The Kaduna State Government has embarked on mass sack of traditional rulers follwong the restructuring of districts and village units aimed at reducing the burden that a bloated payroll imposes on local government councils. The process, which saw the State reverting to the 77 districts and 1,429 village units that existed prior to 2001, relived 313 District Heads and 4,453 Village Heads of their appointments. State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Alhaji Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, told news men today, Sunday at a news briefing in the state capital that said that the development will empower the councils to be able to undertake capital projects and deliver public goods. Jafaru Sani said that the state government reverted to the 77 districts and 1,429 village units that existed prior to 2001 after consultation with the state Council of Chiefs. The commissioner said that the creation of 313 more districts from 2001 increased the number of district heads to 390, which along with personnel in the district office, added more than 2,700 employees to the payroll of the local government councils. He said that a committee set up to address the administration of districts concluded that the proliferation creates a financial burden for local government councils. “The state government is happily and conscientiously supporting all the 32 emirs and chiefs in Kaduna State. It is the duty of the state government to pay the salaries and allowances of all the 32 chiefs. And the state government shall continue to be responsible for all our graded chiefs.” He said that the support includes providing official vehicles which have now being purchased for distribution to the third-class chiefs and the maintenance of palaces, ten of which have recently been renovated. The commissioner observed that while the state government is comfortably discharging its obligations to the 32 chiefs, the local government councils are not able to do the same for their district heads:
“By the provision of the Local Government Administration Law (2012), it is the responsibility of the local government councils to cater for the 390 district heads.” [myad]
Former Lagos governor and All Progressives Congress national stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described the annulment of June 12, 1993 election as a bitter pill to swallow for millions of Nigerians.
“The annulment was a bitter pill to swallow especially for the millions of people who expended so much time, energy and material resources to help ensure victory for Chief MKO Abiola.”
In a statement on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of June 12, today, Sunday in Lagos, Tinubu said that June 12 is the precursor of the democracy which Nigerians are now enjoying.
“Without the uncompromising resistance to military rule engendered by the annulment of the June 12 election, there would most probably be no 4th Republic today and we would still be groaning under the jackboots of military dictatorship.”
According to Asiwaju Tinubu, late Chief MKO Abiola was an embodiment of the eternal Yoruba adage, which says that death is better with honour than life without dignity.
In the statement titled: ‘What June 12 Taught Us,’ Asiwaju Tinubu said: “the blood of those who gave their yesterday and sacrificed even their lives for the democracy and freedom we enjoy today was not shed in vain. The truth is June 12 is the mother of May 29th. Without the uncompromising resistance to military rule engendered by the annulment of the June 12 election, there would most probably be no 4th Republic today and we would still be groaning under the jackboots of military dictatorship.
“The annulment was a bitter pill to swallow especially for the millions of people who expended so much time, energy and material resources to help ensure victory for Chief MKO Abiola. The late MKO selflessly committed so much of his substantial fortune towards ensuring his victory at the polls. In doing this, he was not motivated by personal, selfish or pecuniary considerations.
“Abiola could have chosen to abandon the mandate in order to rebuild and resuscitate his disrupted business. But he opted for the path of the true ‘Omoluabi.’
“He refused to sacrifice honour for an ephemeral mess of pottage. He was an embodiment of the eternal Yoruba adage, which says that death is better with honour than life without dignity.
“Looking back, we can say, thank you Chief MKO Abiola for giving your all that we may bask in the glow of democracy today. The annulment was meant to halt the unstoppable and irresistible march to deeper democratic practice in Nigeria. That objective failed woefully. The annulment was a challenge that precipitated a concerted response, which helped to promote the cause of democracy in Nigeria contrary to the will of its anti-democratic perpetrators. That annulled free and fair election taught us, once again, to organize. It tutored us new tactics and strategies of confronting, undermining and ultimately overcoming seemingly impregnable forces and fortresses of dictatorship and oppression.
“It revealed to us the imperative of forging working relationships and diverse networks across ethnic, religious, regional and partisan divides if we were to move forward.
“It is this invaluable experience we gathered in the struggle to enthrone democracy and retrieve our country from the iron grip of dictatorship that emboldens us today to warn those directly or indirectly threatening our democracy through another military intervention to perish the idea. Just as happened in the past, those who stand on the path of truth and higher moral values will always triumph over those whose strength derive from the barrels of the gun.
