Ogunsuyi, in this interview withJUDE OWUAMANAM, talks about Nigerian
politics from the First Republic
Youwere an active member of the Action Group in the First Republic.
Looking at the polity then, was this the foundation you laid for the
politics of today?
No, no, not at all. At that time, it was by conviction. We were all
Chief Obafemi Awolowo's followers and the kind of politics we played
at that time, perhaps if I should use the word, was politics without
bitterness. We were focused on the development of our people and
development of the state. The political atmosphere was devoid of
rancour. We played politics of inclusion. That was what we were doing.
And again, the leadership was not a selfish one. It made sure that
everybody was educated. Awo (as the late former Premier of Western
Region was fondly called) said the problem of Nigeria is education and
he made sure that all policies were geared towards educating
Nigerians. What (Mahatma) Gandhi and (Jawaharlal) Nehru of India and
others did first at their own time was to start educating everybody.
At that time, people were saying that Indian education was not good.
This was what Awolowo did. He made sure that he made it compulsory
that everybody must be educated. And to know what is happening in your
environment, he introduced radio fusion so that everybody would know
what was happening in the villages, in the farm, everywhere. By 5am,
you are hearing a sound. People paid a token to listen. If you were
eating in abuka(canteen), you were listening to radio; if you were in
your house, in your bedroom, in your kitchen, you were listening to
radio. He did all that. He would go on the air every morning, address
the people, telling them the importance of education and the need to
send their children to school. We became well educated. It got to a
situation where in every home you go in the Western Region, you must
have two or three graduates. People, who were not in school, were
mocked by their peers, especially during the vacation, and that
spurred the spirit of competition among the youth. All schools went on
vacation at a time and it was a pride for everybody in the community
to say 'my child is in so and so grammar school' or 'so and so
university.' Education brought a new dimension and horizon to what Awo
did in the South-West.
Again, people of those days went into politics not to look for money
but for service. They wanted to do something for the nation. Now, the
whole thing has turned round. Politics is now a way of making money.
People go into politics without a kobo and come out with millions.
That patriotism is no longer there. Love for the country is no longer
there. When Awo and his contemporaries — (Nigeria's First President in
the First Republic, late) Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and (first Premier of
northern Nigeria) Ahmadu Bello — were there, politics was for service.
All the developments you see today were their brain child. People came
from somewhere and took our palm kernel. Today, they are the number
one producers of palm oil. We are now even going to them to buy the
oil. So where are we?
Why didn't the current political elite imbibe such culture, especially
those who claim to be Awo, Zik (as Azikiwe was fondly called) or
Saudana (as Bello was fondly called) disciples?
The political elite of today are selfish and greedy. They are not
interested in the biblical injunction of taking care of your
neighbours. They are too parochial in their thinking and
understanding. They are not nationalistic or patriotic. During the
time of Awo, it was a must for Christians and Muslims to read the
Bible or the Qur'an. That was his pattern of training. How can you be
a disciple of Zik or Awolowo, when these people lived a life of
simplicity, and today, you, as their disciple, live in opulence? Awo
was working because he was an economist and made sure he got his
children educated.
Today, we have the Cocoa House as a legacy of Awo. All the things
Okpara (late former Premier of the Eastern Region, Michael Okpara)
did, where are they today? They are all gone. What do we have today?
Everything is going backwards. No 'forward ever' like First Republic
Minister for Trade and Communications and Special Adviser to the Prime
Minister on African affairs Ozumba Mbadiwe preached. People like
Awolowo left a big legacy – the Pan Africanism – which they preached
during the youth movement. They have all gone. Even our youths are
fighting among themselves. They have been corrupted. The last election
they held in Minna (Nigeria State) was a sham. They just gathered some
names and went to Minna to cause trouble. We have to pray to God. Our
religious leaders have to wake up from their slumber. I think the only
saving grace we will have is in the proposed national conference.
Let's see if it will be the last hope to salvage Nigeria.
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