… Ayo Adebanjo: An Awoist who says it as it is

By Dapo Akinerfon

AYO Adebanjo, a lawyer, journalist, and elder statesman is regarded as a close associate of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He belongs to a different tradition of the politics of character and dignity and truthfulness. He is not one to be bullied.

Even though many are not disposed to his brand of politics, Adebanjo is, without doubt, one of the most remarkable politicians of his generation and also a voice of reason in Nigerian politics. Adebanjo has been one of the most vocal, most unrelenting apostles of Awoism in Nigeria. Many, however, hold the view that his loyalty and religious devotion should be a worthy study. Born on April 10, 1928, in the rural Okelamuren, Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State, Adebanjo is the only child of his mother, Salamotu Odubanke after several years of childlessness.

After attending a few elementary schools he went to the prestigious CMS Grammar School, after which, he went to England to study Law. Adebanjo has desired to surpass his father’s record of 105 years. He has seen the good, bad, and the ugly moments of Nigeria’s history.

He joined the struggle early in 1943, as a follower of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe but in 1951, he became a member of the youth wing of the Action Group, and a mentee and political disciple of late Awolowo. This, perhaps, became the defining moment of his life and years later, he has remained faithful to the ideals of that political party and the ideology/political philosophy of his mentor – that is Awoism. When recently asked how he met Awolowo and why he remains his ardent supporter and believer, he said: “It was through my activities in the party, Action Group. At that time, I had become the secretary of the Action Group Youth Association and I worked with the late Remi Fani-Kayode, the father of Femi Fani-Kayode.

At that time, anytime we were to have a rally in Lagos, as the secretary of the local branch, I was responsible for organising the rally. I didn’t know that Chief Awolowo was taking note of my activities.

“So, the party decided to have a full time organising secretary and when they were interviewing people for organising secretary in each division of the western region, he requested for me to be posted to his own division. That was how it started. Interestingly, before then, I was a Zik’s fan and my political activism was developed through reading the articles of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.”

In 1962, during the travails of the Action Group and Chief Awolowo’s trial for treasonable felony, Adebanjo was charged for a felony, along with 30 others. He had to flee to Ghana. He has been detained more than once for his political beliefs, but this has not changed his resolve.

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Following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election, which was won by Chief MKO Abiola of the then Social Democratic Party, SDP, Adebanjo was one of the chieftains of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO.

He joined protests, stood at the barricades and made his voice heard. Used to the dangers of political life in a dangerous society, Adebanjo’s resolve remains unshaken. Beyond this politics, Adebanjo, originally a journalist before he went to study law in England, has proven to be media-savvy.

He does not shy away from expressing his views as he understands the power of the media. Known to be brutally frank, he remains an engaging conversationalist.  There is no gainsaying the fact that he is intellectually gifted and confident enough to hold his own in any argument. Of a truth, he actually enjoys engaging professional intellectuals and calling them out for duty.  He is also known not to be intimidated during press interviews, knowing that he will say it as it is.

The nonagenarian has severally maintained that Nigeria must be restructured and that Nigeria’s unity is indeed negotiable. Besides, he remains an ardent believer in federalism, as he continually makes the point that Nigeria, as presently arranged, is doomed to fail if urgent steps are not taken to restructure the country. These attributes have earned him a recipient of the 2020 Vanguard Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Vanguard News Nigeria