Awolowo , A Greater African Leader Than Nelson Mandela

By Jadesola Babatola,

There is no controversy between the Supremacy of Awolowo's personality and positive contributions to African history, political leadership, economic transformation and good governance over Mandela's personality and contributions despite the latter's international recognition and acceptability.

Except for Mandela's 27 years political imprisonment unlike Awolowo's 5 years political imprisonment and the fact that Mandela became President while Awolowo was never allowed beyond a Regional Premier, Leader of Opposition in Federal Parliament and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Council of a Federal Military Government, there is no controversy as to the mental capacity, leadership attributes and self-discipline and intellectual supremacy of Awolowo in any literary contest, personality traits and political advocacy with Mandela.

Awolowo had just a wife in his lifetime despite all his challenges. Mandela had three wives. Where is self discipline and spiritual harmony in their life patterns? This is not to condemn anyone but to show the level of tolerance and understanding which one exercise over his body than the other, even when someone is acclaimed to have been in prison for longer than the other.

Awolowo wrote over 10 books on various aspects of National political leadership and social transformation and laid the basis for several political change, diplomatic approaches, educational development and balanced developing economic strategy and realizable fiscal management that contributed to the fortunes of the most populous Black African nation of the world- Nigeria. Mandela wrote just a book or two on his prison experience and liberation struggle. Awolowo did same without any unnecessary sympathy seeking attentions.

South Africa population is far less to Nigeria by a fraction. What Mandela did there, if it was in Nigeria, he could have best been regarded as Anthony Enahoro or Ken Saro Wiwa or Bala Usman whose achievements cannot equate those of Awolowo. We need to read between lines. No one says Mandela is not great. No one says he didn't restore the dignity of Black Africans just as Barak Obama made a name as the 1st African-American President of USA.

You need to separate Mandela's deeds from his capabilities and positive impact on knowledge, political leadership and the society. Many people accuse Awolowo of strong leadership influence on his follower-ship and impenetrable political strategies. This is unlike Mandela who is often seen as a non-violent and ungrudging leader. Yet, the afflictions which and the terrain where Awolowo exist are different. Despite Awolowo commitment and contributions to building a greater Nigerian nation, he was subjected to political intimidation and oppression and invariably imprisoned.

Awolowo is a man of high level of academic, entrepreneurial and professional capabilities and activities and who expected better treatment. You will remember what became of loyal Fajuyi and what ended the story of winning MKO Abiola. The Yorubas are sufferers of national unity in Nigeria. If people says Awolowo is unforgiving, people should also search their conscience what they did to him and which they should not have done. This is why Herbert Ogunde sang YORUBA RONU in the 60s.

From an intellectual vintage, we need to understand that Obafemi Awolowo came from the Yoruba society that has a culture where Evil (Ika) is repaid in ancient times and by Yoruba Philosophy with Divine Justice. Yorubas beliefs tend to thrive on justice, equity, equality, good deeds and great character (OMOLUABI) syndrome. That is not the culture of Zulus, Bantus and other average South African tribes?

What is the essence of life communality, spirituality and brotherhood to a Yoruba man or a Yoruba Leader from anthropological and sociological premise? Those who have greater understanding would know that Awolowo is still a better Leader. The Yorubas would say: Odale Ore ki se eni ti a le gbara le. Igi ti a fehin ti ti ko le gba ni, to ba wo lu ni, ko le pani. That is, A Traitor or betrayer is not worthy of reliance. A tree that we lay upon that cannot withstand our weight, if it fell on us, it cannot kill us.

The culture and beliefs of Awolowo as a Yoruba man is not the culture of the South Africans or those of Nelson Mandela. So, if it takes much pride or difficulty for Awolowo as the ASIWAJU of the YORUBAs to forgive his detractors, it does not mean, he his wicked or a mean man. Every Yoruba man who is not an OMO ALE (a BASTARD) has the same trait, in fact, Yorubas of North Eastern parts are very difficult people – The Ekitis (Alagidi), the Ijeshas (Osomalo) and the Oyos (Ajeles).

Was Awolowo conceived within the same culture and environment like Mandela? Does the prevalent culture of Black man in South African society the same in Nigeria? Let us think in perspectives as we marry attitudes and character with capabilities and attitudinal influences of the society.

