What led you to study of law as a youth?
That has something to do with my family. In the first place, housewives of those days would not call the male children they met at home by their names. They gave them appellations. They were calling me “ibadi-aran”, which I considered a very nice name. But my mother called them one day and said, don’t call him “Ibadi-aran” and that they should call me lawyer because I would become a lawyer one day. I was just looking. I did not understand at that time.
But when Chief Awolowo came from England in 1947 and I saw the vigour that attended all his political activities, I became interested. For example, there was this sole Native authority in Remo and anything Akarigbo did was final. It could only be changed by the resident in Ijebu-Ode. Awolowo came back in 1947 and joined the late M.S. Sowole and some other political leaders to go into Remo Council. I saw the boldness. Akarigbo Adedoyin at that time was lord to himself; nobody dared challenge him. The youths of nowadays do not know why Obas covered their faces with flowing beads. In those days, nobody could look straight into the face of Akarigbo. But Awolowo and Sowole and Ogunranwo in Remo would stand up in council and face Akarigbo, to the extent that anytime Akarigbo was coming into the council, he would not cover his face again. He wanted to face the boys and he did so with curses.
Anywhere Awolowo went, I went with him. No school as long as Awolowo was around. Akarigbo was a slow speaker. He would say: “you these kid-lawyers, we have been conducting administration before you returned from abroad. Since you came, trouble started. We cannot work together”. Akarigbo cursed them. Sowole was the first to rise up. I remember all these things like yesterday. He said: “Kabiyesi, we will run this administration together, until you handover to us. We and your son, Adeleke, would run it together. If you would not run it together with us, you can go to where the elders go”. Akarigbo got up from his seat and left the council.
So, Awolowo was a councillor?
Yes, he was a councillor. Unlike people who want to be governor overnight, Awolowo was a councillor in Remo and I was a councillor in Remo. So, the idea blossomed in my heart to go and study Law. The third reason made me study Law was this. I was in Remo Council. Then, Awolowo had gone to be part of government of Western Region. There was only one lawyer left in Remo Council then. He was in the habit of coming with his wig; smartly dressed. I envied him. I was the youngest councillor in Nigeria and I was made the Chief Whip. Awolowo said he was coming to Remo to meet the councillors at 11 o clock. 12 noon, Awolowo had not arrived. In those days, courts usually closed at 2 pm. This lawyer said: “the Leader has not come, I am going to look after my daily bread”. I said: “Excuse sir, you cannot go. Leader will be the last person to go late to anywhere and there must be a reason. Wait for another 30 minutes”. He replied: “What the hell do you mean? You think I am one of those jobless people who followed Awolowo about? I am a professional lawyer. I am going to court to look after my daily bread”. It was as if a dagger was put in my heart. From that day, I decided that I would go to England to study law.
How did you join the Action Group Youth Association?
I was a member of Action Group at the inception of the party in 1952. Action Group started in 1952. Action Group Youth Association started in 1953. Fani-Kayode, N.A.B Kotoye, Akintola jr, Ayo Adebanjo started the agitation against coronation in Nigeria; do it in England. They said they would cook food for students in Nigeria. The headmasters got carried away. So, it was that year that Fani-Kayode and our leaders started the Action Group Youth Association. Our uniform at that time was a khaki and a black shirt and we used mosquitoes as our emblem. We chose mosquitoes because we believed it would drive the Europeans out of the country. When the agitation was too much for the colonial government, they arrested Fani-Kayode and Kotoye. At that time, we had been joined by the NCNC Youth Association led by Fayemi. I don’t know where the man is now. We were also joined by NEPU Youth Association. One leader of NEPU, one leader of NCNC and five leaders of AG Youth Associations were arraigned before the Magistrate Court, Tinubu, and sentenced to one month imprisonment to make the coronation arrangement possible. Azikiwe, Awolowo and other political leaders were in court that day. Rhodes was the one who sentenced them. When they were taking them to Broad Street Prison in Black Maria, all the youths followed them there. We kept a vigil and we started stoning the Prison Department. The following day, Fani-Kayode was released. Our leaders arranged for a white horse charger to bring Fani-Kayode back. Rather than being active in the parent association, we became more organised and active in the AG Youth Association.
