…There is hope for Nigeria — Babs Oduyoye

By Ola Ajayi, Ibadan

It was an event that provided an avenue for some patriotic Nigerians including a leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, to air their views on some national issues and also x-tray the myriad of problems which have impeded the socio-economic development of the country.

The Afenifere leader did not spare antagonists of restructuring which has dominated discuss in the political sphere for several months in the country. The topic of the lecture,”Imperatives of Nigeria’s survival and development,” was well discussed by the guest lecturer, Chief Adebanjo   – who was the chairman of the occasion – and other panelists at the ceremony.

It was the  5th  birthday lecture of a two-time member of the House of Representatives, Mr Babatunde Oduyoye who represented Ibadan North West/ Ibadan South West Federal Constituency on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, which took place at the Banquet Hall of the Premier Hotel, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Professor Adebayo Okunade (left), guest lecturer, in a handshake with Pa Ayo Adebanjo, chairman of the occasion, while Babatunde Oduyoye, celebrant, watches at the 5th Babs Oduyoye Birthday Lecture, held at the Premier Hotel, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Setting the records straight

Taking cognizance of security problems like kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery and other vices which have become recurring decimal, Adebanjo noted, without equivocation, that it would be either the antagonists are living in fool’s paradise or they are not in tune with reality.

He said: “Anyone who says Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable does not know what he is talking about. That issue had been settled since 1954.The unity is negotiable and we negotiated it in 1954 and the term of the negotiation was the 1954 constitution. We negotiated the country’s unity following the crisis in the House when the late Anthony Enahoro moved the motion for self-government and the Western Region withdrew its cabinet and the federal cabinet was disrupted.

The colonial rulers sent for the leaders of the party and we went to Lancaster House in London. It was there that the unity of the country was negotiated and the principle of federalism was agreed upon and confirmed in the constitution that came up thereafter. It was on the basis of that negotiation that the Western Region had a consulate office in London and we could transact businesses directly without recourse to the colonial government. It was based on that negotiation that each of the regions had its own constitution.

Adebanjo criticizes Chief Bisi Akande on restructuring

The Afenifere leader took exception to the comments of the former Acting National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Bisi Akande, who said restructuring was never part of the agenda of the ruling government, that it must have been the coinage of its proponents.

Akande had said at a forum in Ibadan the penultimate week that,”restructuring is a language of other bodies and groups of people. You can always direct your questions to them on what they mean by restructuring, whether restructuring in economy or in politics or whatever; go and ask the advocates of restructuring what they mean by restructuring, that is not in the APC manifesto or constitution.”

But Adebanjo argued that,  “Don’t allow yourself to be confused. They are now mending their stand. Yes, we agreed on restructuring, restructuring is not a strange word. You can’t federalise the country now without restructuring the system.   It’s not a strange word because I heard Bisi Akande saying ‘go and ask people who are calling for restructuring.

“Restructuring was the basis on which Akande became a governor. I was the chairman of the party, the campaign then was sovereign national conference, to be able to restructure the country to federalism. We filed that resolution in every House of Assembly at that time, including Akande (Osun), including Bola Tinubu (Lagos). What then is the problem?

When they said they don’t understand restructuring, I said if you don’t understand restructuring, you understand the constitution Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sarduna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe agreed to; that is what we are asking for. Why do we say we want to go back to what your grandfathers agreed to? You said no. Is Muhammadu Buhari more northerner than the Sardauna? That is the problem. Please, let us explain this thing to our people. Nobody wants to separate the country. It is their propaganda to hit us and we are going to stop it”.

Recalling the immense benefits that were derived from regionalism in the 50’s, he noted that it was the    proceeds from  50 per cent derivation to the regions that led to the construction of    Cocoa House and other infrastructure which have since been the pride of theWestern Region to date.

To intellectuals in the country, he charged them to wake from their slumber and use their intellect to make remarkable imprints on the sand of time.

“There’s no reason why Nigeria should go astray, except the intellectual themselves are not up and doing and that is what I believe. The moment you are given a government appointment, you turn your intellectualism upside down and you begin to practise what you never preached, that’s unfortunate. I only hope you’ll take note because we are going, you are the people coming and if it had been the practice of what we knew, we should go and rest with people like you coming up, doing the right thing.

“Many of you, you are not up and doing, intellectuals that we know in the early 50s, they guide the society, the Action Group to which I belong, they were the brains behind us – the Oyenugas, the Adamolekuns, the Alukos and others, but you are now silent, many of you now, the moment you are given a government appointment, you turn your intellectualism upside down”.

In his lecture, the guest lecturer, Professor Okunade, aligned with Adebanjo on the need for the country to be restructured.

“What is important”, Okunade said, “is that the country is ripe for restructuring to enable both the centre and the federating units to run the way they should in a proper federation. Restructuring is capable of solving the country’s problem to a large extent. Restructuring is more fundamental than devolution of powers and that while restructuring is    about regionalism; devolution is about the sharing of powers to the states.”

On his part, Dr Adedayo wondered if the much touted unity and peace that the country displays, is reflected in our day-to-day living. Though, there were pockets of skirmishes in the past, he said emphatically that the country “has never been this divided”. He was pessimistic if there would be any ray of hope in future for the coming generation if the country fails to divert from its present course.

For Dr Onigbinde, he acknowledged the initiative and political pedigree of Mr Oduyoye for bringing such caliber of people under the same roof to brainstorm on the way forward for the country.

While speaking, the celebrant, Mr Oduyoye who is an incurable optimist, simply implied in his comments that despite    the not-too-impressive situation, he could see with his inner eyes a glimmer of hope, encouraging Nigerians to remain focused and that political class should still treasure and cherish internal democracy which was one of the enticing qualities of democracy in the past.

Those in attendance included but was not limited to Professor Bayo Okunade, the guest lecturer at the ceremony, former Special Adviser, Media, to the Enugu and Oyo states governors, Dr Festus Adedayo; Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Deji Omole; Dr Akin Onigbinde (SAN), Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, and Dr Gbola Adetunji.  Others in attendance were the wife of a former governor of the state, Mrs Mutiat Ladoja, former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr Kehinde Ayoola, Mr Femi Babalola, PDP chieftain; wife of the former strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaja Bosede Adedibu, former Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr Adebayo Ojo, students from campuses in the state and several others.