His Eminence (Asiwaju) Reuben Olorunfunmi Basorun, the First Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Member of the Governor Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making organ of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Baba Aladura/Spiritual Head of Cherubim & Seraphim Church, on October 15, 2018, clocked 80 years and on Friday, October 19, he granted THE IMPACT Newspaper crew, led by its Publisher/Reporter-in-Chief, Kunle ADELABU, an exclusive interview detailing his achievements, challenges, development in Igbogbo and Lagos State as well as Nigeria political development in the last 80 years among others. Excerpts:
IMPACT: Good afternoon sir and congratulations on your membership of the Octogenarian club. We pray that God will grant you more success and achievements in life.
Asiwaju: Amen. Thank you
IMPACT: To you as a person, how does attaining the age of 80 feel like?
Asiwaju: I think it’s exciting because when you look at it from 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and one is able to climb to 80, if we have to award marks, I think that I will be getting distinction (laughter), so, it is a thing of joy and I give lots of praises to God for seeing me through and enabling me to reach the age. I clocked 80 on Monday, 15th October, 2018. It pleases God to give me the opportunity and I thank Him.
IMPACT: Sir, will you say that you are satisfied with the programmes lined up to mark the birthday celebration as well as the turn-out and how people have been celebrating you since that Monday?
Asiwaju Basorun: Well, I want to adopt your celebration because what I’m doing sincerely, if you see my invitation, is ‘Thanksgiving’. But then, when people die, they put advert out there depicting it as ‘celebration of a life’, but which life are they still celebrating after death? People have been celebrating my life since Monday (October 15) and I am very grateful to all of them. Though, it has been remote but yesterday’s event (thanksgiving service at the Church on October 18) was real. We were at the Church with government functionaries, Church people, community people, traditional rulers and others. They all came to join me in saying “God, thank you very much”. It was a special thanksgiving service and 10th year anniversary of my ordination as Spiritual Head and Baba Aladura of my Church. That was so much for me. At 70 years, I had written my autobiography and at 75, it was my perception about our country that I dwelled on in a book titled, “Nigeria of my Dream”. I decided to talk about what I felt about Nigeria whose model of democracy is ‘government of the rich by the rich and for the rich’ and until we conquer that and come to the ‘government of the people, by the people and for the people’, we are wasting our time in Nigeria. This time around, it is not that I’m not fit to sit down and do some thinking, but I just decided to commission a close friend to write my biography which we are launching on Saturday (October 20). The book is written by Pastor Soji Omotunde, the General Manager, Training and Development of the The Nation Newspaper.
IMPACT: Looking back in last 80 years, you’ve been a banker, Secretary to the State Government, one of the topmost political leaders in Lagos State among many other things, Sir, would you say that you are satisfied with your life and achievements recorded so far and if so, is there anything you want to identify (if any) as regret(s)?
Asiwaju Basorun: In the span of 80 years, I’ve had the opportunity of taking part in many things of life as a young man. I went to primary and secondary schools and I started work at Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on January 5, 1959. While there, I took time to get myself equipped for the future. While also at the CBN, I did Banking Diploma at the Institute of Bankers in London and I did Chartered Secretaryship and along the line, I felt there was need for more, so I went to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to do a degree in Business Administration in 1977. Ten years after, I was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, London. It was after I left government in December 1983, that I went to read law at the University of Lagos between 1987 to 1992 and I was called to Bar on 15th December 1993.Like I said earlier, I did all these to place myself in a better position for the future. So, I came into politics through community service. Since I was between the age of 20 and 25, I have been participating in community service and these somehow gave me some recognitions and that was how I became a politician in 1979, but I was already in politics even while I was at CBN. Sen. Ayo Fasanmi was my leader, he was the Chairman/President of Action Group Youths Association 1963/1964. We have been having our relationship since then and till now, we’re still relating very well. He was 93 in September 27 this year. So, I had served as the Secretary to the Lagos State Government and later Commissioner for Education.