Was Action Group then also referred to as Afenifere?
No. The leader of AG in Iperu was an illiterate, but versatile politician. He was Awoniyi Jogbodo. But, when he mounted the rostrum, the only person who could beat him was Akintola.He would describe AG as “Egbe Aniyikaye”, Egbe Jekinje”, “Egbe Olowo”. “Egbe Oloro”, “Egbe Afenifere”. That was how the whole thing started. That was how it started.
Some people said the name originated from Adisa Akinloye…
Those people were the campaigners in those days. They were the first generation of Awoists. Ayo Fasanmi, Bola Ige, my humble self and others were the second generation of Awoists. A third generation of Awoists rose up, but the fourth generation was a fraud.
Why did you call them fraud?
Awolowo had become popular and they were using his name to make money and eat. Are people calling themselves Awoists now Awoists? Do they stand for what Awolowo stood for?
How would you remember Bode Thomas?
A good leader, soft-spoken. He was one of the foundation financiers of AG. He had a chamber. Thomas, Williams and Fani-Kayode set up the chamber at Idumagbo. That was the meeting place of AG. He was very outspoken. He played politics like Europeans. What eventually got him into trouble in Oyo was that Oyo was not as open as it is today. They were very primitive. In those days, when Alaafin was passing in the night and they blew the trumpet, even a man on top of his wife would jump up and prostrate in his room. Many people warned Bode Thomas that the politics you played in Lagos, you could not play it in Oyo. You must have heard what happened. I loved him much. He always encouraged the members of the AG Youth Association.
How would you remember Akintola?
Apart from Pa Jogbodo, nobody could beat Akintola at campaigns. Anytime there was an election, the group was always divided into two, Awolowo’s group and Akintola’s group. Fani-Kayode and I would go to Akintola’s group because Akintola was a man of wit. He had answers to any question at political rally. But the person I was much attached to was Fani-Kayode. When he resigned from AG, I was very sad. Later, we did a lot of havoc to him in London. At the airport in London, he asked: “Olu, why are you treating me like this? You are my brother”. I replied: “They call you Fani-Power. Come and show your power in London”. I mobilised Akinyosoye, Adamo Yesufu, Rafiu Jafojo for action and I had absolute confidence. Those were my boys in AG Youth Association in London. If you see them, you better run.
So, you were a party to how Ola Yesufu disrupted Prime Minister Balewa’s Press Conference in London?
It was not only disruption, they fell the Prime Minister down. They attacked him and the Prime Minister fell down. Before the incident, there was no barrier at 10, Downing Street, London. If you get to London today, you will see the barrier. When I pass through the place, I laugh because I know how the barrier got there.
How about Rosiji?
He was the General Secretary of AG. They called him Professor. He was highly knowledgeable, respectable, but the quarrel that started in AG was one of the causes of Nigeria’s problems today. I used to accuse Bola Ige until he died. I used to tell him that he and myself were part of the people who caused the trouble in Nigeria today. He would always deny it. When the crisis in the AG started, the elders and obas tried to mediate between Akintola and Awolowo during the reconciliation. The idea came that Awolowo and Akintola would respect us. I was the leader of AG in London. Dr Hussein was the leader of AG in Moscow. So, myself, the leaders of AG in America and Moscow were joined by Banji Akintoye, later Professor, to go and reconcile them. That was what brought us home. So, when we got to Ooni Aderemi’s place, he was happy. But he said that he would not see us at Ibadan and that we should come to Ife. He said we were the only hope of reconciling the people. When we were going from Ibadan, we were accompanied by Bola Ige. When we got to Ife that day, Kabiyesi entertained us very well. May be, that got to our heads. Ooni implored us to wade into the crisis and settle the rift between Awolowo and Akintola. Myself and Bola Ige said “No, No compromise. What Akintola did was wrong”. We started to pontificate. Banji was looking at us. We said: “No negotiation whatsoever”. Ooni stopped talking. If I am going to blame the crisis on anybody, it was those of us who came from abroad. We were just behaving like children. I could not understand it. We were educated people. I and Banji had finished our Masters programme. I wouldn’t understand why we behaved like that. When Coker Commission of Enquiry started, I went to the sitting with Chief Awolowo. The cars that brought Awolowo and Akintola arrived at the scene at the same time. When Awolowo came down from the left door at the back, I came out from the right. Akintola came down from the left door at the back. I said to him: “Good morning, sir”. He said: “Olu, you are greeting me. Since you arrived last week, you have been abusing me on the pages of newspapers”. I was stupefied. We contributed to it. So, anytime I look back, I regret it.
