“Mama” @ 80 and other birthday stories

LAST Monday, the pioneer Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Chief (Mrs) Oluremilekun Debbie Olowu was 80 and fittingly, the President of the Republic led the tribute choral.

I have known the one fondly called “Mama” by her own for close to 25 years, though the circumstances of our first meeting are a bit vague now.

But in no time, a mother-son relationship developed between us and has subsisted, though I have not seen her in a while.

This is not a biography. It’s a personal testament to grit, determination and dedication, all rolled into a woman of steel.

In her NEMA days and later foray into Osun politics, Mama came as tough as they get.

In writing this, I had to consult a Nigerian global expert in disaster management who worked closely with Mama for years, before becoming a United Nations consultant; Dr Olusegun Ojo, who should ordinarily hold a professorial chair in leading Nigerian varsities if we were a nation that values erudition, considering his depth in environmental matters in general.

But he’s likely going to be too spiritual for the systemic rot and rut, ruling everywhere including the academia.

Dr Ojo is as “straight” as ramrod. In NEMA’s history, he stood as arguably the only director who made a habit of returning unspent allocation, including dollars in tens of thousands, to the agency’s treasury. Of course, to the irritation of his colleagues and consternation of his subordinates, but to the high praise of his bosses; first, Mama Olowu and later, her successor, Oga Salihu Makarfi.

At 70 now, Dr Ojo should enjoy his retirement and keep loving Jesus, his Saviour. Nothing should stain his salvation.

If disaster management is widely adjudged as working in Nigeria today, the flowers surely belong to Mama, who will rightfully and fittingly wear the Mama NEMA’s emblem just like Mama Bakassi (Mrs Florence Ita-Giwa) and now late Mama Taraba (Hajia Aisha Alhassan).

Mama is to NEMA what now late Dora Akunyili was to NAFDAC.

Unknown to many, what later became a wave-making agency, particularly under her, was just a department in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, headed by her then, after coming on transfer from the Federal Ministry of Aviation as a senior legal officer.

It would seem that in life, there must come a time when name change is a must for a new beginning and levitation.

Abram had to become Abraham for the covenant with God to begin manifestation. Same for Sarah. She used to be Sarai.

Same for NEMA. It used to be NERA (National Emergency Relief Agency), just providing relief materials to victims of disasters.

But some people aren’t born to condone mediocrity or condition themselves to it. Mama is one of them.

This is how Dr Ojo put the transformation story that changed NERA to NEMA in 2000 and the birth of an agency that became a national pride, like today’s NDLEA.

“Having participated in ICAO meetings with robust multi-agency emergency management she (Mrs Olowu) could not stand a mere medicine-after-death, relief-doling NERA. She then embarked on a multi-agency disaster risk management workshop with a communique outcome that led to the establishment of NEMA.

“She got approval for this under the SGF of the time, Idris Gidado, but the take-off grant did not come until the coming of President Olusegun Obasanjo under a democracy after 1999.

“NEMA recruited her staff and began a multi-agency operation, ranging from Planning, Research & Forecasting, Relief and Rehabilitation and Search and Rescue with appropriate GIS and Satellite capability for her operations nationwide,” he recalled.

How do you not celebrate such a feat!

From the time I got close to her, to her exit from office, there was no part of Nigeria too far for her to go and no forest too deep for her to enter, just to bring relief to Nigerians in distress.

How did I know this?

Cos I followed her on a couple of such “relief” visits.

One unforgettable journey was to the displaced people of Bakassi somewhere farther than Obudu Cattle Ranch. From Calabar, the journey was almost half of the day, tiring with terrible connecting roads. But Mama wasn’t one to back down or off. She has always been that compassionate.

I returned to Calabar feeling displaced too, at least, in my skeletal system.

When I learnt some uniformed security guys who were on the same trip still returned to make moves on the girls swarming the hotel where we were quartered, I was wowed.

Where the energy dey come from?

Abi, the gist about special injection for soldiers true?