When we left the government in 1983, I set up a factory, Romo Factory where we produced polythene bags and that’s what I’m still doing till date. After my qualification as lawyer, I joined TOS Benson and Co in 1994 to practice law and after 7 years, I left the place to start Paramole Chambers which is my own and I still operate the Chamber till today. It’s been very interesting and what I have discovered is that people around here are very appreciative, particularly people in my own local community and by extension, the entire people of Ikorodu division. Every small thing you do for them, they appreciate and if there’s anything that encourages me to serve or do many things which I do in this community, it is because the people are very appreciative. When I became the Secretary to the State Government, I wasn’t representing Igbogbo alone but the entire Ikorodu division. There were two positions allocated to the division at that time, one of the positions was Commissionership which was occupied by Chief Alokolaro who was representing Constituency I and myself, representing Constituency II, was occupying the Secretary to the State Government position. And as Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who was the Governor of the State at that time, put it, both Alokolaro and myself were representing the two councils (created by Gov. Jakande); Irepodun Local Government and Ikorodu Local Government. I later became Commissioner for Education and by that appointment, I became the Chairman Governing Council of the Lagos State University (LASU). At that period, LASU was in the making. In actual fact, I started the work that shaped the establishment of LASU. Thank God, it is now one of the best Universities in Nigeria. I only have to mention this again to those in-charge of the school that they have not really gone into the archive to see how we started the school which is why they have not been recognizing our contributions. They don’t extend ordinary invitation for their convocations to us (founding fathers) despite mentioning it to them. They should correct that because it’s important.
At different levels of politicking and responsibilities, what guided me most is my set objectives. My objective has always been first, responsibility to my immediate community, my division, my state and Nigeria in general and whether you find me in this party or another that has been my objectives. I was in UPN till when the Army came to drive us away. After that, I participated in every political dispensation. I was one of the elders in Social Democratic Party (SDP) and I participated in its politicking fully. I was involved in the five political parties created by Gen Abacha which Chief Bola Ige tagged ‘five leprosy fingers’, but I don’t agree with him because they were not. Those of us who participated in politics at that time prepared the ground for those who came later to participate in politics in 1999. If we had all ran away like members of NADECO, who would prepare the political ground? I was in Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) then, while others were in other four parties, but the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) was dominating everywhere. It was when Gen. Abdulsallam Abubakar came that Tinubu came back and met some of us who were politicking then and later went to form Alliance for Democracy (AD) with those he believed could work with him. Those in AD and PDP then were planning and arranging together. It was a last minute decision that led Chief Ayo Adebanjo, late Bola Ige and Baba Adesanya among others to form AD. I was in a group that had commitment to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I was in Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) under Gen Sheu Yar’Adua. When Yar’Adua died in incarceration, we continued with the group and supported Abiola’s election. After the ultimate punishment that was meted to Abiola, the northern elders in the PDM and the southern leaders, particularly from the East and Delta, said that they would support us (Yoruba) if we give them a Presidential candidate. That was how Obasanjo emerged.
The assertion that states that it was Babangida that put him ( Obasanjo) there was wrong. I was among those that went to Abeokuta to persuade Obasanjo on 28th of August , 1998, that was two days after PDP was formed, to join the party and be our Presidential candidate. He initially refused but we left the job of bringing him into the party with an Abeokuta woman in person of Chief (Mrs) Titi Ajanaku, and by November 4 of that year, Obasanjo picked the membership card of PDP in his ward; I think it was Ward 11 in Abeokuta. He became member of the party and we all went to the Convention where he emerged as the Presidential candidate of the party. Again, this is a matter of me having clear reasons for being there and I remained in that party till when I resigned. I became Chairman of the PDP in Lagos State and I politicked in the storm and quiet. One of such storm was when my kinsman, Sen Seye Ogunlewe, said I should be expelled. But that has gone into history. I was expelled and I defended myself after which I got readmitted. This was between 2005 and 2006. Then came the election of Umar Yar’ Adua as president. I participated fully in the process and the man won but at the end of the election, certain development came up again in Lagos State PDP that informed my decision to finally exit the party for good. While in PDP, I stayed mostly in Abuja because I was a member of the Savannah Sugar Company Board where I doubled as the Chairman. I even tried to be governor but I did not succeed. So, I decided to leave PDP and join a Lagos based party that would afford me the opportunity of attracting developments to my area. I thank God it was a right decision. On 12th of May 2007, I resigned from PDP, although, some people called it decampment which was not applicable to my situation. In my own case, I wrote to the Chairman of PDP that I wanted to resign my membership of the party. I was having some money belonging to the party with me then, I think the amount was about three hundred and fifty seven naira, which I issued a cheque in that respect to the party chairman. It was four weeks after that the cheque was cleared and I didn’t hear anything from the PDP chairman that I wrote to the Action Congress Chairman in Lagos State, Henry Ajomale, that I was joining the party and I later went to inform my friend, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has been an old friend particularly when he was in Social Democratic party (SDP) where he was a Senator. That was how I came into the party in Lagos and since I came to the party, I have been thanking those who were there before me. They gave me recognition. I also want to thank our people here (in Ikorodu division) too because they gave me necessary support. Their support was the reason I was recognized by the party. I read what my colleagues in the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) said about me in the advert placed in the newspaper. I never knew that those in GAC; about 22 of us, have those kind of views about me. I was really surprised with their commendations and outpouring of affections. They have actually promoted me beyond my expectation. I also have nothing but gratitude to Asiwaju Tinubu who wrote his own on Monday, October 15th. To my colleagues in the GAC, I say that I shall strive with the rest of my life not to fail you. I shall strive to sustain the standard and I shall endeavor, by the grace of God, not fail my own people here in Ikorodu division.
