As deputy speaker, thugs locked me up in the boot of a car

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A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Niyi Akintola, tells OLUFEMI
ATOYEBI that Nigeria’s democracy lacks rule of law and true
federalism

How easy it is for you to transform from a lawyer to
a politician?

All over the world, members of the law profession take front
position in the political affairs of their countries. It is not
something that is peculiar to Nigeria. If you look at advanced
democracies, you will discover that 80 to 90 per cent of their
leaders are lawyers.

In the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and so on, it has
been like that. The reason is that the two (politics and law) are
interwoven, especially in western Nigeria, where we embraced
western education early enough. You talk of our forefathers in
politics like the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Samuel Akintola, Bode
Thomas, Fani Kayode and so on. They were all lawyers.

Much as we have great lawyers as political leaders in Nigeria
during the early republics, we now have people who are not lawyers
and who don’t even have any identifiable profession taking the
front row in the politics of Nigeria.

Can we say that the elite like you have suddenly
woken up to the realities of taking charge of the nation’s
politics?

The truth of the matter is that a favourable atmosphere is now
being created for knowledgeable people to come into politics. In
the past, decent and highly-educated people shunned politics
because of the dirty nature of politics. In Oyo State, for example,
the present governor, Abiola Ajimobi, did a lot to establish peace.
That has made it possible for so many decent people to come forward
to take part in politics.

In the past, we used to have thugs, hooligans and so on ruling
the state. There was a time when ‘Auxiliary’ (jailed former
National Union Road of Transport Workers boss) was the
vice-chairman of Ibadan North/East Local Government Area. It was
that bad. There was a time that the chairman of the NURTW in the
state (Oyo) sat behind the Speaker of the state House of Assembly
and he was controlling the affairs of the house.

But now, we have a favourable atmosphere that has brought up
people like me, professors and well educated people. It is a plus
to this state governor. There are many lawyers who are governors
and leaders in state and federal legislative houses now. In Oyo
State, the last and present speakers are lawyers. Many journalists,
who would not be part of dirty things in politics, are now showing
interest in politics because it is better than before.

In the past, when life was short and brutish in this state, we
faced a lot of problems. I was on exile from the state for seven
years. The commissioner of police then told me he could not
guarantee my safety. I was hounded about but we now have relief. As
deputy speaker in this state, I was locked up in the boot of a car
by thugs. No one would want to confront hooligans and murderers.
But things are changing now and we are less than 20 years into a
full blown democracy.

In Lagos, the institutions are working. (Asiwaju) Bola Tinubu
started it and other governors are building on it. Everyone now
obeys the law. Even governors, who visit the state from outside,
obey the law because Akinwumi Ambode does not harass the people
with siren even as governor. When institutions work, people will
fall in line. Other states in the South-West are now emulating
Lagos.

How far away is Oyo State from achieving what Lagos
had achieved?

We are not far away from that. If you look at the way we now
construct our roads with drainage on both sides, you will realise
that there is a departure from the past. The road can now last 30
to 40 years. Most of the towns are now wearing the look of the
state capital because of the touch of class added to their
status.

The road from Ibadan to Ijebu Ode was constructed before many of
us were born and it is still there. Gradually, we shall get there
in the state. Apart from physical infrastructure, the template that
was adopted by the National Judicial Council started from Lagos as
well as the welfare package for judges. Other states are now
copying it.

Recently, an international body ranked Nigeria 148th
in the world in its corruption index. Where did we get it
wrong?

It is not what we can put in a straitjacket. The president has
tried to confront corruption; he has started from somewhere. People
can say that he concentrated on opposition but he has started
somewhere. Those coming after him will one day touch the
untouchables.

Those in the APC, who feel comfortable today, should do so with
caution because there is a precedent now. Buhari cannot do it all.
(Former President) Olusegun Obasanjo started the fight against all
odds and gives it to him; he is the father of the fight. He
established all the institutions we are now using to fight
corruption. He left some things undone which Buhari is now doing.
Buhari will go and those coming will do what he did not do. Let us
be patient because a crime of 200 years can be revisited.

The call for restructuring has cut across the
South-West, South-South and the Middle Belt. What should be the
template for restructuring?

The South-West has been advocating restructuring for a long
time. Irrespective of political affiliation, it is a mantra here.
God has placed us in a vantage position because we embraced Western
education early enough; so, we see how things work. We know that
over-centralisation breeds corruption and inefficiency.

If we restructure the country today, the fight against
corruption would be largely won. What is the business of the
Federal Government in primary education? Somebody will sit in Abuja
and give money to states he loves. There are so many funds locked
up in the Central Bank which belongs to some states. How can
someone be talking of feeding school pupils in states from Abuja?
Restructuring in line with true federalism will make the centre
unattractive and solve majority of our problems by over 70 per
cent.

If you allow Oyo State some modicum of control over its
borderline, it will be financially independent. We have the longest
borderline but no border post. What we have are custom officers who
arrest people in the towns; exploit the market people and
businessmen. Every town in Oyo North is a border town. There are
over 100 border routes but the Federal Government did not establish
a border post.

The South-West is the only zone that has access to the sea and
land borders in Nigeria. The North has access to land border and no
sea. Over 60 per cent of Value Added Tax in Nigeria comes from
Lagos State, followed by Ogun State. But no one is speaking of
giving them 13 per cent derivation. If we have adopted derivation
fund on oil, it should extend to VAT.