“Twenty-four years after its annulment, the spirit of June 12 lives on in the hearts and minds of millions of Nigerians. The lessons of that election still speak eloquently to us today despite the utter lack of vision and imagination in governance between 1999 and 2015 that has fuelled the revival of separatist agitations and deepened distrust among the component parts of Nigeria.
“One enduring truth that June 12 demonstrated is that given inspirational, visionary and sincere leadership, Nigerians can rise above divisive primordial sentiments to demonstrate high patriotism and a belief in merit in their voting patterns.
“Thus, Chief MKO Abiola won a pan-Nigerian mandate in that poll garnering considerable votes across the various zones of the country and even beating his opponent in the latter’s Kano State home base. Again, despite having a fellow Muslim, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, as his running mate, the duo won handsomely even in wholly-Christian dominated parts of the country. All these show that it is really the elite most times that deliberately instigate the politics of distrust, fear, suspicion and divisiveness; they are the ones that all too often exploit our differences to destabilize the polity for their own selfish interests.
“This year’s commemoration of the anniversary of June 12 coincides roughly with two years in office of the All Progressives Congress at the federal level. Some critics particularly of the opposition are already writing off the government as a failure. Well, that is their prerogative and in accordance with their rights in a democratic polity. But the vast majority of Nigerians are neither stupid nor lacking in political sophistication. They are aware of the immense mess inherited by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“Of course, the APC administration has not simply sat back lamenting the crippled economy it inherited from the previous government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, which earned unprecedentedly high oil revenues for the most part of its tenure with little or nothing to show for it. Two years into its term, any objective analyst will agree that the APC has already taken impressive strides to clear the Augean stables it inherited from the past administration. Concrete gains are being made in curtailing corruption, reviving and diversifying the economy and strengthening national security even though much harder work still lie ahead admittedly.
“There is no doubt that once the APC Federal Government successfully contains these challenges, and we are gradually turning the corner with light discernible at the end of the tunnel, it can more urgently and firmly begin to address other planks of its manifesto especially the imperative of strengthening the country’s federal practice.
“But even in our darkest moments, let the torch of democracy be our guide to the higher and nobler plains of good governance, strong institutions, reverence for the rule of law and a continually-improving and growing economy. It is only through strengthening the institutions, practices and procedures of democracy that we, like the Americans, foremost exemplars of the democratic ideal, can ceaselessly strive moment by moment, day by day and year by year to continually aspire towards the more perfect union of our dreams.” [myad]
The Lagos State Government has declared tomorrow, Monday as a public holiday to mark June 12 celebration in the State.
A statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello, on behalf of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said that the State remains committed to the ideals of the annulled 1993 Presidential election.
Ambode said that 24 years after, the ideals of June 12 commemoration were worth celebrating, as it contributed greatly to shaping Nigeria’s democracy.
“June 12, 1993 is a day we must not forget in the annals of our democratic history. Our present democratic experience may still be far from the ideal but we must all make concerted efforts to entrench fiscal federalism which is the only way to achieve true nationhood.
“On June 12, 1993, majority of Nigerians across all divides demonstrated through the ballot box that irrespective of class or ethnic sympathies, the Nigerian people are united and would always join hands to promote our unifying values.
“We owe it a duty to genuinely immortalize the fallen heroes of the June 12 struggle nationally and deepen our democratic values to ensure that never again will such anti-people action be allowed to take place.” [myad]
The Federal Government of Nigeria has released a total of N3, 770, 688, 144 for the feeding of 1, 287, 270 school children in nine states under the HomeGrown School Feeding Programme, which is a Social Investment Programme of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency.
A statement by Laolu Akande, senior special assistant in the Presidency in the office of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo named the benefiting states as Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Delta and Abia. These states received various sums in tranches while 14, 574 cooks have been engaged in the communities were the schools are located.
He said that the money is paid directly from the Federal Government’s coffers to the cooks, with a slight variation in Osun State where some of the food items like eggs, are bought centrally by an aggregator.
“ The overall payments to each of the nine states and the breakdown figures of how many children are being fed so far are as follows:
Anambra state got a total of N693,013,300, in eight tranches of N53,684,400, N67,462,500, N68,570,600, N70,387,100, N70,950,600, N71,480,500, N145, 238, 800 and N145, 238, 800, respectively while a total of 103, 742 children have been fed so far.
