Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, tells SOLA SHITTU about his childhood and the state of the nation
How would you describe life at 80?
Well, it’s been a beautiful life full of challenges to overcome. There are few downsides too but from which one bounced back and continued the journey. Considering everything, God has been kind. God has been faithful and whatever I have set my heart on, I have attained largely. Yes, I’m happy. I’m satisfied. I’m fulfilled and I consider my life from birth to age 80 as a great gift from God.
Is there anyone you met as a child that you can never forget?
If you want me to mention a particular man, I will mention my uncle who lived with my father. I was just calling him an uncle; he might be a cousin but he looked so big that we just called him uncle. He did something that changed my life and I have talked about it on and on and I won’t stop talking about it. At Class Three going to Class Four in secondary school, I did so well. Normally, that was not a surprise. What everybody asked was whether I passed and was going to the next class. I would say yes and they would say congratulations. But at that time, around 1954 or 1955, I did so well; I came third out of 90 pupils in the class and he went inside and gave me one pound. One pound around 1954 was a lot of money and for the first time, I felt appreciated in a major way. So if you want to talk about one person who taught me a lot of things, I would choose him. I mean that one single act taught me a lot of life lessons. But of course, there are people I admired when I joined the civil service. But fundamentally, this one uncle of mine was unique.
Do you consider yourself as adventurous?
Yes, very much so, adventurous mainly in academic activities. I was a very voracious reader; I read way more than my level of education at that time. In elementary school, I was already reading William Shakespeare’s books. In elementary school, I knew Mark Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar offhand. Every Christmas, when we were together, each of us would do one thing or the other; I used to recite Mark Antony’s speech. So I was very much used to the library. We had a Benin Council library where I used to read books – ancient and modern. To me, it was clear there was nothing like information and I was sure all that helped me build up my knowledge base, not necessarily academically.
What kind of relationship did you have with your siblings?
My father had 26 children and I was the fifth child; it was a polygamous family in one large building. Each mother had her own room and all the children congregated in the room at night to sleep. Of course, during the day, we were all over the compound. As long as we didn’t make too much noise to disturb the old man, we were okay and everybody was happy. It was a relatively good home, relatively peaceful home, in spite of the polygamous nature, and it was very interesting. At night, every child went to ‘roost like chicks’ in their mother’s room and in the morning, we woke up and did all the chores. The bigger boys, of course, swept all the compound, did the pounding of yam and girls, of course, did most of the cooking.
Were you closer to your mother as a child?
That is a difficult one; it is difficult because children were under the umbrella, most of the time, of their mother. Our mothers were protective. They were the ones we talked to and they were the ones who could caution and advise us. My father was stricter than my mother; he was the disciplinarian of the family. Of course, we were not very close to my father. I started getting close to my father to understand him when I became an adolescent, went into the university and did all that. Just before he died; whether it was a premonition that something would happen, I don’t know, but he called me one day and said he was coming to Lagos and I agreed. Then to my shock, he said he was going to stay with me. I went into a panic and told my wife that it had never happened before.
Eventually, he came and stayed with us. Then he gave me his Omega wristwatch to take to either Leventis or the UAC for repairs and that was the last time I saw him alive. Some weeks later, he was dead. There was no doubt that he came to say goodbye. It was a very interesting experience. I think that wristwatch was meant for me. Normally, we share the chattels of our parents and that was the only thing I took. I said my father gave me this watch so he meant me to keep it.
What did your father’s last visit mean to you?
In a sense, it was an expression of his love for me because of the things that had happened between us and the way the relationship developed. It was quite different, we had had issues and all originated from my feeling that he was unable to meet my basic needs. I think I was the one that changed because, with greater knowledge of his limitations, I got a new appreciation of the sacrifices that he made to ensure that all his children went to school. He was above 60 years old when he died as a result of complications from a motor accident. Otherwise, he was a solid, strong man; he would have lived up to 90 or even 100 years.
How would you describe your social life?
I don’t like crowds; I don’t like large crowds. I enjoy small intimate groups where I can laugh, enjoy myself and crack jokes. I like laughing a lot and I like jokes a lot. But I am basically an introvert. I like small parties of 10, 15, 20 people. I hate noise a lot and I’m so uncomfortable at parties because of the level of noise there. I want a party where I can talk to people, where we can exchange views. But a party where you have to scream for the person beside you to hear is totally unnecessary.
Do you dance?
Ahh, no. I’m not sure I’m good at dancing at all but I dance when it is necessary. But it is not something I’m motivated to do.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I like soft music, classical music, jazz and so on. But choral music is fantastic.
Who is your favourite jazz artiste?
My favourite is Yanni (Yiannis Chryssomallis). I also like (Roy) Campbell and his trumpet. I like the kind of music that is soft such that when it is played, your consciousness is there; it is not disturbed. It is affecting your psyche but not intruding into your thoughts or whatever you are doing.
