Wole Soyinka: Ahoy to a Mentor at 90, as I tell Some Stories, By Kayode Olagunju, PhD, mni

We had all gathered with excitement in our Federal Road Safety Commission branded white tee-shirts and shots in Abuja in April 1988, waiting to be addressed by the Chairman of the Corps, the African first Nobel laureate, the legendary Wole Soyinka. Yes, we all wanted to feel him, the reason why some of us decided to be part of the pioneering group of the just established agency. Of course, I had always known him from far and had seen him before at the University of Ife. I could even remember i drew a picture of him picked from a newspaper in my early teens which I pasted in our room and even carried this around in my secondary school days. The picture I later published in our very first magazine-The Hooter, when I was the Zone RS2 Command, comprising of the then Bendel, Anambra and Ondo States Spokesman, the Public Enlightenment and Research Officer in late 1988. Learnt Prof was amused when he saw the adapted drawing with the FRSC logo in a glass box in his hand with a quote challenging us to evolve an effective and corrupt-free agency.

The Chairman did address us, killing the excitement of many. He had started in his familiar Kongi deep voice, like…last night, I got the worst letter I ever received. You guys are asking for anti-bribery allowance. That I should bribe you, in order for you not to collect bribes on the road. Nonsense . Learnt some of you because of their faith, kicked against ladies wearing shots.  Cadets, we are talking of uniformity here, not duo-formity, quo-formity, (he mentioned all sort of “formities” ) but uniformity. You even asked for hazard allowances! Which hazards? Are you more important than other Nigerians using the roads? We will do all the needful to protect you in the course of the job. If you were attacked on the road on patrol, we will do all possible to save your lives and celebrate the survival with you and others. May be with some drinks.  We have not gone far, I am ready to send all of you home, apologize to the nation, and then we start again. We opted for the Corps members thinking that you have not been tainted like many unpatriotic Nigerians. I am not quoting the Prof here, I just paraphrased as he used some “gbangbagi” English to abuse us well. He then threw some challenges informing us that their team had thought through their plans for the Organization but whoever among us came with new ideas, the Corps would reward such a person. We filed out like fowls poured cold water. We later discovered that some of our colleagues had met the previous night, under the tree in front of our camp, located in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja as “elders” to write the letter to him, while some of us had gone for the “happy hour” at Nicon Hotel to enjoy our beer and cigarettes at fifty percent rate. The hotel adopted this 7-8 pm doubling of whatever bought at the bar during the period to attract patronage of those who could not afford the prevailing prices. We usually procured what could take us till around 9.30 pm when we rushed back for the 10pm tattoo, when roll calls were made. Many were disappointed that the “elders” wrote such a letter but felt WS was too hard on us. Wetin?

My first direct encounter with him was when we had the endurance trek. I was the Squad Five leader. Fifty Cadets were in each Squad of the five squads. My team was hyper-active and one could not rule out the water bottles of some cadets could have contained content stronger than water. Our ladies were in the front and we overtook all the other squads from the rear. The mobile policemen in charge of the exercise, in an attempt to curb our disorderliness, used their sticks on the ladies. They were thoroughly flogged. We did not like their ungentlemanly conduct. We attacked them and unfortunately for us, the Chairman arrived from Lagos and was informed. Pronto, Prof Wole Soyinka disbanded Squad 5 for indiscipline and we were asked to return home. The coordinator of the training programme, now late Major Aleno Wyse, rtd and the Camp Commandant Oga Ajayi were so disappointed in our conduct and were not ready to plead on our behalf. I went to meet Prof in the temporary office he was with the Major and the Commandant. Attempts were made to deny me access and I think Prof heard of my voice protesting and he called me in. I introduced myself as the leader of the just decamped group. Honestly, I did not know where the courage came from as I asked Prof If he was told while we fought the instructors. He was surprised to learn that the ladies were beaten with sticks and some of them injured. I then asked a daring question. Sir, why did you bring mobile policemen to be in charge of our physical training? Surprisingly, he replied “so that you can be strong and bold. You need to face the tasks courageously”. I replied, then you have achieved the goal sir, as  we were bold in dealing with all of them while protecting our ladies”. Prof laughed as he gave a consenting look and gave an instruction that we should continue our training. Commander Ajayi followed me downstairs to convey the instruction amid wild jubilation. So Kongi could change his mind? He is human after all, some chorused.

