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Wande Abimbola @91: How an àbíkú decided to live (5)

Published

2 years ago

February 2, 2024

Tunde Odesola

Building the letters of the alphabet into bricks of sentences and paragraphs is serious business. While writing the fourth part of this article last week, the roots of my creative fibre hit the rocks when I needed simultaneous imagery to portray twin dangers. I fetched a popular proverb, “Ikú ń de dèdè, dèdè n de ikú,” to convey the imagery but ran into a roadblock, still. Ikú means death. But I don’t know what dèdè means.

For a long period, I racked my brain; searching and researching, constructing and deconstructing, writing and unwriting, but I couldn’t untrap myself from the knot called dèdè. So, I decided to call a friend as they do in ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’

I called a friend and said, “Ikú ń de dèdè, dèdè n de ikú is a popular Yoruba proverb. What’s dèdè?” My friend, whose voice excites the eardrum like ocean waves spreading frothing fresh bubbles on the beach, hails from Ila-Orangun, the beloved home of palm wine. He said in Yoruba, “The word is not ikú, it’s ikún. Ikún is a rodent. Dèdè is a trap. It means the rodent is eyeing the trap just as the trap is eyeing the rodent.”

The name of my friend is Sulaimon Ayilara, known to his teeming fans as Ajobiewe, the popular bard and actor, who broke into public consciousness in the Fèyíkógbón and Super Story drama series of the 1980s and early 2000 respectively. In my piece last week, I forgot to attribute the unknotting of dèdè to this great oral poet. Ajobiewe, please, take a bow!

FROM THE AUTHOR: Wande Abimbola @91: How an àbíkú decided to live (3)

Were singing the only profession that provided daily bread for all mortals, I would’ve died of starvation. I think my voice is good when I speak but when I sing, things fall apart. My voice just doesn’t have regard for musical keys – like most Nigerian soldiers who have no regard for constituted authority, stupidly feeling they are superior to the civilian populace.

Ogunwande has a great voice which moves listeners to tears when he sings the panegyrics of Yoruba deities, wars and mores. In the course of my interviews with him, he sings about the virtues of Yoruba revivalism and truth, punctuating his folklore with, “Uhmm, nkan se wa;” – we are doomed.

He renders a short song in praise of truth and continues with the story of how he became the VC of Great Ife. “When my friend, Sanda, told me Chief Adisa Akinloye had collected my letter of appointment, I said it’s ok. I reminded him that my main reason for choosing academics was to be a scholar and not an administrator. I just drove to Ife. It never bothered me and I never made any enquiry about it,” Ogunwande said.

But some days later, Ogunwande got a letter from Akinloye, saying, “Prof, please, see me in my house on….” Ogunwande went to Sanda, his friend, and showed him Akinloye’s letter. Both of them went to Akinloye’s house in Ibadan on the appointed day.

“Akinloye was blunt. He said he collected my letter after Oyo people complained that I was an enemy for being a Unity Party of Nigeria member. Akinloye, an Ibadan indigene, said there was no Ibadan indigene among those vying for the VC post, stressing that his action was based on the protest of Oyo people, and not to favour Ibadan. Chief Richard Akinjide came in while we were at Akinloye’s house. There was a crowd in the house.

FROM THE AUTHOR: Wande Abimbola @91: How an àbíkú decided to live (4)

“I told him I wasn’t an enemy of the NPN. I reminded him he was the one, in company with other chieftains such as Chief Bode Thomas and Chief Abiodun Akerele, who brought the Chief Obafemi Awolowo-led Action Group to Oyo. I reminded him of the speech he delivered in Oyo which called for Yoruba nationalism. I said I’m a UPN member because of Yoruba nationalism,” Ogunwande said.

Akinloye kept quiet for some time. A woman in the crowd shouted, ‘Wande dobale!’, ordering the academic to prostrate. Did he prostrate?

“Never, I didn’t. Akinloye said he wouldn’t have them humiliate me. He described me as a decent man, adding that some other fellow would’ve renounced the UPN and joined the NPN. Long before the VC position became vacant, I had served as the Chairman, Oyo State College of Arts and Science (OSCAS), a position I was appointed into by the Oyo State Governor, Chief Bola Ige.”

“Meanwhile, the Elepe of Iseke was my aunty’s husband. When he died, his son ascended the throne and made me the secretary of the Council of Baales of Alahoro. So, Oyo people, who heard that my letter was withheld, also found their way to the residence of Chief Akinloye, in solidarity.

“One candidate among the three of us shortlisted for the VC position had quickly renounced the UPN and joined the NPN. But President Shehu Shagari saw through the ploy. The Secretary to the Federal Government, Alhaji Shehu Musa, particularly said there was nothing wrong with a man to serve his state as chairman of OSCAS. Eventually, President Shagari noted that all three of us were UPN members.

