WHAT influence did your parents have on your growing up?
I remember my dad; he blessed me specially with a prayer. He prayed to God to take care of my needs. My parents took care of me. When we were in Accra, Ghana, if my father wanted to go to any place at night, he would take me along. And as we went along, he would lecture me on life. He would tell me the history of people, great people and those that misused their lifetime opportunities. He would tell me not to toe bad paths and not to be extravagant and to do everythings in moderation.
When he came back to Ilorin, I was a presiding judge in Ibadan. He came before I became a judge. He actually advised me to take a job as a judge, saying it was more honourable than wealth. “Onwa owo lo, o pade iyi l’ona; owo ko le ra iyi,” he told me. He said “go ahead and take the job of a judge, if it’s what to give us your parents, don’t bother. We’re blessed already.’
Consistently, as far as my mother was concerned, husband does no wrong. She also made us to believe that whatever my father did were the right things. She taught us that wherever your husband is, that is the place for you. I thank God for her. When you look at life, I realise that the training I had at home was more important. Even though my father was an illiterate, he believed in western education. He had lived in Lagos for years. He knew the fathers of Rotimi Williams, Fani-Kayode. He would go to court while waiting for goods he had ordered just to while away time and listen to court proceedings. He would tell me what happened and the circumstances and all that. I learnt a lot at his feet. When I grew up and got married, it was with his full permission and he supported me. He would always advise me against corruption, saying a good name is better than gold or silver. Throughout, I lived with my father. I never lived with anyone. We were all together with my dad in Ghana.
Parents have a lot of work to do on their children. They should give leadership by example. When I got married, my parents never settled quarrels between us. Anyone that wanted to interfere, no matter how close, I would tell them that I am a judge, so I can’t be here seated and you preside over my matter. What’s your business? I never interfered in your marriage; why should you interfere in mine? All this home training helped me a lot. The school training is there too; discipline and the training from the Islamic school is also there. The punishment here is even more than that of the school. All the same, I think I owe a lot to my parents: way of life, my behaviour and everything. Each time I was going back to my job in Ibadan, my father would tell me, “Mustapha, don’t take bribe and don’t allow yourself to be used by anybody. “Even when I was state counsel here for a brief period, my parents never allowed relations to influence me. So I had no fear that anyone could influence me.
How did you meet your wife?
I met my wife, Munfaat, in just a day and I started preparing for marriage. I had made up my mind that I will never marry in England. I knew I would eventually return home. She’s somebody from a good home. I knew almost all her relations and family members before our marriage. Even some of her elder brothers are my friends. I told myself that if she took after her people’s behaviour, then I had no problems. When my father learnt of our relationship, he wasted no time in solemnising the union. Her father intended to go on Hajj then. The man said he may not return alive, hence the solemnisation should be done before he left. People never settled quarrels between us. If she wanted to have her way, she would use wisdom to go about it. And I showed her my friends, including their photographs for proper identification. She kept to laid down regulations. Our friends and family are more at home with her. I thank God for her life and we’ve built a mosque in her memory. We also have a knowledge platform where we train young ones in computer science and so on. During prayers, the clerics in the mosque pray for her. May God forgive her sins.
You just talked about your marriage. You would notice that marriage dissolution is on the rise. How do you think the situation can be addressed?
It’s due to structure of our society. Some people believe you should have courtship. I met my wife for one day, interviewed her and I looked at her antecedent and family background. I know the father, the grandfather and maternal grandfather. In fact, I was her father’s letter writer. I was a letter writer even to my father right from standard three, because he believed that education is the best thing he could give me. How can I as an educated man marry a woman today and tomorrow I just say she should go? But, unfortunately, children of today even when you train them, you don’t have control over them after their marriage. So, what I would suggest is that the girl you won’t be able to keep for life, don’t marry her. A man you know you can’t be together with forever, why marry that man? So, I think we need a new orientation. Basically, if we place a lot of premium on money, money does not keep the family together. It’s a matter of give and take, a matter of understanding yourself. Woman should believe that the husband is the leader of the house, because there can be no two captains in a ship. Otherwise, there would be quarrel. If you marry a woman that is hot-tempered or think you’re equal then there would be problem. If I say my wife should not make friends with someone, she wouldn’t. And if she does by mistake, and I look at her, she would know and come inside the room and explain. There I would tell her I don’t want to see that fellow again with her, so that they won’t be a bad influence on her.
You are commemorating your 85th birthday, meaning that you were born in pre-Independence Nigeria. Is this the Nigeria of your dream?
You know Nigeria is a great country. And our greatness makes us number one on the continent, especially in black Africa. We have the largest population, the resources and all it takes to be a great nation. And the Nigeria of my dreams cannot be different because I grew up in Ghana; I was an Nkrumahist, a member of the Convention Peoples Party, a trade unionist. This is not where we expected Nigeria to be or where we expected Africa to be. To commemorate my 85th birthday on September 11, a prayer session and lecture will be held. We will be talking of building Africa and all the rest. So, Nigeria of my dreams is that Nigeria should take its pride of place. All that’s going on now where people are just after money is not the ideal thing. The founding fathers of this country were motivational speakers. Awolowo gave free education. In the North, when they talk of education being free, we had super free education. We all had scholarships. We lived more or less in a palace in Zaria. We were being paid. We had books. After my father had paid a lot on my education in Ghana, I was part of it. Uwais, who became Chief Justice of Nigeria, was in the school. The late Shehu Mohammed was a Supreme Court judge. Anthony Aina Ekundayo became high court judge. All, including Shehu Kawu, were products of Zaria Institute of Administration before we went to London to complete our course. So, when you look at that, the leaders, what they achieved and how they brought us up and all that, we don’t have it again. How many children have scholarships now? How many are they thinking of using huge sum of money they have on? For me, I believe in a united Nigeria: one Nigeria. Because when we were in the school, we were 29. There were only 12 from the North and the remaining 17 were from South, including Igbos, Ogbonnka Njafor, CC Agunlobi. We were classmates. It was my performance that qualified me to read law. But what do we have today? People making hate speeches. A principal is sick, I mean the president, and some people wished he was dead, saying nasty things. Yoruba say quarrels among ourselves should not be taken to wishing ourselves dead. Even ordinary common things demand that we should not wish ourselves bad. So, we only hope that we will bring back the crystal glory of the past. We will try to change the orientation among average Nigerians. For me, for as long as I live I shall be fighting to see a Nigeria as one united people.
Some people argue that public servants engage in corruption knowing that they won’t get their pensions and entitlements from government. How do you see this?
Inasmuch as corruption is detestable and sad, you know it’s not good if you don’t give people their rights. I built this house in 1985. I was living in my family quarters in my house at Awodi when my father died, because he insisted I must remain in that house during his lifetime. When he died in 1985, I built this house. We moved here sometimes lying on the floor. We didn’t even collect our beds and so from Awodi to this place and little by little we did it. Recently, when they increased my pension, I was able to get some arrears and part of it I used to improve on the house. I tell myself even if I am going to die, let me die in peace and comfort. So, that when I go to meet my creator, I will feel fulfilled.
and then