"To the people of the Western Region A LEADER IS MADE, NOT BORN. He is expected to justify his leadership by his personal attributes, and by his works for the good of the people."

have just read the piece by Okey Ndibe in the Guardian of December 29, 2005 and Reuben Abati the following day regarding the crisis in Oyo State and the role of the strongman of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu. Going through the articles I could not but spare some time out of my tight schedule to respond to some misleading assumptions embedded in those two articles, "This god called Adedibu" and "One State, two Governors."

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The two of them, Ndibe and Abati seemed to be more excited on behalf of Chris Ubah by looking for companions for him rather than allow the variables peculiar to the Oyo State situation be their guide in their commentaries. By comparing the roles of Chief Adedibu to that of Chris Ubah, both writers are unwittingly trying to suggest that the contextual variables involved in the two situations are the same. As a result of this they ended up making some false assumptions which included the following:

• That Chief Lamidi Adedibu rigged the election of Chief Rasheed Ladoja as governor;

• That Chief Adedibu is expecting some financial returns from the Oyo state coffers;
• That Chief Adedibu by instigating impeachment, the process allowed by the constitution, is comparable to a criminal like Chris Ubah who kidnapped a Chief Executive of a State;

• And that Chief Adedibu is a threat to peace and order in Oyo State.

It is my view that the above assumptions are wrong and that it is very wrong for these two writers to compare Chief Adedibu to Chris Ubah because the variables involved in the two situations are as different as the personalities involved. Also their overall motives, aside from power and control, are translucently different. The point here is that power and control is not necessarily bad if used to propel the interest of the people as sanctioned by them.

Towards the end of the tenure of the former AD Governor, Chief Lam Adesina, it was obvious that the people of Oyo State were fed up with his non-performance and failure in the office. Chief Adesina was one of those who believed that licking the boots of Obasanjo could save him and guarantee his second term. The Oyo State people were so embarrassed that they were willing to do anything to ensure he did not return. Chief Adedibu aligned himself with the people and used the constitutional process to achieve this objective.

Chief Adedibu has true foot soldiers in all wards and local government all over the state. All of them worked diligently towards the goal isolated by Chief Adedibu. They understood the fact that if they could work hard to get the new governor elected, some gains will accrue to their ward or local government in terms of positions, contracts and what have you. This is raw politics. And this is the way it is played all over the world. Politics, remember, is about who gets what and how. These Adedibu soldiers are very loyal to him and are willing to go to wars for him because Adedibu is always reliable. He is dependable. He does not betray. He is not treacherous. He delivers on his promises almost always. He loves his people and is always catering to and for their welfare.

The bogus attempt by Abati to deride the concept of "Amala Politics" shows how warped and shallow his understanding of politics is. "Amala" concept is used by Adedibu as euphemism for economic well being. Politics essentially is to ensure this through distribution of economic resources among competing interests. That Adedibu is able to grasp this concept adequately and practice it has been one of the reasons for his longevity. The only reason the Daley family has been a constant feature in the politics of Chicago in the State of Illinois, United States for several decades is because the people think and believe that they (the Daleys) care for them.

The "Amala concept" approach to politics as defined by Adedibu is profoundly deep and realistic. This is what the Americans will call "the kitchen table politics" or what the New York State Senator Chuck Schumer described as the "meat and potato politics." The only difference here is that the Americans do not know the value of "Amala" as a very delicious meal while an Ibadanman will choose Amala over and over again over potato. Simply because of the so called Western education received by our commentators, they have been unable to see the value of some philosophical concepts expressed by some of our indigenous leaders as it relates to our context.

To them it has to almost always come from Socrates, Confucius or other Western thinkers to be relevant or carry some weight, otherwise they will try and ridicule such idea. This is nothing but "colonial mentality" on the part of our commentators of which Abati is guilty in this case. This isolates the major problem with products of Western education systems who think that simply because they can write and speak English Language, they are better educated than our people. Despite their so-called Western education, they can not even differentiate between being literate and being educated! There are a lot of fools who go around with doctorate degrees.

