The Lekan Balogun I know

With the announcement of Dr. Lekan Balogun as the Olubadan-designate by the Olubandan-in-Council, Ibadan, the iconic city of Yorubaland is, no doubt, on the cusp of history, some evocative of the age of “Philosopher-King” theorised by Plato, the great Greek philosopher.

Given his unique admixture of cognate experiences in diverse realms such as social activism, academia, media, boardroom and partisan politics, enigmatic Balogun surely comes readily prepared to make a great king.

I say this with the authority of someone who has had a relationship spanning more than three decades with the Oba-in-waiting  — first as a keen follower of his activism for a better Nigeria over the years and later as fellow senators following the return of democracy in 1999.

In his definitive book, The Republic, Plato characterises the “Philosopher-King” as the type whose love of wisdom and intelligence is only matched by a proclivity for simplicity in lifestyle and a steely character.

In hindsight, I don’t think I could be accused of immodesty to describe the Fourth National Assembly which we were privileged to be part of as a gathering of distinguished men and women driven by passion for service and love of country above personal interests. Whereas I chaired the Senate Committee on Transportation, Senator Balogun was chairman of Senate Committee on National Planning as well as being member of other committees like Appropriations, Security and Intelligence, Police Affairs and Defence (Army).

Being pioneers in this republic, our own senate undoubtedly faced lots of teething challenges including subversive pressures from the executive branch of government as evidenced by the high turnover of leaderships within four years. But as they say, it is during adversity and temptation that the true character of someone is revealed. Senator Balogun was one of the most dependable colleagues I knew. Regardless of the wide age gap between us and difference in religion and ethnicity, he related more as friend to me in a manner that gave true meaning to a stanza in our old national anthem, “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand”.

In our everyday conversations, he was always worried about the plight of the downtrodden and the vulnerable, passionate about how we could use the agency of politics to positively change the human condition in Nigeria. At personal level, he never tires to make phone calls and text messages to friends and associates, asking after their welfare and that of their families. Even till today.

A bundle of native humor, he always found a Yoruba proverb to illustrate his point during debates in the chamber those days and carried himself with uncommon grace. Charismatic without being loud. Simple yet not pedestrian. His affinity with Yoruba customs did not in any way diminish his cosmopolitan air obviously derived from his sound education and international exposure. Which should not be entirely surprising, coming from a man who knew the meaning of responsibility quite early in life. Even while still under 18, he had started fending for himself by picking up a part-time job while schooling in the United Kingdom.

In the moment of division or dilemma during the Fourth Assembly, you always knew where Senator Balogun stood. He never sat on the fence when the issue of justice or fairness came up. Perhaps, this was partly an expression of his socialist convictions having been member of the Marxist movement in the 70s. In fact, he made his debut in politics in 1978 by joining revolutionary Aminu Kano’s People Redemption Party (PRP). His ideological and philosophical temperaments can easily be gauged from his publications including “A Review of Nigeria’s 4 years’ Development Plan, 1970-1974”, “Nigeria: Social Justice or Doom”,  “Power for Sale” and “Arrogance of Power”.

Note, Senator Balogun was not only good at precepts; he practised what he preached. For instance, I recall that he was one of those who vigorously supported the idea that equitable percentage in derivation be given to the Niger Delta region being the oil-bearing zone. Of course, given the heat generated by the agitation for resource control by Niger Delta people in the 90s and the eventual recommendation of an equitable derivation percentage by the 1994/95 confab, it was natural that its execution became an emotive question for the Niger Delta region with the return of democracy on May 29, 1999. This was particularly so because the six states of the zone all voted for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (which also controlled both the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly).

So, the expectation was that the implementation would commence almost seamlessly, as a matter of social justice to the people of Niger Delta who have borne (and continue to bear) severe environmental pains caused by oil exploration over the years.

When the executive branch however chose to foot-drag in the implementation of the allocation due to the NNDC, Senator Balogun, despite not being from South-South and not being a member of the ruling party, brought his significant weight as the member of the Appropriations Committee to bear in pushing the executive branch to do the right thing.

With such credible antecedents, I have no doubt that Senator Balogun will not only make a great king to Ibadan in particular, but also help bring more respectability to the traditional institution in general, thus affording it more relevance in a rapidly changing world. Indeed, in contemporary Nigeria where partisan politics now seems to corrupt and corrode things, the traditional institution we need is that which will not just be custodian of traditional values, but also embody moral authority against the excesses of political power. But this can only happen when our palaces are occupied by true sages and moral exemplars, not hustlers mortgaging their beaded staffs for contracts.

This, I believe, is the promise the soon-to-be-octogenarian brings to the great Oluyole kingdom. He will invest the throne of his forebears with the wealth of great wisdom, character and courage. What Plato calls the “Philosopher-King”.

Long may the king reign!

Senator Adede represented Cross River North senatorial district between 1999 and 2003.