Obasanjo and a former dictator, Ibrahim Babangida,
echoed the nation’s worry in their statements on the state of the
nation recently. Don’t you think that the APC is confronted with
too many wars ahead of the 2019 elections?

This is a fight of the generals. We civilians should be careful
because when they quarrel, the quarrel will be settled, we will not
be there. The issues raised are not new but they gather reactions
because of their personalities.

Archbishop Olubunmi Okogie, Catholic bishops, Dr. Junaid
Muhammed, John Nwodo and others have raised similar issues. But the
personalities of the two generals raised the dust about their
letters. The messages should be clear to those in government and I
think the government has handled the letters well. The response was
fantastic.

Some people have criticised President Buhari on his
perceived silence on the issue of Fulani herdsmen, accusing him of
protecting his tribesmen. What is your view?

The way government operates is not open to everybody. I have
been in government and I am aware of the way some issues are best
handled. Information available to government is not known to some
of us who are outsiders. You cannot accuse the President of not
speaking if his ministers, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of
Staff, Minister of Defence are speaking. They speak on his behalf
because they are all his appointees.

You once said that the call for Oke-Ogun people to
produce the next Oyo State governor is unconstitutional, for which
some have criticised you. Do you still hold on to your
position?

There is a wide divide between morality and law. Democracy is
anchored on the rule of law and not on sentiment. Apart from
sentiment, I have asked this question before and no one has been
able to give me an answer: who is an Ibadan man? Who is an Oyo man?
Who is an Ogbomoso man? Let us face it, the Oyo are one, from Ogun
to Kwara states. Those who are saying otherwise are political,
social and cultural illiterates. You may have chains of university
degrees without being articulate.

The first case handled by Awolowo in his lifetime was between
Laoye and Olubadan-in-Council, 1947. Laoye was the Timi of Ede, who
wanted to become a Mogaji at Idikan in Ibadan. He contested against
the prominent Adebisi Idikan and lost. He wanted to go back to his
position in Ede but the council said no. It was challenged in
court. The father of the present Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu
Adetunji, came from Igbeti.

The family of the former governor of the state, the late Kolapo
Isola, came from Ede in today’s Osun State. I am originally from
the sixth generation of Ibikunle family from Ogbomoso. A former
commissioner in this state, who is a respected journalist, Bolaji
Kareem, is from Isale Osi in Ibadan but he claims Iseyin today.
Half of Iwo people have their family compound in Ibadan. Six former
Olubadan were from Ogbomoso. Olubadan Akinbiyi was from Awe, Are
Latosa was from Ilora. Oyo people under Alaafin are one.

The late MKO Abiola’s father was from Ojoo in Ibadan. He was the
Balogun of Ojoo in Abeokuta. When he had money, Abiola came back to
his family compound in Ibadan and built Abiola Bookshop there. He
was later made Basorun of Ibadan. The Adedibus are cousins to the
Alaafin. Ikire people in Osun State have their family compound in
Ibadan. So, (people) from Otta in Ogun State to Offa in Kwara State
are all one under Alaafin. The next in line to the stool of
Olubadan, Lekan Balogun, is the grandson of Alli Iwo, a former
Olubadan. Shall we say that today, he is no longer an Ibadan man?
We are talking of Oyo State being ruled by Oyo people.

Are you saying this because you are contesting the
governorship seat of Oyo State?

I have been saying this before now, if you go through my
writings and lectures. People should come up with other stories. We
should stop playing the card of ethnicity, religion or clans. I
want to be the Oyo State governor and not the chairman of the Ido
Local Government Area where my village is. Why so much noise about
Ibadan over Oyo State politics? We should demonstrate competency in
our areas of callings and feel free to contest. Some people use
religion and ethnic sentiments to contest election because they are
not competent.

Most governors like to choose their successors. How
much blessing do you enjoy from Governor Abiola Ajimobi who you
aspire to succeed?

He appreciates everyone and has made no one his favourite. To my
knowledge, he has not adopted any candidate. I may be wrong,
however. He has provided an enabling environment for decent people
to contest. I don’t enjoy special attention from him. I don’t know
of others.

Your 22-year-old son is the Mogaji (family head) of
your compound. How is he coping with leading a group that has
people who are older than him and what role do you play in his
decision-making?

He is not the youngest Mogaji now. Someone beat that record
recently. My son became Mogaji at 21. Things are changing in Ibadan
now. The trend now is to have highly educated and brilliant people
to head family compounds in Ibadan. No family wants to choose
someone who is 30 or 35 as Mogaji now.

My son became Mogaji by circumstance. My cousin, who was chosen,
a lawyer, was 32 then. But the man wrote us that he is now a pastor
and not interested. That was how the lot fell on my son. He had two
master’s degrees from the UK and he is also a lawyer. He made a
first class when he graduated.

Are you not worried that the national leader of the
APC, Bola Tinubu, is accusing the national chairman, John
Odigie-Oyegun, of sabotaging his peace effort?

I don’t have all the facts and I don’t comment on issues I know
nothing about. I don’t know what led to Tinubu’s letter.

People have said a lot about the reordering of the
election timetable by the National Assembly with some saying it is
a booby trap for Buhari. What is your comment?

I have not been obliged with a copy of the amendment. It has not
been published, so it is still speculation. I need to see a copy
and compare with the constitution before I make comment on it.