2. The total release for Enugu state is N419,427,200 in six tranches of N67,244,800, N67,244,800, N69,570,900, N69,570,900, N69,570,700 and N76,225,100 respectively while 108,898 school children have so far been fed.
3. For Oyo state, a total of N414, 708, 700 have been released for the feeding of 107,983 in six tranches of N72, 288,300, N66, 622, 500, N66,736,600, N66,736,600, N66,736,600 and N 75,588,100 respectively.
4. In Osun state, N767,483,244 was released in eight tranches of N58,299,130, N62,089,580, N49,671,664, N62,089,580, N62,089,580, N49,217,310, N212,013,200 and N212,013,200 respectively for the feeding of 151,438 pupils.
5. In the same vein, Ogun state has been paid a total of N880,055,400 in seven tranches comprising N119,648,900, N119,648,900, N119,648,900, N119,648,900, N 119,648,900, N119,648,900 and N162,162,000 respectively while a total of 231,660 school children have been fed.
6. Ebonyi state received N 344,633,100 in three tranches of N115,218,600, N115,218,600 and N114,195,900 respectively for the feeding of 163,137 school children
7,8 & 9 Zamfara, Delta and Abia states got a total of N188,001,100, N63,366,100, N42,921,200, and for the feeding of 268,573, 90,523 and 61,316 pupils respectively. The last three states are the latest to join the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme which is projected to feed over Three million pupils this year.
The total number of cooks that have been hired in Anambra, Enugu and Oyo states are 1009, 1, 276, and 1, 372 respectively while 2, 863, 2, 205 and 1, 453 cooks were hired in Osun, Ogun and Ebonyi states.
“In Zamfara state 2,738 cooks were engaged under the programme while 908 and 750 were hired in Delta and Abia states respectively.” [myad]
Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Mohammed Ataba Sani-Omolori, attained the 56 years-old mark last Wednesday, June 7. Although the occasion was devoid of the characteristic pomp and ceremony, yet the quintessential bureaucrat never allowed the day to pass without obligatory introspection on the journey of life.
Deconstructing his curriculum vitae, one can safely surmise that in his trajectory from the lowest rung of the ladder to the peak of his public service career as typified by his headship of the bureaucracy of the National Assembly, it has been so far, so good. He has, at least, four more years to retirement.
When he set out on his public service voyage, he knew what he wanted at every intersection. He has always gone for it and, of course, he has always got it. That would explain the seeming restlessness that was evident at the early stage in the offices he occupied as he was changing jobs with ease in his upwardly mobile public service career.
One thing appeared clear from the outset: Sani-Omolori had his eyes sharply focused on the ball. Interestingly, the Ahmadu Bello University Law graduate, started out as a teacher with the Local School Management Board, Okene, after he passed his West African School Certificate in 1976.
As a prince of the royalty of the Okene kingdom, he offered his services in 1982, after the completion of his law programme and before he proceeded to the Law School, in the capacity of private secretary in the office of the chairman of Ebira Traditional Council.
After graduating from the Law School, he was posted to Sokoto State for his compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, where he served as Legal Draftsman/Adviser in the Sokoto State House of Assembly from September to December 1983.
Following the overthrow of the democratically-elected administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari by the General Muhmmadu Buhari-led military junta, and the consequent collapse of democratic institutions, he had to move over to the Headquarters of the 7 Mechanised Infantry Brigade, Nigerian Army, Sokoto, to complete his NYSC scheme.
Following the completion of his NYSC programme, Sani-Omolori had a brief stint in private legal practice from 1983 to 1984 before moving to Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited where he worked as legal officer for the next five years.
He moved on to the National Electric Power Authority in 1990 as legal officer, spent a year there before gravitating to the National Assembly in 1992 as legislative counsel. In 2002, he was appointed Acting Director of Legal Services Department. In 2007, he was confirmed substantive Director of Legal Services Department.
Sani-Omolori stepped in the saddle as Clerk to the House of Representatives in February 2010 and, for the next six years, provided, among others things, administrative and legislative support to members of the House as well as superintending over the affairs of the House services.
On May 13, 2016, following the retirement of Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa as the CNA, the lot fell on Sani-Omolori (Ciroma of Ebiraland) to step into the office in acting capacity. And on August 15 of the same year, the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) confirmed him as the substantive CNA.