IMPACT: (Cut in) Sir, you have not stated your regrets, although, you mentioned some in the course of your political journey. Are those your only regrets?
Asiwaju Basorun: In the political circle, you don’t call it regret, it is challenge. I have had challenges but with boldness and trust in God, I overcame them. I mentioned one just now when my own kinsman was saying go and expel him and I was expelled but when I was expelled, I took it as a challenge. I spent a whole two days to type my 60 page appeal with which I defended myself. I submitted it in August 2005 and precisely on 17th of March, 2006, I got a reply which states “your expulsion has been quashed” and I was asked to return to the party. But since I submitted my appeal on August 12th, 2005, I felt that the expulsion has been stale, so I continued to participate in the party until I got the party’s response. So, I have no regret politically except in my life and the only situation I will say is regretted but which was also a challenge was the sudden death of my wife. She died 10th January 1993, the week I was to resume at Law School. She was not staying here (Igbogbo) but in our house at Ajao Estate. She left my place on the 3rd of January after the new year celebration but when I observed that she wasn’t in Church the following Sunday, I decided to visit her the following day and it was when I got there that I realized that she was in the hospital. Apart from our chat before she left Igbogbo on that January 3, I was not opportuned to speak with her till she breadth her last. She was sleeping when I got to the hospital and by the time I returned for the next visit, she was incommunicado, she was just looking at me and was unable to speak. It was very painful because we had a very resourceful 28 years of marriage. She was very resourceful, cooperative and productive, but God rewarded me with children that are doing very well. My first child and son, Adetunji, is an Engineer. He qualified in 1990. My second child is Folashade, a medical practitioner who qualified in 1992 and based in Houston, USA. She is a Geriatrics. She is taking good care of me. Our last child has a Master degree in Chemical Engineering. She is also in Houston since 2002. These are the glory that I have gotten from my late wife, Ojuolape. We married on 31st December 1964 and had our first child on August 8, 1965. It was God that has been very wonderful to me till date and I have no regret at all.
IMPACT: You are ordained as Baba Aladura of Cherubim & Seraphim ten years ago, can you please share with us how you got into C & S?
Asiwaju Basorun: I was born into Methodist and my grandmother was the first Iya -Ijo of Methodist in Igbogbo but for some reasons in August, 1959, when I was two months less than 21 years of age, I had to join C&S. I had to seek protection somewhere because at that age, I was facing challenges when I started working on January 5, 1959, as a Clerk with School Certificate. I was the only son of my mother, my sister very small then. My mother was worried and she wanted me to go and consult herbalist and all that but I told her that our teachers told us at school that they are (herbalists) are liars. She then suggested taking me to a prophet which I concurred with. I was then taken to Ademuyiwa Street, Ebute- Metta on Apapa road. The prophet encouraged me and also prayed for me. I later joined the Church and bought garment in August 1959. I clocked 59 years last August as a member of C & S and I am still very much a member till today.