FROM THE AUTHOR: Wande Abimbola @91: How an àbíkú decided to live (2)

“I got to know all this because I had a student, Olu Afolabi, whom I taught at UNILAG. He was a student unionist at school but had joined politics and become the Deputy Majority Leader, House of Representatives. He was at the meeting with the President when the issue was being discussed along with Chief Akinloye, SFG, and others. When the SFG said I should be given my letter, it was him who got the SFG to do another letter immediately after the meeting, and personally brought it to me.”

According to Ogunwande, the seven years he spent as VC were the happiest days of his life. His first and second terms were four and three years respectively. During his era, OAU had 30,000 students. Then, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo; Moore Plantation, Ibadan; and the School of Agric, Akure, were all part of OAU.

About a year after being appointed by Shagari, the military, led by General Muhammadu Buhari, sacked the democratically elected government of Shagari on December 31, 1983, floundering Nigeria down the path of 16 years of successive despotic rules. In those heady days of military rule, student protests were rife. How did Ogunwande deal with student protests?

“Whenever I heard that students had gathered in numbers and were surging in protest to my residence, they always met me standing by my gate or on the road – walking to go and meet them. I’m talking of about 20, 000 charged students. Whenever they become unruly during the protests, I charge back at them and ask, ‘Are you barbarians?’ Don’t you have a leader? But I was always ready and willing to listen to them. Àyà níní tó òogùn lótò; courage is equivalent to charm.

“My success as VC boils down to upholding the truth and being fair to all at all times even though I consulted Ifa and made sacrifices to the gods on major decisions. But I wouldn’t have succeeded if I didn’t uphold the truth. I ran an all-inclusive administration that met with the students every month. I didn’t miss any of the monthly meetings with the students.

“The students saw my sincerity and fatherly leadership. After each meeting, they would tell me to pray for them. After praying, they will sing ‘Babalawo, mo wa bebe, alugbinrin…There was a particular protest when all students across the country converged on OAU for a mother-of-all protest. I consulted Ifa and Ifa told me to make a sacrifice, after the sacrifice, the students dispersed peacefully, with those from outside running back to their respective schools and Ife students going back to classes.”

Buttressing the supremacy of sacrifice over supernatural powers/charms making oogùn síse) and Ifa consultation (Ifa dida), Ogunwande explained that sacrifice is the power of the Yoruba. “That’s why foreign religions are always against sacrifice done in Yoruba traditional religion. When you give sacrifice to the gods, we, traditional religion worshippers, believe you’re feeding the entire universe because organisms of the air, land and water are going to partake in it.

“For instance, a sacrifice placed by the river, aquatic animals such as fishes, crabs etc, would eat part of it; birds of the air and land animals would eat from it. Even ants would partake, too. We believe that all the creatures that ate from the sacrifice would communicate with Oludumare about the good you’ve done by feeding them. Sacrifice is like fuel, once you do it, it’s boom! It’s efficacious,” Ogunwande said.

Illustrating his point with folklore, Abimbola sang in Yoruba, “Sacrifice is the eldest of three siblings. oogùn (supernatural power/charm) is the younger, Ifa casting is the youngest.”

Ogunwande, the father of three sets of twins, earned N49,000.00 per month when he was VC, an amount that cannot buy a bag of rice today.

Concluded.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola

(The full story will soon be out in book form. Watch Out!)

News

Xenophobic Attacks: Oshiomhole Tells FG To Retaliate Against South African Companies In Nigeria

Published

11 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on the Federal Government to retaliate against South African businesses operating in Nigeria following the recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Oshiomhole said the Federal Government should consider revoking the working license of South African owned companies such as MTN and DSTV.

He argued that Nigeria must respond firmly to what he described as persistent hostility against its citizens.

“I am not going to shed tears. If you hit me, I hit you. I think it is appropriate in diplomacy. It is an economic struggle,” Oshiomhole said.

He argued that while some South Africans accuse Nigerians of taking their jobs, Nigerians should return home and take over employment opportunities created by major South African companies operating in the country, including MTN and DSTV.

“When we hit back, the President of South Africa will not only talk but will also go on his knees to recognise that Nigeria cannot be intimidated.

“We will not condone any life being lost. If a crime has been committed under the South African law they have the right to bring any such person to justice, but to kill our people as if we are helpless, we will not allow that,” Oshiomhole added.

DAILY POST reports that several Nigerians in South Africa have reportedly been attacked, and their businesses destroyed, in ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.

News

IGP Orders Officers Display Name Tag On Uniform, Gives Update On State Police

Published

11 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Tunji Disu, has ordered all police personnel to always have their name tags on their uniforms for easy identification.

Disu disclosed that only police personnel who are undercover are exempted from displaying their name tags.

Speaking on Tuesday, Disu said: “All police officers should have their name tags. All of us on the high table have our names apart from the undercover among us so if you look at all the Commissioners of Police we have our name tags, so it’s not our standard.

News

Court Orders SERAP To Pay DSS Operatives N100m For Defamation

Published

16 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has ordered a non-governmental organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, to pay N100 million as damaged to two operatives of the Department of the State Services, DSS, for unjustly defaming them in some publications.

