Remi Fani-Kayode: Akintola’s deputy

EMERGENCY RULE IN WESTERN REGION

On 29th May 1962, following this mayhem, the Federal Government dissolved the House of Assembly , imposed an emergency rule on the Western Region, under the Emergency Power Act, 1962 and appointed Tafawa Balewa’s personal physician, friend and Minister of Health- Dr. Moses Adekoyejo Majekodunmi, as Administrator of Western Region till 31st December, 1962.

The Administrator placed restriction orders on prominent Politicians in the Western Region. Chief Awolowo was restricted to Lekki Peninsula- a mosquito infested and inhospitable Island in Epe, whilst Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola was restricted to Oloke Meji Forestry Guest House, Chief Rosiji and Chief F.R.A. Williams to Abeokuta and so many others.

In 1962, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola took the matter of his removal to the High Court under Justice Quarshee Idun, a Ghanaian, then as the Chief Judge of Western Region who, rather than listen to the matter, sent it to the Federal Supreme court for the interpretation of Section 33(10). The Federal Supreme Court interpreted the Section in favour of Akintola and declared his removal as null and void. Alhaji Dauda Soroye Adegbenro filed an Appeal to the Privy Council in London and it was upheld, that Sir Adesoji Aderemi had the right in his capacity as Governor to remove Akintola as Premier, but Akintola in his dexterous political maneuvering, conveyed an emergency meeting of the House of Assembly and passed a Law which amended Section 114 of the Western Region Constitution, by abolishing Appeals from the Western Region going beyond the Supreme Court. Adegbenro’s victory dance was therefore aborted.

In January 1963, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola came back as Premier of Western Region with his New Party UPP, with a new merger agreement with NCNC which later metamorphosed into NNDP. A new office of Deputy Premier was created for the NCNC, in accordance with the merger understanding and Chief Remi Fani Kayode, an equally witty and brilliant lawyer, emerged as Deputy Premier. The remnants of the Action Group and the NCNC, equally entered into a merger agreement to form UPGA.

THE WILD WILD WEST

Politics in the Western Region was becoming wild and dangerous. It was then a Wild Wild West. Hubert Ogunde’s Record- “Yoruba Ronu”, was banned- “ye ye ye Yoruba ronu o”. Awolowo had been jailed in 1963, for treason and sent to Calabar Prison, but by 1964, Awolowo had become more dangerous in prison than outside. In contrast to Egbe Omo Oduduwa, Egbe Omo Olofin was founded, 10th March, 1964, by the supporters of Akintola and Justice Adetokunbo Ademola and in August 1964, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola was appointed the 13th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land by Oba Gbadegesin Ladigbolu II, the Alaafin of Oyo.

Akintola had also removed his son in-law’s father- Chief J.F. Odunjo as Chairman, Western Region Development Corporation and replaced him with Lekan Salami as Executive Director, as a result of domestic squabbles. Modele Akintola who was married to Soji Odunjo, though a failed marriage, produced Gbolahan Odunjo. The last three years of Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola became very tough, stormy and tempestuous. Akintola, a naturally soft person, by 1965 was already getting disillusioned by the happenings in Western Region, but was only being encouraged to hang on, by hangers on, who were profiting from the crisis.

As a matter of fact, the last three years was not the real Ladoke, a Baptist Lay Reader, Yoruba Fundamentalist and Pacifist. Those who were profiting from the crisis were sustaining it. The political gladiators benefiting from the crisis were propelling Akintola to carry on. Chief Akintola after the death of Modele on 26th October 1965, had begun to ask questions, whether the whole fight for the Premiership of Western Region was really worth it at all?

Chief Ladoke Akintola in his natural element, would have been happy to remain in Lagos as a Federalist and enjoy the comfort of being a Federal Minister. Omodele, his beloved daughter, had been his closest confidant during the crisis. She single-handedly took a petition to the Queen of England, during the Privy Council Appeal.

Rosiji also had in July 1964 lost a federal election and his car had been stoned at Marina, Lagos. His confidant in his constituency in Owode Egba -Shittu Bandele, had also been killed by thugs, who drove a six inch nail through his forehead. When there is a quarrel, even ordinary songs would have added meanings and political songs, drums and their coinages and interpretations were now being stronger than even bazooka guns.