If Mandela can easily forgive the White racists for incarcerating him and for keeping the Blacks in perpetual poverty and slavery for centuries, that would not mean that an average Nigerian, at least a Yoruba man can do the same! Not even the Aba Women who rioted in 1928 against introduction of British Taxes or Herbert Macaulay (father of Nigerian Nationalism) that fought against the acquisition of native land in Lagos in the celebrated Oluwa case or Michael Imoudu who led labour strikes in the 40s after the killing of Nigerian Coal miners. This is what is still happening today in South Africa under a Black led Government and nothing is strange about it. What British did in Nigeria in the 40s and the country turned upside down is happening in South Africa years after the fall of Apartheid without much ado about it.

Even in modern South Africa, when a man is killed by another man, the onus is on the dead to prove that he was wronged. Just as the Yorubas now say in modern times: Teni to ku lo segbe (The one that dies is the loser). The dead doesn’t go to South African Courts to tell stories. I have been there and I know a bit about their culture, a dead man is the loser. Wherever I travel to, I ask about their culture, because the Yorubas say: the way we do at home, may be an offence elsewhere, just as the white man’s adage says: Be as a Roman when you get to Rome.

For us in Yoruba land and for Awolowo and his lieutenants like my father, a dead man has a family and a source. So his death is not the end of the matter. Justice must be given even if it is given in mercy or by forgiveness. The onus is on the family because every man and every soul is connected to each other. This is why the Yorubas would say: Ina ku, ofi eru boju, ogede ku, ofi omo e ropo. (A dead man has heirs and relatives to take over his possessions and continue the lineage). Yoruba people have not just common sense but native sense (Arojinle). So, I often laugh at people that say Awolowo doesn’t have a forgiven spirit.

For the instance, my father – High Chief (Dr.) J.E. Babatola, the Olora of Ado-Ekiti led the breakaway faction of Awolowo led UPN under Chief Akin Omoboriowo’s candidacy away to NPN in 1983, to protest the leadership and choice of Chief Adekunle Ajasin as 2nd term Governor owning to victimization of Ekiti people among others. Prior to that event, quoting from public records of Ondo State Government, Akure on 27th February, 1982 when Chief Obafemi Awolowo visited Ondo State to mediate over the broiling UPN crisis at Akure and to engender the drafting of a Treaty of Peace containing 22 terms was drawn up and signed by Chief Ajasin, Chief Akin Omoboriowo and a few others, he said this about my father: “…Here is a man (Babatola) who like a trusted horse, we have ridden to battle and returned victorious….Do you now cast away such a horse oblivious of his past good services, just because PREJUDICE now beclouds our vision to see the justness in his case?...”    

The above statement shows that Chief Awolowo knows the truth and doesn’t shy away from it. If he was ever disappointed with Omoboriowo Group, it was as a result of their instance when Party took a final decision at National Level to stand by Ajasin against the wish of Omoboriowo Group. Again, what is imperative and clear was that Chief Awolowo made two attempts to reconcile with my father before he died in 1987, though the initial meeting fixed could not hold due to my father’s ailment at the time while the second flopped due to his domestic situation and inability to meet Awolowo. Baba Awo wrote to him and sent him a greeting card asking him to meet him at his Apapa home or at Ikenne.

This same Awolowo whom people said doesn’t have a forgiving heart, quarreled with my father in 1967 over the move to support the proclamation of ODUA REPUBLIC after BIAFRA was proclaimed because he wanted Nigeria to remain ONE FEDERAL STATE and still humbled himself to reconcile with my father in 1969. He that a person you now call a man without a forgiving heart? Awolowo may be rigid, but he is a man with conscience from my perspective of historical knowledge and understanding of his capabilities and reactions. Let those who know nothing less about Awolowo speak about him in wicked ways. God is the judge of the living and the dead and will judge us for what we say and know nothing about.

In South Africa, Nelson Mandela is the symbol of the end to racial discrimination and rule of the minority with white racial supremacy. However, do not let us forget that other leaders supported him in ANC like Oliver Tambo and Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Do not forget how the blood of Steve Biko was spitted and what Winnie Mandela suffered in fighting for racial equality and elimination of racial discrimination on African soil.

Similar experience took place in other countries where great people worked to seek independence of their nations and end of colonial rule and racial supremacy between whites and blacks. Many people unsung because they opposed white supremacy are:

    Samora Michel of Mozambique,
    Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia,
    Jonas Savimbi of Angola,
       Hallie Selassie of Ethiopia,
    Abdel Nasser of Egypt and
    Seko Toure of Guinea. To mention few

In Nigeria, those who rank high in the struggle for independence include:

    Nnamdi Azikiwe,
    Obafemi Awolowo and
    Anthony Enahoro.