When Mama left the civil service for Osun politics, I still saw the same passion, compassion and elevated energy that she brought to the NEMA job.

You ask how I know this.

Cos I was also by her side.

Even the men, led by then Minister of Internal Affairs, now late Sunday Afolabi, who conspired to deny her the Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial ticket to confront then incumbent, Bisi Akande of AD, knew she wasn’t one to be scared off her convictions. They were also surprised by her political strength and depth of networks in the state.

The only area I would think they absolved themselves was coming to her Abuja home in a nocturnal visit, with then PDP’s candidate (after the contentious primaries that were held twice), and later governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, to plead with her to join the ticket as the deputy.

She flatly refused, paving the way for her Ijesa “sister”, Erelu Olusola Obada, as Oyinlola’s running mate and eventual deputy governor.

With the benefit of hindsight, I would say Mama didn’t play that particular politics well but how can I forget the hilarious way she described the team and the procession to her home, to me when I came visiting the next day.

I guess Mama wasn’t convinced Oyinlola as governor would deliver on her aspiration for the people of the state but I hope she would find time to document her life journey, public service and politics, before her 90th.

Mama is eclectic all round. How can I forget those three-quarter pants, fancy slippers and fedora hats during campaign meetings in Imo, Ilesa!

Mama is Ijesa in whom many are well pleased, though not returning to office as NEMA DG at Obasanjo’s request after the fractured Osun PDP primaries, was a decision I think could have been made differently.

But it is what it is.

Another birthday story today was the 69th anniversary of Otunba Iyiola Omisore’s birth on September 15th.

Incidentally, Mama and Otunba have always aligned politically, though I suspect age is diminishing Mama’s active participation. Her senatorial primary loss to Osun East incumbent, Francis Fadahunsi, will remain a sore point.

Imagine the shame Fada has brought to Ijesland, Osun and Nigeria as a whole with his primitive politicking. My prayer is for Ijesaland not to see his kind again though a brother of mine will readily point out the Accord Party challenger to Fada for the 2027 poll, as also of an abhorrent political record.

For Osun East, it now looks like a choice between risking drowning in the proverbial Red Sea and falling into devil’s deathly embrace. Which is which then?

Unlike Mama Olowu who I believe is not really close to Asiwaju’s politics (maybe briefly through Buoda Raufu Aregbesola when Mama forayed a bit), but still got a presidential greeting on her birthday, there was a deafening silence from Villa when Omisore, a supposed ally of the president, hit a step to 70.

Was it about the recent Osun election?

Was it about the last-minute telephone conversation between the Nigerian leader and the famed senator in which the former couldn’t dissuade the latter from taking a political course that allegedly cost their party, APC?

Whatever it is, the future, especially the coming NASS poll, holds a lot of significance for the duo who could have been classmate governors in 1999 but for time and chance, according to Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9:11.

Otunba on his birthday says his political future is in the hands of God; let no man play God then.

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Another birthday with political story is that of member representing Apapa federal constituency, Hon. Adesola Adedayo.

If anyone genuinely loves the President more than him, it would have to be the First Lady and the children.

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The medical doctor-cum-politician will be 72, 19th of this month, but the President’s men have robbed his base of the joy of celebration by crookedly ripping his return ticket from him.

APC, I salute.

But he is APC tokan-tokan (loyal party man). Maybe that is why they thought he could be cheated without implications and complications despite being the most popular aspirant.

Maybe that is why they cheated him.

Then the understanding that the leader would not redress injustice in his backyard. Even the cries, pleas and threats of his influential daughter for justice went unheeded.

It is what it is.

Then there is another Asiwaju tokan-tokan (core loyalist), whose birthday was September 3.

He was 62.

He heads a federal agency. He may not be too comfortable having his name here. (But I can point the President’s men his way if they think him valuable).

The way he worries to me anytime political course or national discourse tides against the President, I worry that the Nigerian leader hardly reciprocates genuine love.

I pray his heart will open to his real Afenifere. Amen.

Congratulations to birthday “girl” and “boys”.