Nation building and development: The Ogbemudia factor

(Continued from yesterday

THE then Rivers State Military Governor had arrested Amakiri and had ordered the reporter’s head to be  shaved for publishing a story which the Military Governor  had considered embarrassing to the government on his birthday. Nigerians were peeved by the story and they made their protest widely known on the retaliatory actions  of the Military Governor. The Nigerian Newspapers Proprietors Association under the  leadership of Alhajilateef KayodeJakande had  immediately commissioned Dr. Olu Onagorowa then a staff  of the Daily Times to go and investigate the case. Dr. Olu Onagorowa later published a boob on the matter titled Press Freedom In Chains (The Minere Amakiri  Story)”. What is important today is the creation of Q free press litle  the Observer by Brigadier-general ogbemudia to ensure  freedom of the press.  I am however sad to report that  Dr. Olu Onagorowa is today dying slowly in his Lagos residence. His son had been  murdered by unbnown persons under a regime he  (Onagorowa) had served. He (Onogorowa), General Ogbemudia and myself had served as ministers in  the first General Sani Abacha government. Onagorowa is sad but he is not dispirited.

Again I take this opportunity to call on the Godwin Obaseki administration in Edo State  to take steps to return the Observer Newspaper to what it  was then and what it ought to be today.  Another achievement of Brigadier-General Ogbemudia  was his establishment of the Ethiope Publishing House during his tenure as Military Governor of Bendel State.  The Ethiope Publishing House was established by  Ogbemudia to give protective cover to Bendel intellectuals.  The publishing outlet was to publish materials from these  intellectuals so that their intellectual contributions might  be properly assessed. For example, it was the Ethiope Publishing House that had  published the late Samuel• Goomsu Ikoku’s book “Le Ghana Du Nkrumah” which was first published in French by Maespero, Paris.

The Ikoku book had published facts relating to the Ikoku stay in Ghana after he had fled Nigeria as a result of Papa  Obafemi Awolowo’s Action Group crisis. It was such a  controversial book that many people still believe that the publication in English by the Ethiope Publishing House had  helped to provide intellectual answers to Ibobu’s posers  raised in his boob published by the French House, Maespero Paris. It must be said of Dr. Ogbemudia that he, throughout his  life went in search and discovery of talents to help him in  his arduous tasb of providing effective public service. It was  in this process that one cannot forget his usage of uncleTayo Akpata in his administration. Uncle Tayo Akpata  (now of blessed memory) was Ogbemudia’s Commissioner for Education. He came from the famous Abpata family of  Benin and he was such a progressive talent that he put  everything he had into the service of Bendel State under  the leadership of Brigadier .. General Samuel Ogbemudia.

Ogbemudia gave Akpata such a free hand that his  progressive antecedents as a revolutionary intellectual  became immediately rewarded by Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia. Brigadier-General Ogbemudia’s contributions to  Agriculture cannot be forgotten. He established Rubber  and Palm Plantations and produ~ed the finest products  from these plantations. He cultivated large rice fields which  Nigeria should urgently go bacb to and copy. Perhaps the  most urgent lesson of Brigadier General Ogbemudia’s  agricultural exploits is the cattle ranches he built. He did this to meet the demand for meat and pretein that hit the  Midwest after the civil war. The Ranches worbed wonders. Today, over 40 years after, Nigeria is unable to ranch its cattle and the menace of herdsmen is one of our greatest contemporary challenges. Brigadier General Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia was a politician after his military career. Though, he had a military background, he was an unrepentant and  democratic man until he went to his grave.

In the second republic, he became the Civilian Governor of  the old Bendel State again. He won election on the  platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He had succeeded the late Professor Ambrose  Mofolorunsho AIIi of the Unity Party of Nigeria led by  Immortal Papa Awolowo as the Governor of the state. Brigadiger-General Samuel Ogbemudia (retd) was a  member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was a  foundation member of the PDP and he remained a member until 2016 when he retired from partisan politics. Let me submit here that had the counsel and advice of  Ogbemudia been taben by the PDP in 2013, what  has become of the Party (PDP) today where we of the PDP  now live with Nigerians under an APC leadership would not  have happened.

There was a meeting at the Villa in 2013 where Ogbemudia  had made vital suggestions to the PPP Governors to resolve  the opposition from many of the party’s Governors then led  by the current President of Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki. His speech at the Villa meeting was much heralded and  acclaimed by Bubola and his colleagues. We of the PDP leadership refused to embrace the  Ogbemudia conciliatory formula. We now know better. I must again say that Ceneral Osaigbovo Ogbemudia  believed very sincerely in the unity of Nigeria. He never  deviated from this stand point until he died.  Despite the fact that the history of Samuel Ogbemudia  contained efforts by some miscreants to attempt his life  during the events of the January 15, 1966 coup in Kaduna,  Ogbemudia never compromised his Nigerian citizenship. He held his head high as a proud Nigerian until his death. He had many Nigerians who believed in him to the very end.

There is so much to say about this great son of Africa. This  God’s gift to Nigeria; a Nation builder par excellence. I  recall that after the Civil war, brigadier General Ogbemudia quicbly gathered Ibo Scientists and  Technologists who worbed wonders during the war, for them to replicate their creations with Government support during peace time. He brought them to Benin City but was prevailed upon to suspend the program as tension was still high. That program had all the potentials of turning  Nigeria into Korea or Jepen of his days. Nigeria has all it tabes and we must loob inwards. Brigadier-General  Ogbemudia has beamed the torch-light for us.  I sincerely dedicate this lecture to one of his supporters  AlhajiUmarulbrahim who today live,s in Kaduna with his  family. Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim and my humble self were  together with Ogbemudia in the POP. We loved Dr. Samuel  Ogbemudia and we much believed in the great man.  I do hope Nigeria will bnow how to honour the memory of  this man of history! May his soul rest in peace!! I thank you all!!!

• Being excerpts from the first Ogbemudia memorial lecture delivered by Chief Babatope, at the University of Abuja on April 6, 2017.