I had taken up the challenge thrown by Prof that we should suggest new ideas to aid the Corps in realizing its mandate. I suggested that every apprehended offender should go through reorientation class to explain their offences to them and educate them on safe acts on the road. I also suggested that we should be taking pictures of crashes and also recording them on videos which should be shown to offenders and used for our public enlightenment activities as a form of “shock treatment” to let them appreciate the sanctity of life. Prof loved the novel idea and wrote me on June 12, 1988 to acknowledge the suggestion and discuss the Strategy. Me, getting a full page letter from  Prof Wole Soyinka, personally signed by him? I must have read the letter tens of times that day and could not sleep that night. I was in charge of the pilot class immediately established in Benin Zone. Then another one came, also personally signed by him and dated 27 February, 1989. This, in response to my suggestion that we should establish monitoring/surveillance teams that should covertly police the FRSC patrol teams and arrest bribe takers nationwide. Prof appreciated the suggestion and informed that he had directed the Chief Executive Dr Olu Agunloye to work out the implementation strategies. Dr Agunloye later created the team and made me the head of the group. Those valuable letters are my valuable possession securely kept in my archive. So, Prof could acknowledge and personally endorse suggestions of a Corps member like me. I was encouraged.

My courage once failed in his presence. We were in Aba for a special Operation tagged Operation C-Mode involving so many Commands nationwide. We came from different parts of the Country. Prof was flagging off the Operation. He addressed the Parade and praised my suggestions. After the Parade, he sent for me. He was there with the Corps Public Enlightenment Consultant, Dr Soile and Oga Fawole. I saw him holding one of my letters. I suddenly became jittery. Guess, the Kongi Spirit was working on me this time around. He must have spoken to me for about five minutes but I did not hear a word spoken by him. I stood like a statue. I did not uttter any word and even when he said I could take my leave, I did not hear him. It was when Dr Soile repeated that he said I could leave that I regained my consciousness. I believed Prof enjoyed it as he laughed and I joined him in laughing. I quickly rushed out. Then a colleague, Yomi Asaniyan waiting for me outside asked me “Kini Prof so?” (What did Prof Say?) And I replied “Mi o gbo nkankan” (I did not hear anything). Yomi laughed and made jest of me. Then Prof was about leaving and as he came out of the office, I regained my courage. I had a camera in my hand. Gave it to Yomi and approached Prof for a photograph. He consented and even wrapped a hand around me. I felt so proud and fulfilled as I smiled. He entered his vehicle and I immediately rushed to Yomi, to preview the picture. Yomi looked at me and said “mi o ya nkankan o, mo kan n gbon ni” (I could not take the picture o, I was just shaken). Haaaa , see someone who just laughed at me for lacking courage when I met Prof. I swear Prof Soyinka must have come to Aba that day with a particular spirit. May be his “Ogun” (Yoruba’s warrior, the god of Iron) spirit. After all, he is known as “Eni Ogun”. Some even believe, he could be a reincarnation of Ogun. That must be the spirit his siblings believed he used in gathering snails in the bush while they were children. If you don’t believe, go and read “Ake: The Year of Childhood”. I hope Prof does not get to see this. Laughs

There is no doubt, Prof Soyinka loves Nigeria. In 1992, four of us were selected after intensive competitive exercises involving 12 Officers of the Corps, to attend a Firearms Course in the United States. The other successful three were Yemi Oyeyemi,  Tope Akintoye and Charles Akpabio. We were summoned to meet Prof in his private office where he also accommodated free, the office of the Chairman, FRSC. He took us through the firearms training, while FRSC reluctantly introducing guns in its Operation, his personal belief on it, and our expectations, among others. Then he dropped the “bomb”, informing us that estacode are drawn by civil servants to fleece government. That the Corps will make us confortable in US but that if he learnt that we were paid any extra money apart from stipends, we would be made to refund the money. Haaaaaaa ! Prof, in case you get to read this, I am confessing now that though we did not have the estacode as you directed, we got enhanced stipends sir, so that we could at least get stuff for family and friends. Sorry sir.

Prof Soyinka’s memory is still very intact and sharp. The way he recalled past events is amazing. I had in company with Hyginus Omeje, then the Lagos Sector Commander, met Prof in Lagos in 2017. It was on the book “FRSC @30” that I was anchoring for the Corps as the Head of Policy, Research and Statistics Department. Prof had agreed to help review the book before publication. It was an engaging intellectual and historical encounter. Prof vividly recalled events leading to the formation of the Corps, the Council matters and many other issues. I also remember when we brought Jean Todt, the UN Secretary General Special Envoy on Road Safety to Nigeria as the Guest Speaker at the FRSC Annual Lecture. I had gone to the Abuja Airport to pick Prof who was also speaking at the occasion. It was another opportunity to learn. The great teacher told me many stories behind some stories, still recalled the 1992 firearms training and asked me some questions on the programme. Some are really blessed and I can say conveniently, Prof Soyinka is one of them. That full day engagement with him that day remains memorable and refilling.

