Chief Bola Ige

REMEMBERING THE LAST AWOIST 

By 
Seye Adetunmbi 27/12/06, a tribute in memory of Chief Bola Ige who was murdered on the 23rd of December, 2001.

Apart from the ground breaking milestones recorded by the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, one cross his government in perspective may have to carry for eternity is the unresolved several cases of killings and political murders during the two term tenure. It is disheartening to this writer having appreciated the value the second coming of OBJ added to entrenching good governance in Nigeria. It is infamy that five years after the cold blooded murder of Chief James Ajibola Ige, no justice has been done.

Cicero of Esa-Oke

This unfathomable incident must have contributed to the transition of his wife, Justice Mrs Atinuke Ige few years after! Thus, one can only hope that the President would do everything possible to redeem the image of his administration in this regard before the end of the tenure in May 2007. On a similar note, the murder of MKO Abiola, the then Head of Government would also carry the burden of leaving Nigerians to speculation until they can get to the bottom of who was behind the dastardly act. 

 When the news of the abrupt termination of Chief Bola Ige's life by a number of apparently sponsored misguided miscreants came, it was like a fiction. I wanted to convince myself that it was a decoy to make the noxious perpetrators feel terrible about their dastardly act and that he will come alive again to our hopes and aspirations of the multitude of his followers. It later dawned on everyone painful, that the millennium news of his assassination was for real. What an irreparable loss. This was certainly another fatal and grievous fall-out from long years of misrule of this poor nation. We have witnessed several manifestations of misrule hangover in our midst in the recent past. Of course, the action of the past military dictators that refused to honour invitation to Oputa Panel remains an incident and example that the nation cannot forget in a hurry. Memories of yet to be resolved murder of MKO Abiola, Pa Rewane, Kudirat Abiola, Dele Giwa, Omotehinwa, Elegbede etc. are also still very fresh in our minds.

Chief Ige with Alexander Atanassov

   Certainly, those people suffering from the hang over of long years of misrule of this country must have been responsible for passing death sentence like mafia dons, on Chief Ige. Those crops of politicians that created a scenario for the evildoers to perpetrate this crime are essentially products of misrule hangover. A lot of these circumstantial politicians found their way to governance due to the expediency of the time and they gave themselves away through their uncultured attitudes, utterances, priorities and political dispositions. It would have been more tolerable if only these people could waste men of their ilk and leave our respected statesmen out of their madness. It is high time more honorable men and women came out to give political opportunists a run for their money. If men and women who are tested upright professionals and technocrats do not come out to participate in the political governance of their locality or state, mediocres will continue to take charge. Well meaning people need to be more involved in what happens around them at every stage.

First Oyo State Annual Conference at Rex Cinema in
December 1978

   Going through for instance, the profiles of some past elites that were involved in political dispensation in Ekiti where I grew up, they were men who have either worked as teachers, school principals or civil servants of several years standing. But these days most of the councilors, legislators, governors and their likes do not have history, no resume to write home about and any remarkable past or worthy antecedent. There were a lot of serving school principals in those days who were councilors in their respective communities while few represented their kinsmen at senatorial levels and after their respective tenures they went back to their full-time jobs. Unfortunately, these days people now venture into politics because, they are either out of job or they are traditional government contractors by vocation. The implication of this is in the fact that, like hungry lions, all they are looking for is what to devour. How many of these politicians can serve their people in gratis?

Chief Presented Staff of Office to Ooni Sijuade on 6-12-80

    Political parties in the new dispensation should work hard enough in conjunction with the federal government to evolve a structure that will make people that will truly and sincerely serve their kinsmen to contest elective positions. Politics of "Jeun Jeun" (chop & chop) or come and eat syndrome must stop. The Federal Government, using the appropriate legislative mechanism, should review the remuneration of all the elective positions. Legislators should be entitled to basic allowances only, a sum of money that would be sufficient to make them perform their duties. Every society has its own peculiarities and as such requires appropriate strategies.

   Until the situation changes for better in our society, governance in Nigeria should be made unattractive to those people who are only representing their people because of their personal ego trip and financial gains for their immediate families and constituencies. To a great extent this may bring some sanity to the political class in this country. If some people are not honourable, the system should not allow them to continue in their chosen path of dishonour at the detriment of the larger populace or the masses. Although the professional murderers in our midst had their way again, but everyone of us who is aggrieved and angered by Chief Ige's assassination will take solace in the fact that no one will stop the truth from prevailing. It may only take some time.

Chief Ige & Professor Wole Soyinka

    People attain prominence through various means. The Cicero earned his distinction through dint of consistency as manifested in his political sagacity, doggedness, hard work and by pitching his camp with honorable issues. After all, like many other people, I never met him on one-on-one yet I admired him so much, particularly his virtues and dispositions, most of which I learnt through his writings and multi-various pronouncements.

   I used to read Sunday Tribune, which I bought weekly because of another role model of blessed memory, Dr. Tai Solarin and this interest, continued when Uncle Bola's Column was introduced until he stopped. The closest contact I was privileged to have with him was when he acknowledged one of my letters to him on a matter of common interest in his Tribune column.

   Perhaps his Yoruba colleagues that are left behind will use this opportunity to restrategize and close ranks. His last speech at the funeral of Pa Onasanya pondered a lot on issues for Afenifere to consider critically in order sustaining their common political course. It was an indeed a valedictory speech. There is no doubt; the evil perpetrators murdered sleep. Yoruba politics and national political terrain was never the same again with this sudden exit of the arole of Awolowo political dynasty, the man I call the last true devout Awoist. Chief Ige was a unique personality by every standard. His mastery of the contemporary Nigerian politics and several victories over multi-various intrigues within Yoruba polity is a monumental study that will be remembered as "Igeism" and a school of thought.

    How can I conclude this write-up without bringing to bear what would have been the reaction of this eminent politician to the predicament of Yoruba mainstream politics, succession of OBJ, peculiarities of the emerging political parties in Nigeria, political alliances, fall out from the primary elections among the political parties, impeachment saga across the country, militants in the oil producing areas and multi-faceted socio-economic policies? Actions and dispositions of tested principled tested politicians and a democrat of note like Chief Ige are quite predictable to a great extent. Thus, those who knew this man may agree with me that he would never be a party to any shade of imposition of party candidates at any level or any form of rigging; He would never have condoned any disloyal vice-president or Deputy Governor to the political party and superior elected officer; Chief Ige would have distanced himself from charades of impeachments we had witnessed in the past; He would have frown at any political party fielding a discredited person on corruption as the party flag bearer at any level; Of course the Cicero of Esa-Oke would not support short-changing any sect of the nation particularly the oil producing areas. Also the collapsed ICON building on broad street posing a threat to life remaining unattended to for many months would sadden him deeply. What became of AD, Afenifere and the succeeding political parties would have shocked him to the marrow. The El-Rufai, Professor Charles Soludo and Ribadu of this world would have been in his good book.

   Sleep on the great teacher, philosopher, the doyen of Awoism, epitome of integrity and frankness, legal luminary, political mentor, advocate of good thoughts, and apostle of adherence to honorable principles, which were tenaciously carried with strong conviction.