Did Akintola make overtures to you to join him?
No. It was like making overtures to Awolowo to come and join him. The only thing was that when Awolowo left the Senate Hall, the sitting of the enquiry, I and Akintola were still discussing. Awolowo asked me what he was discussing with me. I told him that Akintola said I was abusing him in papers.
Why did you part ways with Awolowo in 1979?
I did not part ways with Awolowo in 1979. Awolowo was my idol. But there is no one in the world without a weakness. One of the weaknesses of Awolowo was that Awolowo put his wife over and above any member of AG. And there were complaints. I was the nearest to him. I was hearing all these complaints. I was going to tell him. He knew my qualities, that I was very honest and straightforward. Awo and I were coming from Ibadan one day. That was before I went to London. The Alaye of Ode-Remo was Awo’s teacher at Wesley College, Ibadan. He had respect for the man. Awo branched at his palace. Within five minutes, Awo stormed out. Baba was shaking. He was over 70. We left the palace. I told Awo that what he did was not good. He asked me to shut up. I kept quiet. When we got to Iperu, I said I wanted to get down. He said we should go to Ikenne together for dinner. When the driver was taking me back to Iperu, I asked him to drive to Ode. I told the Kabiyesi that Awo was annoyed from Ibadan, where he attended the meeting of the AG and that it had not suppressed. I told him that he asked me to come back to apologise on his behalf. Five years after, at my wedding in London. He got up, saying that he loved me like his first son. He recounted the event that happened in Ode and how I took charge of the whole thing and bailed him out of the trouble. When we were eating, I asked how knew about it. He said: “You think I am a stupid man? Was it not my driver that took you there? When my driver didn’t come back in time, I asked him.
There were complaints against Awo. The first deputy leader of AG was Bode Thomas. There was no quarrel between Awo and him. The next deputy leader was Akintola. They quarreled. After that was Adegbenro, they quarreled eventually. After that was Enahoro, they quarreled. Ditto for Akin-Olugbade. Though I was young, they said it to my hearing.
We were councillors in 1976; myself, Yesufu and those AG boys in Sagamu. The councillors were asking who would go to the Constituent Assembly to represent Remo. I asked them to go and ask the Leader, if they wanted to know because he was the best person to go so that it would create a platform for him to know and interact with many people across the country, preparatory to the presidential election. I asked him in his house when we were eating. He asked: ‘Olu, what is your age?”. I said I was over 40. He said during the Macpherson Constitution, he and Odutola represented Ijebu Division and since then, he had been representing the whole of Western Region. He said the councillors were wrong in thinking that he would go and represent Remo again in the Constituent Assembly. He said: “You, Olu, will go to the Constituent Assembly. You are a lawyer and you will justify yourself. Anybody you think I should meet there, bring them to me”. Three weeks later, he said we should finalise the discussion because his wife had a candidate, Awoniyi. Out of 16 councillors, only nine were there. My die-hard supporters were not invited. I said we had discussed already and I had told the councillors. He said Mama had a candidate. I asked: “Who is Mama? Is Mama a politician?”. He said I was insulting his wife. I left. Four out of nine councillors left. Chief Awolowo said, whether we liked it or not, Dele Awoniyi would go to the Constituent Assembly. Awo had been grooming me, introducing me to the traditional rulers and elders in Remo. They went to him, but he refused. Later, the elders came to me and said Awo had agreed that Chief Dele Awoniyi and I should contest. The Obas intensified their efforts. They went round. I got elected. Oba Akinsanya, the Odemo of Isara, said we should go and appeal to Awo. Yesufu said he would not go. 54 cars left the venue of the election in Sagamu for Ikenne. Mrs. Awolowo said they should not open the gate, saying that we were useless youths. I told her that we were not and that the advantage she had was that she married our father from Ilishan and brought him to Ikenne.
