How would you describe growing up with your father?
It’s difficult to describe exactly what it looked like not only because it was a long time ago but because there were many events that shaped me as a youth.
I attended St. Gregory’s Primary School at Owo and Imade College, Owo, where my father was the principal. But I was there for just one year before I moved to Igbobi College, Lagos. I also attended University of Lagos before travelling abroad to study more. In Canada, I earned a professional qualification to practice as an accountant. I returned to Nigeria after achieving my academic target.
Ajasin was a good father who cared and protected his family. But he did not treat us differently from any other child. He was proud of his children. He taught us to be honest and uphold truthfulness, which were his characteristics as a public servant and family man.
How would you describe him as a teacher?
He was a very good teacher. As a principal, he did not just act as an administrator. He loved teaching; he would leave his office and go to the classes to teach pupils. At Imade College, he taught me for one year. He taught Latin in my class. His style of teaching was special. He would ask us to stand up in the class and subject us to serious drilling. While standing up, he would ask us questions from what he had taught us, if you got it, you would sit down. We were about 30 in the class. Latin is structured in a special way that involves sequence of sentences and grammar but he made it simple for us.
He worked seven days a week. Because he lived on the school premises, he would go to his office on Saturday and Sunday to prepare for the following week. He was a hardworking individual who took note of every little detail.
How was it like being taught by your father?
The situation put me under pressure because I could not afford to fail in the class. He put me on my toes every day. I did not receive any preferential treatment from him because he punished me like any other pupil in the class. With other teachers, I could relax, but with him, I must be on the alert because he could ask me a question anytime.
As the son of the school head, how did other pupils relate with you?
It was a pleasant experience but I desired to get away from it quickly because I was not feeling at ease. The pupils always felt that because I was the principal’s son, I had everything going for me. That was why I asked my father to let me go to another school after he taught me for a year. I ended up at Igbobi College in Lagos. I did not want a situation whereby my classmates would continue to see me differently. Many of the school’s prefects allowed me to get away with many things because they could not punish the principal’s son.
How was your father at home?
He was a family man at home. He would take us on holiday when he was free. We would go on picnic and have a good time together. He ensured that we ate together at the table especially in the evening. He was a busy man in the school and he was at the same time involved in politics. He was a community leader and local government chairman but he found time to spend with the family especially during school holidays.
We lived in Owo but we visited Lagos regularly. Sometimes, we would come to Lagos with him when he had parliamentary meetings. The position he held in the House at the time allowed him to do other work. After the sessions, which could be for two or three weeks, we would return home. The House of Representatives members were housed in Ikoyi and later Victoria Island.
How did he transform from being a teacher to a politician?
It was not a sudden makeover because he had always combined the two. I grew up knowing him that way.
Can you remember a time he scolded you?
He did not tolerate avoidable mistakes. He hated liars. Whenever I lied and he realised the truth, he would slap me and tell me to face the wall. I would cry until he released me. That slap was like the worst that could happen to me. That is why today, I don’t know how to lie. I will tell you the truth no matter what it costs.
What kind of food did he like?
His breakfast had four courses. He would first take grape fruit, followed by corn flakes, toast bread and tea.
What was his favourite colour?
He liked white attire.
What about his choice of shoes?
He preferred covered shoes.
What were his other activities outside politics and teaching?
He was not a fanatical Christian but he attended church service at Anglican Church and held meetings after service. He was the church treasurer in Owo and a member of a Christian prayer group.
Did he tell you why he married a teacher like him?
He was in love with education so it was not a surprise that he chose his wife from the profession. He wanted someone like him beside him. When he was busy, my mother would be around to look after us.
Were you under pressure in school being the son of parents who were teachers?
I did not allow that to disturb who I was as a child. I did well in my studies but I was very playful. My mother would force me to read my books but my father was different. Their discipline contributed to our success but it was natural because we were well trained by parents who wanted the best for their children.
How many children did your parents have?
We are four; two males and two females.
What was the family’s reaction to your father’s involvement in politics bearing in mind the inherent dangers?
I did not take so much interest in politics when I was growing up. I enjoyed being with him, travelling to Lagos and seeing so many people around. One thing I remember very well was that there was a meeting in our house one day when my father tried to persuade a member of his party who wanted to defect to another party to have a change of mind. He agreed to remain but the next day, we heard on the radio that he had joined a rival party. Being close to him made me see how things were ran at the party level.
It could also be violent sometimes. I remember that my father was returning from a political meeting one day when his entourage was attacked by rival party thugs. They came with weapons but they did not touch him.
Did all these scenes create tension in your early life?
