Sola Adeyeye and the facts of history
By Ebenezer Babatope
Prof. Sola Adeyeye
Sola Adeyeye and I come from the same political
family. It is the political family raised, nurtured
and led by the Avatar himself, Papa Obafemi Awolowo.
When Sola said in the introductory notes of his THE NATION article on me on Wednesday July 2, 2008 entitled “EBENEZER BABATOPE IS BREAKING MY HEART”, it was an occasion for me to ruminate ever past events in our country. Tears simply filled my eyes.
Sola had written inter alia:
“It is thus with considerable discomfort and sorrow that I must, for the first time in life publicly disagree with my dearly beloved friend and brother Chief Ebenezer Babatope (Ebino Topsy), who has now made it a routine to break my heart. Ebino Topsy and I go way back. We were political bedfellows. We both nursed big dreams for our country. We both recognized the internal and external factors that alternated and hindered Nigeria’s achievement.
And yes, we both shared palpable disgust against the wantonly parasitic and crassly reactionary cabals who perennially exercised pernicious stranglehold on the aorta and jugular vein of our polity …”
Sola’s words are a major reference to the past. It was a past of our country in which the very best of leaders who could have shaped a great future for our dear country were barred from such a heroic performance by feudal forces who believed that Nigeria must for ever remain an extension of their private feudal compounds.
At every given stage, these great leaders led by Papa Obafemi Awolowo, were never allowed to give our dearest land of birth the proper and necessary political direction that could have made Nigeria a leading force on the world scene by now. Those who effected this dastardly direction of our politics were the elements in our country who believed religiously that Nigeria could only be Nigeria if the country remains a land divinely given to the perpetual rulership of themselves and their descendants.
All over the years, efforts were made by these elements, backed up by our former colonial masters to ensure that all the progressive leaders of our time were never united in their struggles to ensure that a progressive ideology guides our country to modernity and progress.
When Papa Obafemi Awolowo assembled a powerful political team made up of Nigerians who had a clear vision of greatness for our country, the parasitic elements, talked about by Sola, were very active in destroying the Awo movement.
Alhaji Mudi Spikin from Kano (who Papa Awolowo had included in the Action Group delegation that went for the Lancaster House Conference of 1957 in London), the late Samuel Goomsu Ikoku from Arochukwu in present day Abia State (who was one of Harold Laski’s students at the London School of Economics), Alhaji Kashim Imam (founder of the Bornu Youth Movement) who lived in Kano for a long time, Joseph Serwuan Tarka (the school teacher who led the first Middle-Belt Movement to confront reactionary forces in the northern states), the irrepressible Joseph Sunday Olawoyin from Offa in present day Kwara State (and who went to jail 17 times in his efforts to terminate crude feudalism in the North), Papa Alfred Rewane from Itshekiri land who later became a repository of the history of our nationalist struggles, Obahiagbon of Benin and several others too numerous to mention, were frustrated all the way in their determination to ensure the arrival of the time of the people in Nigerian politics.
When the then young Bola Ige, Abraham Adesanya, Ayo Adebanjo, Ganiyu Dawodu, Agunbiade Bamishe, Joel Babatola, Michael Omisade, Olaogun Adeoye, Biodun Falade and many others were allover Nigeria with the progressive Awo gospel, the reactionary cabals mentioned by Sola in his essay, planted the Treasonable Felony and Conspiracy trial on the way of the Action Group (AG) leaders and disrupted the first authentic movement of our people to create a progressive future for Nigerians.
The enemies of our progress ensured that an alliance of forces of the poor people of Nigeria that surrounded the movements led by Papa Obafemi Awolowo and Mallam Aminu Kano, the Talkawa revolutionary leader from Kano never took off the ground. The rest is history.
Where today is Uncle Bola Ige? He was murdered by quislings who, by the grace of God, will eventually answer for his gruesome murder before God. It is a matter of time.
Why do we today celebrate Papa Obafemi Awolowo long after his translation to eternity? Sola and I can not easily forget the old man’s positive contributions to the struggles to rid Nigeria of political pests whose allegiance to feudalism and reactionary politics was simply retrogressive.
Where today can we get a leader and his team of faithful supporters with visionary dreams for Nigeria like Awo and his lieutenants?
How can we just forget easily the teachings and guiding philosophy of Papa Awo that he gave us through practical examples of his life?
In 1978, in Port Harcourt, the UPN Campaign team led by Papa Obafemi Awolowo himself had arrived in the town to launch the Party’s Campaigns for the 1979 elections.
