Chief Ayo Adebanjo,  leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere and a host of others, at the fifth birthday lecture of former Minority Whip of the Alliance for Democracy in the House of Representatives, Honourable Babatunde Oduyoye, in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, reiterated the calls for the restructuring of the country, with the foremost disciple of Chief Obafemi Awolowo revealing that the country’s unity had been negotiated. MOSES ALAO presents the report of the colloquium.

It is not every day that one sees the renowned Afenifere leader, ace lawyer and foremost disciple of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Pa Ayo Adebanjo. Even if one has such privilege, it is certain that it is not every day that one can have the rare opportunity of having octogenarian Pa Adebanjo open the history books.

But on Tuesday, 24 October, 2017, Pa Adebanjo, one of the loudest voices in the ongoing agitation for the restructuring of the country not only revisited history with a view to setting the records straight on restructuring agitation and Nigeria’s unity; he came with a metaphoric whiplash for the country’s intellectuals, whom he accused of laxity and laziness in the face of the challenges facing the country.

The occasion was the 5th birthday lecture of a former Minority Whip of the Alliance for Democracy in the House of Representatives, Honourable Babatunde Oduyoye. The venue was the Banquet Hall of the Premier Hotel, Ibadan. Only that it was no time for banquet. It was an avenue for sobriety and for speaking the truth to the somewhat precarious situation the country had found itself. It was a platform to dilate the challenges facing the country at a time that more than half of its people are calling for restructuring, devolution of power, resource control or whatever form of change, which they feel could salvage the situation.

The topic of the lecture had been apt. “Imperatives of Nigeria’s survival and development.” And to speak to that topic, an erudite scholar and political scientist, Professor Bayo Okunade, was chosen as the guest lecturer while Pa Adebanjo was made to chair an event that ended up as an assemblage of all categories of Nigerians from all walks of life and political leanings. Former Special Adviser on Media to Enugu and Oyo State governors, Dr Festus Adedayo and the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Deji Omole, had been aptly chosen as the discussants, while renowned lawyers, politicians and other professionals such as Dr Akin Onigbinde (SAN), Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, Dr Gbola Adetunji, to mention a few, had all contributed to the topic, completing a strong blend of intellectuals, who insightfully looked into the imperatives of the country’s survival and gave suggestions on the way forward.

But the intellectuals were not to carry the day at the colloquium as doctors with prognosis for Nigeria’s problems; they were made to see how they had become the very patients who needed help, as Pa Adebanjo berated their laxity and complacency in the face of the challenges bedevilling the country.

According to the octogenarian, with the calibre of people at the event, there was no reason Nigeria should go astray “except the intellectual themselves are not up and doing and that is what I believe.”

He said: “Many of you, you are not up and doing, intellectuals that we know in the early 50s , they guide the society, the Action Group to which I belong, they were the brains behind, the Oyenugas, the Adamolekuns, the Alukos and others, but you are now silent, many of you now, the moment you are given a government appointment, you turn your intellectualism upside down and you begin to practise what you never preached. That’s unfortunate. I only hope you’ll take note because we are going, you are the people coming and if it had been the practice of what we knew, we should go and rest, with people like you coming up, doing the right thing.”

But Pa Adebanjo had words for more than just the intellectuals in the country; he came out smoking against opponents of restructuring and especially those alluding confusion to the demands of the agitators for restructuring. One of such people Adebanjo highlighted, was a former acting chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, who recently disowned restructuring, saying that it was “our language” and that journalists should go and ask those advocating restructuring to define it.

According to Pa Adebanjo, there was no way to federalise Nigeria without restructuring the system. The Afenifere leader ruled that restructuring was not a strange word and that it was the same restructuring that brought Akande to power as a governor in Osun State, between 1999 and 2003, on the platform of AD.

“Restructuring was the basis on which Akande became a governor. I was the chairman of the party, the campaign then was sovereign national conference, to be able to restructure the country to federalism. We filed that resolution in every House of Assembly at that time, including Akande (in Osun), including Bola Tinubu (in Lagos). What then is the problem?