IMPACT: Let’s come back to your community. We have seen you as a national and state personality but despite your fame and responsibilities at these two levels, you still reside in the midst of your people while other prominent Igbogbo indegenes like you are living in Ajah, Lekki and other choice areas, how would you describe your community life vis-à-vis the development of Igbogbo?
Asiwaju Basorun: Well, I will say that I enjoy every bit of my community life here in Igbogbo. I started involving in the local development in the early 60s when I was still working at the Central Bank of Nigeria. At that period, if any organisation is formed in Igbogbo and it was not formed by me, I’ll beg and lobby to be made secretary. That was how I was deep in the community affairs. You would find minutes book of most associations in my library. I never knew I would become Secretary to Government, but I was doing it as a passion for my community. I was responsible for the formation of CDC, Market association (which I founded in 1978), Farmers Cooperative and Consumer Cooperative. Except for the Consumer Cooperative where I was the president, all the rest I served as the Secretary and I thank God that I was involved in all that. All these played major roles in my appointment as Secretary to the State Government.
I think that our major landmark in this town is road network. This main road (Oba Ogunlewe road which is also known as Ikorodu-Igbogbo road) was a footpath and occasionally manageable with cars. Oba Ogunlewe was the only one with a car then. I had mine in 1964. The road was not tarred then until the administration of Mobolaji Johnson and Adeniran Ogunsanya (of blessed memory) was representing us. We got close to him and the government agreed to tarred the road in 1971. The same thing can be said about the other road where we have the burial ground (Igbogbo/Ipakodo road) . It was opened through communal efforts. In those days, there were communal efforts. Various local organizations used tape to measure 200 to 300 portions of the road respectively and manage it to make it passable by foot. Some of these organizations were Iwajowa, Owolowo and others. These organizations were the one looking after the road and making it passable for the pedestrians because it wasn’t motorrable. I remember when I was moving to Lagos in December 1952 to attend Methodist School, I had to carry my box and trek along this road to take the local boat to Ebute –Ero. I still have all these in my memory, but if you go through that place now, Arab Contractors is working on it, so we should give praise to God.
The first secondary school we had in this town was the Teachers Training College in 1952/1953 and how did it happen? We had a highly educated man as an Oba in the person of Late Oba F.M Ogunlewe who attended Methodist Boys High School, Lagos, with Dr Nnamdi Azikwe (Zik). They were class mates. The late monarch was running up and down to get things for this town. When Chief Awolowo was in government, he wanted a Colony Teachers Training College and that time, Ikorodu was in Obaship crisis (the Okoya and Ladega saga) and the environment was not conducive for them to be contacted by the government. Incidentally, our Oba, being a member of the House of Chiefs, moved in and got the school for Igbogbo. He was actually the one that allocated the land to the Government for the establishment of the school. Ever since, that school had turned to many things but it is currently housing the Lagos State Civil Service Model College.
In 1977 or 1978, Zumratul Secondary School in Lagos moved to Igbogbo to establish a secondary school. Before then, there was no secondary school here, we suggested Oreyo, which is a local name peculiar to Igbogbo, to the government and it was accepted and the school was created. When we were in government, we established a number of primary schools. Chief Awolowo had established, of course, primary schools in Baiyeku, Oreta, Offin, Agunfoye and Ewu Elepe in 1955, after that, we tried to add more when we were in government and one of such is in Ibelefun Amojo village at Ibeshe. Jakande, during his administration, developed Ibelefun Amojo community but there was a primary school by Awolowo in Ibeshe. We added more as we were growing.
There was no library in Igbogbo until 1979/1983 when we had Irepodun Local Government and Alhaji Akibu Amusa was made the chairman. He constructed what we called Reading Rooms in Igbogbo, Ijede and Imota. The one in Igbogbo is near the stadium.
In February 1983, we had a launching to build a stadium and the money raised through CDC was used to open up that place and we named it Igbogbo Sports Stadium. When Jakande visited Igbogbo on 17th February 1983, a novelty match was played there, I was part of the team and Ogunlewe was a senior officer in government then. I think he was the General Manager of the Sports Management Board. He was the goal keeper during the novelty match. The stadium would have been overgrown with weeds but you know football is a popular game and our children usually go there to play. In 2007/2008 when Prince Ademola Adeniji Adele was Sports Commissioner, I approached him and he agreed to do something about the stadium. The Lagos State government later took over the stadium as its own and immediately got it fenced.
