Sola Ojo was employed into the Department of International Relations by Prof. Olajide Aluko in 1973. Both of them met when Ojo attended a Diploma programme in International Affairs in 1972/73 session at the Institute of Public Administration, Ibadan. Ojo’s performance in the programme impressed Aluko who gave him immediate employment as a graduate assistant. He (Ojo) was also sponsored to the London School of Economics for both his Master’s and Doctorate programmes by the Institute.
It was the same university that Aluko attended some years back. When the Institute moved to Ife from Ibadan to become a full-fledged Faculty of Administration, other academics had been added to the International Relations Department under Aluko. At that time, Ojo was still in London. However, in 1976, the three academics working with Aluko had resigned from the department on the same day as a result of irreconcilable differences between them and Aluko. They were Dr. Ogunbadejo, who later moved to the Political Science department in the same University of Ife, while Dr J. B. Ojo and Dr. Adedeji left the university for public service.
By 1977 when Ojo had completed his doctorate programme, three other staff had been appointed to replace those who resigned. They were Dr. Henderson, Dr. M. A. Ojo and D. Ralph Onwuka. Between 1977 when Ojo returned from London and 1985 when the crisis erupted, the number of academics in the Department had increased substantially.
As at the time of the unending conflict between Aluko and Ojo, the Department of International Relations had become polarised with Aluko having most of the lecturers in his camp. They were: Ralph Onwuka, Olatunde Ojo, Amechi Okolo, Tale Omole, Emeka Nwokedi, Layi Abegunrin and Kayode Soremekun. Those in the Ojo’s wamp were scanty: Amadu Sesay and Yinka Bamiduro. There was also Jide Owoeye, but his position, just like mine, could not be ascertained since he was just a doctorate student under Ojo’s supervision. Even at that, he suffered heavy collateral damage being a student of the perceived “Enemy of the Father of the Department”. His doctoral dissertation suffered several setbacks and delays as a result of Aluko-Ojo power tussle.
By now, I was almost regretting moving from History department to International Relations. As a journalist, I had covered politics and numerous political activities, politicians and political “dogs”, sorry, “political thugs”. However, I was witnessing and experiencing politics in the academia for the first time. I was naive again to believe that there could be a collectivity that would be insulated from politics forgetting what Aristotle said: “Man is a political animal”. His position was that because man is a social creature with the power of speech and moral reasoning, he will always be conscious of the influence and power of power. In the History department, it was “The Department” (Akinjogbin) versus “Head of Department” (Anjorin) fighting over the correct mark for my project. In International Relations department, it was the “Father of the department ” versus “Son of the department “. If I didn’t manage myself very well, I would have ended up becoming “Ball of the department” with Aluko and Ojo passing and kicking me here and there because of my research essay as it happened to Owoeye. What heightened, the tension was the advice given to me by my supervisor, Dr. Sola Ojo that any time I wanted to enter or leave his office, I should look properly to the right and to the left so that “they” would not see me coming into his office or leaving his office. Can you imagine the kind of “ila ilo” (problem) I got myself into. The last time I did that kind of “security watch” was when I was living with Iya Ibadan and I decided to play disappearing games with the meat in the pot.
My final resolution was to face what I had come to do in the department and ignore the politics going on between my two favourite lecturers. Prior to the time my supervisor gave me the “look right and look left” advice, I could enter his office as many times as I wanted. Same for Aluko’s office. But since he gave me the advice, I reduced my movements to the department generally. I would come straight from the Postgraduate hall to the class and to the library afterwards. It was only in very exceptional cases that I would follow any lecturer from class to the office. I was not ready to do “MIR” (Medical International Relations) by spending six years for a programme of one year.
Besides, my research work was very wide, it required my being in the library regularly. It also required me travelling to Lagos and Ibadan frequently. I was already coping and adapting to my new movement and reading strategy when they announced the death of Chief Obafemi Awolowo on 9 May 1987. Awolowo died in his sleep at his Ikenne residence at the age of 78. Right from the time he was the Premier of Western region, he had always made free education a cardinal policy of his government. Alhough his Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) did not win the presidential election during the Second Republic, it still implemented free education in all the LOOBO states, which were Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Bendel and Ondo. In order to promote his political ideals and values, he established the Nigerian Tribune in 1949, which makes it the oldest private newspaper in Nigeria.
Immediately the news of his death was announced, the students of the university trooped out in large numbers to celebrate a sage whose wisdom could have helped in making Nigeria great but unfortunately, this was not to be. Dramatically, three days later, 12 May when the Babangida administration named the University of Ife after Awolowo, the students swarmed to the streets to protest violently this arbitrary change. It was ironic that the same students who thronged to the streets three days ago to celebrate a man whose government established the university could violently turn around to desecrate his memory by threatening to burn down theInstitution if the government went ahead with its decision. The government stood its ground, the students lost their pride.
By mid July 1987, we had finished writing our final examinations but I was still working on my research essay. I was on my way to the postgraduate library when a mild drama happened at the entrance of the library. Remember him? Quite an age but it was him, live and direct. What a strange collision!!