“And, when they said they don’t understand restructuring, I said if you don’t understand restructuring, you understand the constitution Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sarduna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe agreed to; that is what we are asking for. Why do we say we want to go back to what your grandfathers agreed to? You said no. Is Muhammadu Buhari more northerner than the Sardauna? That is the problem. Please, let us explain this thing to our people. Nobody wants to separate the country. It is their propaganda to hit us and we are going to stop it,” Pa Adebanjo said.

The octogenarian, in clear and unambiguous words, also took to the cleaners individuals who view the call for restructuring as a call for the renegotiation of the country’s unity or attempt to break-up the country. He noted that the absence of clear settlement of the national question was at the core of the country’s problem and that it was unfounded for anyone to say that the unity of the country could not be negotiated, as that had been done since 1954.

He said: “Anyone who says Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable clear does not know what he is talking about. That issue had been settled since 1954. The unity is negotiable and we negotiated it in 1954 and the term of the negotiation was the 1954 constitution. We negotiated the country’s unity following the crisis in the House when the late Anthony Enahoro moved the motion for self-government and the Western Region withdrew its cabinet and the federal cabinet was disrupted. The colonial rulers sent for the leaders of the party and we went to Lancaster House in London. It was there that the unity of the country was negotiated and the principle of federalism was agreed upon and confirmed in the constitution that came up thereafter. It was on the basis of that negotiation that the Western Region had a consulate office in London and we could transact businesses directly without recourse to the colonial government. It was based on that negotiation that each of the regions had its own constitution…

Pa Adebanjo maintained that the incursion of the military into politics forced Nigeria into the present challenges, adding that the reason there have continued to be ethnic agitators such as IPOB, Avengers and so on was because “we have failed to give each region what belonged to it.”

Challenging those reducing the call for restructuring to the devolution of power to states and local governments, the Afenifere leader decried how the military had created states without genuine basis and how “each Major-General created a local government with headquarters in the middle of nowhere,” saying the military threw Nigeria into trouble. He reminisced on the glorious days of regionalism when, according to him, 50 per cent derivation to the regions ensured that the Western Region could build the Cocoa House and other landmarks and also allowed other regions to develop and build landmarks that lasted till the discovery and exploration of crude oil, noting that every region had what it took to be self-sustaining.

Pa Adebanjo, in his typical ebullient disposition, however, maintained that until the restructuring agitation is broken down to Naira and kobo, people would not understand, pointing out how South-West states had been generating billions in Value Added Tax (VAT) while the North banned items that generated VATs but that those who generate 90 per cent VAT ended up getting only one per cent while states who generate less than 20 per cent make away with the higher shares. “This and other key issues that border on justice, fairness and equity are what we are fighting for and some people are talking about one Nigeria. Yes, we are one Nigeria, but we cannot continue in a system that cannot work. Federalism is the issue. And if you don’t understand restructuring, at least you understand the constitution that Awolowo, Azikiwe and Sardauna agreed to? Let us go back to that constitution,” Adebanjo averred.

Earlier in his lecture, the guest lecturer, Professor Okunade, had painstakingly explained the components of the restructuring being advocated, saying that “what is important is that the country is ripe for restructuring to enable both the centre and the federating units to run the way they should in a proper federation.”

Okunade maintained that the nature of Nigeria’s federalism had always been identified as a problem but that the call for restructuring had never been elevated as an issue on the national agenda and that “restructuring is capable of solving the country’s problem to a large extent,” adding that restructuring was more fundamental than devolution of powers and that while restructuring was about regionalism; devolution was about the sharing of powers to the states.

He, however, pointedly declared that restructuring or devolution would not guarantee change but that “change can only come through our actions and inactions.”

One of the discussants, Dr Adedayo, in his contribution to the discourse, maintained that the absence of a clear national philosophy/ideology is at the root of the rot identified by Okunade, adding that there is an apparent lack of national spirit and belief. Adedayo queried whether the country’s motto, unity, peace and progress could be taken as the national philosophy, berating the country for not having what he termed the Nigerian dream.

“Nigeria has never been this divided and it is clear that present Federal Government to the division,” Adedayo said, noting that he saw no hope for the country if the present situation of the country is not addressed.