Well, it had no meaning to me as a young boy. But it put pressure on my mother and some other members of the family.
At 71, your father became Ondo State governor in 1979. You were a man at the time. What did you learn from his administrative skill?
He was not over-ambitious because he put the people first. He wanted to serve them and make their lives better. He wanted them to have good education and have a better future. As a principal, there was a time he was looking for good teachers. He was ready to offer them more than he earned as the school head, which was what he did. He was not a selfish individual. When he became governor, he did not lobby for it. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the leader of Unity Party of Nigeria and he approached my father after seeing his performance at the grass roots position he held. That was why he was picked by the party to stand as their governorship candidate.
As governor of the state, he did not make money. He lived a modest life and his position did not change his simple way of life.
Awolowo was close to your father. How much of him (Awolowo) did you see in those days?
I did not know much about him even though he was close to the family through his relationship with my father. But later in life, I realised who he really was. Awolowo was my father’s friend and I knew him through my father. He did well as Western Region Premier. He was the Action Group leader. The party was founded in Owo and he held a lot of meeting with my father.
When your father became governor, were you still seeing him regularly?
He became a governor at the time I returned from abroad. He had held several other top positions, so being a governor was just another step. To me, it was just another position. I was living in Ibadan but whenever I wanted to see him, I would call him and travel to Owo.
Can you remember some of the discussions you had together during those visits?
He did not discuss politics with me for reasons best known to him. But I remember that he told me that if I wanted to go into politics, I should develop myself along the line. But when he was contesting for second term, I was always with him on political campaigns. I witnessed a lot of politicking.
Was your father shaken by the opposition he had from his deputy in office, Akin Omoboriowo, who later contested against him?
It was strange and I was surprised that Omoboriowo would behave the way he did at the time. My father was a simple person. He gave Omoboriowo all the opportunity to excel and build his political career. He was acting on behalf of my father in major functions, but I think he was too ambitious. Maybe he thought my father was too old to be governor. If he had wanted to be governor, he would have waited for his turn. But he made the first term difficult for my father because of his negative antics. Because of that, my father was disappointed in him. He would have done more for Ondo State if Omoboriowo had not fanned the embers of hatred and confusion. He pitched my father against Ekiti people, thinking that it would work. What he failed to realise was that my father had more Ekiti friends than any other tribe.
When Omoboriowo was declared winner of the governorship election, what was the mood like in your father’s camp?
We had a report that there was going to be massive rigging and that some people were hired to make it possible. We did not believe it because Omoboriowo was not popular and his party, National Party of Nigeria, was not popular in the state. But they brought someone from Lagos who orchestrated the rigging. Instead of the original result, they came with a fake result and it was announced at the collating centre in Akure. It was like a joke but Omoboriowo was declared the winner. But it was a brief joy for him because my father was later declared the authentic winner. People like Dr. Olu Agunloye, Olusegun Agagu and academics from the University of Ibadan were at the collation centres as officers. They stood their grounds and ensured the false result was withdrawn while my father was returned as the governor. I cried because I did not believe that such rigging could take place with the connivance of people who held big public offices. I just came back from abroad so it was strange to me.
Three months after the hard-earned victory, there was a military coup that led to the arrest of many politicians including your father, how did the family react to it?
I was in Ibadan when the December 31, 1983 coup took place. My brother was in Owo. So, he drove my father home. My father was later arrested and detained in Agodi, Ibadan. I went there and asked for permission to see him. They kept him for so long even when my father was not found guilty of corruption. I went to see the then General Officer Commanding, 2nd Armoured Division, the late Sani Abacha, who told me that he would be released. But the freedom did not come until later. It was a trial period for the family.
At 75, how did months of incarceration affect his health?
It was the cause of his death. My father was strong before then and if not for the arrest and detention by the military, he would have lived longer than he did.
What are the traits you inherited from your father?
My father hated liars and I detest them too. Humility and readiness to serve the people with honesty were characteristics that my father passed on to his children and followers. He was never after money. Money will come if you take the right path in life. If you are honest in what you do, one day, the right people will locate you and patronise you. You also need to educate the people because that is the way to get them out of poverty.
Politically, I am also active. I have a group called Atayese which clamours for a return to regional government. The former Western Region had uniformed development because it enjoyed autonomy. The size of the group is growing by the day.
I am an accountant by profession and I am also into educational field like my father, publishing and supplying instructional materials and managing a private school I founded in Ibadan. I started with children play books but we found out that the schools were not making the right use of them. So, I decided to start a school where my materials are being used.
*This interview was originally conducted by Punch Newspaper on September 15, 2013* (To Punch, we are much obliged)