The court also ordered SERAP to tender public apologies to the defamed officers,
Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, in two national newspapers, two television stations and its website.

Besides, the organization was also ordered to pay the two operatives N1 million as cost of litigation and 10 percent post-judgment interest annually on the judgment sum until it’s fully liquidated.

Justice Yusuf Halilu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory gave the order on Tuesday while delivering judgment in a N5.5 billion defamation suit instituted against SERAP by the DSS operatives.

The judge found SERAP liable for unjustly defaming the two DSS operatives with allegations that they unlawfully invaded its Abuja office, harassed and intimidated its staff, in September 2024.

In the offending publication on its website and Twitter handle, SERAP alleged that the two operatives unlawfully invaded and occupied its office with sinister motives.

The judge held that the publication was in bad taste especially from an organization established to promote transparency and accountability, as nothing in the publication was found to be truthful.

The DSS staff had listed SERAP as 1st defendant in the suit marked CV/4547/2024. SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, was listed as the 2nd defendant.

In the suit, the claimants – Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele – accused the two defendants of making false claims that they invaded SERAP’s Abuja office on September 9, 2024..

Counsel to the DSS, Oluwagbemileke Samuel Kehinde, had while adopting his final address in the mater urged the judge to grant all the reliefs sought by his client in the interest of justice.

He admitted that although the names of the two claimants were not mentioned in the defamation materials, they had however established substantial circumstances that they are the ones referred to in the published defamation article by SERAP on its website.

The counsel submitted that all ingredients of defamation have been clearly established and the offending publication referred to the two officials of the secret police.

However, SERAP, through its counsel, Victoria Bassey from Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, law firm, asked the court to dismiss the suit on the ground that the two claimants did not establish that they were the ones referred to in the alleged defamation materials.

She said that SERAP used “DSS officials” in the alleged offending publication, adding that the two claimants must establish that they are the ones referred to before their case can succeed.

Similar arguments were canvassed by Oluwatosin Adefioye who stood for the second defendant, adding that there was no dispute in the September 9, 2024 operation of DSS in SERAP’s office.

He said that since SERAP in the publication did not name any particular person, the claimants must plead special circumstances that they were the ones referred to as the DSS officials.

Besides, he said that there is no organization by name Department of State Services in law, hence, DSS cannot claim being defamed adding that the only entity known to law is National Security Agency.

The claimants had in the suit stated that the alleged false claim by SERAP has negatively impacted on their reputation.

The DSS also stated, in the statement of claim, that, in line with the agency’s practice of engaging with officials of non-governmental organisations operating in the FCT to establish a relationship with their new leadership, it directed the two officials – John and Ogunleye – to visit SERAP’s office and invite them for a familiarization meeting.

The claimants added that in carrying out the directive, John and Ogunleye paid a friendly visit to SERAP’s office at 18 Bamako Street, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja on September 9 and met with one Ruth, who upon being informed about the purpose of the visit, claimed that none of SERAP’s management staff was in the country and advised that a formal letter of invitation be written by the DSS.

John and Ogundele, who claimed that their interactions with Ruth were recorded, said before they immediately exited SERAP’s office, Ruth promised to inform her organisation’s management about the visit and volunteered a phone number – 08160537202.

They said it was surprising that, shortly after their visit, SERAP posted on its X (Twitter) handle – @SERAPNigeria – that officers of the DSS are presently unlawfully occupying its office.

The claimant added, “On the same day, the defendants also published a statement on SERAP’s website, which was widely reported by several media outfits, falsely alleging that some officers from the DSS, described as “a tall, large, dark-skinned woman” and “a slim, dark skinned man,” invaded their Abuja office and interrogated the staff of the first defendant (SERAP).

John and Ogundele stated that “due to the false statements published by the defendants, the DSS has been ridiculed and criticised by international agencies such as the Amnesty International and prominent members of the Nigerian society, such as Femi Falana (SAN)”.

“Due to the false statements published by the defendants, members of the public and the international community formed the opinion that the Federal Government is using the DSS to harass the defendants.”

They added that the defendants’ statements caused harm to their reputation because the staff and management of the DSS have formed the opinion that the claimants did not follow orders and carried out an unsanctioned operation and are therefore, incompetent and unprofessional.

The claimants therefore prayed the court for the following reliefs: “An order directing the defendants to tender an apology to the claimants via the first defendant’s (SERAP’s) website, X (twitter) handle, two national daily newspapers (Punch and Vanguard) and two national news television stations (Arise Television and Channels Television) for falsely accusing the claimants of unlawfully invading the first defendant’s office and interrogating the first defendant’s staff.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N5 billion as damages for the libellous statements published about the claimants.

“Interest on the sum of N5b at the rate of 10 percent per annum from the date of judgment until the judgment sum is realised or liquidated.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N50 million as costs of this action.”