When Akintola finally came back as Premier in January 1963, he humorously referred to Dauda Soroye Adegbenro as “Soroye”– (you have only seen it but cannot touch it). At party rallies, the Sabada Drum was very popular whilst some drummers would sing- “de mon mo wa, o demi o, osi de omo mi, de mo mo wa”. The UPGA group will quickly add- “de mo mo wa, bo rowo mi, o rinu mi, demo mo wa”

Interestingly and unfortunately, intrigues are now playing out dangerously in all spheres of our National life and psyche- politics, religion, economics etc as to determine the future of Nigeria, as we steadily march towards the Nigeria of our dreams. It is now a wake-up call that this House must not fall, otherwise, we will all echo the words of that playwright, Professor Ola Rotimi in his book- “Our husband has gone mad again”.

Akintola, for lack of support from some Ekiti elements, derided Ekitis as being too bookish and asking why their names were also prominent with those of birds- “Aluko, a Ti Ala, Ati Oro”– the main target of course being Dr. Sam Aluko- an implacable foe. He wondered why the Igbos were fund of names associated with books- Mbadiwe, Azikwe, Okigwe etc. but quickly quipped, that if they became books, the Ekitis would read them. In Aluko’s town, Ode-Ekiti, on a campaign trail, Samuel Ladoke Akintola was shown the family house of Sam Aluko; and he quickly asked to be shown Aluko’s own house. He had none. He was popularly referred to as a man of integrity in the Action Group intellectual caucus. Akintola humorously remarked- “a man of integrity, to to ogiri tii” the rally went into thunderous laughter and applause. That was SLA!

He had also in London while addressing the Western Region Accounting Students Association United Kingdom Branch, asked why accounting students were still studying accounting, when there was no money to count again at home, jokingly in his characteristic humour and candour. To draw the support of his admirers and supporters, Samuel Ladoke Akintola would sing “Awolowo la ja kan, Akintola la ja Awolowo” regaling them with the story of a dog named Tantolorun.

After winning the 1965 election, he was called by the Governor, Sir Odeleye Fadahunsi to form the new government in October 1965. His tape recorded acceptance speech and message to the people of Western Region to be rebroadcast by the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) had been removed and replaced with another recorded message, by a mystery gun man who stepped into the studio and made his own broadcast, denouncing Akintola and this popular gun man, was later alleged to be a popular playwright- Wole Soyinka. He was arrested and charged before the then newly appointed Judge of the High Court of Western Region- Justice Kayode Esho, as he then was and later retired justice of the Supreme Court. SLA’s former partner in chambers- Michael Odesanya, later Justice (Rtd), was Wole Soyinka’s defending attorney, ably supported by Barrister Dele Ige- Ladiran’s father-in law.

There was widespread arson and killing of people known to be supporters of either of the gladiators. Samuel Ladoke Akintola having lost his most cherished daughter in October 1965, was beginning to have second thought, about his ability to continue with the crisis and asked rhetorically “whether the whole warfare was worth it at all?” Being a soft man, he had even contemplated resigning his position and leaving the affairs of the West to Chief Remi Fani Kayode, his Deputy who was generally believed to be strong, toughened and hardened. Faderera had also suggested this to him, insisting, Ladoke was weak.

Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola was in this state of disillusionment, when on the 13th January, 1966 he went alongside Chief R.O.A Akinjide, then NNDP Secretary General and Minister for Education, to meet with the Premier of the Northern Region- Ahmadu Bello and also the Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa with Lt. Col. Largemma of the Ibadan Garrison, also at the meeting. He, like a clairvoyant, warned the Premier and the Prime Minister of an impending doom.

In my quiet moment and deep reflections, I still wonder what the Western Region would have been without the Awolowo and Akintola’s unfortunate crisis and skirmishes- of course, An Eldorado! And an Eldorado it really was, between 1952-1959, when the slogan of Action Group was –”Life more abundant” with his record of so many Firsts- First Television station, Rediffusion, First Modern Secretariat, First Housing Estate- Bodija Housing Estate established in 1958, First Stadium- Liberty Stadium, First Dual Carriage Road- Queen Elizabeth-Secretariat Road, First Teaching Hospital (UCH) etc. In sync with the crisis, the slogan changed to “Democratic Socialism” in 1962 and NCNC also changed its own to “Pragmatic Socialism”.