We are still waiting for the construction of a modern stadium as put in the budget of 2018 by Lagos State Government. There are several other things related to development of roads and others, but those are the few ones I can quickly mentioned.
Living here is a personal decision and since I left government, I had moved here (his original building in Igbogbo). The new structure at the back was built in 1998. I may not be right, but I will say that one of the reasons why people here appreciate me and why I continue to be relevant around here and beyond is because I live with my people. I share their problems and gains. We had the Obaship tussle but I never left but stayed with the people. At the end of it, the late Kabiyesi thought it fit and made me the Asiwaju of this town. It was a big thing because I was ready to reject it if it has been a traditional title because my mother would have frowned at it as she would have wanted me to remain a Christian because I was born a Christian, but when Kabiyesi mentioned Asiwaju, I just told him not to go further and I accepted the title. I have been in the position since October 31st 1994. The settlement of the Obaship dispute, which started in 1978, happened on June 29th, 1992. We thank God for the settlement and the community has been growing since then. We are the pacesetters when it comes to the celebration of the community day annually. We started Igbogbo Day Celebration in 1998 while Ikorodu people started their own in 1990. Igbogbo day was first celebrated at my backyard because of the crisis in town then.
IMPACT: Let’s look at the recent happenings, especially within your party. There has been protests and agitations after the primary elections. How can you describe the last primary elections and as an elder of the party, what is your appeal to the members, particularly the aggrieved members ?
Asiwaju Basorun: Your reference to me as one of the elders of the party catch my fancy and as an elder, I wouldn’t start discussing in details what has happened but what I have found is like putting something on nothing, but my appeal is that we should be seen to be democratic in our conducts. We should live and lets others live. The attitude of a group winning everything should be discouraged. That is not good! To the young ones coming up, my appeal is that they should take it slowly because they seem to be in too much in a hurry and if care is not taken, they will see obstruction coming their ways. We should be fair and be open-minded. Let them stop thinking that once they are in position, everything must work for them. You must consider others. No matter who was favoured or who was not in the primary elections, the party is our target and we must all work for the success of the party. Let us bury our hatchets and work for the party but we must also imbibe the spirit of give and take.
IMPACT: There has always been cry of marginalization by the residents of Ikorodu division and considering your efforts and that of other leaders, would you say that you are satisfied with the situation presently and if not, what areas do you think that the government needs to address?
Asiwaju Basorun: Everybody is like Oliver Twist but it’s important that we must be mindful of our choice of language in order not to make others feel slighted. It’s better to say that we have not gotten enough instead of using marginalization. To use marginalization is like telling the other people that they are foolish. We should rather ask for more. Today, we have the Majority Leader with 12 years of experience. By that position, he is a leader in the state and he behaves in like manner. In fact, his own case is a very rare one because he just got another ticket to stand as our party’s flag bearer in the coming elections. I just mentioned him as an example. Others in positions of authority should behave as leaders too.
IMPACT: Lastly sir, is there any plan in place to immortalize yourself beyond the books and other means you have put in place. I mean in form of public library or any other everlasting monument from which the present and coming generations can draw inspiration and motivation?
Asiwaju Basorun: The eye doesn’t see itself except by the mirror. If people feel I have done well, they’d do things which I’ll be remembered for. I want to thank Senator Ashafa for naming the massive I.T Centre after Olorunfunmi Basorun. When you read my biography, you’ll know I’m very conscious of this. There are things I have done that people are not privileged to have and I have consciously put all these things in books. I did discuss ‘Ikorodu Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’ and I spent lots of time to discuss the development of local government system since 1955. I didn’t just discuss them but I put relevant gazettes in the books also. That is a big archive that I am giving to the public. I was one of the discussant on ‘Lagos Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’ during the Lagos at 50 Celebration and I have put my discussion on the development of local government system in Lagos State in the book too. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to run up and down up till now, though all that are on the decline now but thank God that the white men have produced supplement drugs to help in filling that gap. You might not know what I have taken today that is making me kicking since (laughter). Please, make sure that you look after yourself as you are growing. Thank you very much and God bless you.
IMPACT: Amen. Thank you too sir for the privilege and time.
