Nigerians Remember Awolowo

By Charles Coffie Gyamfi

FRIENDS, family members, leaders of thought and political associates of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, yesterday gathered at Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, country home of the political icon to mark the 25th anniversary of his transition.

At the well-attended ceremony were Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Chief Segun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, both former governors of Ogun State.

Former Lagos State Governors, Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Bola Tinubu; erstwhile Ekiti Governors, Niyi Adebayo and Segun Oni; Afenifere leaders, Chief Ayo Fasanroti and Chief Ayo Adebanjo, were also at the event.

Others were former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Chief Edwin Clark, Gen. Oladipo Diya, Chief Adeyinka Adebayo, Chief Olu Falae, and Chief Olaniwun Ajayi.

In his speech, Governor Amosun described the late Awo as an “icon of immeasurable stature; an administrator of impeccable integrity; a statesman of statesmen; and a leader who put the people first. The array of individuals and organisations represented at this gathering attests to this”.

The governor also told the congregation at the church service held at the Saint Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne: “At this period of our national life, Nigeria is in dire need of people who play politics of self-sacrifice, commitment and focus.  Papa had graciously provided us with a time-tested compass to chat the right path”.

In his the sermon, Rt. Rev. Peter Awelewa Adebiyi urged the country’s leaders to keep the legacy of the late sage alive.

He also charged all South-West politicians to desist from playing politics of bitterness but “and close rank towards development of the region and returning it to its lost glory”.

Adebiyi challenged the nation’s leaders to go back to agriculture as a basis for economic development.

The cleric bemoaned the disunity among the Yoruba, 25 years after the demise of Chief Awolowo.

Rev. Adebiyi lamented that there was no significant improvement in the socio-economic and political life of the old Western Region since the demise of the late sage and blamed those who came after Awo for the plight of the region.

He regretted the failure of the Yoruba nation “to put forward an acceptable leader in the mould of the late Chief Awolowo due to pursuit of personal interest, agenda, political intolerance, bitterness and compromising their integrity”.

The cleric observed that the current Yoruba nation “is weak, incoherent and divided and may go into irrelevance in no distant time if it is not united.”

Adebiyi, therefore, urged Yoruba leaders, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations to take advantage of the 25th memorial anniversary of Awo’s passage to unite the Yoruba nation.

He called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Tinubu to lead the reconciliatory process in order to “chart a new course and forget the past”.

He commended Mama HID Awolowo for her doggedness in keeping alive the ideological torch of her husband 25 years after, particularly sustaining the Tribune newspaper and other legacies.

Speaking with reporters after the service on the question of Yoruba unity and leadership, Tinubu said only the people could choose their own leaders, stressing that Chief Awolowo emerged leader because the Yoruba race approved his quality work and conduct.

His words: “Once you make people the cornerstone of your politics, then you are in step with the legacy of Papa Awolowo. Nobody can really step into Awolowo’s shoes – except to continue in his vision and philosophy of development, his character discipline and his emphasis on true federalism, justice and democracy.  These are what we should all pursue.”

Tinubu said while all Yoruba were one stock, political unity in the South-West would be difficult going by the area’s political culture.

His words: “Historically, the Yoruba have always belonged to different parties.  You have the right to belong to any party.  What is important is that we must all uphold the values of justice, democracy and the developmental ideals espoused by Awolowo.”

Amosun said: “Chief Obafemi Awolowo touched many lives during his sojourn on earth. As the first Premier of the defunct Western Region, the policies and programmes of his administration still serve as reference point for government at all levels over five decades after he left office. The free primary education and unprecedented rural and agricultural development engendered by his administration, for instance, positively affected many lives and generations.

“Chief Obafemi Awolowo lived his life in service to the people.  He was known by both friends and foes to be a serious-minded federalist and advocate of the rule of law, who wanted the best for his people and country. No wonder, there are several people today who claim or pretend to be adherents of Awolowo’s ideals”.

The governor then queried: “The question is: how many of them have the moral ethos, principles and commitment to positive ideological bent like Chief Awolowo? It is because he left a legacy worth emulating that almost every politician in the South-West part of our country sees his name as a launch-pad for their political careers.

“My advice, however, is that those who share the same ideology or believe they have been influenced by Awolowo’s socio-economic and political thoughts should move from being lip-service disciples to living and demonstrating such ideals”.

Amosun also submitted that if Chief Awolowo were alive, the sage would have been happy with his (Amosun) performance in office .

His words: “Papa will be happy with the way we have re-introduced functional free education, providing free text-books and instructional materials like his close associate, late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo did in 1982”.

“He (Awolowo) would also be happy with the Health Care Centres and our determination to ensure that all the 236 wards in the state has at least one PHC, well-equipped and manned by good medical personnel in the next few years.

“Chief Awolowo will be happy with our revolutionary policies in agricultural production and how we hope to make our state the food basket and home of the largest number of agro-allied industries”.