Chief Adedibu is not an illiterate (someone who can not read and write) as he has allegedly tried to portray himself. He is only making fun of those professors who read all books but have no common sense and assumed that they are better than everyone else who did not go to school. He may not be as well-educated in the Western way as Ndibe and Abati wished but he is well educated in the fundamentals of his culture, well educated in the expectations and aspirations of his people and well attuned to their lifestyle. He is well rounded in the nuances of politics, especially at the grassroots. He appreciates the value of negotiation and deal making, but will fight back if stabbed in the back. He understands the most important value of humanity - fairness and justice. And nobody can argue the desirability of these qualities in any human society.

Godfatherism is not unique to Nigerian political system and it is not necessarily bad. It is the ends to and the modality with which it has been deployed that counts. Political godfatherism is the system that produced one of the best presidents in American history in Harry S. Truman from the state of Missouri. Truman, a farmer who failed in the clothing business was a product of the "smoked-filled room" political maneuvering to be selected by the state Democratic machine to run for the U.S. Senate in 1934. Truman's political godfather then was Thomas J. Pendergast of Kansas City. Pendergast whose "political machine" was referred to by some history books as "notorious" was the "boss" who determined who got to be elected into any position in the state of Missouri during his time. It was this same system that propelled Truman to become the Vice President in 1944 against the wish of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who headed the ticket..

While I am not saying that Chief Adedibu's style is without its shortcoming(s) which I have addressed in some articles before now, I am contending that one of the major reasons for the enduring political efficacy of Chief Adedibu is his unselfishness and sense of equity no matter the way it is looked at. This is exactly what is lacking in the larger Nigerian context and the reason for the restiveness in the polity. And this is the crux of the matter in Oyo State. The major gripe of Chief Adedibu with the soon to be ex-Governor Ladoja either by impeachment or by term expiration, is that he (Ladoja)violated the formula for distribution of power and dispensation of resources to the different parts and interest groups in the state as agreed upon before he (Ladoja) was propelled to that office. Chief Adedibu is not asking to be paid personally like Chris Ubah is doing in Anambra State. He is saying and insisting that Oyo State belongs to all the people of the State and they should have equitable distribution of power and resources among all.

It is very easy to mischaracterize the demands of Adedibu as Abati tried to do in his article. He tried to suggest that Chief Adedibu wanted "juicy posts" for his followers. This could not be correct. He was asking that the power be spread around and that is what politics is all about. Let us even assume that Abati was right for the sake of argument but he should answer this question: Was Ladoja not Adedibu's follower before he became Governor? Was he not practically living in Molete before he became governor? Ladoja has been coming and going to the Molete Shrine for almost a decade before he finally got the nod. So, what has Adedibu done different in this case? Nothing.

Now that Ladoja is in the office as Governor, he has some resources to build his own following. But the question is - how fair is he in this process? Chief Adedibu has tried to focus attention on this and has tried to negotiate for the deprived areas of the state on several occasions by respecting other elders in Ibadan politics such as Pa Emmanuel Alayande who have all tried to get the governor to change his ways to no effect. Even, President Olusegun Obasanjo (who has failed in almost everything as the Chief Executive of Nigeria) has tried to no avail.

Even, Abati acknowledged the fact that Adedibu has the support of majority of the members of the House of Assembly, is that not democracy? Fighting in the Legislature is not unique to Nigeria, it happened in the United States recently when the Republican Party majority members used the police to harass and humiliate the opposing Democratic Party. It has happened in South Korea when there were serious fisticuffs on the floor. Impeachment is a constitutionally recommended process and that is what Adedibu is trying to use, so what is the problem here?

Gauging from what Abati wrote, he seemed to have taken hook, line and sinker everything that the Ladoja camp has been saying. Does it mean that because Ladoja is the Governor, everything he says in this case is the truth? Does it mean that because Adedibu is a godfather, he is necessarily wrong? Is there any merit in Adedibu's positions? Is Ladoja fostering injustice by his style of administration? Does any administration that has lost the basis of its legitimacy, which is the people, ought to remain in the office?

