31 December 2001
opinion
As Second Republic Governor of old Oyo State, Chief Ajibola Ige, who was felled last week by assasin's bullet,was father to hundreds of thousand of school children whom he gave free education. Waheed Odusile, one of the beneficiaries, pays this tribute to the late politician
As a 15 year old high school boy then in Form 4 or what is today known as SSS 2, in Ibadan, Oyo State, I had no idea what free education was like and would likely be in the new dispensation we were being promised then. Even when the governorship candidate of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in the 1979 general elections in the state, Uncle Bola Ige was promising free education, free health, integrated rural development and full and gainfull empolyment for all ( the four cardinal programmes of the UPN) during his electioneering campaigns, I still didn't know what it meant other than the fact that my parents might not have to pay my school fees again should the UPN win the election. And I prayed for a UPN victory for several reasons, one of which was the fact that my parents were just managing to pay my school fees then. Optimistically, I looked forward to a UPN controlled government in the state and at the same time unsure whether the promises can be kept. My optimism was borne out of the fact that Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the leader of the UPN, as Premier of the Western Region successfuly implemented a free education programme in the region and as such, his followers should be able to do likewise. But the second republic was different in every respect from the first republic, henced my fears. These fears were further heightened during a live television debate between Ige and his main opponent, Chief Richard Akinjide of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Akinjide, an experience politiician had during the debate cast aspersion on the free education programme in particular, saying it was impossible and would never work
Even when a now victorious Bola Ige declared at his swearing-in on 1st October, 1979 at the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan that "as from today education is free at all levels in Oyo State" the import of the statement had still not sunk properly. It was not until I got to school the new session and was handed texbooks, exercise books and other stationeries courtesy of the Oyo State government that it finally dawned on me that truly, education is free in the state and my parents won't have to pay my school fees again. What a big relief. With the abolition of school fees,students/pupils were able to feed well and adequately clothed, as parents had enough money to give them.
I wasn't the only one that was happy. Many, if not all my school mates were. Since our parents could not afford to send us to private schools like the children of the privileged few, we had to contend with jostling for few places available in public schools and even then, the fees were a bit high, such that our parents had to struggle to meet up. So when Bola Ige came with free education,it was a big relief. The programme was widely embraced by the people and it became a huge success.
Not only that education was now free, more smartly dressed children who hitherto would not have smelt the four walls of a classroom, were now going to school all at government expense. And to cope with the increase in enrolment, Ige doubled the number of schools in the state, secondary schools in particular. I remember when President Masire of Botswana visited Oyo State, Bola Ige boasted to him about the high number of secondary schools in Ibadan alone as being more than what some states in the north could boast of. Not only were more schools established, government made sure the schools were very close to the students such that none of them had to go more than one kilometre or two before they can get to school. This effectively put paid to most boarding schools in the state as the children now had to go from home, giving them more time to be with their parents and helping them out. The shifting system in primary schools were also abolished.
Expectedly, the success of the free education programme did not go down well with the opposition in the state, particularly the NPN, which derided it, saying it was leading to a fall in the quality of education.Chief Akinjide and then national chairman of NPN, Chief Adisa Akinloye as well as other notable NPN bigwigs in the state saw nothing good in the programme and made an issue out of it, by condemning it at every given opportunity
As the programme achieved more success with its wide embrace by the populace, the NPN got angrier especially as Ige was getting more popular, hence the determination to prevent him from winning the next general election. No stone was left unturned to achieve this. Meanwhile the school children of that era were being derisively referred to as Ige's children. We were being described as students with half education and were expected not to do well in society in future. But almost twenty years after, many of us,if not all are successful in life, thanks to Ige's free education programme. Not only was this programme a success, some parents from none-UPN controlled states were withdrawing their wards from their fee paying schools to Oyo state.
To not only train the mind but also the body, Governor Bola Ige also established the Young Pioneers Movement to properly harness the talent of these youths and equip them with leadership training.They were also engaged in calisthenics and were deployed to important state functions to trill and mesmerise the audience. In spite of the hatred the Buhari/Idiagbon regime that terminated the second republic had for the politicians they overthrew, they still found the Young Pioneers useful and successfuly used the group at the launch of its pet project, the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) at the Liberty stadium, by then Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, Brigadier-General Babatunde Idiagbon, now late. To Ige's credit some of these youths have gone ahead to develop a career out of what they learnt in the Movement.
