Awo in the eyes of the people

Alhaji Ridwan Hussein, Chairman Osun State Police Command Harmonised Vigilante Group

Chief ObafemiAwolowo easily comes to mind as a leader these current political leaders should emulate. I always ask myself for how many years did Awolowo rule the Western Region to have achieved so much and placed the region ahead of other regions? This is the same question I ask politicians who behave as if there will be no tomorrow.

Awolowo lived and died 30 years ago, his name still reverberates as if he were still alive. Majority of the people in power today benefitted from his free education. This reason in particular should make them to always do good for the people.

I don’t know what they say among themselves as regards that if ever they talk about it. But I know for sure that any politician that follows the footsteps of Awolowo will also have his or her name in the memory of the masses for a long time. Even those who were not born when Awolowo died still respect him.

I want to appeal to the government to encourage our students to study History as a subject to give them the opportunity to appreciate leaders like Awolowo who led the people with sincerity of purpose. We were young during his tenure in the Western Region but we still remember how important he was to an average Yoruba man or woman. He commanded so much respect even among his contemporaries.

 

Pastor (Engr) Ajai Owoeye
“Chief Obafemi Awolowo was brilliant, purposefully focused and irrevocably committed to the cause he believed in. Politically, he wanted an African Nigeria, which will not in any way be subservient to the white man. He preferred to lead Nigeria to be economically self-reliant, within the limits of its personal exposure at his time.

The present crops of politicians are greedy, corrupt and self driven, they are political jobbers with no ideological focus. Awolowo came into politics for service and the proliferation of egalitarianism, where no one will be slave to the other.”

 

Mr Saka Yusuf, politician

The sage, Chief Obafemi  Awolowo during his life time contributed to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Not only could he be referred to as the “president Nigeria never had”, he can also be referred to as the father of modern Nigeria. He introduced free education in Nigeria, thereby building the nation. He built the future for many people who are now leaders in the country today. The man came, he saw, he conquered.

 

Mr Adebiyi Amos, retired NNPC staff

You can’t exhaust all about Chief Obafemi  Awolowo. As little as my village Ibokun was in Osun State then, he built schools there. He can’t be compared with the present day politicians at all, in that during his days, parties did have manifestoes, but what obtains today are political parties devoid of ideology. Nigeria is totally blind; no one is interested in questioning the manifestoes of political parties.

In the days of Awolowo, there were party meetings at the grassroots level, where they stated their agenda before the general meeting. Now, there is nothing of such. People just form parties with no one questioning them on what they intend doing. Today, they do what they feel like doing and thereafter leave office without the achievements.

These crops of politicians prefer to award contracts, worthy or not; all they are concerned about is their 10 per cent kickback. When people like Awolowo die, it takes about 100 years for you to get someone of his calibre again.

 

Apostle Folorunso Samuel Olusegun, cleric.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo was a gift to the world in terms of wisdom, intellectual ability and understanding of human existence. He was a father to all.

There was a spirit of excellence in him which made him a unique politician among his contemporaries. His philosophy of life, political strategies as well as his ardent belief in the welfare of the poor made him to excel among his peers.

He introduced free primary education in 1955, built the Liberty Stadium, first radio station in Africa, introduced radical agric revolution and rural integration, free healthcare delivery service during his premiership, as well as Second Republic days in the South-West, among many other laudable projects that are still in existence today.

Awolowo played a unique kind of politics during his lifetime, as he was an ardent believer in democracy and the rule of law. He did not limit his God-given talent to a particular region, tribe or particular group.

He was a bridge builder as well as good manager of human and material resources which helped General Yakubu Gowon-led administration in the 70s.

His style of politics was far different from that of the present day politicians as he practiced a welfarist form of democracy where the poor was his main target and shunned material acquisition politics unlike the modern-day politics where acquisition of wealth is the order of the day.

Among his contemporaries, he was the greatest and a disciplinarian to the core and that was why his children were able to manage his property well three decades after his death.

We can never forget the man. He was a visionary leader.

 

Dr. Bayo Fasunwo, political scientist

He was a man that saw beyond his time; that was the reason most people misunderstood him then, that was the reason he could not get the national support he ought to. His contributions could be viewed from two dimensions: his role towards the development of the western region and that of the nation at large.  He was the one responsible for the development that we enjoy now in the South-West. He introduced free education to the region, which most our leaders today benefitted from. He was the one that brought the first television station in Africa; he helped in the establishment of the premier university. Let me simply state that without Awolowo, there would have been no civilization in the South-West. When you look at the nation generally, if you take away his efforts, as minister of finance during the regime of General Yakubu Gowon, without him Nigeria wouldn’t have been one today. Let me say that by his own vision, by his own philosophical and ideological stand and advice then, Nigeria was able to win the war against Biafra.So, without Awolowo, there would have been no Nigeria as it is today.

He was incomparable. Comparing Awolowo with the present crop of politicians would be a wasted effort. So, Awolowo was a man that had vision; that knew his mission and led an enduring legacy devoid of corruption. Our present day politicians lack vision; they don’t even know what Nigeria needs to do. They are after money. They are not concerned about leaving a legacy.

 

Mama Amoke Ramos

Before independence, we were only used to seeing the whites as our leaders, but when Chief Obafemi Awolowo surfaced, he became our ‘Moses,’ and the people saw him as a God-send. Everybody looked up to him for direction. It was not difficult for him to command huge following because of his passion for the liberation of his people.

Even after independence, he was the person who led the Yoruba nation to the enviable height that we attained during that period.

It is so unfortunate that he didn’t get the opportunity to lead Nigeria, but his footprints are still all over the place today.