In Loving Memory of Dr. Olusola Saraki, the Political Icon and Waziri Geri of Ilorin Emirate who died on 14 November 2012 (2)

In Loving Memory of Dr. Olusola Saraki, the Political Icon and Waziri Geri of Ilorin Emirate who died on 14 November 2012 (2)

By Hassan Salihu

Introduction

There are epochs in human civilisations that herald the appearance of some personalities. These personalities may be religious reformers, great thinkers, or philosophers. Others may be politicians of note who bring change, or even radicalise the way things are done generally. Their unique styles are noted and appreciated for the colour and glamour they bring to the table. They are mobilisers who stimulate interest in their work and activities. We do have such people in politics who have significantly impacted the people. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was one such person who used his oratory to enliven campaign rallies with his grammatical skills. Chief Obafemi Awolowo laced his own speeches with some logic and down-to-earth messages, in addition to his slogan of a more abundant life for the people, which transformed the old Western Region. Mallam Aminu Kano, on the other hand, worked well with the people through his Talakawa brand of politics, despite the Northern Peoples Party’s strong hold in the old Northern Region. He was so pro-poor that he would not mind joining a protest during his lifetime to fight for his Talakawa followers.

Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, also known as Oloye, was one of the colourful politicians who radicalised politics in Kwara State by providing succour to the people. He did this throughout his life as a politician. He was a notable mobiliser who brought more people into playing the politics of the state. In the process, he established a formidable political structure, often referred to as a political dynasty, that has survived to the present day.

It has been 13 Years since Oloye left this world. Time flies! Baba Saraki was a unique politician, a crusader for democracy, and a lover of the downtrodden masses, who saw in him a major ally and trooped to his house for food and cash. Both his residence and political office were centres of carnival, with musicians of different grades entertaining the people throughout the nights and sometimes till the wee hours of the morning, receiving adequate compensation for their efforts. His arrival in Ilorin was a great occasion for his followers, who abandoned their regular schedules and trooped to the airport to welcome him with fanfare and pageantry. No doubt, some of his ardent followers have not found politics interesting again with his death on 14 November 2012.

Writing this tribute to Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki posed several significant obstacles for this author. Two of these were: One, how can one capture his political and social life in a piece such as this? Two, his control of Kwara politics spanned several years with notable impacts. The writer resolved the dilemma by simply sketching out his noteworthy impacts, especially from the angle of a non-politician that he is.

Background

Most Nigerians knew Oloye as a politician who altered the political landscape as soon as he entered politics in the 1960s, leading him to vie for a federal constituency in Asa Local Government of Kwara State in 1964. Although he lost the election and felt downcast, that feeling lasted only for a moment. He later emerged as a political colossus who bestrode Kwara State politics for nearly four decades before he died in 2012.

He was a London-trained medical doctor who began his career in Lagos, offering his services to Nigerians, including government agencies. Later, he ventured into business, and the combined undertakings propelled him to national prominence. He was not initially cut out for politics, but he rose to become the shaker and mover of Nigerian politics. One can forgive some Nigerians who only came to know him as a colossus politician, but he was also involved in other vocations before and after entering politics. Oloye was a participant in the politics of the First Republic, during which he vied for a seat in the House of Representatives. He was not lucky enough to win the election. Naturally, he felt bad about the election’s outcome and even considered abandoning politics. He was nudged on, while he diverted his attention to philanthropy, which erased the memory of his loss in the electoral contest and brought him to the centre of politics in Nigeria.

Entering Politics and How He Played His Politics

In 1974, he bought vehicles for traditional rulers and titleholders, an unprecedented move in the Ilorin Emirate. That gesture and other philanthropic acts, such as road construction and rehabilitation, furthered his influence far beyond the state. He instantly became the darling of the town. The recourse obviously prepared the ground for him to fully embrace politics. Meanwhile, his impact was noticeable to the military, which was then in charge of the country’s governance, as certain political and economic gestures were extended to him as a politician of note.

His political career received a boost in the late 1978 when the military lifted the ban on politics, heralding the Second Republic in Nigeria. He co-formed the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He vied to fly the party flag in the 1978 presidential primaries held in Lagos and Kaduna. He came second in one and third in another. He had said on the occasion that if other contesters from the north had stepped down for their brother, Alhaji Sheu Shagari, why would he continue with his bid? Alhaji Shehu Shagari won the ticket in the two primaries. Undaunted, he aligned with the party’s decision and subsequently emerged as its major financier. Ilorin suddenly became the scene of the action that members of NPN were visiting for one favour or another, as far as the party was concerned.