How can anyone now blame Chief Adedibu for following the law and using the constitutional process to achieve his objective of removing a governor who does not know how to unite everyone and be equitable? How can anyone who believes in law and order condemn the appointed representatives of the people for trying to oust a recalcitrant governor? To compare Chief Adedibu who is trying to work within the confines of the law to Chris Ubah who is doing the opposite, is the height of deliberate mischief and inadvertent dishonesty. To also suggest that because President Obasanjo supported Ubah and is now supporting Chief Adedibu makes them (Chris Ubah and Chief Adedibu) the same kind of human beings is preposterous and insulting to the intelligence of the people of Oyo State who are propelling these events.

I have no doubt in my mind that the Ibadan people in particular and the Oyo State people are not stupid. If they conclude that Adedibu is of no use to their political aspirations they will deal with him on their own. But as long as they continue to believe in him, nothing is going to stop this "god called Adedibu." Chief Obafemi Awolowo was and is still correct when he said in the same speech quoted above as follows:

"The truth about the people of the Western Region is that they are sufficiently enlightened and bold to refuse to be led by the nose by any person or group however sophisticated such person or group may appear. They are slow to anger; robust in contentions; alert to their rights, and will fearlessly resist and combat evil whenever and wherever they discern it with all their might and resources."

The above quote explains what is presently going on in Ibadan. More so, for the information of the untutored students of Ibadan history and politics they should remember the saying - "Enikan kii dara ki o ma ku si ibikan, ija igboro ni arun Ibadan" meaning " No one is so good without a limitation, public protest and display of anger is the shortcoming of Ibadans." Governor Rasheed Ladoja who is an Ibadan himself will attest to this. So, what is the hullabaloo all about?

If Ndibe and Abati are feeling sorry for Chris Ubah there is nothing illegitimate about that. But they can not help cure Ubah's seeming loneliness and reputation as a criminal godfather by engaging in vain laborious efforts to paint others in the same color. Chief Lamidi Adedibu does not belong to the same class with Chris Ubah in the soundness of their objectives and goals for their peoples. It can be argued that public protests at times do threaten public order but it can also be posited that it does not jeopardize it. More so, this is a democracy where people are free to protest what they do not like. There is a LOT of differences between Chief Adedibu and that man from Anambra State and no one should compare them.

By the way, Okey Ndibe and Reuben Abati should realize that justice is a necessary precondition for peace, law and order. Justice is a necessary prerequisite for peace. There can only be peace when justice is guaranteed. If Governor Ladoja insists on fostering injustice, there is nothing wrong if Chief Adedibu tries to use the constitutionally allowed process while operating within the confines of the law, to have him removed from office. This is especially welcomed if the majority of the people, the majority of the lawmakers and the majority of other representatives of the people support Chief Adedibu as Abati himself attested to.

Okey Ndibe and Reuben Abati should wonder why the Richard Akinjides, Adisa Akinloyes, Victor Olunloyos of this world and other elites of Ibadanland in particular and Oyo State in general have not been able to checkmate Adedibu all these years. It is because the people are Adedibu's fort. The people are his base. They are his foundation. They are his focus. Adedibu might have benefited from this over the years, but there is nothing illicit about that. It is legitimate that everyone should benefit from his sweat, skill and talent. Adedibu has a place in his heart for the people and the people in return have a place for him in their hearts. Adedibu is willing to go to war for the people, and the people are willing to follow his lead and go to war with him for themselves.

Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu may be the strongman of Ibadan politics, but he is much more than that. He is the true MAN OF THE PEOPLE. And the people love and adore him for his roles in protecting their interests by any legal means necessary. The only reason whatsoever there is a "god" is because there are some people who believe in that "god." The only reason such people believe in that "god" is because that "god" is efficacious and the only reason any "god" for that matter will continue to have worshippers is the frequency of his efficacy.

If Adedibu is perceived as "a god" or "the god" of Ibadan politics as suggested by Ndibe, it is because he (Adedibu) has been able in the words of Awolowo "to justify his leadership by his personal attributes, and by his works for the good of the people" and has succeeded in delivering results over and over. For this reason, the worshippers of "Orisha Molete" will continue to stream to the Molete Shrine because they believe in him. In addition, if and when necessary, the people will go to battle with him and for him as long as they deem it to be in their own interests.