The advance team of the UPN Campaign team led by me as the Director of Organisation, Tayo Soyode and Gbolahan Dosumu (Papa Awolowo’s sons-in-law) and the old man’s protocol officer, Mr. Romanus Ibegbulem had chosen ERIJOY HOTEL in Port Harcourt for Papa’s accommodation in the Garden City. I am not particularly sure now whether Odia Ofeimun (Papa Awolowo’s Private Secretary) was in the Port Harcourt team.
When Papa Obafemi Awolowo arrived at the Diobu City and lodged at ERI JOY HOTEL owned by Mr. Eric Aso who was then an NPN member, the UPN leaders in Rivers State led by the late Chief Wenike Briggs protested to Papa on why he should choose to stay in an hotel owned by a known NPN member opposed to the UPN.
Papa simply replied:
“Wenike, You people go and look for an hotel run by UPN people that is better managed than this one (referring to Eri Joy Hotel) and I and my team will move there immediately”.
Those were nearly Papa’s words.
None could be found and Papa told all who were there that though Eri Joy Hotel was the property of an NPN member, it was an efficiently-run business enterprise that never had anything to do with partisan politics. Papa was emphatic that the hotel business must be separated from the owner who is a practicing politician opposed to the UPN.
Papa Obafemi Awolowo, in all his other political trips to Port Harcourt never stopped patronizing Eri Joy Hotel between 1978 and 1983 despite the fact that the hotel was owned by an NPN man. Very instructive indeed.
Why this long preamble? It is to show that Sola and I (plus many of our friends now scattered in many present day political parties in Nigeria) have come a long way. We belong to a progressive tradition that will be hard to take away from us. It is a great pity that the history of our movement within the last 15 years has been characterized with bitterness and rancour ignited by leaders who believe that we of the Awolowo political family must fight ourselves to the grave.
Today, Sola Adeyeye , Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande, Dapo Sarumi, Segun Osoba, Lam Adesina and Tony Adefuye are members of the AC while Yemi Farounbi, Martins Kuye, Olu Alabi, Yinka Omilani, Muyiwa Oladimeji, Segun Agunloye, Segun Adegoke, A. Alagbe, Segun Agagu, Eric Fayemi, Joju Fadairo, Tunde Adeniran, Effiong Ononokpono, Nati Iwuagwu, Gbenga Daniel (the youngest member of the 1978 Awo Assembled Committee of Friends), Dayo Abatan, Atte of Kogi, and myself are in the PDP. All of us are political children of Papa Obafemi Awolowo. I want to repeat again that what can not be taken away from us is our Awo political heritage. Q.E.D.
Sola’s article simply sent me on philosophical reflections of our past years.
When a young Awoist like Femi Ogbontiba phoned me to appeal for a truce between Sola and I, I was firm in my answer to him that there can never be anything to cause friction and permanent disagreement between me and Sola. Never. Sola Adeyeye is my friend with our political bodies, souls and spirits tied to the Awolowo School of politics.
Sola has proved his loyalty to friendship and comradeship. It is, however, a pity that he chose the pages of a newspaper to express his feelings on some views I hold. Remove that, Sola and I are ever at peace with ourselves. We remain friends for ever.
There can never and there will never be hard feelings between us. This is my honest conclusion.
God bless Nigeria.
Adieu Miller Aganyemi
The death has been announced from Ondo State of one of the loyal and hard core Awoists of the Second Republic. Miller Aganyemi was the Chief Organisation Secretary of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) led by Papa Obafemi Awolowo in the old Ondo State during the Second Republic.
Miller Aganyemi was discovered by the late Papa Michael Adekunle Ajasin and no one can ever forget the stubborn approach of Miller Aganyemi to Party organisation in old Ondo State. He was brave, resilient and pushful.
When crisis erupted in the UPN in old Ondo State in 1982, Miller was there in the Party Secretariat like a Rock of Gibraltar containing the activities of the young Turks who had wanted a decimation of the Party.
Life was very difficult for Miller in recent years but he, with his Awoist credentials, never allowed his spirit to wane. He fought doggedly on until death came knocking on his door. He was a good man with a great Awoist heart.
Few months ago, the death was equally reported from Ondo town of colourful Barrister Funso Akinyosoye. Funso was the UPN member of the House of Representatives from Ondo town in the Second Republic House of Representatives. He was a powerful debater as well as being a brilliant lawyer, Funso was a political pet of the late Papa Archdeacon Emmanuel Alayande (who was one of the trusted personal friends of Papa Obafemi Awolowo).
Miller Aganyemi will be buried at Igbobini on August 23, 2008. I sincerely commiserate with Millier’s son, Newton and the entire Aganyemi family.
We are dying and the old order is changing fast. Old soldiers indeed never die. “They simply fade away”.
Good Night Miller Aganyemi. The battle is now over and you have done your best.
You Live Oh Jeremiah!
EBINO TOPSY - 0805-500-1735 (SMS ONLY PLEASE)
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