There are so many achievements and laurels that he has garnered on his way to the top. All those do not need mentioning here in this tribute; what deserves to be mentioned is the catalogue of measures that he has put in place in the 13 months he has been in office as CNA to drive the administrative infrastructure, operation and functionality of the National Assembly bureaucracy.
Sani-Omolori’s leadership has set out to redefine, redirect and refocus the operational bases of legislative practice in line with the “change mantra”; engender disciplined and motivated workforce to enhance its functionality as a hallmark for serious business.
Flowing from the premise supra, his leadership has organised retreats for management staff members for constructive dialogue and actions towards efficient service delivery.
In line with the policy of transparency and accountability of the federal government, his leadership has reorganised the accounting system to plug leakages and promote water-tight and efficient financial disbursements.
Significantly, the security architecture of the National Assembly has been reorganised through the procurement and provision of state-of-the-art security equipment for surveillance. Besides, a more proactive and pragmatic arrangement has been emplaced to check the activities of miscreants who hitherto effortlessly thronged on the premises of the National Assembly complex.
Indeed, it is certain that Sani-Omolori is craving the institutionalisation of robust legacies of a proud, effective, efficient and notable National Assembly not only in the delivery of services by the bureaucratic wing but also in the overall legislative success by the political wing, which depends on the bureaucrats for support administration.
Mr Ojeifo, Editor-in-Chief of The Congresswatch magazine, contributed this piece from Abuja via ojwonderngr@yahoo.com. [myad]
Yoruba youths from South West Nigeria, operating under the umbrella of Youths Of Oduduwa Republic, have ordered Igbo people to quit the South West and go to the Biafran Republic they have been agitating for.
In a statement today, June 11 titled: Bury Biafra or Get Out of Our Land, the group said: “in view of recent events in the political space called Nigeria, we, the youths of Oduduwa republic occupying the geographical space called South West of Nigeria hereby categorically state without any reservation that we are sick and tired of the generational threats of the Igbo extraction of this forced union, to go their separate ways in what they call Biafra.
“In this threat we were born, in this threat we’ve lived our lives and if care is not taken, in this same threat our children will grow up and give birth to their own children. It is unfortunate that our fathers do not realize the enormous damage they do to our personalities and confidence by keeping quiet all these years making us look like the Igbos are doing us a favour by cohabiting with us, occupying our space, enjoying our resources and even to the point of dominating our political arena. OUR GENERATION MUST END THIS NONSENSE.
“Without wasting time on going into the details of the issues, as the whole world knows too well where we are coming from, where we are and where we are likely to end up, we wish to make it abundantly clear that we shall no longer tolerate the madness of the Igbo region intimidating, harassing and defrauding the Yoruba nation with their empty calls for Biafra. As from today, the 10th day of June 2017, any mention of Biafra again on our soil will automatically, without recourse to any other warning, earn the Igbos an eviction notice from all of the six states that form ODUDUWA REPUBLIC namely, for the avoidance of doubts, Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti. We shall within three months of such act of agitation for Biafra do everything possible to chase the Igbos out of our land so we all can live in peace and regain our dignity as human race.
“If you are my wife or my husband and every morning you wake up, you threaten to divorce me, one day, no matter how gentle and loving I am, I will get tired of your threats and accept your proposal, that exactly is the stage we are now. But note that you cannot divorce me and still insist you want to live in my house or keep occupying my space. You cannot divorce me and still insist on sleeping with me forever, it cannot just work. You divorce me, you go your way and allow somebody else who values me, who will not be abusing and cursing me everyday of my life to move in and occupy the space. It’s just common sense.
“It should be noted that we are not by this declaration asking the Igbos to leave our space, however, the choice is theirs. If you want to live within the ODUDUWA REPUBLIC, you must henceforth shut up, shut down your agitation for Biafra, respect us as a people, your loving and accommodating hosts and choose to live in peace with us, otherwise, any three months from the time you carry out any Biafra activity again, we will make sure you vacate our land.
“The fact that our fathers have tolerated this nonsense for ages does not make all of us stupid, Oduduwa lineage is never a cowardly race, we only don’t react intuitively, even the Igbo race should know by now that everyone has been pushed to the wall and if you think this is an empty threat, we dare you to dare us.
