By Oladimeji Abitogun
CHIEF Joe Ibokwe, in recalling the glorious resistance of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, during
the darkest moments of military subjugation of Nigeria, can be pardoned for trying to narrow the base and the reach of the movement. Chief Igbokwe can be pardoned for his revisionist effort at equating the NADECO phenomenon as, one, a south-western thing and, two, for trying and failing in the end to equate NADECO with the present day Action Congress of Nigeria.
We recognize the fact of what the history of human civilization and evolution teaches. That is, there can be present without the past. In other to curry the understanding and preempt the predictable reaction of most Nd’igbo who always view every genuine appreciation of the progress of recorded by the Yoruba race with harsh rejection and envious condescension, Igbokwe tried so hard in his piece to link the past successes of the south-west with the initial involvement of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, with the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
But in that brilliant background take, any cerebral discussant of the phenomenal political and journalistic engagements of Dr. Azikiwe must not lose sight of the fact that the great Zik of Africa, after being born in Zungeru, in today’s Niger State, actually launched out as a Lagosian, a bona-fide south-westerner. He spoke the language of the Yoruba and was well-grounded in the culture. But the man derailed right from the moment when every copy published in his chain of newspaper started celebrating “the Igbo” person as against “Nigerians” or “Africans,” who had just returned from chasing the Golden Fleece in Europe or America.
Thus, very early in the evolution of political Nigeria, Zik forgot what had been deposited in him by pioneer nationalists like Adeyemo Alakija, H.O. Davies, Herbert Maculey, Ernest Ikoli, Alvan Ikoku, Michael Imodu and so on. These great pioneers, because they mostly lived in Lagos and the south-west, had envisioned freedom and greatness. They were the first and second generations of those who were immensely impacted by Ajayi Crowther, a man who did his best to promote indigenous education if the south. This thing we all carry on as heritage was conceived at the foundation of Nigeria as a modern state. These were intra-tribal and inter-tribal nation-states that ensured that the Ondo were not enslaved by the Ijebus, the Akures were not subjects to Ijeshas and even when the Oyo Empire prospered, the king was not given absolute powers, and so the personal ambition of anyone was never allowed to be greater than that of the collective.
In essence, when Obafemi Awolowo, Adekunle Ajasin, Adeniji Aderemi and many of our forebears met at Oke Mapo in Owo to proclaim the original Afenifere or, as was widely known then, the Egbe Omo Yoruba, it was supposed to be for the permanent goal of an enduring renaissance. The Egbe was for the socio-political survival of the Yorubas. It cut across every political strata and groupings in Yorubaland – contrary to Igbokwe’s mis-education of his audience today. The original Egbe Afenifere Omo Yoruba was more than one political party. It was meant to foster unity amongst Yorubas. This is the precise reason why Afenifere, or as many of us were later made to believe, the NADECO, can never be an exclusive preserve or platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.
To continue to rehash or propagate what we know to be wrong, viz mischaracterizing people because they do not share our political ideology or philosophy, is a flagrant evil that must be condemned by every right thinking individual.
Joe Igbokwe does not live in Ondo State, how did he know every registered NADECO foot-soldier outside those who do not live in Lagos State? His views on who was NADECO or who was not NADECO cannot be final in this regard. And to want to roll out the names of who and who was not part of the struggle, started by Bamidele Atere, Frederick Fasheun, Gani Fawehinmis, Bola AJinudas, Bamidele Opeyemi, Nasir Kwaras, Kayode Oladeles et al in polytechnics, universities, and lecture halls and streets, is to undermine the heroic rejection of cheating and oppression by every Nigerian.
At least Igbokwe, who serves the bidding of his political masters in Lagos, does not have his facts right on whether Governor Mimiko was a NADECO person or not, he should remember that the man was a member of the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN. Igbokwe should know that Olusegun Mimiko was a commissioner in the Social Democratic Party government led by former Governor Bamidele Olumilua in 1992, and until the military scrapped it in 1993.