The NPN’s victory at the polls led to the reward of Baba Saraki, who emerged as the Senate leader and majority leader in the Senate of the Federal Republic under the Second Republic. Politics is conflictual, at times more so in developing countries. Tensions first developed at his base in Kwara State when the issue of a second term in office for his political godson, Alhaji Adamu Attah, arose, climaxing the uneasy relationship between them. Dr. Olusola Saraki, due to some differences he had with the Governor, Alhaji Attah, was not ready to countenance that from the Governor. The quarrel reached the NPN’s national headquarters. According to available records, the party’s headquarters considered giving the Governor a second term in office. They persuaded Baba Saraki, through several emissaries sent to him, to back down on the issue. He was not willing to do that.

The party structure in the state consequently split into two: the Alhaji Akanbi Oniyangi/Adamu Attah and the Saraki groups. The former group was composed of his erstwhile political associates whom he had nominated and supported as ministers, governors, commissioners, and others, but later rearranged their political involvement. One of them was a minister who leveraged his position to generate political heat for him at the national level over differing perceptions of Kwara politics. This reality eventually led the Saraki group to align with the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) candidate, Chief C. O. Adebayo, who went on to win the 1983 gubernatorial election in Kwara State. Dr. Saraki, however, won back his senatorial seat after some drama. The party was unhappy with Dr. Olusola Saraki over the Governor Attah case and attempted to remove him from the two Senate positions he held. However, due to opposition senators’ efforts, he was able to retain one of the positions. Chief David Dafinole from old Bendel State occupied the other position. However, the 1983 coup put an end to all other punitive measures contemplated and directed against him.

It is not easy to write about Oloye without devoting a significant space to his political career. It was the sphere that gave him substance. He was around during the subsequent republics in Nigeria. During the Third Republic, he formed his own Congress for National Consensus (CNC). However, the politics of the time, with the military’s reluctance to vacate governance becoming manifest in the alteration of the transition programme from time to time, led to the party’s non-registration. As a politician of note, he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), one of the parties formed by the military. He vied for his party’s presidential nomination but was unsuccessful. He, however, managed to install Alhaji Mohammed Shaaba Lafiaji as the party’s Governor of the state. Chief MKO Abiola won the party’s ticket instead. Upon the annulment of Abiola’s electoral victory, Baba Saraki resumed his presidential ambition under one of the five parties registered by General Sani Abacha’s military administration.

Baba Saraki saw the handwriting on the wall that General Abacha was planning to become the civilian President, and he tactically aligned with the moving train when he said: ”Omo iyami ni Abacha, mi oni contest against re.” (Abacha was my brother; I would not contest against him.) The death of General Abacha in office in June 1998 and the coming into power of General Abdulsalami Abubakar truncated the transition programme and the five leprous political parties. It led to a new transition programme and the formation of new political parties. Dr. Olusola Saraki embraced the new transition programme by joining the All Peoples Party (APP) at its formation and played a critical role in its politics. Expectedly, he delivered most of the seats in Kwara State to the party in 1999.

He did an unusual thing by directing his supporters to vote for Admiral Mohammed Alabi Lawal, his party’s candidate and godson for the governorship seat, but urging them to vote for Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in the presidential election. What Nyesom Wike is doing by having his legs in two political parties at the same time is therefore not new. The only difference was that Baba did not openly work against his party and resorted to unending litigation with the APP. Some believed that a deal Baba struck with Chief Obasanjo had encouraged that and led him to nominate an adviser in his government. The truth is that there was a fire on the mountain then because the party’s presidential door was shut against him by the APP leadership. He then switched his support to the PDP in the presidential election to level the score with his own party.

That was the initial scenario before the political tsunami in Kwara State complicated the political environment. Governor Alabi Lawal, who had resisted the campaigns against his godfather’s presidential ambition in the party in Kaduna, later had issues with Dr. Olusola Saraki, which also divided the APP in the state into two. Failure to resolve the issues in contention led Baba Saraki to support his son, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in his bid to succeed Governor Lawal. Due to the political dispute, the name of Kwara State became popular in Nigeria for the wrong reasons, owing to the high level of violence surrounding political activities in the state. Baba eventually prevailed with his political permutations in the state. Again, he remained in APP, which later became ANPP, but his son became Governor through the PDP platform, posing a significant dilemma for the parties involved.

Dr. Olusola Saraki waged many political battles during his lifetime. One other battle he waged was over installing his daughter, Gbemisola Saraki, through the relatively unknown Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), known in local parlance as ”egbe olo kere”, as the Governor of Kwara State. This project, which his son, Dr Bukola Saraki, who was the Governor, opposed, was the last political battle he waged before he died in 2012. Meanwhile, the PDP candidate supported by his son, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, swept the polls and became the state’s Governor in 2011.