“We are using this medium also to call on all Nigerian citizens of Yoruba extraction living, working or sojourning in any part of the Southern region of the Nigeria to, as a matter of urgency, begin to make a relocation plan. Home is home, nowhere else is better than home. “Please do not allow this time bomb to catch you unawares. Be careful in listening to their assurances of nothing will happen. Your destiny is in your hands, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere else but your life first.
“In conclusion, we call on all political, social, cultural and religious leaders in Nigeria to prevail on the Igbos to either stop talking about Biafra or immediately begin to relocate to their country as we will not be held responsible for the consequences of their action or inaction henceforth.
“This declaration goes for any tribe, region or group of people that cannot stand our gut on our soil. A word is enough for the wise.
No fewer than 597 students of the Nigerian Law School have failed to pass the Bar examination to qualify to practice law in Nigeria. The examination was conducted from April 22 to 28.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Olarewaju Onadeko, (SAN), said in a statement today, Saturday in Abuja, that 2, 125 students participated at the examinations while 1,393 were successful.
According to him, candidates with conditional Pass are 196 while 596 failed.
A further breakdown of the results showed that candidates with Pass accounted for 65.6 per cent, those with conditional pass represented 6. 4 per cent while those who failed were 28 per cent.
Onadeko said that the ‘Call to the Bar’ ceremony for the successful candidates will hold on July 13 in Abuja. [myad]
Some people in Kogi State West Senatorial District have began the process of recalling the Senator, represent them in the Senate, Dino Melaye, saying that they are tired of being embarrassed by him.
The people, most f them in Odo Ape, a major part of the Senatorial District, stressed that they no longer want Senator Melaye as their representative as they said that the lawmaker has performed below expectations.
This was even as the embattled Senator accused the State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello of being behind the whole thing, describing the process to recall him from the upper legislative chamber as an exercise in futility, insisting that he is focused on defending the poor and defenseless people of Kogi.
The Senator said that governor Yahaya Bello “is shooting the Moon and boxing the air. Spending over one billion naira tax payers money on an unproductive venture when salaries and pensions have not been paid is wicked.
“I will continue to defend the poor and defenseless masses of kogi state. If I die I die. We must rescue the state.”
His reaction came after the Special Assistant to Governor Bello on Electronic Media, Gbenga Olorunpomi, shared photos of constituents in Odo Ape queueing up to append their signatures for the recall of Melaye.
“The people of Odo Ape say they no longer want senator Dino Melaye as their representative! See photos of the process. The Dino recall process is alive and well in Kogi west. We just might make history.” [myad]
The Super Eagles on Saturday lost 0-2 to Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the African Cup of Nation qualifier that was played at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo.
The two goals, which were scored in the second half of the match shocked many Nigerian fans. [myad]
Saturday, May 9, 1987.The day broke, like any other day on. There was no premonition of anything earth-shaking. No foreboding. All seemed at peace. As Editor of Sunday Tribune, I had kept vigil, the previous night, in the office putting finishing touches to a bumper package for that week’s edition. In the wee hours, nature came calling and I went home to catch some sleep. Just for a few hours.
At about 10a.m., I remember vividly now, I sauntered out of bed and started preparing for work. I had to get to the office before noon. Normal routine. Still, there was no fearful apprehension. However, I got curious about the cloudy weather as I peeped out of the window. Yet, I muttered involuntarily: “What a cool day.” Unknown to me, the ‘cool weather’ was an ominous sign of an impending tragedy; one that would reverberate throughout the length and breadth of our great nation; Nigeria. It was the day, Pa Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo, went the way of all flesh. Erin wo. The mighty iroko fell that day.
I got to the office, excited about the bumper edition we wanted to bombard our loyal readers with. With a deep sense of satisfaction, I leafed through the first edition of the paper that would be circulated in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country. At 2p.m., I summoned my crew, made up of crack reporters, writers and erudite scholars, for our usual review of the first edition. The essence of that was to see what to add or subtract for the second edition usually circulate in the South West and mid-western states.
Among my team members were: Ayo Akinyemi, my Assistant Editor; Yinka Adelani, Gboyega Oguntuwase, Lanre Ogundipe and Kanmi Adegbite. We also had three erudite scholars on part time, including: Segun Olatunji, Wale Adebanwi and Adeolu Akande. We bonded strongly, and were so committed to the job that Nigeria Audit Bureau of Circulation adjudged our paper, Sunday Tribune, as the second best-selling newspaper after Daily Times. This was in the glorious days of Daily Times. This rating was a tonic for us to work harder. After review of the first edition we celebrated that we had done a good job.
