On this day, August 16, 1983, Akure, the capital of Ondo State, South West, Nigeria, was engulfed by unprecedented frenzy and a resultant wave of targeted killings, in which some of the rarest of gems amongst the city’s sons and daughters were caught. It was an unnecessary one day malady. It was a day from which we are still trying to recover. Amongst the several lives that were lost in the August 16, 1983 infamy at Akure was that of Africa’s hugely successful, first indigenous publisher, Honorable Albert Olaiya Fagbamigbe. He was murdered in cold blood two weeks after his 58th birthday.
The son of Awolo and Ikugbola Fagbamigbe, settlers who had moved from Aramoko-Ekiti and became properly integrated in the social-political dynamics of Akure of the late 1800s. Olaiya Fagbamigbe had sound classical education through self development and closeness to catholic missionaries. He had mid-Cambridge certificate and Teachers certificate.
Going through his writings and surviving small personal library one would know that he was a solid well-developed mind. He would go on to teach at various times in places like Warri, Owo, Akure and other towns in colonial and post colonial Nigeria.
Always humorous and accommodating, he was busy carving a place for himself in life that he had became a little advanced in age before thinking of marriage.
He was not born with silver spoon
Although, he was not born with the trappings of wealth and other privileges in life, he strove hard as a child and up till early adulthood attained greatness in publishing business and politics. He was one of the few Nigerians who seized the opportunity of the indigenization policy of the 60s and early 70s to buy stakes hitherto owned by foreigners in notable companies.
Having worked for many years, first as a school teacher with astounding brilliance in teaching Yoruba language and Literature, and later as a salesman and manager for Collins Publishers, he led the likes of Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Reuben F. Fasoranti, Bola Ige, Funsho Afelumo, Ajayi to buy Collins and changed the name and its Nigerian operations to Book Representation Company Ltd. Olaiya Fagbamigbe was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. The other palmers whom he had invited purely of the grounds of their communality on the grounds of politics and ideology did not even know that the idea would fly. But it did far more that initial apprehension.
But no sooner had they succeeded that they soon found themselves bitterly divided over the obaship hassle in Akure, between two princes, Adelegan Adesida and Adebobajo Adesida. The situation dealt an undermining blow on the operations of Book Representation Company. It was apparent that they all would have to part ways. Fagbamigbe, a veteran of hard struggles, trusting in providence decided to start his own publishing concern, thus was born the extremely successfully Olaiya Fagbamigbe Limited and its Eagle titles. It was a frontrunner in educational publishing in Nigeria and West Africa as a whole.
Fagbamigbe used the entire weight on the company to ensure success for the Unity Party of Nigeria.
At about the same time, he also encouraged the vision of two other young admirers, Mr. Bode Fagbayibo and the late Mr. Alex Adedipe. He provided the seed money and teamed up with them to form the Universal Book Store, at Ilemo in Akure. It was a well stocked publishing outfit and very successful as well. The sour relationship at Book Representation Company, Ibadan would spill over and also destroy the fiber of Universal Books.
Olaiya Fagbamigbe was a pioneer investor and industrialist, but his most outstanding legacy was in organizing and standing up for his community. He also worked tirelessly to bring his city, Akure to the centre of political events at the Federal level.
He led a heroic resistance against incessant encroachment of Akure, forest resources by people from the neighboring Idanre community. He could look his adversaries straight in the eyes and call their bluff.
He always felt he could give his all to the people of Akure who loved and idolized him. He desired to no more than he had contributed as a foot-soldier for the Action Group in the first Republic. He offered himself and became a councilor in the Local Council in 1976. Politics for him was not about money; he always wanted to locate and appreciate his people in the middle of any victory. He never took his salaries for personal use. He converted his monthly pay as scholarships for needy students in Akure. He went further by excluding members of his family from benefiting from the scholarship awards. That was part of his impressive legacies for the three years he was in the council.
He was a key co-founder of the Committee of Friends that later transformed into the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) after the military lifted ban on party politics in 1978. In 1979, he contested, ran a formidable campaign and won the highest majority-nationwide, to be elected to the House of Representatives.
His contemporaries remember him as fiery and committed debater and political negotiator who stood up for Nigeria and defended the people of the constituency he represented.
He did not play a second fiddle to his legislative colleagues. He was not a yes-man or a bench-warmer. He commanded the attention and respect of all. He and others pushed and got earmarks that led to the establishment of the Federal University of Technology at Akure, the Akure Airport and other landmark projects.
By 1982, the lingering distrust with his former business associates and now political bedfellows, would lead to an attempt on his life. He survived the gunshots fired at him somewhere at Ilesha Road, Akure. The unacceptable results of the election primaries of the UPN would lead to a final parting of ways with the associates he had known for most of his political career. He was persistently demonized but kept an unflagging resistance until the events of August 16 th, 1983.
A disputed governorship election result gave his enemies their final wish. Olaiya Fagbamigbe was cut down in his prime. He was 58 years old. He had a strong foreboding and concrete proof that he was going to be murdered. He brought the matter to the attention of the police. The police did nothing.
Honorable Fagbamigbe was killed along side his elder brother. Mr. James Oni Fagbamigbe (a.k.a Baba Barber). The so called respectable newspaper The Guardian on 17 August, 1983 threw the worst blackmail saying the clean, catholic James Oni Fagbamigbe was the man’s herbalist who was killed with him. Fagbamigbe was not fetish, he had no herbalist, on the contrary two innocent brothers became inseparable even in death. It was a moment that brought out our worst as a race still trying civilized standards. The whole tragic event of August 16th, 1983 at Akure looked like a scripted saga. People were imported and they went on the rampage destroying lives and looting hard-built businesses.
Late Fagbamigbe’s legacy remains forever. Thanks to the courage of Dr. (Mrs.) Mercy Ebun Fagbamigbe, who went through a lot with the children, to keep the good name and the works of the great man Albert Olaiya Fagbamigbe shining forever.
Post script
Hon. Albert Olaiya Fagbamigbe was my uncle. Perhaps the only other person that was very close to him, after his wife whom he fondly call mommy, was my mother, late Mary Abike Abitogun. When I was growing up at Ayede-Ogbese, Fagbamigbe was never far from us. He was always there.
His wife, Dr. Mercy Ebun Fagbamigbe ensured that their wealth and fame never divided the family, she always brought my cousins to our home in the country and we ran and laughed and were innocent children together. Their palatial home at 11, Methodist Church Road (Fagbamigbe Lane) was home for all.
Fagbamigbe was kind and giving, yet firm in disciplining those of us in the family. He never condoned sloppiness and cutting of corners. I remember him scolding me for voting in 1979 when I was still a minor. I remember him supporting my chair with N20 as a primary school Harvest Chairperson. He just loved God, his family and his country.
I have tried to seek answer to the time-old question “why do bad things happen to good people?” I have found partial answers to the tragic case of my uncle, Fagbamigbe. I do not know all the answers. Look at the people who served as willing pawns-used in demonizing Fagbamigbe and Co. People like Ebenezer Babatope, how has Nigeria faired with them?
Let us stop making the black race, indeed, a laughing stock in the eyes of the world. Instead of rule of the mobs, we should embrace the rule of law, true democracy, not mobocracy. We should stop shedding innocent blood in the name of trying to validate disputes over the ballot. Good luck.