The free education programme was not limited to secondary schools alone as all educational institutions owned by the state government were not charging tution fees. Even when students had cause to disagree with some utterances of then Governor Bola Ige especially those comments that seemingly impunged on the integrity of some of them, they still found it easier to forgive him, having remembered his good deeds.
There is a lesson to be learnt by today's politicians especially elected public office holders from Ige's performance while in office as governor. In spite of the derogatory remarks of the NPN about his free education programme, Ige soldiered on, convinced that he was doing the right thing, leaving posterity to judge him. Also having promised the electorate free education, while campaigning for the governorship, he kept faith with this and other promises and he was rewarded by the people with their loyalty.
Even when he was rigged out of the government House at Agodi by the NPN in 1983, the people still stood by him. Throughout his travails under the Buhari/Idiagbon rule when he was jailed and also during investigation into the Ajoda New Town scheme, a large crowd hailed his every appearance at the commision of enquiry into the housing scheme. So much for a leader who fought for his people.
In today's Nigeria, our politicians hardly keep to their words and would lie and do any other thing, just anything to get elected and remain in office. Anything other than fulfilling their election promise.The slightest criticism of their programme, genuine or mischievous often lead to panic and in some cases physical assault or intimidation of the critic. Even when Chiefs Akinloye and Akinjide and their likes in the NPN were poking fun at Ige's programmes, he remained undaunted and did not harass them. Today he has been vindicated. Not only that, "we" who were called his children have achieved success in our chosen field and scattered all over the globe.
So to those who killed him, they may have succeeded in eliminating Ige but to completely wipe him out will require more than just a bullet. They may also have to kill all those, whose lives were touched by his activities one way or another.
The best the youths who benefitted from Ige could do for him and his memory is to keep faith with the ideals for which he fought for throughout in his life time. A defender of justice and dignity of man, Ige,like his late leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo was first and foremost a Yorubaman who believed in one Nigeria, A trully federal Nigeria where all the federating units are allowed to develop at their own pace and regulate their affairs accordingly, only ceeding little powers to the federal government.
Granted the fact that he might have been ascerbic with his tounges, this was within the context of his belief in and ability to always call a spade a spade. He carried himself with such a dignity that some erroneously said he was arrogant, a charge which he explained as one of those traits which he admired in Chief Awolowo. The closest to the Awolowo ideals among the late sage's lieutenants, Ige was one politician and leader who was never afraid of controversy while not outrightly looking for one. Once the cause was just he went into it and gave it all his all. this did not mean he was tactless or was eager to jump into a moving train. As a fighter, Ige knew when to fight and when to retreat. He was gifted to know which battle was worth the salt and which one not to waste his time on. When the Abacha political experiment was on, Ige guessed rightly that it was not going to last and therefore chosed to, in his words, "sidon look". Even some of his comrades in the struggle criticised him for this, but when it later became clear that there was wisdom in his position, he was hailed.
A nationalist to the core, Ige knew when it was time for national service as he put personal consideration aside to take up appointment under President Olusegun Obasanjo, first as Mines and Power Minister and later Attorney General and Minister of Justice, to the consternation of some of his allies and comrades in Afenifere.
Perhaps knowing fully well that the future of Yoruba politics lie in inclusiveness and integration, Bola Ige tried to broaden Yoruba appeal to other ethnic nationalities in the country without jeopardising the interest of his people. Among his Yoruba people, he tried to bring the youths into leadership and decision making. Though an old man, Ige was able to accommodate the youths and their exuberance and at the same time enjoyed the confidendence of the elders. He was the unofficial link between the old and the young in Yorubaland, one whom the youths could trust and open their hearts to and in whom also the elders could confide.
As we mourn this great son of Oduduwa,it would be a great disaster for the Yoruba nation if his killers were fellow Yorubas and most disappointingly, a member of the younger generation for whom he laboured to empower.
GOOD NIGHT Uncle Ajibola Ige. SUN RE O.
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