Alhaji Lamidi Onaolapo Adesina, Oyo State governor from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003, passed onto glory peacefully on Sunday, 11 November after over 73 years of a very successful sojourn on earth. Alhaji Adesina rose to the pinnacle of all his callings in life. He got to the zenith of his career as a teacher; as a social crusader, he got state recognition and was tagged ‘prisoner of war;’ and politically, he did not only realise his ambition of becoming governor of his state, but also achieved the extra ordinary by installing another governor eight years after he had left office.
Since Sunday, torrents of tributes have been pouring in from various quarters, all extolling the virtues of Alhaji Adesina. He has been described in many superlative words, a development that establishes the fact that Alhaji Adesina was a great man. But how great really was the husband of the benign Alhaja Sarat Adeola Adesina? As his Chief Press Secretary while he served as governor of Oyo State, I will transmit a story of how the former governor tamed a former military head of state and prevented what could have led to Nigeria’s second civil war.
It was on the 13 October 2000, when words went round that General Muhammadu Buhari was leading an Arewa team to the governor’s office to confront the state over alleged killings of Fulani cattle rearers in Saki, Oke Ogun area of the state. General Buhari did actually telephone the governor that he was leading a team to his office.
In less than 30 minutes after the General informed the governor of his visit, we noticed that the entire secretariat was already filled with lorry loads of our brothers from the North. This created some tension, but we kept our calm. At about 2.00 p.m., General Buhari arrived in a long convoy at the Governor’s Office in company with former Governor of Lagos State, General Buba Marwa; Alhaji Aliko Muhammed, Alhaji Abdulrazak, Alhaji Hassan and some others. They all wore long faces. In fact, the anger and venom in them was very palpable as all pleasantries extended to them were largely shunned. “This is trouble” was the expression on the faces of all of us in the Governor’s Office.
Shortly afterwards, the director of State Security Service (SSS) and commissioner of police arrived. But their presence did not change anything, particularly on the fears that had already gripped a majority of us. The two security chiefs did not come with any troops; they came almost alone.
The meeting was called to order after Alhaji Adesina calmly walked into the Executive Chambers in his well-embroidered multi-colour lace attire. When introductions were over, General Buhari spoke of his mission to the Governor’s Office. Literally emitting fire, the General accused the governor and government of Oyo State of complicity in the killings of over 68 Fulani people in Oke Ogun area and perversion of justice.
His words: “Your Excellency, our arrival here is to discuss with you and your government our displeasure about the incident of clashes between two peoples… Fulani cattle rearers and merchants are today being harassed, attacked and killed like in a war in Saki. In the month of May, 2000, 68 bodies of Fulani cattle rearers were recovered and buried under the supervision and protection of a team of mobile policemen from Oyo State Command.
“That some arrests were made by the state police command in the massacre with their immediate release without court trial was said to be ordered by Oyo State authorities and they were so released to their amazements. Then, consequently, the mass release of the arrested suspects gave the clear impression that the authority is backing and protecting them to continue the unjust and illegal killings of Fulani cattle rearers…”
According to the General, they, therefore, wanted immediate stoppage of the killings, justice and compensation for the mass killings of the Fulani.
As weighty and indicting as the General’s allegations were against the governor, Alhaji Adesina remained unperturbed as he only fired back with his own well coordinated explanations.
Alahji Adesina identified all the points raised by the General and simply asked the heads of the organisations directly involved to respond to the allegations made by the General.
First to speak was the commissioner of police who debunked all the claims made by the General. Instead of claims by the General that the natives were killing the Fulani, the police commissioner said pointedly that the opposite was the case.
“The killings of the natives by the Fulani were duly reported to the police and, of course, we can’t make arrest because as soon as they kill, they migrate to other areas. Who are you going to arrest? So, that is the problem,” he said. On the killings of the Fulani, which he said was as result of “piled up anger,” the commissioner disclosed that arrests had been made and that the suspects were still in police custody.
Next was the director of SSS who equally tore all the claims of General Buhari to shreds. “The natives don’t have problem with the Fulani who are resident, but those who are coming in; they don’t care for anybody. They just go ahead and graze on people’s farms and whoever challenges them runs into trouble. You said 68 people were killed and that other people were driven away. I am not saying there were no killings, but it cannot be more than five. The petition is on the harsh side; there is nothing like that,” he said.
Not done yet, Governor Adesina called in his deputy, Mr Iyiola Oladokun; the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Michael Koleoso, both from Oke Ogun; and the chairman of the affected local government, Mr Ademola Alalade. They stated the true positions of things in the area, corroborating the submissions of the security chiefs. At this point, all the tensions and apprehensions evaporated.
Trust Lam any day! He must rub it in. He spoke for about 20 minutes and the Generals were at the edges of their seats for the entire period. They were like chickens that had just been thoroughly beaten by the rain.
Adesina said; “Before I thank you for this visit, you have come to tell me something. I also want to tell you something and that something is to make an appeal. General Buhari has been a former head of state. Brigadier Marwa has governed Lagos for some time and with credibility… So, you are national leaders of this country. Even though, by accident of birth, you are from the North, you can be born anywhere. May be next time when I am coming to the world, I will be born in the North or the South-South.
“My appeal will be that effort must be made to unite this country and that will be to the best interest of all Nigerians. I am appealing to the Arewa Consultative Forum under whose auspices our distinguished Nigerians here are, in recent times, they have been sending wrong signals to a number of us who believe in the unity and peace of Nigeria. You have been too critical of the efforts of the Federal Government. I am saying this because Nigeria at this point cannot afford to break and the words you Northern leaders utter are very weighty. In the South here, we normally analyse them critically.”
On all the allegations, Alhaji Adesina said; “from what they have written in the petition, this government is completely blameless, because we don’t interfere either with the judiciary or the police functions. I always canvass for peaceful co-existence among people living in Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole. We are all Nigerians and that is what we have been preaching all along and we shall continue to be Nigerians, no matter the present or immediate problems which will be solved by the grace of Allah.
“I want to say also that we really have to appeal to our people, the itinerant Bororo people, that they should observe less aggression. It is not good, it is not right to just come from somewhere and then just pass through farmlands cultivated, may be with the person’s life savings, and then over night, everything is gone. That is not right; even Allah does not approve of that. We even wonder, when they talk about these people carrying dangerous weapons. I say do they really believe in Allah? When you just take life like that and go away; are we not forbidden to take human life? So, I think General Buhari and General Marwa have to be educating them… It is my pleasure to inform you that at the Presidential Lodge, we have made some arrangements for refreshments so that before you go, we can refresh together.”
General Buhari and his team did not wait for any refreshments. They came in with anger and left with heads bowed. ADIEU! GREAT LAM!
SUNDAY TRIBUNE