Why did you not join UPN?
UPN did not start as UPN. We were in the Committee of Friends in Lagos and our leader in Remo. Akanbi Onitiri usually hosted the meeting in Lagos. TOS Benson and Adeniran Ogunsanya took me to Chief Awolowo’s house. Ogunsanya said, “Bro, you can’t fight Olu, he has stood beside you all the time”. Awo did not listen. I told Chief Awolowo that, “you taught me ABC of politics. If you say I should not join UPN because of some people who were looking for an opportunity to supplant me, I am going to join others to form a political party. When I got to the Constituent Assembly, the first thing I did was to organise people preparatory to the formation of a political party. Eleven of us formed the NPN in Abubakar Saraki’s house in Surulere. Abiola was my personal friend. I asked him to join, he refused. But when the party was growing, he joined. When he was to join us, he did not do it in Ogun State, he joined us in Bida.
How did you feel campaigning against Awolowo in Remo?
It was the easiest thing. Remo people knew how well I had served Awolowo. If the decision that I should not go to the Constituent Assembly was Awolowo’s, I would respect it. It was his wife’s decision. If anybody should disagree with Awo in Efon-Alaaye, the people would want to kill the person. In Remo here, we survived. They sympathised with us.
How did you become the Minister of State for Agriculture?
I was the one who brought NPN to Ogun State. I joined as a member of the Constituent Assembly. Toye Coker was in Group 19. Our political leaders; Fadairo, Akin-Olugbade, Oyalowo, Sodipo asked us to come and convince them on the group to join. Toye Coker spoke about Group 19; I spoke about NPN and that we would win the election in Nigeria because we had geographical spread. So, they decided to go for NPN. The Olowu and the youths said I would be the governorship candidate. Yesufu was with me. At Hotel Frontier, Ipokia, for the first time, Toye Coker said he wanted to be governor. The boys refused because I contributed to the formation of NPN greatly. Consultation started. Awujale invited us and said we should allow Toye Coker to go for it. Then, it was decided that, since I brought NPN to Ogun State, I would become the minister. MKO Abiola was not our member that time. In May that year, Abiola joined and trouble started. At a meeting in Abeokuta, in Akin-Olugbade’s house, Abiola refused that, if an Ijebu was governor, that is, Bisi Onabanjo, Ijebu cannot be minister. Abiola started distributing money to people. The matter was recalled recently when Harold Sodipo died in London. Sodipo insisted that I would be minister. Somehow, Ebun Oyagbola’s name surfaced at the Presidency. Shagari said I brought him into NPN and that he would appoint me as Minister of State, but in a key ministry. That was how I became Minister of State for Agriculture. I later became the chairman of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome.
Did you ever reconcile with Awolowo before he died?
Anytime I went to Remo, I toured the whole place before going to sleep. Those obas, including Odemo of Isara, Ologere of Ogere gave me support. All those thugs that were used during “operation wetie”, I paid them when Awolowo was in prison in Calabar. Awolowo refused to meet them. So, they saw me as their leader. So, we were not molested. One day, Awolowo’s driver came to me to tell me that Awo and Mama were fighting because of me, that Awolowo said she was responsible for the quarrel between him and me. So, the driver advised me not to criticise Awolowo again. During the wedding of former Ogun State University Vice Chancellor, Sodipo’s child in Ilishan, inside the church, he hailed me as the “Alagbara of Remo”. Yesufu was “Kiniun of Remo”. Awo said he did not like how IBB was ruling the country and that the boy would ruin Nigeria, and that we should go and write it down. So, we discussed in the church. The news was in town that I had settled with the leader. Later, at Sagamu, at the installation of chiefs, Akarigbo Awolesi offered me a seat, but I went to sit beside Awolowo. After the ceremony, I opened the doors of the car for Papa and Mama. Awo said, Olu, where would you be next Friday.
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Sovereign National Conference is imperative