Long before he came into national reckoning during the hey days of the fight against military rule, Idowu Obasa first cut his teeth as a student-activist at the then University of Ife, where he and other notable students activists of the period led the popular anti-government protest, better known as the ‘Ali must go’ protest.
A chattered accountant and economist, Obasa’s well-rounded training in his university days was put to use in the 90s when Nigerians were locked in a fierce battle against the military regime of General Badamosi Babangida and that of his successor, General Sanni Abacha.
At the time, Obasa had a choice job with popular accounting firm, KPMG. But it was a period when the nation needed men who could dare the consequence and speak truth to the military leaders. The young Obasa found willing allies in like minds, like Bayo Onanuga, Babafemi Ojudu, Dapo Olorunyomi and others who, in Obasa’s words, were willing to ‘publish and be damned’.
As predicted, the then young men and their family members suffered various forms of deprivation, while a few of them spent time in jail for daring to challenge the authorities. While many innocent Nigerians lost their lives, with many more losing a limb or two, Obasa has lived to tell his story.
“The closure of National Concord by IBB led to the resignation of Bayo Onanuga and the other guys from the Concord. They came together with the plan to start a magazine. I resigned from the KPMG and joined others to start The News,” Obasa recollects.
The young men knew what they were going into and were well prepared for it. I
Asked what the motivation was for him and his team, knowing that the military government would come after them, Obasa burst into a prolonged laughter, then shot back: “We were fired by the imagination that we would make a difference in the country. Don’t forget that it was a period in the country when you work and run a business successfully. It is a complete different story now because of what they did to this country. We were not so much concerned about the profit, but about publishing and be damned. My own particular role was to run the business aspect.
“We started very professionally. We had a well-thought visibility study and we were well accepted in the market. Of course, there was a lot of prudent management. But, I think it was the acceptability that helped us. People dared the military government to buy our publications. Even most of the shareholders didn’t want to identify with us. We know some people who ran away when the heat became too much for them. But the people doggedly supported us by buying the publications. It was an unusual time, and there were no adverts, but the sales helped us.”
Would he repeat all he did back then if confronted with a similar situation now? Obasa smiled, and said, “but you know that I love life,” then continued to explain. “We were young, and we were risk itself. The day after the death of Abacha, we were in Ghana for a conference. I was in a discussion with Kola Ilori of Tell, and we said, maybe if we were old and considered ourselves, we would not have written most of the stories that we wrote. But you see, we were young and didn’t understand the meaning of risk at the time. We didn’t have the kind of responsibility and fear that old age brings. We were married, but we were like unmarried men.
“Even the company was not registered with our own names. We had an idea of what we were going into. Now, when I think of the type of risks we took in those days, I just smile and ask myself how we did it. For me, I like life, but I think it was just because we didn’t give fear any thought at the time. It was perfectly arranged that I would be the rear-guard person, and even when I wrote, I didn’t write with my name, and I had no face.
“I think that was what helped me when eventually Zakari Biu came for me, after they had picked some of us and locked them up in jail, while others ran away into exile. Despite this, the magazine was still publishing. It was at that time that they reckoned that they should pick me up. I was there when they came, but they didn’t have a proper description. And foolishly, when they came, they were beating everybody they met in the reception. Maybe by providence, I was at the reception at the time. And so they threw me out like every other person before they went inside. There was another colleague, Wole Odofin, he was the production manager and we had a little resemblance. So they simply went for him, believing that it was Idowu Obasa. For at least one month, they did not believe he was not Idowu Obasa; they kept him for several months.”
He was emphatic with his response when asked if he would describe himself as a hero of the period. For him, apart from providing the necessary leadership that sustained our publications during the period, the real heroes were the reporters who sourced the stories at the risk of their lives.
“I wouldn’t say I suffered much, probably because they thought I was a mere accountant who should not know much about a story. But at a point, they started to pick anybody they could lay their hands on, but at that time, I had learnt how to evade them. But the real heroes of that time were the young journalists. They were all young men of courage. These young men risked their lives.
“When Femi Ojodu was in detention in Ikoyi, he would smuggle out notes to me. And one day, because he thought he would die in detention, he sent me a note giving me instructions about his family. He ended it with an advice that we should cut down on the numbers of publications so that we can sustain the publications. you know we were publishing three papers at the time. I called a meeting at one of our secret locations, and I gave them the message. But David Odeh, who later became editor of PM News, was so sad that he was almost crying. He shouted that we would not give up. I quickly withdrew the suggestion. To me, that was courage.
“These young men were not being paid, and yet they were willing to continue the work for the love of the country. They, rather than us, were the real heroes. For the directors, we knew what we were going into. But the young journalists simply came to work.”