As a retired civil servant, can you say the standard is still the same as you left it?
No, a lot of things have happened; politics, corruption and the right commitment are no longer there. We were lucky we came in during the post-independence era, just a while after the independence when there was so much passion. The future was, of course, very bright. Oil was just becoming a factor, the British civil servants were still around and we were a nation of a truly great future. The whole world was celebrating us. It is difficult to tell where we missed the plot, where we took the wrong turn and why we have been unable to recover and get back on the road to greatness. It is very difficult. But the truth is that we have continued on the downward slide.
Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, once described his generation as “wasted” and you belong to that generation, do you subscribe to his view?
Well, Soyinka is very dramatic with his words. He uses words to dramatise situations and to call attention (to issues). All he was saying was that we had not achieved our potential. That is my own interpretation. We fall far short of our potential, even till this date. All those things we left behind, even as civil servants, are in a state of disrepair. There is no comparative replacement all these years and it is worrisome, it is painful and disappointing. I pray that one day; we will find our way back to the path of growth and development.
Why has the All Progressives Congress, which you led as a national chairman, not brought the much-desired change to the masses?
It’s like a child blaming the father for not being able to provide for him; when he becomes a father, he will know why. The problems were much more than we anticipated. I hope the Next Level (campaign) will produce the kind of result that will now place the nation on the path of growth. We cannot afford to still give excuses again.
How do you feel about the level of insecurity in the country now, knowing that it was one of the central points of your campaign in 2015?
I don’t think we are on top of the situation. Sometimes, I read in the media opinions that there must be total peace but I accept that where we are now is far from being good, when even citizens of the country feel unsafe. I can speak for myself and say that if I could avoid travelling outside Benin City for even 10 km, I would do it. I know they (bandits) kidnap in cities too. They kidnap in towns but, at least, you are a bit safer in your bedroom than on the highways. So, yes, we have a serious challenge in the way the new security threat is manifesting itself. I think there are people out there, whether in this country or outside the country, that are trying to get Nigerians into thinking that the government cannot protect them and that is a very dangerous thing.
Do you see Nigeria breaking up with all these myriads of problems?
Let me start by saying this: I am an irredeemable believer in the unity of this nation and the potential for greatness as the leading black African nation in the world. Anybody who wishes otherwise must have some questionable objectives. So, it is for us to work and fix the problems. Yes, some problems threaten the fundamental basis of our unity; there is no question about that. You cannot but have fears with the way people are beginning to express tendencies of disunity with some of their actions; people are getting so careless about it, so very careless that I sometimes feel offended and very angry about it. That we have a problem does not mean that people should start propagating disunity; it’s not fair. It’s not something we should wish on ourselves because it will take generations to come out of any division of this country. Anybody who loves this country and the community he comes from must stop preaching disunity because it will be too costly for this nation.
Why was it difficult for successive governments to really sit down and talk about the problems of this nation?
No, there is no need for a discussion; there has been too much discussion already. The issues are clear and they are part of the credo of the APC that we must do some tinkering with the federal structure. There is no question about it; read our manifesto. Virtually every page has something on the need to rearrange the system, to tinker with the present structure which will involve the redistribution of power, structure and the rest to create credible developmental notes in the federating units so that Abuja does not become the beginning and the end of the story of Nigeria. During my time as the national chairman, I set up a ‘high-powered’ party committee to direct the debate to truly define what we mean by the so-called restructuring because there was the disparity in the meanings people gave it.
When you say restructuring, some say let’s go back to the old regional structure, some say let’s go back to the six geopolitical zones. So, there was a need to bring some focus into the discussion and there was a paper on it which was already approved by the party’s National Executive Committee at the highest level and the party was to start the process. It may not be in one swoop, it may be gradual, and all these include regional police, state police. Read the document; it is there. So, there is no need for having endless conferences and the rest of them, and that was based on all the major recommendations of previous conferences. So, we have passed the stage of having conferences; we are now at the stage of implementation. For me, there are so many aspects to it. There may be one thing or the other that influential groups from different parts of the country may not agree with which may negate the report. My suggestion is to start with those areas where there are agreements already. Unfortunately, the economic problems of the country were so much that the President told us to hold on to enable him to tackle the economic problems first and do things that would put bread on the table of Nigerians first. That alone is a major challenge. I think restructuring is totally inevitable because there is no part of Nigeria now that is not going through one thing or the other.
As a former governor, what is your take on the lingering crisis in Edo?
My people used to say sweeping the dust under the carpet will not solve the problem. What is the use of elders in a society? Elders are supposed to speak the truth. Sometimes, compromise at all cost will not solve the problem. I am aware of what is going on and I am encouraging it; precariously, I’m part of the argument in a tangential way. A lot of things are going on and I know we would find a way out of it. The basic thing for me is that truth must be told and you must not use analgesic to cure a basically cancerous situation; no, it doesn’t work.
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