Last Sunday, my friend and intellectual partner Festus Adedayo in his June 8 column published an article in the Sunday Tribune titled ” June 12 and it’s casualties, 32 years later. His column which he usually sends to me has become my Sinday-Sunday tablet like a pregnant woman taking precaution against malaria.
In the article he gave fitting exposé to those who made June 12 possible and named their many contributions. He also mentioned those he could not name as those not forgotten but must be remembered so they are not lost to history. He suggested how those whose grave sacrifices to what had become of our democracy today have not benefitted neither is there family a partaker of the system as it currently runs. Of grave consequence is that of Pa Alfred Rewane (Osibakoro ) who was murdered in clod blood in his house at Ikeja by Abscha goons for the sake of the struggle. He specifically mentioned Chief Frank Kokori leader of NUPENG who died peniless some few years back as the flag bearers of the June 12 heroes. He asked rhetorically ” is what we have today all our fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and contemporaries fought and died for…?
After I received the message, I quickly, responded to him as we used to do in our usual explosive and volatile remonstrations, demonstrations, accusations, counter accusations, agreements and disagreements. This Sunday was not different. I fired back and concluded that ” history has shown that, it is not everyone that wages a war that benefits or profits from it. There would always be casualties of struggles in varied ways just like profiteers or beneficiaries. The American war of independence was fought by many only few lived to witness its fruits. Dr. Martin Luther King never got to the promised land like the biblical Moses. That’s why Mimiko our former governor would say ” eni ma ku a ku, eni ma ku a ku”. Those who would perish would perish and those who would survive would survive”.
Trust Festus while he agreed, he responded thus” I agree with you absolutely. There are always casualties and toads of war. There’s no harm retelling that fact of history as I just did. Tinubu said he prepared to be president long time ago. Was this ‘sacrifice’ part of the preparations? A leading human rights lawyer once told me how Tinubu funded pro-democracy activities of the period so I’m not in denial of his contributions and it’d be foolish of me to compare his contributions with the absence of Atiku or Obi. The theme of the piece was however to say what you just lucidly stated now – that casualties are expendable war canisters☺️”.
Since my last encounter above with Festus, I have had many moments of silent recollections. Some teared me up badly, some gave me reasons to say again ” thank God, I was alive to not only witness the events of those period. Even though my name never made the headlines like many of my contemporaries, yet, I was part of a historical and defining legacy in the socio-political struggle of my nation. As a reporter, I was at the front lines making the weekly headlines for my media house. As a protester, I was happy to enable, encourage and participate in the revolts. It was difficult for me to draw a line in my role as a reporter or protester. But my position as a reporter gave me access to the inner recesses of the pro- democracy struggles to confront the system without been detected.
I viewed that part of my over sixty years of existence as the most compelling and notable part of my life. If I have the chance of living that life again, I would not look back to make such contributions. In the process, I lost friends, colleagues to the cold hands of death, I lost friends and mentors to human fragilities. Good examples are Chief Ebenezer Babatope and Dr. Jonathan Zwingina. I lost my personal liberties a couple of times too and received blalas and kobokos from the Nigerian military.
However, while my friend Festus saw casualties, I join him to see actualites (deliverables ) of June 12. Let’s consider if these great men had not made the profound sacrifices they made that turned them to casualties and matrys, what would have become of Nigeria today? Peradventure, there was no “Osibakoro”, there was no NUPENG of Frank Kokori, there was no Beko, no Gain, no Falana, no MAD, no Kunle Ajibade, Ben Charles-Obi, Niran Malaolu. What would have happened to us and our world as a people?
Imagine there were no enablers or sponsors like Wole Soyinka, Bola Ahmed Tinubu ( financiers), no Fayemi of Radio Kudirat, no Nigerian Students as represented by the ideological NANS? Supposed we did not have people like Kwakwanso, Dele Momodu, Dele Farotimi, Taiwo Akinlami, Segun Odidi, Kunle Odidi, Gani Mohammed Ajowa, Tolu Babaleye, Comrade Akele, Obesere, Mr. Theo Adebowale ( Theocracy), Kunle Oyegoke, Comrade Ayo Adewale and many numerous Nigerian Students across campuses too numerous to mention. Supposed we never had NLC, ASUU? Imagine we did not have Femi Ojudu and his gang? We did not have Tell Magazine or The News or Tempo. Suppose there were no guirella journalist and journalism an area I excelled under Ohens Joseph along Allen Avenue, Agidingbi, Ojota, Ogba, Agbotikuyo, Toyin Street, Dopemu, Akowonjo, Idimu and Ishan ( Esan in Edo State).
These collectives did everything humanly possible through the ” sweat of their brows and the blood of their veins” to plant the seed of an enduring constitutional democracy today.
What I see is no longer the casualties but the “causalities” of their actions. Their sacrifices had transfigured them from “expendable.war canisters” to causal effects or the purveyors of a greater and better nation. What I see is the end product of what they planted like the American flag on the face of the moon.
I see 26 years of uninterrupted democracy in whatever form or shape or colour. Just like Festus noted in his piece refrencincing Prof. Larry Diamond’s ” semi-democracy” or Prof Wale Adebanwi’s ” anocracy”. Their efforts had not been in vain because they form the footnotes of an enduring legacy.
The fact that, no one can shut down radio stations, newspaper houses unquestionably. Invade University campuses or kill Nigerian Students and youths with reckless abandon is a testament that we have not lost it all despite the many imperfections.
From here, I see a better tomorrow. I see an emerging spectacle of reforms. I see, the coming of State and local government Police, I see a more liberal fiscal federalism. I see the dominant emergence of some of the dreams of immortal Chief Obafemi Awolowo coming into fruition. I see a better South West in a Federal Nigeria. I see a better tomorrow for my Motherland Yorubaland. I see a more sustainable and sustained democratic practice being built block by block, brick by brick. It won’t be easy but it will endure.