Another discussant, Dr Omole, however, chose to look at the import of Okunade’s lecture from a working class perspective, arguing that despite Nigeria having over 250 ethnic groups, only two ethnic groups existed in the country—the oppressors and the oppressed. “This is why a poor man in Warri is facing the same challenges as the poor man in Maiduguri, so it is not about where you are from; when they want to oppress, they are united,” he said.

“Is it morally right for Yoruba citizens in the ruling class to oppress Yoruba citizens? Is it morally right for Hausa citizens to oppress Hausa citizens?, if restructuring can change that, there is no problem,” Omole averred, noting that the agitators of restructuring must stand for the restructuring of the ruling class. He, however, maintained that if restructuring would only change the oppressors, then the people do not need restructuring.

Another discussant, Dr Laja Odukoya, who is the chairman of ASUU, University of Lagos chapter, asked who needed restructuring, what the country is going to restructure and whether the country had democracy, concluding that what Nigeria has “is democracy without democrats.” He argued that if the country had ever been united, how come it had become so divided, noting that imperialism, which he said was still present in the country, is the country’s problem.

Other contributors such as Senator Olufemi Lanlehin; governorship aspirant of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and legal icon, Dr Akin Onigbinde; leader of the Afenifere in Oyo State, Dr Gbola Adetunji, among many others, also joined the discourse, pointing out the imperative of restructuring and the role that intellectualism would play in making it possible, commending Hon. Oduyoye for providing a robust platform for the rubbing of minds on topical issues as the ones discussed.

In his submission, Onigbinde advocated for what he described as the intelligent negotiation of roles, saying that though the current structure is largely skewed in favour of the North, no one would easily give up being a horse-rider to become a horse.

According to Dr Onigbinde, the elite in South must recognise that the restructuring battle “is not a physical but an intellectual one,” commending the recent meeting of the Southern governors, just as he lauded Oduyoye for bring people together to brainstorm.

Dr Adetunji, in words that appeared to the summation of the day’s discourse, had noted that “for Nigeria to develop it must survive and to survive, we must change the way we do things. That is why I believe in the call for restructuring. The present arrangement we have is not helping Nigeria. There is need to work on the structure of Nigeria, which will be followed by development.”

The lecture was, however, not only about its robust intellectual discourse, rather, it proved to be a platform where men and women with political and other differences converged, united by one factor, their love for Honourable Oduyoye, a man who was described by several people as a gentleman politician and great mobiliser. Not a few reminisced on the vivacity with which he handled his duties in different capacities as a student union leader, AD minority whip and later National Publicity of Afenifere.

At the event, which had in attendance people from different political divides including PDP chieftain in Oyo State, Senator Lanlehin, First Lady of the former governor of the state, who happened to be Oduyoye’s birthday mate, Mrs Mutiat Ladoja, AD chieftain, Dr Onigbinde, PDP chieftains, Mr Femi Babalola, Alhaja Bosede Adedibu, Rt. Honourable Kehinde Ayoola, who is also a former Speaker in the state, former Commissioner for Justice in Oyo State and chieftain of the APC, Mr Adebayo Ojo and the Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Solid Minerals, Honourable Mathew Oyedokun, to mention a few, political differences were relegated to the back benches.

Reflecting the event as representative of the society, apart from a heavy presence of politicians, several other dignitaries such as a former Secretary-General of the Nigerian Football Association, Chief Bolaji Ojo-Oba, MD/EIC of the Tribune Titles, Mr Edward Dickson and many other individuals completed the blend of academics, politicians who attended the event, which observers have noted could serve as feeder for policy-makers.

Another alluring feature of the event was the presence of student unionists, who converged on the Banquet Hall in hundreds to show solidarity to one of their own.

For Oduyoye, the annual birthday lecture had become a great contribution to the development of Nigeria, as speaker after speaker commended the platform for the opportunity to proffer solutions to the challenges facing the country. The former lawmaker, while speaking at the event, had also urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the country, just as he called for an immediate return to the days of ideology-based politics and internal democracy, saying these would help in addressing some of the challenges of the country. He also charged for more involvement of the masses in the politics of the country.

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