Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, speaks with Group Politics Editor, TAIWO ADISA, on Nigeria’s contemporary politics, especially how Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the first generation leaders played the politics of their era.
You are one of the people that witnessed the politics of the First Republic as played by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and other leaders, what would you say is missing in today’s politics?
Time passes away so soon. It’s now 30 years since the passing on of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. I think I met Awolowo last in Warri in 1987, when the late Olu of Warri, Atuwase II was being crowned at Ode Itsekiri and he came with a very large team. You know he was very close to the Rewanes and he was the mentor in particular of the Itsekiris. So, he came for the crowning of the Olu. Mr Alfred Rewane and I joined the people in arranging seats for him and his entourage. So, when he saw me, he said, Edwin and I answered him. We all later left for Ode Itsekiri. I think two weeks after that day, he passed on. That was my last encounter with him.
But again, I remember when the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) was formed; he sent some politicians to me who were former Action Group members and among them, there was one Chief Alex Atie, one Chief Bedford Agidi, the nephew of Chief Agidi, who was a colleague of Obafemi Awolowo in those days. He said they should invite me to his place. So, I went, because I was living very close to him at Apapa. He said he had always liked the way I spoke and he would like me to join the UPN. I said ‘sir, you are my mentor. I like you so much, the way you speak, the way you do things and the way you organise. I would like to be in the party, but I cannot be in the same party with Alfred Rewane.’ I said we had our differences at home. So, it was not possible; that we would be pretending if we say we belong together. He won’t accept my leadership and I won’t accept his leadership of the party. I was a young man when he formed the Action Group. He formed Egbe Omo Oduduwa when he was in England and I know that he was also a member of the Nigeria Youth Movement. He was secretary in the Western Province. But this was a man who belonged to so many things: he was a carpenter; he was a trade unionist; he was a farmer. He was everything. So, Chief Obafemi Awolowo had hands in everything. He was jack of all trades and I would also say master of all. So, by the time Chief Awolowo became a politician, he had mastered everything. And I remember that federalism was his watchword. He believed that Nigeria should have a federal system of government and this was what happened during the Macpherson Constitution where it was agreed that there should be a federation of Nigeria, a federal system of government: the Western Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria. This was put into practice in 1952 – 1954 and I remember the three areas of agreement between Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Sardauna of Sokoto were: we would have a federation where everybody will be equal. Another important thing they agreed upon was that every region would develop at its own pace; number three, there will be fiscal federalism. Whatever you produce in your area 50 per cent of that will come to you. The remaining 50 per cent, you will also have a share. The Federal Government would take 20 or 30 per cent, the other one will be divided among you. This was how Chief Obafemi Awolowo projected that system called federalism and with that, because federalism means the relationship between the Federal Government on one side and the state government and the local government and so on, Obafemi Awolowo used that 50 per cent which he had, which was not controlled by the Federal Government to his advantage. One, he established free primary education, which the other two regions could not do because there was not enough money to do it.
With the current situation of things in the country, what is Nigeria missing about the politics of the early days, especially with the departure of great leaders like Chief Awolowo?
Nigeria is missing a leader, an effective, intelligent leader; a leader with focus; a leader that is courageous to take decisions. What Nigeria lacks is a leader that will take decisions and damn the consequences. If the decision works well, good; if it doesn’t work well, justified. But Nigeria has not got that leader till today. So, Nigeria is missing Obafemi Awolowo. He was a great fighter. He had this style: you are either my friend or my enemy. He fought for his political difference. But the Yoruba, today, after 30 years of Obafemi Awolowo, can be regarded as the most sophisticated, most educated, most commercialised or wealthy section of Nigeria and this is due to Obafemi Awolowo who was the leader of the Yoruba 30 years ago.
You did not join any of Awo’s parties, yet you became one of the closes to the family. How did that happen?
I have told you that he invited me to his house at Apapa and he told me to join his party, that he liked me and he wanted me to be in his party. From that day, I became his son. I became his admirer. Even though I was in NCNC, he had qualities which I admired so much. But unfortunately, when playing politics in this country and anywhere in the world, you don’t forget your constituency. The politics of your constituency matters a great deal and because the Itsekiris were with him, some of us felt that the Ijaws and Urhobos should be in another party. But because you asked me the question, why do I like the family? I must separate politics from my personal relationship. I liked the man. He was a great man, a man of intelligence, very focused and a great fighter. A man who made Nigeria to get independence at the time we shouldn’t have got it. I think these are some of the things I admired in him.