Meanwhile, Baba’s voice on national politics was heard earlier by Nigerians when there was a manifest reluctance to return power to the north in 2007. Dr. Saraki entered the fray through his movement, the Northern Union. Baba had argued on the occasion that the movement was necessary to fight for the return of power to the north after Chief Obasanjo’s tenure as President from the South. He resorted to crisscrossing the nation to achieve this. Not much was heard again about the Union after President Umar Musa Yar’Adua became the President. Upon the sickness of President Yar’Adua, Baba came to the scene again, campaigning that power be transferred to the Vice-President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, as Acting President of Nigeria. Based on the above summary of his political activities, the author can make some points about his politics and how he played them, especially against the background of the many questions the writer has been asked on several occasions about why Oloye had dominated Kwara politics for too long.
Lessons to Learn from His Politics
Twenty-four things defined Baba Saraki’s politics during his lifetime and offer lessons for our politicians on stage now and those hoping to enter politics in the future. One, he was tolerant of people on low incomes and took their war as his own. He was more comfortable among them and lamented the growing poverty in the land. He was ready to part with his wealth to see them happy. This fact explained why they bonded with him in all his political battles. Two, he was not fond of inheriting political structures. He would always join parties with his own executive committee, whose members he most often paid out of his own pocket. Three, he retained and maintained his political structure till his death. He had political allies across the state whom he reached out to. Four, he was an apostle of the politics of consensus. He appreciated rotational principles but shunned party primaries, which, in his view, tended to create divisions. Five, he mainly fancied belonging to the party at the centre for obvious reasons, except when pushed into opposition. Six, he appreciated having his political tentacles spread across the nation through many initiatives that he championed. At one time, he wielded considerable influence in neighbouring states to Kwara State through his political platforms.

Seven, he was ready to part with his hard-earned money to remain politically relevant. This tendency drained his purse and left him with few assets when he died in 2012. Eight, there was no political boundary he could not cross to attain his political goals related to political visibility. Nine, he was a principled politician at times and ready to carry the cross of being principled. Ten, he was ever forgiving of his political allies who missed their political steps and still rewarded them. Eleven, he was a student of culture who tried as much as possible to plant the seed of his politics in the cultural thesis. He was never disruptive of people’s culture; his problem with the ninth Emir of Ilorin, which was later resolved, notwithstanding. Most of his appointees were made after due consultations with relevant cultural groups and traditional institutions, which served as his strong supporters, carrying his political messages, though discreetly, across the state. He held the title of Waziri-Geri of Ilorin before his death.

In this regard, he was fond of consulting the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) before taking his next step, and he consistently received its support in all his political moves. Based on this, the Union played a significant role in protecting and projecting his image. He was never tired of identifying with the Union in carrying out its activities, entailing making handsome donations during such outings.

Twelve, he was an astute politician who took politics as a vocation. He was very calculating and strategic in his most political moves: he knew when to advance and when to beat a retreat. He equally knew what steps to take to disarm and dismantle opposition to him. Thirteen, he was not adopting a use-and-dump approach, or what is now known as a ‘joint venture’, in pursuing his political goals. He was always rewarding his loyal allies. Where there was an oversight, he made amends as soon as possible. Fourteen, he was somewhat ideological in his approach to politics. He may not have been a socialist, but he was nevertheless committed to empowering the people, even if his approach was more welfarist. Fifteen, he was a firm believer in the ballot box. Knowing that he had the people behind him, he was always out to slug it out with his opponents through the ballot box. Sixteen, he was God-fearing, seeking forgiveness from the people he had wronged in the course of his political activities, before he died in 2012. Seventeen, he was a one-person riot squad fighting for the interest of the Ilorin emirate. He knew how he did his things, including influencing postings of heads of federal agencies to Kwara State to protect vital interests. Eighteen, Baba Saraki was a lover of widows and the older adults, for whom he created Ile-Arugbo and reached out to them specifically through his networks.

Nineteen, he was a firm believer in the north, whose causes he championed on several occasions. For instance, his Northern Union, as he had argued, was to serve as the political face of the north, having realised that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) was not too convenient to fight for the political rights of the north. The Union was therefore instrumental to the return of power to the region in 2007 through President Umar Musa Yar’Adua. He nevertheless had some issues to grind with a section of the north over Governor Attah’s case, which, in this author’s view, characterised the 1998 politics of the APP and the subsequent emergence of the Obasanjo presidency in 1999.