As I was about to open the door of the postgraduate library, two gentlemen were about to exit the library. So, I stepped back for them. As soon as I raised my head, I saw my tutorial lecturer in the History department, Dr. Funsho Afolayan and his friend who knew me very well and who I knew very well. It was my Biology master, Mr. Abiola Abioye. Immediately we saw each other, we recognised each other as old “customers”. We had not seen ourselves since I left Eko Boys High School in 1979. My lecturer was surprised that we knew each other. I told him that his friend was my secondary school teacher. From there, Afolayan took over the introduction. He had no idea the kind of relationship I had with his friend in my secondary school. He did not know that we were the best of “adversaries”. He didn’t know that his friend cursed me because I refused to write a class note that was dubbed verbatim from a Biology textbook. He didn’t know that his friend said I would never amount to anything in life. He didn’t know that his friend was playing God in my secondary school. Thinking we were cool with each other when I was in secondary school, Afolayan told his friend: “Dapo was our best student in the History department during his set. Most of us (lecturers) thought that he would do his graduate studies in the Department and end up being a lecturer in the Department but he left us to go to International Relations department. He is a very brilliant and disciplined boy”. As Afolayan was talking glowingly about me, I was looking at Abioye’s face to see if the encomiums were resonating with him. I didn’t have to say anything more. These short remarks by my tutorial lecturer were enough to assault the conscience of an adult employed to guide and inspire a child to the right path, but who chose to curse the child with his bad mouth. Whatever statement I wanted to make had been made by Providence, which made our paths to cross again at a time life was very good to me. Nothing could be more tortuous for a curser to see the futility of his profanity. I am sure that Abioye must have learned a lesson from this episode that: “The child is the father of the man”. This is the motto of a school that I know. The words of adults, especially guardians, to children, must always be sweet so that when their tomorrow is sweet, we can all rejoice together whenever we meet in the streets.
My results were fantastic as I made the Ph.D grade. I made “B+” in each of my four courses in the second semester. They were: Foreign Policy Analysis, Middle East and the Great Powers, International Relations of Southern Africa. And in my research essay, I had a computation that translated to 64 overall. I did not suffer any collateral damage as a result of my closeness to both the “Father” and the “Son” of the department. I finished from the department without causing any rift between “Agba Meji”.
Another issue that was bogging our minds was our university certificates. Personally, I was indifferent to the fear expressed by most students that our certificates would read “Obafemi Awolowo University” when government changed the name, it ended up being a hoax as my certificate, issued and awarded to me during the convocation on 29 November 1987 reads University of Ife.
While I was still in school, I wrote two applications for job, one to the Lagos State Civil Service, the other to Newbreed magazine. I was eventually employed by the Newbreed organisation. In their response to my application and a written test held in their office, a letter signed by Chief Executive of the organisation, Chief Chris Okolie was explicit enough: “We refer to your letter of application dated 25 July 1987 and the subsequent test/interview on the above subject matter. We have the pleasure of offering you appointment as a Staff Writer with effect from 18 January 1988”. According to their terms and conditions, as a Staff Writer, my annual remuneration package was spelt out as follows:
a) Basic Salary: N8,400 p.a
b) Housing Allowance: N2,400 p.a
c) Transport Allowance: N2,000 p.a
I was yet to resume when something dramatic happened. I accepted their offer with great joy and gratitude. I never protested anything in the letter nor did I ask for any other position apart from what was offered to me by the company. I took my letter of acceptance to their office at 35, Ogunlana Drive, Surulere, Lagos. As soon as the Secretary to the CEO saw my name on the letter, he told me to wait that the CEO would like to meet me. I was later ushered into Okolie’s palatial office. He shocked me when he stood up to greet me and congratulated me for my promotion. I thought there was a mix-up somewhere because, I still had one more week before resumption. I was stunned that someone who had not resumed for work could be promoted. He then told me that I had been promoted to the position of a Correspondent, which I would now combine with that of a Staff Writer. He told his Secretary to call him a guy in the newsroom. That was how I knew that some people had actually assumed duties in the office. He introduced the man to me as Steve Raymond and also introduced me to him. In my presence, he told Raymond that he would no longer be the magazine’s correspondent in Dodan Barracks as he has just appointed me the new Dodan Barracks correspondent. That was uncouth. He (Okolie) was indeed a cocky man. In less than 20 minutes, he took me to the newsroom to introduce me to other editorial staff. He said that, as far as he was concerned, I had resumed. It didn’t take me time to relate with the staff I met in the newsroom because I already knew most of them on the job. Some of them I knew in person and others by reputation. Only few of them were neophytes or rookies in journalism. I already knew people like Ben Lawrence, Victor Jegede, Ishmael Raheem, Uche Ezechukwu, Sola Oyeneyin, Rosaline Umesi, Chuma Adichie, Toyin Egunjobi, Nick Idoko, Gboyega Okegbenro, Mubo Okosun, Johnson Osula, Mike Nkanga, Dickson Agedah and Jimmy Imo. Others were Dayo Aminu, Paul Akhalu, Tony Nwosu, Anaele Ihuoma, Yinka Aluko, Tosin Ogunderu and Godwin Chianugo. By the way, Okolie called my posting to Dodan Barracks promotion but he didn’t “promote” my salary.
Next time you would hear from me, I would be reporting from Dodan Barracks, the seat of power, with Babangida presiding.
To be continued
