who could wield the caucuses together.
With his demise, the troubled chapter was bereaved. Nobody has stepped into his shoes. As a governor, he was an asset to the political family. As an ex-governor, he was neither a liability nor a loafer. Agagu took solace in the fact that he had tried his best, although political self-actualisation was an elusive goal. Being a contented fellow, he engaged in sober reflection without boxing himself into emotional wrenching.
The import of Agagu’s absence is not lost on the Ondo PDP. In post-Agagu period, Mimiko is returning to the fold. The governor had intimate political relationship with many PDP leaders before he defected to the LP. If Agagu were alive, would he have embraced Mimiko’s decision to return? Would he have defected to the APC? Would he have welcomed reconciliation? Would the duo have healed old wounds?
With Agagu’s death, a chapter had closed in the history of Ondo State.