Of course his human rights crusade is never in doubt. He is a defender of the defenseless.  When I was the Oyo State Sector Commander of the FRSC in the 90s, we had arrested Akeem Adedibu, son of the Ibadan Powerful Politician Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu for driving a right hand vehicle. We impounded the proscribed vehicle. The offender tried to intimidate us but we did not yield. He came back to our office after about an hour with many policemen, that we stole the seventy thousand he left in the car. I asked how he got to know we had stolen the money when he had not gone back to the vehicle to check as the vehicle key was still in our custody. The hole in his allegation did not interest the six mobile policemen he brought. We went back to the vehicle and of course, no money was found.  The Police insisted on going to search my house. I contacted our Chief Executive Dr Olu Agunloye who immediately contacted a Barrister,  Dr Yemi Kayode-Adedeji to step in. The Policemen searched the house, of course the money was not there. The case was referred to the State Crime Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan. My Deputy, Bisi Kazeem and I were granted bail on self-recognition. We met Chief Adedibu more than once at Iyaganku. Prof was contacted and he was very furious. He insisted that FRSC should prosecute Akeem for the offences committed and also on his false allegation of missing money. He promised to tackle Chief Adedibu directly and that the lawyer should look at his culpability. He made public statements on the matter and the issue was one the matters he was addressing, taking Alhaji Adedibu headlong on a live Radio OYO programme. That  program was stopped mid-way as the station management could not handle the situation as Chief Lamidi Adedibu was considered Governor Ladoja’s Political leader. Prof then threatened to sue the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State for violating his fundamental rights. It became “Isu ata yanrin-yanrin” . Alhaji Adedibu must have felt the Prof Pressure as he apologized to Kazeem and I and his son paid all the fines after withdrawing his false allegation. That is Prof for you, always ready to stand by his boys once they are doing the right things. He gives you the backing and courage to do the job without fear or favour.

Another memory, though brief encounter was in early June 1991 during the OAU Summit in Abuja. I was the leader of the Patrol teams on the Abuja airport road when the radar picked the speed of the convoy of the Foreign Affairs Minister going to the Airport to receive a Head of State at over 120 kph. We pursued the convoy with our power bikes and forced them to stop. After giving the Minister, Major General Ike Nwachukwu a smart salute, I addressed the driver. “ You are conveying our Minister of External Affairs and you are speeding. Do you understand the implication and negative attention you will attract to the nation if our External Affairs Minister should crash during the OAU summit? Let me have your ID card”. The soldier looked back and gave the attitude of “sure you did not see the General” The General shouted “You heard him”. I won’t ever forget that encounter with our gentleman Officer. I will forever appreciate the General. His action shaped my life positively. I collected the ID card and issued him speeding ticket. Saluted the General again and waived them to move on. I picked my walkie-talkie and announced on the radio, “I just pulled over the Convoy of the Foreign Affairs Minister. Ticket issued for Speed Violation”. The Corps National Head of Operations, Engineer Ade Coker came on line and stated “That was stupid”. The Corps Marshal Dr Agunloye ordered “Let me have the details immediately”. Then came online that familiar baritone voice of the Chairman, Prof Wole Soyinka with “Commendable”. I sent the ticket and the confiscated ID card to the duty office.  Before we returned from Patrol, the Soldier driver had paid the fines and the confiscated ID card released. That is WS for you, always encouraging courage and that nobody should be above the law.

There was also a missed opportunity. I had the rare opportunity of peeping through the draft of WS book “The Road Map of a Nation : A Narrative of the First African Road Safety Corps” in late 2017 before I left to attend the Senior Executive Course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru. The book opened my eyes to so many issues and I so communicated the erudite Professor. I then sent him an article I published titled “Bribery: My Personal Experiences”. I got an exciting reply which partly reads “ I’m glad you let me see this. It ought to receive a continuous circulation on all available media. Thinking of using it as Appendix to my own forthcoming publication –THE ROAD MAP OF A NATION-which should have come out at the same time as the Corps Anniversary events next week, but won’t. Thanks to some editorial mix-up. We’ll talk about the possibility later’. Missed opportunity really. That would have been an opportunity of a life time. To be published in Prof Wole Soyinka’s book. Even the email which I have archived is a gold medal that I will forever cherish. That was an uncommon humility from a global icon.

Of course, there are several other stories that bring smiles. All the stories will not be told today. Prof, there are many great minds that have better stories to tell as you have impacted many lives. I just felt so excited to tell mine here. Happy birthday, Prof Oluwole Akinwande Soyinka. Igba odun, odun kan sir. Wishing you many more wonderful years in good health sir. Ahoy

• Kayode OLAGUNJU, PhD, mni,
• Retired Deputy Corps Marshal
• 13 July,2024