If you think Obasa’s radicalism started with his activities during the Babangida and Abacha military administrations, you may need a little excursion into his university days at the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). “At Ife, I was so much involved in students’ politics, I mean the radical unionism. That impacted in me the passion to be always concerned about the happenings around me. And soon after graduation, I worked with the NLC as a part-time lecturer of workers education classes. It was not a paid job, but it was something that I loved to do. We didn’t need to be paid for it.
“In 1978, I was actively involved in the ‘Ali must go’ protest by the students. I was always in the parliament and we were the leaders of the organisation known as the Young Socialists Movement and the Alliance for Progressives Students. That made us to come into contacts with lots of works written by Max, Lenning and other communists of the period. It really helped us to know a lot about the workings of the society. As a matter of fact, we dreamt of a communist Nigeria. And it set the tone for what we would become later in life.”
But close to two decades after those perilous encounters with the military authorities, Obasa has moved on to chart a new course for his life. A former Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA}, Obasa said he entered politics when he realised that most of those in politics were not there for the general good of the people. “That was why people like Femi Falana and a few others, including myself, decided to enter the fray,” he said.
But since he quit office as Chairman of the LCDA in 2011, Obasa has remained relatively quiet, contrary to the expectations of many who saw him as one of the few bright lights in the politics of the state.
Since then, private business, rather than politics, has taken much, if not all of his time, leading to rumours that he may have quit politics. But he maintained that he has not quit politics.
“I think it is difficult to quit politics because the issues that drove one into politics are still there. However, since I left the local government, I have not contested any election and I have not taken any public office. It is not every politician that needs to take public office. But for me, politics is service, and that was what I did during my time at Onigbongbo.
“The success story you see in Lagos today is the result of meticulous planning. Many people may not know this, but soon after Asiwaju Bola Tinubu won the governorship election in 1999, and because he had about three months before he took over, he formed 53 committees to help come up with a master plan for the state. You have health, education and agriculture among several others.
These committees had some of the best brains that you can find in any field, including some foreign assistance. A lot of international organisations sent representatives to some of the committees. I was the secretary of the agriculture committee. Many international organisations sent their people to work with us on the committee. And at the end of the day, a blueprint emerged from all the committees. Believe me, what you see today is the result of the blueprint from the committees. And of course, it was the fidelity of Asiwaju to the blueprint that made it work. It was also the continuation of Fashola that ensured the success of the blueprint. So, the center of excellence you see is the result of planning.
“Having been involved in the politics of the state all this while, it would be wrong to say that I have quit politics. You may not have seen or heard about my political activities for some time now. But that may be because I have not seen something worth my while or that I have seen, but has not been offered. At any rate, I have something to do with my time.”
Having something to do with his time includes running his private business, which has seen him becoming a big player in the nation’s growing betting industry.
“Winners Golden Bet is a subsidiary of Winners Golden Chance Lotto. Winners Golden Bet is for sports betting, while Golden Chance is for lotto. I got involved in lotto through Sanni Kabir, who is a director of The News. It was he and his father who brought lotto into the country many years ago. And it was during those days that he asked me to help reorganise his business, which I did as an accountant. That was my first contact with lotto. But all the problems that had to do with the military problems made me drop the business. After peace returned, I got involved in the business again. As a business man, my take is that you can get involved in anything that can turn one naira to two, as long as it is not illegal.”
For him, the return to lotto business is worth all the risks. “Lotto is like a contributory business, and it is essentially played by the poor. If you don’t win today, you may win tomorrow. And the fact that playing it has become easy means it has become more attractive to the people.”
Born in Zaria to parents from Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasa had his early education in Lagos when he was sent home to live with his grandmother. The old woman did very well to ensure that her grandson turned out successful in life. He proceeded to the then University of Ife, where he read Economics.
“I went to the university with a scholarship from PZ. At that time, there were jobs everywhere for young graduates. But for me, my first job was with PZ. I took the scholarship in my second year in the university. My father was a manager with PZ at the time.”
To most of those who know him, Obasa is not one to shy away from enjoying life whenever the opportunity presents itself. And to the best of his ability, he did enjoy life. But, interestingly, he has been forced to slow down by age and some health issues. For him now, wine and water remain the only drinks that are not forbidden.
“The only drink I touch now is wine. I had to stop drinking for health reasons. And it was no longer good for me; so there was no other choice than to stop it. I think what happened was that I abused my body. But I know better now, and I exercise a lot now. I play tennis, do walking and some other light exercises in the gym. But I also love to dance; I dance a lot. I love juju music.’’
