THIS IS ABEOKUTA

A city of splendour and contrasts. A city of many Nigerians with firsts in their chosen professions. A city of great men and women. Welcome to Abeokuta, the Ogun State seat of power.Abeokuta, famous “town under the rock” can also be described as a town with a tale of sweet and sour. It is a town that providence has bestowed on the task to always play a prominent role in the socio-economic and political destiny of our dear country, Nigeria, at various times.Indeed, the history of Nigeria before and after independence in 1960 cannot be complete without a generous mentioning of Abeokuta people otherwise known as the Egbas. They are as fiery as they are fearless. And they straddle every face of our national life like colossus. They are so prominent that they hardly need any introduction. As somebody once remarked, “what would Nigeria have been without the Egbas?” Abeokuta, to some people, is the rock upon which Nigeria is built. Even the history of Nigeria’s Press is tracable to Abeokuta, where Henry Townsend founded Iwe Iroyin.For students of history, the Western part of the country blazed the rumblings in the country where notable Egba indigenes played a leading role. This, according to available records, culminated in the historic treasonable felony trial of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, then leader of the opposition in the federal parliament. To the late founder of the Action Group (AG) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), his fellow Yoruba brothers from Abeokuta (Sir Adetokunbo Ademola and Justice Sodeinde Sowemimo) were at the forefront of his orchestrated arrest, trial and subsequent imprisonment. The historic judgement of Justice Sowemimo read: “With regard to the 27th accused person, I have discussed the evidence against him exhaustively and I find him guilty on the three counts”The ambiguous statement by Sowemimo, “My hands are tied” for many years remained in the political lexicon of the country. The statement, according to many political pundits, was to justify the trial of Chief Awolowo by his Yoruba brothers from Abeokuta.Chief M.A. Majekodunmi, an Egba man, also played a leading role in the old Western Region crisis which saw his emergence as the Administrator of the Western Region. It was he that ordered the restriction of movement and eventually, the house arrest of Chief Awolowo.Majekodunmi’s assumption of office put paid to the administration of another Egba man, Alhaji Dauda Soroye Adegbenro, the choice of the AG to replace Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola as Premier. While he lasted, Majekodunmi restricted the movement of his townsman to Osogbo instead of their town, Abeokuta . Events of the early 60’s which involved Chief Awolowo who was born and bred in Abeokuta and some notable Egba indigenes, according to many political watchers and historians, precipitated the crisis in the old Western Reigion , the first military coup in the country and by extension or progression the civil war that engulfed the country for many months.The Afro-beat legend, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti never spared former President Olusegun Obasanjo and late Publisher of the Concord Newspapers, the late Bashorun MKO Abiola. These two illustrious Egba sons, he considered as oppressors and never spared them through poisoned barbs, while he was on this side of planet.Obasanjo’s military administration after his boss, General Murtala Mohammed was assassinated supervised the destruction of Fela’s Kalakuta’s Republic in Yaba area of Lagos. During what later became “Unknown Soldier” saga, Fela’s household including his late younger brother and mother were molested and wounded by soldiers in the 1977 rampage.Fela’s mother and the matriarch of the Ransome-Kuti family and a woman activist was badly beaten and thrown down form the storey building. She never recovered fully from the trauma until she died later.For the Afro-beat king’s brother, Dr. Beko, who also suffered the same faith, he never recovered fully from the fracture he sustained during the raid as he limped for greater part of his life after the soldiers’ assault on his family.Since 1960, there was hardly any political unease in the country that would not have an Egba son or sons at the centre of the emerging scenario. During the June 12, 1993 presidential election which later became a watershed in our political history, an Egba illustrious son, Bashorun Abiola, contested and won the election.Unfortunately, instead of the winner to be inaugurated as the President, the Military President in power then, General Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the historic election.Unfolding facts later revealed that General Obasanjo quietly supported the illegal action of the Minna-born General against his town’s man, Abiola.In the mid of the crisis that trailed the annulment, another Egbaman, Chief Ernest Sonekan, became the head of a political concoction; the Interim National Government (ING) that was later sacked in a bloodless coup that was staged by the late General Sani Abacha. He was the most despotic military ruler Nigeria ever had since 1960.When the country managed to survive the threat that trailed the annulment, the mantle of leadership once again fell on an Egbaman, General Olusegun Obasanjo. That was after his school mate and townsman, Bashorun Abiola, had died in a mysterious circumstance while in prison.Obasanjo left power after an eight-year rule which brought more hardship than succour to the Nigerian masses, particularly in area of power generation and security. As Nigerians were relishing their experiences from the Obasanjo’s administration another Egbaman, Hon. Dimeji Sabur Bankole, mounted the saddle of leadership as he was made the Speaker of House of Representatives.Since providence has bestowed on it that her indigenes must take active part in the direction of the country, it is hoped that as year 2008 unfolds, Abeokuta, the ancient town of Egba people, will continue to blaze its trail in the political history of the country. Only time will tell!.However, it is a great irony that this historic town whose paramount ruler is the Alake, barely boast of a big time manufacturing industry except sole proprietorship industries and quarrying businesses that dominate the town.

by

Moshood Adebayo

(Culled from The Sun Newspapers)