The major reason for our celebration was that our big boss, Mr.Felix Adenaike, a.k.a General Officer Commanding (GOC), who would have made a last vetting of the package, was in far away Argentina, attending that year’s edition of the annual International Press Institute (IPI) conference with his bosom friend, the late Mr.Peter Ajayi.
Please, permit me to digress a little. A week before, I had travelled to Warri, in present day Delta State, as head of the Tribune’s team covering the coronation of Ogiame Atuwatse II as the 19th Olu of Warri. Papa Obafemi Awolowo and his jewel, Mama Hannah, were at the occasion. Papa sighted me first, and he asked one of his security men to bring me to where he was. Papa was a stickler for detailed and accurate reportage of events, especially the one he attended. A quintessential journalist that he was, he gave me some useful tips on what he had observed before and during the event. His intervention indeed enriched the reportage in the Sunday Tribune the next day.
In any case, such briefing from Papa Awo wasn’t new to me. I had discovered the treasure trove of news in him when I was assigned to cover his activities, especially his electioneering campaigns in 1979 and 1983 respectively. That was when I cultivated the habit of staying close to Papa’s seat at events for his usual on the spur-of-the-moment ‘briefing’.
But the Awo I saw at the coronation of Ogiame Atuwatse II was a shadow of the Papa that we had all grown to know at Tribune. Papa was not his usual ebullient self on that day. He looked frail and tired His eyes were heavy, and had bags. He dozed off and on. Given how Papa Awo had flogged his body during those years that he traversed the nooks and crannies of this country campaigning, canvassing votes, struggling to bring better life to the people(his major pre-occupation since 1952), it wasn’t totally surprising to find the 78-year-old weak and frail. In fact, you wouldn’t blame him for taking a nap to refresh his aging body. That day, Papa Awo managed to give me a total of 12 minutes briefing.
The occasion itself didn’t last more than two and half hours. At a stage, Papa looked at his watch and told Mama: “We can make it to Ikenne today.” Mama nodded in affirmation. Photographers captured that moment and it became so symbolic and very conspicuous on newspapers’ front pages after Papa’s exit. The picture of him looking at his watch in Warri became a perfect depiction of a premonition that his time was up on Mother Earth.
The weather in Warri that day suddenly became inclement, and the heavens began to pour. It rained cats and dogs. Still, Papa and Mama left. Mama would later tell me in an interview that Papa slept all through to Ikenne.
Back to the D-Day, Saturday, May 9, 1987. After our editorial meeting, it became imperative for us to upgrade the package to accommodate breaking news. We began the process in earnest, aiming to close the pages to enable us get some rest or revel at some rendezvous. Unknown to us, the biggest story in Nigeria and the rest of the world had broken silently at Ikenne, that morning. Till date, I still marvel at how the family managed to keep some of us, editors, in the dark. The news had filtered to some editors in Lagos. Meanwhile, I had dismissed my editorial team little after 9 p.m. after watching NTA’s network news and no breaking news had surfaced. Indeed, I had gone to my office to pack my things ready to go home Since no breaking news came after the news. I had no choice but to swing into action with my production crew.
While I was packing my bags, Banji Kuroloja, my colleague and elder brother who was the Editor of Nigerian Tribune walked in. At first I did not look up. When I eventually did, I saw a man with red eyes, apparently deep in mourning. I thought maybe he had lost one of his relations. We hailed from the same town, Idanre, in Ondo State. So, I asked in our dialect: “Are you OK?”
He crashed into my visitor’s chair and held his head as he intoned: “Papa Awo is gone”. “Gone where?” I asked.
He looked up, and burst into tears and said: “Papa Awo is dead!”
“Is that a joke?” I asked again.
“Nooo…!” he fired back with his voice quivering: “Go outside and see the ambulance that took the body of Papa to the University of Ibadan Pathology Department for embalmment.
At that point, my heart popped and I went blank for about five minutes. Kuroloja then asked me to order our machinists to stop work. We looked at each other, holding my hands at the back of my head, and both of us broke down. We wept like babies. Papa, to both of us, meant a lot in different ways. Apart from my closeness to Papa as his unofficial reporter,Kuroloja briefly worked with Papa as his Private Secretary. Papa was humane, loving and deeply interested in our private affairs, especially our families. Very few employers have that virtue.
