Ever heard of Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu, popularly known as ‘Penkelemesi’? He was the grandfather of the current deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in charge of Financial System Stability, Mr. Bayo Adelabu. The pre-independence politician who hailed from Kudeti in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital was Nigeria’s first Federal Minister of Social Services and Natural Resources cum former opposition leader in the old Western Region House of Assembly.
If Adelabu had not died on March 25, 1958, at the age of 43 in a fatal road accident, he would have turned 100 years on Thursday September 3, 2015, having been born on September 3, 1915.
Meanwhile, Adegoke Adelabu Post-Humous Centenary Birthday Celebration Planning Committee, chaired by Oloye ‘Lekan Alabi, the Aare Alasa Olubadan of Ibadanland, has been set up. On Thursday, all roads will lead to Ibadan Civic Centre, Agodi GRA for the grand ceremony to herald his post-humous 100 birthday anniversary, which highlight will be the presentation of a book, Africa in Ebullition, a collection of Adelabu’s documented thoughts and speeches.
Alabi, who was the pioneer general manager of O’dua Investment Company Limited, said Adelabu had envisioned in 1952, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which was eventually founded on May 28, 1975.
He also explained why and how Adelabu got the ‘Penkelemesi’ appellation.
Excerpts:
For the benefit of the younger generation that might not have heard anything about Adegoke Adelabu beyond anything other than ‘Penkelemesi’, how did he come about the name and who was he?
In the important places that we have visited, particularly, media houses, after our briefings, innocent editors who are under 40 years of age would ask us ‘with all the encomiums you have poured on Adegoke Adelabu, with all the testimonies you have shown us in his academic prowess, how come the man was called ‘penkelemesi’ instead of ‘peculiar mess.’ Then, we had explained on several occasions that it was not Adegoke Adelabu who said ‘penkelemesi.’ Adegoke Adelabu in his oration was talking about peculiar mess of the time. Anywhere Adelabu went, he had large follower of supporters, singers and drummers. When they heard him uttered the word peculiar mess, the drummers threw up their drums, singing he has knocked them off with another vocabulary. They sang and drummed: ‘Penkelemesi, Adegoke Adelabu, penkelemesi.’
Who was Adegoke Adelabu?
He was a precocious child and student. He was a prodigy and a man of deep intellect, orator, wit and mass mobilize. He attended CMS Elementary School, Kudeti, Ibadan and he gained double promotion. He proceeded to primary school in Mapo and he also gained double promotion. From there, he went to the famous Government College, Ibadan. He also got double promotion, on scholarship. Anytime he had got double promotion, he would lead his former seniors of two years by a wide margin. He never came second throughout his academic career; he would always come first. The person that would come next to him would come a distant second position.
In 1935, he wrote entrance examination into Nigeria’s highest institution then, Higher College, Yaba in Lagos, now Yaba College of Technology. The University of Ibadan, which started as a college of University of London was established in 1948, which was 12 years after Adelabu had left the Higher College. So, he wrote entrance examination to Higher College, Yaba in 1935. He came first and then got a scholarship from the United African Company (UAC). But UAC stopped him in the second year from proceeding further.
Why and how?
As a beneficiary of UAC scholarship, he did his internship in UAC at the age of 20. Then, he wrote a blueprint on the turnaround for UAC. The board and management of UAC in Nigeria could not believe that such a deep and well-researched paper could come from such a young boy.
So, they sent the paper to their head office in London. When the board and management of UAC in London read Adegoke Adelabu’s paper on the turnaround and expansion of the company, the UAC headquarters sent to the UAC Nigeria to stop the boy from going back to school, otherwise they might lose him to another company. UAC Nigeria was asked to offer him immediate employment in the category of a manager.
Then, UAC gave Adelabu appointment as the first African manger in 1936 at the age of 21. He later pulled out of UAC into private business such as produce-buying, estate management, journalism. So, he was our fathers’ senior in the noble profession of journalism. Then, he went into politics.
He became the first Federal Minister of Social Services and Natural Resources in 1954 and 1955 at the age of 39. From there, he came to the Western Region and became the first chairman of Ibadan District Council, which comprised 11 local government areas in Ibadan. From there, he came to the Western Region House of Assembly and became the opposition leader. He was such a shining star, bright intellectual, great orator and mass mobiliser. But he suddenly met his death in a road accident at Ogere Remo in the present day Ogun State on March 25, 1958, and died at the age of 43.
It was on record that Adegoke Adelabu provided effective leadership for the opposition in the Western Region House of Assembly but what has Nigeria missed about him as far as far as opposition politics is concerned in Nigeria?
Those who went into politics like Adegoke Adelabu, purely for public service, are being missed because they had conscience and they could not be bought. Despite being the leader of opposition, the leader and later Premier of the Western Region, who was the leader of the Action Group (AG), Chief Obafemi Awolowo, invited Adegoke Adelabu to join the team from Western Region to the constitutional talks because they needed Adelabu’s input.
When Adelabu died, the Premier, Obafemi Awolowo and the Minister of Information, and later Local Government, Chief Anthony Enahoro, in their tributes, said they would miss a brilliant man, patriot and comrade because the Action Group, which was controlling the government of the Western Region must sit down and re-examine their memos or bills to the house for fear, if I may use that word, of Adegoke Adelabu’s scrutiny.