And if Igbokwe is not relapsing into early-stage amnesia, how can he forget that everyone who was NADECO in Ondo State today stands with Dr. Olusegun Mimiko? At least if Mr. Igbokwe had forgotten all the flowery prose he needed to write concerning the building of an egalitarian society, how could he have forgotten so soon that the administration that evolved from the Ondo State NADECO group produced the late Ade Adefarati as the governor. A little refresher for him: Chief Reuben Fasoranti, the current Afenifere (NADECO) leader, whom the Igbokwe axis loves to disrespect, was the man who single-handedly declined to be governor and instead nominated Adefarati for the position. Chief Fasoranti had personal reasons for rejecting the Alliance for Democracy’s nomination at that time. And he must be respected and celebrated for not putting personal interest before the common good. But the jist here is that Dr. Mimiko was a commissioner in that administration.
To begin displaying the act of a “freedom fighter” in Ondo State as scripted from Lagos is condescending. That is one more reason why Ondo State citizens would do everything possible to reject external dictates and political aggression. Even if Adefarati is no longer alive to identify Mimiko, Pa Fasoranti and Chief Olu Falae, Segun Adegoke and others are still very much alive and have thrown their support behind Governor Mimiko.
The same set of regional gladiators, who glamorize the idea of regional autonomy, regional integration and true federalism, often fantasize with the possibility of power control at the center. People who dream of localization of the force and power should not object to the reality of a Labor Party that rules in just one state. The obsession with true federalism should have made Mimiko an icon among Yorubas, but since words do not always convey the true motive in the heart, Mimiko is now being coerced and being forced with a gun to the head to surrender Ondo State.
Now Joe Igbokwe criticized Mimiko for being in a party with Dan Iwanyanwu. I think this point defeats all the lip service that has been paid to the unity of Nigeria and this lofty vision of “regional integration.” So if Mimiko cannot have Dan Iwanyanwu as the chairman of his party, why must George Akhume in Benue State be a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria, which only wants to be in charge in the south-west?
Igbokwe looks at things from the face value, the wise search for deep knowledge. Ondo State people see internal colonization and take-over of the resources that are assisting to build infrastructure, ensuring school fees do not drive students away because they are astronomical. Ondo State people go abroad not for showoff, they want to reciprocate modernity at home. They want pensions to be paid and for workers to receive wages. Ondo state people grew cocoa, rubber plantations, palm estates, etc in the past, yet there were no factories. When Ondo State people see integration, they know it. Stop insulting us.
The people who sponsor Igbokwe to make disgraceful public show of himself, over an issue he does not understand, should not speak in riddles. History teaches us that in a presidential system of government, we may belong to different political parties, yet the sovereignty of the nation cannot be undermined. The tense relationship between the power at the center and the state in the second republic resulted in a systemic failure. At some point it was difficult to pay salaries, and developmental projects faced stagnation. We do not need unnecessary squabbles. Friendship and mutual respect between Mimiko and President Jonathan does not mean the governor has any Peoples Democratic Party membership; Mimiko is only doing what has to be done for the public good.
When Igbokwe talks about Iwanyawu the way he did in his article that prompted this piece, is he ever thinking of how to bring healing to the distrust that exists between different clans and tribes in Nigeria? He should remember that the people he speaks for would speak about him in the future, too.
In conclusion, when would Yoruba people, especially the Tinubu crowd, stop rehashing the painful phase of Yoruba history? Using Joe Igbokwe to lash out at Mimiko, a fellow Yorubaman, or like the case the other day when Sam Omatseye was engaged to insult the house of Awolowo, makes it look like some Yoruba political leaders cannot escape the curse of the past – a curse that often ends in the costly loss of a sizeable part of the Yoruba Nation and heritage. The engagement of Joe Igbokwe has a parallel in how Afonja teamed up with the House of Fulani, through a bad alliance with Sheikh Alimi to turn against Alaafi Aole. Those who commissioned Igbokwe must leave Ondo State people to choose the direction they want politically.