The same experience was recorded in Americas where names of great revolutionaries and non-violent campaigners’ remain indelible in history. The likes of

    Dr. Martin Luther-King Jnr,
    Elijah Malcolm X 

We need to look at issues from broader historical and sociological perspectives to be able to advance the reasonableness of our historical thoughts and arguments while interpreting historical actions and events.

When I insisted that Awolowo is greater than Mandela, I am not myopic or self-centred? My family suffered loss in 1983 political inferno in old Ondo State under UPN political machineries apart from other victimizations from 1982 onward till 1984. However, that will not becloud my sense of logical and deductive reasoning to say that Awolowo is evil or that he is not great, if he is great.

In intellectual angle, we don’t look at ourselves but at issues and the realities surrounding it. What I am looking at between Awolowo and Mandela is their mental capabilities to address issues, the leadership qualities and aspirations as political leaders and their progressive and positive contributions within the areas of their participation and terrain of existence and how it affected lives and not merely what they stood for or did. Awolowo affected lives in the areas of:

    Modern Civilization and good governance.
    Education, Youth and Sports Development.
    Free Press and flow of Information.
    Industrialization.
    Commercial and Banking Development.
    Modern Housing Development and Road Construction.

In terms of intellectual capacity and oracular assertion, few Black Africans ranks in order of the late sage – Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo as a socio-political philosopher, crusader and thinker in Pan-African history and as a political leader among his people. Such a list may consider or include: Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr of USA, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Dr. Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Leopold Senghor of Senegal, Frantz Fanon of Algeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria (Zik of Africa), Dr. Marcus Garvey of Caribbean/America, Comrade Patrice Lumumba of Congo. Others would be trailing behind for now.

If not for Awolowo, Nigeria would have broken apart way back in 1967. Gowon’s Government brought him from Prison and later invited him to the Government to stabilise the nation and to retain the Western Region as part of Nigeria, when Eastern Region had ceded. Remember that we just 4 Regions. Banjo initially captured Midwest and they would have successfully gone the way of the East, if the West had joined despite Muritala Mohammed effort with others at Ore.

All the success of the Gowon administration to win that war and to keep Nigeria as ONE was the effort of Awolowo and his team of advisers, mostly Yoruba intellectuals. History would allow us to name names someday.

When people assail the intelligence of the Yorubas by insulting them that they are looking for every opportunity to break up Nigeria, I always laugh. Yorubas have suffered much since colonial era to keep Nigeria as ONE because of the beauty of our oneness and greatness in modern African society.

Someone wrote me and accused that Awolowo was corrupt and I felt it was the greatest insult any Yoruba could give to his heritage. I nearly shed tears out of emotions and not sentiments. Then to keep my balance, I replied thus: '...if you are a student of history, you will know better that Awolowo has chains of business and that he was in legal practice and owned a Newspaper - Tribune, way back to the 1940s, when he was not yet the Premier of Western Region. When he came into government in 1953/54 and remain there till 1959, when he became Leader of Opposition, he didn't need to steal to have much wealth. He was a shrewd businessman like MKO before coming into politics. You need to correct your impression about him. My father served under him as a Minister in colonial and regional government and under SLA from 1956 to 1963. All my father brought home was an upstair building at Ijigbo, Ado-Ekiti which he built from salaries and loans issued by Western Nigeria Housing Corporation at Bodija, Ibadan. Go and check the records. My father was Minister for 6 years and had no other business. By 1971, he had only a car as a School Principal before he was made a Commissioner representing Ekiti Division again in Western State of Nigeria. Just like Awolowo who had a saner record than politicians of today. When Awolowo acquired Maroko, it was by settlement in litigation cases just as he got some of his other assets and properties as a lawyer. May God have mercy on his soul...'

Here, I will rest my case and may not write further on the subject. History books are there for everyone to read even if we do not have adequate knowledge of who Awolowo was and is, in the destiny of Nigerian nation. AWO has a lasting legacy that NO mortal can destroy in Nigerian and African political history as at TODAY. I am not repentant about my views of Awolowo because I know him physically and read and heard of him severally and saw him spoke. Most Readers wouldnt agree to what was written , but this is just his own personal view of it.