JANUARY 15, 1966

On the 14th January, 1966 he told his wife Faderera, to proceed to Ogbomosho to prepare their Ogbomosho residence, for a private visit of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, who was on an official visit to Nigeria. The British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference in Lagos in January 1966, warned the host of the Conference, of an impending military insurrection and offered the Prime Minister- Tafawa Balewa, asylum in one of the British frigates on the Atlantic water. The Prime Minister rebuffed this intelligence report and Akintola’s report, fears and apprehensions, as hear say and unfounded.

In the early hours of 15th January 1966, the military struck and after picking Deputy Premier- Fani Kayode in the same Iyaganku neighborhood, moved to the Premier’s Lodge, where Akintola was felled to the ground. The Federal Brigade of Guard Commander in Lagos- Major Okafor had ordered the abduction and eventual murder of Tafawa Balewa, Minister of Finance-Okoti-eboh, whilst Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu also invaded the Premier’s Lodge in Kaduna and killed Sir Ahmadu Bello, one of his wives and some military officers, like Brigadier Ademulegun, Col. Ralph Sodeinde, Lt. Col. Largemma-Commander of Ibadan Battalion and several other officers and thus the end of Civil Government in Nigeria and the beginning of Military interregnum, that did not end effectively until 1999, when another Military man and former Head of State,

Olusegun Obasanjo, became President of the Civilian Government. Perhaps, it is worth mentioning, that the Premier of Eastern region- Dr. Micheal Okpara, the Premier of Mid-Western region, Sir Dennis Osadebey and the Ceremonial President-Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, were not touched by the massacre. As a matter of fact, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe had earlier before the massacre, gone on a medical holiday, before the Army struck on the 15th of January, 1966.

It was the end of an era!

Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola was later buried in his compound in Ogbomosho on 23rd January, 1966 with the entire community wearing a sad, sober and mournful look and a literal end, to the life of an Aare Ona Kakanfo who had fought a war with his tongue, his pen and strength! Chief S. Adeojo and Lekan Salami accompanied the corpse home. The crisis that started in 1962 came to an ignoble end in violence. But Akintola had said that whatever circumstance, he was “content to steer the affairs of the Western Region resolutely in the opposite direction”. He said further “I have no apologies to offer in this regard, I am content to be judged by the outcome of events and history”, in his broadcast speech to the people of Western Region on 11th March, 1964.

Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola was a Federalist in a pluralist society and had always requested the National Government to reflect all shades of opinion even whilst as the Editor of the Daily Service. He believed in a Federalist society, where the Hausa, Fulani of the North West would relate freely with the Yorubas of the South West and the Igbo of the South Eastern Nigeria. If he had his way in 1959 and if Awolowo had not relinquished his position of Premier, with ambition of becoming Prime Minister in 1960, he probably would have remained a Federalist and National Politician and perhaps a Lagosian, that he had been between 1930-1959.

He was also contented with being a Baptist Deacon, Lay Reader, Yoruba fundamentalist and would have preferred a life of a Federal Politician, rather than being a Regional Demigod. One beautiful lesson of the lives of politicians of the 1st Republic was that they were well trained and tutored in Parliamentary nuances, proceedings, procedures and norms. The Hanzards of the Federal Parliament and Western Region Parliament speak eloquent testimonies, of the lives of these Nigerians, early nationalists, Leaders and pathfinders.

Interestingly and unfortunately, intrigues are now playing out dangerously in all spheres of our National life and psyche- politics, religion, economics etc as to determine the future of Nigeria, as we steadily march towards the Nigeria of our dreams. It is now a wake-up call that this House must not fall, otherwise, we will all echo the words of that playwright, Professor Ola Rotimi in his book- “Our husband has gone mad again”.

One may find it easy to deride the messenger, but the message still sinks, even as Nigeria, navigates in a dark alley!

SAMUEL LADOKE AJALA AGBE AKINTOLA!

May your soul continue to rest in Perfect Peace!

This article by Hon (Barr) Femi Kehinde, Former Member, House of Representatives National Assembly Abuja, 1999-2003 Representing Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State. & Principal PartnerFemi Kehinde & Co. (Solicitors) 84, Iwo Road, Ibadan was published by Vanguard, On January 30, 201612:05