A lot of people know Pa Ayo Adebanjo as a true disciple of the sage, Pa Obafemi Awolowo. He was fearless, honest, blunt and deeply principled. However, what they don’t know transcends what they do. This is because it is not easy to fully understand a person from afar. When I met Chief Adebanjo, he gave me the ‘eyes’ to see my ancestry, especially my father’s contributions to the political development of the country.
My interactions with Pa Adebanjo made me fully understand and appreciate him as a person. The first time I crossed paths with him was around 2019 at an event in Lagos, held in memory of Mama HID Awolowo. At the end of the event, I walked up to him and prostrated to greet him. He asked for my name, and I responded, “Omisore.” He then asked, “Which Omisore? I know many Omisores.” I then replied, “Pa Johnson Omisore.
At the top of his voice, in that unmistakable clear tone of his, he exclaimed, “Wow, awon Oduduwa ni yen!” which translates to those were the original Egbe Omo Oduduwa. Papa went on to elaborate, naming Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Oba Adesoji Aderemi (Ooni of Ife), Chief Rabiu Jagun of Ijebu-Ode, and my father, Omoba Johnson Omisore.
From his reaction, it was as if he had longed to meet any of my father’s children. That day, we exchanged phone numbers and I later called to greet him on a few occasions.
On Monday, June 13, 2022, I called to request an appointment with him. Without even asking why I wanted to see him, he simply told me to come on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. He texted me his address.
I arrived at his residence at 1:50 p.m. and one of his aides informed him of my presence. He directed me to sit in the living room, and in less than 15 minutes, Baba joined me. After the usual greetings, instead of asking for the purpose of my visit, he immediately took me down memory lane.
He spoke about my father, describing him as not only a founding member of the Action Group, but also a great financier. I then interjected, recalling that his own political associate, my cousin, the late Chief Michael Omisade, had made the same statement in my presence in 1969.
He continued, saying two incidents that endeared my father to many people. First, in the 1950s, when the NCNC-led Lagos Town Council stopped my father’s buses from operating in Lagos simply because he was not a member of the NCNC, he refused to switch allegiance. The second incident was during the Awolowo/Akintola crisis, when my father’s cocoa license was revoked due to his close ties with Awolowo, yet he stood firm in his beliefs. Baba concluded by saying my father was a highly principled politician.
At some point, Baba asked how I was preparing for the upcoming presidential election and I told him that was the main reason for my visit. I noted that it was no longer a secret that he was not supporting Tinubu, but he immediately cut me off and said, “Yes, because I stand for justice.”
I pleaded, “Please sir, I want you to reconsider.”
He replied, “Look, Laide, I act based on principle. Your father was the same – he financed political parties without expecting appointments or financial gain. He believed in the ideology of his party’s leader, Awolowo.” He then added that the respect he had for my father was the reason he even granted me an audience.
In June 2024, a notice dated June 26, 2024, was pasted by the Osun State government on my father’s house in Ile-Ife, stating that the property interfered with the proposed flyover/bridge construction. The notice ordered all occupants to vacate the premises immediately to allow construction to commence.
Baba Adebanjo was one of the first people I ran to for help in reaching out to the state government to prevent the demolition. On July 16, 2024, I visited him for what would turn out to be our last meeting.
After I explained the situation, he was outraged. “What? He asked. He emphasized the importance of the Brazilian-style building for historical sake, saying, “Your father’s house had always been the first stop whenever he and Chief Awolowo visited Ife—a historic meeting point for Egbe Omo Oduduwa and the Action Group in those days.”
He said: “Apart from being a great architectural edifice, that house was a political Mecca of sorts—Action Group members from across the country were constant visitors. It should be preserved.”
I told him that Lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, had expressed the same view about preserving such a historic building. In fact, just days before visiting Baba Adebanjo, I had visited Mr Falana for legal services over the matter and he had advised that what was needed was a political solution.
Baba Adebanjo promised to do his best to avert the demolition and he did. One of the people he reached out to was the Asiwaju of Ife, Chief Alex Duduyemi, who in turn spoke with the state governor about the matter.
I deeply appreciate the concern Baba Adebanjo showed despite the fact that my father had passed away 38 years ago. I thank the Almighty God for his divine intervention in the matter.
Apart from this favour, through Baba Adebanjo, I truly came to know and appreciate the roles my father played in the political period of yesteryears.
Baba Adebanjo told me everything about my family, especially about our progenitor, High Chief Ajani Anibijuwon Omisore, who was a highly influential figure in his time. My father, Pa Johnson Omisore, was one of the children of High Chief Ajani Omisore.
- Omisore sent in this from Lagos.
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