Like I said, at this stage, all my editorial crew had gone home. In our moment of grief, we forgot that we were duty bound to publish the obituary of the Founder of Tribune titles, and a political colossus of our time. We swung into action but I must confess, we missed the expert contribution of our Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Felix Adenaike . Had he been home, he would have heard the news ahead of us. Kuroloja and I decided to print our masthead in black, and covered the whole of the front page with Papa’s picture, with a banner headline: AWO IS DEAD.
Hard as we tried, we did poorly that Sunday compared with other newspapers in Lagos,whose editors had earlier got wind of Awo’s death. We, senior editors, quickly rallied round, wipe our tears momentarily to enable us come out with a special edition that afternoon. We served our readers what Papa told Mama to do at his transition. Mama had told us that Papa did not want people to mourn him but be happy anytime he passed. So, in that Sunday edition, we came out with Papa in white Agbada, and with broad smiles waving, we cast the headline: “DON’T MOURN ME- Awo.”
That set the tone for all activities that culminated in his interment on 6 June 1987. The activities were laced with superlative carnivals, the kinds never seen before in Nigeria, and which I think richly qualified to be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In life and in death, Papa Awo was great.
Folu Olamiti, Media Consultant wrote from Abuja. [myad]
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Awolowo: Day The Colossus Passed On 30 Years Ago, By Folu Olamiti
Saturday, May 9, 1987.The day broke, like any other day on. There was no premonition of anything earth-shaking. No foreboding. All seemed at peace. As Editor of Sunday Tribune, I had kept vigil, the previous night, in the office putting finishing touches to a bumper package for that week’s edition. In the wee hours, nature came calling and I went home to catch some sleep. Just for a few hours.
At about 10a.m., I remember vividly now, I sauntered out of bed and started preparing for work. I had to get to the office before noon. Normal routine. Still, there was no fearful apprehension. However, I got curious about the cloudy weather as I peeped out of the window. Yet, I muttered involuntarily: “What a cool day.” Unknown to me, the ‘cool weather’ was an ominous sign of an impending tragedy; one that would reverberate throughout the length and breadth of our great nation; Nigeria. It was the day, Pa Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo, went the way of all flesh. Erin wo. The mighty iroko fell that day.
I got to the office, excited about the bumper edition we wanted to bombard our loyal readers with. With a deep sense of satisfaction, I leafed through the first edition of the paper that would be circulated in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country. At 2p.m., I summoned my crew, made up of crack reporters, writers and erudite scholars, for our usual review of the first edition. The essence of that was to see what to add or subtract for the second edition usually circulate in the South West and mid-western states.
Among my team members were: Ayo Akinyemi, my Assistant Editor; Yinka Adelani, Gboyega Oguntuwase, Lanre Ogundipe and Kanmi Adegbite. We also had three erudite scholars on part time, including: Segun Olatunji, Wale Adebanwi and Adeolu Akande. We bonded strongly, and were so committed to the job that Nigeria Audit Bureau of Circulation adjudged our paper, Sunday Tribune, as the second best-selling newspaper after Daily Times. This was in the glorious days of Daily Times. This rating was a tonic for us to work harder. After review of the first edition we celebrated that we had done a good job.
The major reason for our celebration was that our big boss, Mr.Felix Adenaike, a.k.a General Officer Commanding (GOC), who would have made a last vetting of the package, was in far away Argentina, attending that year’s edition of the annual International Press Institute (IPI) conference with his bosom friend, the late Mr.Peter Ajayi.
Please, permit me to digress a little. A week before, I had travelled to Warri, in present day Delta State, as head of the Tribune’s team covering the coronation of Ogiame Atuwatse II as the 19th Olu of Warri. Papa Obafemi Awolowo and his jewel, Mama Hannah, were at the occasion. Papa sighted me first, and he asked one of his security men to bring me to where he was. Papa was a stickler for detailed and accurate reportage of events, especially the one he attended. A quintessential journalist that he was, he gave me some useful tips on what he had observed before and during the event. His intervention indeed enriched the reportage in the Sunday Tribune the next day.
In any case, such briefing from Papa Awo wasn’t new to me. I had discovered the treasure trove of news in him when I was assigned to cover his activities, especially his electioneering campaigns in 1979 and 1983 respectively. That was when I cultivated the habit of staying close to Papa’s seat at events for his usual on the spur-of-the-moment ‘briefing’.