The early politicians had conscience and loyalty to their parties. There was party supremacy in the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and early days of Alliance for Democracy (AD). I know this because I was the Chief Press Secretary to the late Chief Bola Ige, former governor of old Oyo State
In 1983, based on the UPN constitution, states governors were the chairmen of the parties in the states and their leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was the national president and the presidential candidate. Uncle Bola (Chief Bola Ige) allowed us to sit in at their party executive meetings. You would see law and order, obedience to party constitution, which they inherited from Adelabu, Ahmadu Bello (the late Sarduana of Sokoto), Tafawa Balewa, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Akanu Ibiam, Dennis Osadebe, Obafemi Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro, FRA Williams, Mbonu Ojike, Dr. Eyo Ita, Dr. Mike Okpara. They all had ideologies.
They did not change parties like they do now the way they change babies’ napkins. What do we have today? People cross the camp when they are denied certain positions. They defect when their parties lose elections. They would beg the winning party to give them bread and butter, which means majority of Nigerian politicians today, with respect to the very few and principled ones among them, are not in their parties because of ideologies and beliefs. It is based on what they would eat.
Can you give an insight into Adelabu’s mind and vision?
A lot of people knew him, until now, only for ‘Penkelemesi’. Now, the whole world is aware that there used to be a genius, orator, nationalist, visionary, who in 1952 wrote in his book: ‘My vision is beyond Yorubaland. My vision is beyond Nigeria. I am thinking of a West African sub-region socio-political venture that will stretch from River Senegal to River Congo,’ which today is called the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Adegoke Adelabu had envisioned ECOWAS in 1952. He was also talking about Africa as a continent that can rise and stand shoulder-to-shoulder to Europe, Asia and others.
University of Ibadan started as a college of University of London in 1948. So, the first principal heading the college then was a British, Dr. Mellanby, after whom a hall of residence on the campus was named. Today, it is the vice chancellor that heads the institution because UI is a full-fledged international university.
When Dr. Mellanby’s tenure was going to expire and Nigerian government was determined to find a Nigerian successor, what did Adelabu say about that? He said: ‘I want a successor to Dr. Mellanby’s post to be based on merit and excellence. I want a situation whereby the son of a coalminer in Enugu or the son of Fulani herdsman in Sokoto or the sons of their royal highnesses, the Emir of Kano and the Ooni of Ife can compete for the same position based on merit and excellence.’
What is the book Africa in Ebullition, all about?
The book was published in 1952, with the foreword written by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, another great intellectual. Azikiwe had two PhDs, not honorary causal, but through coursework. So, you can see the tie between Adelabu and Azikiwe. They bonded because they were great intellectuals like other contemporaries of their time.
You need to read the foreword, where Zik said: ‘By this book, Mr. Adelabu (as he was then known) is now echoing the feelings of Africans that we are no more dummies and dumping ground for the colonialists.’ In the book, Adelabu wrote about his ancestry, which is very royal on his paternal and maternal sides.
On his maternal side, his mother was a princess from the Olubadan Aleshinloye family and his paternal grandfather was also related to the Alaafin of Oyo. Ibadan is a conglomerate of Yoruba stalks. He had a rich ancestry and he documented that. He also wrote about his academic rise, his political stance and his vision for Nigeria and Africa. He talked about agriculture, electricity, Ibadan, the present day environmental development, connecting the streams of Ibadan and channelizing them, he talked about the unity of the country and many other focal points of Nigeria in the book. The original Africa in Ebullition has been revised and we have added his parliamentary speeches and published articles, garnished with relevant historical pictures of him.
Prof Remi Raji-Oyelade of the University of Ibadan and current president of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has consented to review the book for us. The programme will be chaired by an eminent Nigerian from the Northern parts of the country
Who are the dignitaries you are expecting on that day?
I have led the Adegoke Adelabu family and centenary birthday planning committee to the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abeokuta, Ogun State. From what was widely reported, Chief Obasanjo said Adegoke Adelabu was his political role model. So, he embraced my plea and the plea of Adegoke Adelabu to be the grand patron of the planning committee and the Foundation. So, we have put the task before our former president, who gladly and willingly accepted. So, he will help us invite President Muhammadu Buhari; the vice president, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; top class Nigerians, industrialists, literary people, politicians and well wishers within and outside Nigeria to the function. The Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, is the chief host. The hosts will be governors of the states that have been carved out of the old Western Region and the Speakers of the houses of Assembly in those states.
We have met with the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III; the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I, and we have sent invitations to notable Yoruba and non-Yoruba monarch.
Of course, the guest lecturer is Prof Mark Nwagwu of the Paul University, Awka in Anambra State, who retired from the University of Ibadan. Also, we have invited the Ozumba Mbadiwe family, the Aminu Kano family, the Maitama Sule family and the inheritors of the eminent Nigerian politicians of Adegoke Adelabu era, including the Yeye Oodua, Mama HID Awolowo; our dear uncle, Ambassador Abayomi Akintola. In short, we are expecting Nigeria to honour Adegoke Adelabu.
Culled from Daily Sun.