Nation building and development: The Ogbemudia factor

THE theme of today’s lecture on the late Nigerian leader Ogbemudia is Nation building and development in  Nigeria: The Ogbemudia Factor. Simply put, I am to speak on the contributions of Brigadier- General (Dr.) Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia to Nigeria’s  development while he was alive. I will attempt to discharge  this obligation within the time allotted to me. Fellow countrymen and women, I today speak on a great  African, a great Nigerian who devoted most of his time  while alive to ensuring the peace, unity, and progress of  Nigeria in all ramifications. When I was intimated by my friend Dr. Eugene Okolocha of  the UniAbuja decision to have me speak on Ogbemudia,  tears fell from my eyes. Though they were tears of joy, it  however became evident to me that were the General to be  alive, he would have said “spare Ebino from this”. When he  was alive, he called me Ebino like many others in the  country. Ebino has been a shortened version of my name  Ebenezer and I have been called EbinoTopsy (the topsy is from Babatope).

I knew General Ogbemudia very well. I  was his great fan and supporter when he was Military  Governor of the old Midwest State. As a political activist, I  was fully fascinated by Ogbemudia’s achievements and  successes as the young Military Governor of Midwest State. It was eventually an achievement for me when I was made a cabinet colleague of this illustrious son of Africa by the  late General Sani Abacha on his coming to power in  November, 1993. Brigadier-General Ogbemudia served with me as a member of Abacha’s first  cabinet between November 1993 and February 1995. That  was an exciting moment for me. While he was  made then the Minister of Labour and Productivity, I became the Minister for Transport and Aviation.  In other words, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia in his public service  career, had been a gallant military officer, a State

Governor as well as being a Federal Minister. He also served  meritoriously in many other high offices. He was an accomplished Administrator. Why my tears? Ogbemudia  had known me as a restless but healthy person. He never would have believed that, I will be what I am today – an  unhealthy Nigerian political activist battling with sickness  particularly glaucoma to survive. When I was therefore told of the kindness of the UniAbuja  authorities to have me deliver this lecture, I told myself  immediately to take up the opportunity and speak on a  man who means many things to Nigerians and who is a  special creation by God to give positive meanings to public  service in Nigeria”. Brigadier-General Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia has gone  to rest. He was however a man that will forever be  associated with the nation called Nigeria for a long time to  come .When he became the Military Governor of the old Midwest  State, he brought with him such a militant and progressive  leadership that will for a long time remain a permanent source of reference while talking about Nigeria.  He was dynamic, bold and visionary. He had such a Midas  touch that whatever he touched and embarked upon became an immediate success. I will now endeavor to  briefly discuss some of the areas of his successes.

In education, o one can forget the sound and unique  education Ogbemudia brought to the old Midwest, later  renamed Bendel State which then was made up of the  present Edo and Delta States.  Ogbemudia started the nucleus of the present-day University of Benin, first as Midwest Institute of technology  (MIT). He built the University which stands erect in Benin  today as part of the visionary exploits of Samuel Osaigbovo  Ogbemudia. He also initiated the establishments of several Colleges of Education and Polytechnics that today adorn  Edo and Delta States of Nigeria. Ogbemudia ensured that  Bendel students were given all the support needed by  Government to excel in their studies. There is hardly any  Institution of higher learning in Nigeria today that does not  have the Ogbemudia connection, including the University  of Abuja. I will appreciate the visits by Nigerians to Edo  and Delta States to prove the point I have made above.

Sports generally is an arm of education. General  Ogbemudia was himself a distinguished sportsman of his  days Edo and Delta states still carry the sports marks of the  Ogbemudia administration till now. Dr. ogbemudia  created the Afuze Sporting Village to cater for the  training of sportsmen and women. Afuze became the  wonderful sports centre of our country at that time. The old Bendel State dominated the sporting life of Nigeria under  the Ogbemudia regime.

With the Afuze Sporting Village, he also ensured the total  mobilization of the Bendel women into being a major arm  of the Sporting revolution. For example, Dr. Ogbemudia’s  solution to prostitution and unemployment of the female population was to engage the women as drivers in the  Bendel State public service. I remember very well in early  1970, when Nigerians were given a surprise of a lifetime  seeing women trained and mobilized to drive Bendel State  Sporting contingents to National Sports Festival in Lagos.  Lagosians ran to the old national stadium to witness  women driving sporting vehicles to the arena. It was a spectacle to witness. Bendel was everywhere in Nigeria. The  region led for years, Nigeria’s sporting life. It was Dr.  Ogbemudia at his finest and best. I tabe this opportunity to  call for the return of the National Sports festivals and for  our governors to copy the Ogbemudia example in sports  development.

In the area of Information, Dr. Ogbemudia was  among the first of his generation to recognize the role of  information in the public enlightenment programme of a  government. People say that Information is Power. Under  the Ogbemudia vigilant eyes, he established the Observer  group of newspapers. The Newspaper became one of the  best media organs of Nigeria of its days. The paper had all  the facilities it needed to publish a good newspaper. Its  editors were well trained and it ensured the employment of  very brilliant men and women to edit the newspaper. The  paper reported news unblemished.  Nigerians will remember the Minere Amakiri  case. Amakiri was a reporter of the Observer who had  published the story of an NUT strike in Port Harcourt under  the military administration of Commander Alfred Diette  Spiff (now ex paramount ruler in Bayeha State). Amakiri had published the story of an NUT strike inside the Observer newspaper”

(To be continued)

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

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.

and delivered by

chief ebenezer babatope ofr, kjw)

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 the author of the boo~

uPRESS FREEDOM IN CHAINS (DR. OLU ONAGOROWA) is today dying $lowly in his Lagos residence. His son had been  murdered by unbnown persons under a regime he  (Onagorowa) had served. He (Onogorowo).. General

Samuel Ogbemudia and myself had served as Ministers in  the first General SaniAbachaGovernment.. OluOnagorowQ 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• GoomsuJbobu’s boob “lE GHANA DU NKRUMAH” which was first published in

French by MAESPERO Paris. The Ibobu book had published facts relating to the Ibobu

stay in Ghana after he had fled Nigeria as a result of Papa  ObafemiAwolowo’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  MofolorunshoAIIi of the Unity Party of Nigeria led by  Immortal Papa Awolowo as the Governor of the state. Brigadiger-General Samuel Ogbemudia (rtd) was a  member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (POP). He was a  foundation member of the POP 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 POP in 2013, what  has become of the Party (POP) today where we of the POP  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. BubolaSarabi. His

speech at the Villa meeting was much heralded and  acclaimed by Bubola and his colleagues. We of the POP leadership refused to embrace the  Ogbemudia conciliatory formula. We now know better. I must again say that Cieneral 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 Cieneral

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. AlhajiUmaru 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 thanb you all!!!

CHIEF EBENEZER BABATOPE OFR, KJW