But the Awo I saw at the coronation of Ogiame Atuwatse II was a shadow of the Papa that we had all grown to know at Tribune. Papa was not his usual ebullient self on that day. He looked frail and tired His eyes were heavy, and had bags. He dozed off and on. Given how Papa Awo had flogged his body during those years that he traversed the nooks and crannies of this country campaigning, canvassing votes, struggling to bring better life to the people(his major pre-occupation since 1952), it wasn’t totally surprising to find the 78-year-old weak and frail. In fact, you wouldn’t blame him for taking a nap to refresh his aging body. That day, Papa Awo managed to give me a total of 12 minutes briefing.
The occasion itself didn’t last more than two and half hours. At a stage, Papa looked at his watch and told Mama: “We can make it to Ikenne today.” Mama nodded in affirmation. Photographers captured that moment and it became so symbolic and very conspicuous on newspapers’ front pages after Papa’s exit. The picture of him looking at his watch in Warri became a perfect depiction of a premonition that his time was up on Mother Earth.
The weather in Warri that day suddenly became inclement, and the heavens began to pour. It rained cats and dogs. Still, Papa and Mama left. Mama would later tell me in an interview that Papa slept all through to Ikenne.
Back to the D-Day, Saturday, May 9, 1987. After our editorial meeting, it became imperative for us to upgrade the package to accommodate breaking news. We began the process in earnest, aiming to close the pages to enable us get some rest or revel at some rendezvous. Unknown to us, the biggest story in Nigeria and the rest of the world had broken silently at Ikenne, that morning. Till date, I still marvel at how the family managed to keep some of us, editors, in the dark. The news had filtered to some editors in Lagos. Meanwhile, I had dismissed my editorial team little after 9 p.m. after watching NTA’s network news and no breaking news had surfaced. Indeed, I had gone to my office to pack my things ready to go home Since no breaking news came after the news. I had no choice but to swing into action with my production crew.
While I was packing my bags, Banji Kuroloja, my colleague and elder brother who was the Editor of Nigerian Tribune walked in. At first I did not look up. When I eventually did, I saw a man with red eyes, apparently deep in mourning. I thought maybe he had lost one of his relations. We hailed from the same town, Idanre, in Ondo State. So, I asked in our dialect: “Are you OK?”
He crashed into my visitor’s chair and held his head as he intoned: “Papa Awo is gone”. “Gone where?” I asked.
He looked up, and burst into tears and said: “Papa Awo is dead!”
“Is that a joke?” I asked again.
“Nooo…!” he fired back with his voice quivering: “Go outside and see the ambulance that took the body of Papa to the University of Ibadan Pathology Department for embalmment.
At that point, my heart popped and I went blank for about five minutes. Kuroloja then asked me to order our machinists to stop work. We looked at each other, holding my hands at the back of my head, and both of us broke down. We wept like babies. Papa, to both of us, meant a lot in different ways. Apart from my closeness to Papa as his unofficial reporter,Kuroloja briefly worked with Papa as his Private Secretary. Papa was humane, loving and deeply interested in our private affairs, especially our families. Very few employers have that virtue.
Like I said, at this stage, all my editorial crew had gone home. In our moment of grief, we forgot that we were duty bound to publish the obituary of the Founder of Tribune titles, and a political colossus of our time. We swung into action but I must confess, we missed the expert contribution of our Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Felix Adenaike . Had he been home, he would have heard the news ahead of us. Kuroloja and I decided to print our masthead in black, and covered the whole of the front page with Papa’s picture, with a banner headline: AWO IS DEAD.
Hard as we tried, we did poorly that Sunday compared with other newspapers in Lagos,whose editors had earlier got wind of Awo’s death. We, senior editors, quickly rallied round, wipe our tears momentarily to enable us come out with a special edition that afternoon. We served our readers what Papa told Mama to do at his transition. Mama had told us that Papa did not want people to mourn him but be happy anytime he passed. So, in that Sunday edition, we came out with Papa in white Agbada, and with broad smiles waving, we cast the headline: “DON’T MOURN ME- Awo.”
That set the tone for all activities that culminated in his interment on 6 June 1987. The activities were laced with superlative carnivals, the kinds never seen before in Nigeria, and which I think richly qualified to be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In life and in death, Papa Awo was great.
Folu Olamiti, Media Consultant wrote from Abuja. [myad]