Nigeria: Overcoming the Sins of the Treasonable Felony Trial

The day Pa Awo was sent to Jail was the day Nigeria Died. And like the eclipse of the sun, true federalism, egalitarianism, and populism were buried alive, signaling an end to the making of a dream. The spirit of regionalism, of equal rights and justice, and of the extension of the social/economic ladder to the middle-class and the less-privileged were buried along.

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Then, Ibadan, in the present Oyo State was an ultra modern megacity, an industrial hub, and one of the three largest cities in Africa. The other two being Cairo in Egypt, and Johannesburg in South Africa. But Ibadan had more. The Cocoa House (the tallest in Africa at the time), the Olympic Size Stadium (first in Africa), a Television Station (first in the developing world), and the present Nigeria House in London, England.

In addition, the Western Region boasted of a thriving economy that was the envy of the Western World, surpassing those of Portugal and Spain. It was a center of excellence in education, playing host to one of the best organized free educational program in the whole world.

Today, like the city of Camden in New Jersey, the Ibadan of the great Oyo Empire, of Papa Awo and his Action Groupers is a shadow of its former self. And that's the Nigeria tragedy in every respect. The Ibadan story is the Nigerian story - the killing of a dream.

Don't be deceived; Abuja symbolizes the divide - of the haves and the have-nots. It is not your Kano. It is not Benin City, and it is not Ibadan. It is not an empire, and certainly not a product of an industrial revolution, championed by any of the major players on the scene today. It is not Maiduguri of the Great Idris Alooma. It is a fraud. A citadel of the stolen wealth. 

Moving Forward: 

I did a study of the works of Chief Awokoya, Professor Sam Aluko, and Professor Bab Fafuwa as well as the works of a few other Awo's Lieutenants (those we call Technocrats today), and I discovered a leadership pattern that was aggressive, challenging and proactive. Awo was never interested in "How much do we have in the Treasury" or "How much do we expect from the Federation Account this Month." It was all about the Social and Economic benefits of the proposed project and generation of funds - how do we raise the funds? It was never 'do we have the funds'. If you are not following, let me explain.

The present administration promised, among other promises, to pay N5000.00 monthly stipend to unemployed Nigerian youths. On the assumption of office, President Buhari reneges on his promise, telling Nigerians that they don't have the money to fund the social program. Did President Buhari demand of his Economic Team, that's, if he has one, to develop new mechanisms for the funding process? Your guess is as good as mine.

Now you know why the present generation of leadership cannot fund any social program or create another dream in the image and likeness of the Ibadan dream. We have the funds, readily available and we have the Awokoyas, Bab Fafuwas and Sam Alukos in our midst, wasting away.

In contrast, in 1952, confronted with the enormous task of fulfilling his promise of free education program to the electorates, Papa Awo, working with his boys, embarked on a massive recruitment drive for potential Teachers vis-a-vis the expansion of Teachers Training Colleges all over the region, knowing full well that he would need Teachers to populate the new classrooms. And by the end of 1956, they were able to raise elementary school enrolment by more than 75%.

The foundation for the popular free education program of the old Western Region was laid in two years - between 1952 and 1954. Yes, two years. That's what true leadership is about. Awo did not have crude oil while building the Western Region. Go and check your history.

True leadership is about the dreams (visions). The Blueprints (strategic approach). The audacity (the, yes, we can). And the wisdom to identify and select those best fit (the catalysts) to help in pushing the dreams to fruition. And that's what is missing today in Nigeria - at the Federal, State, and Local Govt levels.

The problem I have with President Obasanjo is his inability to think and act the role of a visionary leader in the like of Awo, IBB or Atiku. You don't have to like IBB or Atiku, that's fine. But they know much about team building and management re-engineering - placing square pegs in square holes than any Nigerian political leader living today.

So, here is my thesis. If you want a recreation of the Ibadan dreams, you need a leader, not just a forthright one, but one who knows how to identify great minds in the larger society like the Awokoyas and the Alukos etc, coupled with the audacity and insights to push them to the limit in pursuit and attainment of the enumerated promises. In addition, Papa Awo and his Action Group guys built the Western Region and the present Edo and Delta States without proceeds from the crude oil. Therefore, let each region be inward-looking, self-sustaining, parading elements of semi-autonomous status that made it possible for Awo and his men to put Ibadan on the global scene as an economic powerhouse. I am talking about regionalism and decentralization of power. I beg to move. Please visit the 1963 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for a road-map.