Twenty, Baba was a big spender whose presence at occasions made them big and glamorous. After his donations, which were usually big, such events always came to an abrupt end. Twenty-one, no other politicians in the state pulled his crowd. Long convoys of vehicles accompanied him to his occasions. He was an electrifier who was always out pursuing prevalent causes like launching. Twenty-two, Dr Olusola Saraki had his influence and generosity extended beyond the borders. He was a major supporter of the liberation efforts of the Nigerian State in Africa, and he headed one such effort in the process. Twenty-three, he created job opportunities, either directly or indirectly, as some quick businesses sprang up for food vendors and other traders who transacted business on his shores whenever he was in town, with his numerous supporters day and night. Unlike some other politicians, he was fond of meeting people who had spoken about others behind them and the subjects of gossiping face-to-face to clarify issues. The advantage here is that he was able to set off the gossip mill before it became cancerous.

Consequently, he had mentored several people and touched their lives, making it difficult to name them all. Most of whom are in politics. Numerous doctors, engineers, lawyers, and others have become what they are because of the milk of kindness that flowed in him across the nation. He trained countless indigent students, the number none can say with certainty. One cannot forget that he sponsored pilgrimages across religious lines. Baba was a notable politician from Kwara State who walked the surface of the earth. Some critical minds have pointed out his failings essentially around not pursuing politics of development, but no one has been created perfect by God except Himself. All human beings have their follies. In particular, all politicians of note have their admirers and those who are not inclined to give them a pass.

However, given the era in which he played his politics and the level of political culture, which no doubt is low in our clime, one would be tempted to adjust one’s assessment of his time to reflect the character of politics at that time. For instance, how many graduates did we have in the emirate at the time who could have engaged in elite politics in Ilorin? He was undoubtedly urbane with his Lagos slang and clearly understood the elite type of politics, but not for the environment. Contrary to the widespread assumption, his style of politics fed into the then nature of politics in Ilorin emirate, which showed the dominance of some personalities and the politics of stomach infrastructure of the time, revolving around the giving of farm produce to party loyalists. The only difference he brought about was monetising the political efforts, informed by the circumstances of his time.

This situation compels this author to appeal to those in politics now to allow the realities of their time to inform their work. Attempting to replicate exactly what Baba did during his time would be disappointing, as that era is gone and gone forever. With demographics showing more people born shortly before his demise and after, who are more urbane and have access to information than those he had played politics with in 1974, Kwara politics, one would say, has been transformed ever since. A new approach to politics is necessary that reflects the changing dynamics.

My Relationship with Him

Unbelievably, this writer did not have an extensive relationship with him, but he has had one with two of his children. I recall an occasion in 1983 when I drove my maternal uncle to his house at his request, but we were not so lucky as to meet him there. His people pressured us to wait for him, but the uncle was under time pressure because people were waiting for him at home. I had met him in 1986 at the UITH, Ilorin, on the day I lost my father, and in 2006 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos during my botched trip to Mecca. I also recall a letter I wrote to him requesting his support for a conference I organised for my Department at the University of Ilorin in 2003, while serving as its head.

In the follow-up meetings I had with people around Baba Saraki, they told me that he had approved something for us. I later learnt that 200,000 naira was approved for payment to us through another source, but we never received it. Notwithstanding, he was a strong personality who produced many politicians and brought his unique style to the art of politics in Nigeria.

Conclusion

Baba Saraki saw and contributed his quota to the development of Nigeria, which at some point was made the leader of business during the Abacha Constitutional Conference convened in 1994/1995. At this point, let this author be provocative by asking some questions. One, given the level of political service rendered to the nation, why has no Institute for the study of politics or any other edifice been established in honour of Baba Saraki, either in Abuja or Ilorin? Two, with the short memory of the people, why has not a compendium been prepared in place of a multitude of books to remind the younger generation of Oloye’s legacy of service? Three, why is it difficult to reform the political structure he has left behind to bring new faces into the camp instead of the realignment and abandonment that are taking place? One can go on to raise other issues intended to challenge his followers, but the few questions that this author has asked are enough for them to ponder.

Again, Baba left this world some 13 years ago, but our development-related challenges remain very much with us in the emirate, if not worsening. The best honour we can do to our departed elders is to be less concerned with self, to think about our teeming underprivileged in the corners of the opportunities we have as Governors, Senators, MPs, businesspeople, academics, and people of other vocations, and to empower them to fend for themselves. After all, politics should be for the overall development of a community/nation, with people’s input and interests guiding the way. If politics does not serve that purpose, what else would? This observation constitutes the challenge I am issuing as we mark the 13th anniversary of the death of Dr. Olusola Saraki, a soldier and crusader for the people. He played his part and left this world.

May Allah continue to be pleased with Baba Oloye and forgive him for his shortcomings and reward him with paradise. Ameen na ya Allahu
(Amen).

Prof. Hassan A. Saliu, is of Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin.