In few months time, it would be 12 years since the late Generalissimo of Ibadan politics, Pa Lamidi Adedibu passed on, OZIEGBE OKOEKI recently visited the home of the former strongman of Ibadan politics in Molete. At the expansive residence he met Adedibu’s youngest wife, Alhaja Modinat Bosede, the Yeyelua of Ibadanland who is holding the home together, she spoke extensively on her late husband’s role in the June 12 struggle.
Approaching the residence of the late Baba Lamidi Adedibu at Molete, Ibadan, you are confronted with a big screaming banner with his large portrait with the inscription: ‘Late High Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu; Eketa Olubadan (Asipa); The Garrison Commander of Nigerian Politics (The Most Consistent Politician)’; all written in capital letters at the outer gate to his residence.
As you cross the second gate, manned by at least four security men, into the sprawling residence tucked in the belly of Molete, what strikes you most, if you had visited the same place when the late Generalissimo was still alive, is the serene and quiet atmosphere. No beehive of activities, no visitors, no politicians, no friends, no hangers-on, no praise singers, no favour seekers, no area boys, no political thugs, no journalists, everywhere is simply quiet. You begin to wonder if this is the same ‘Afin’ of the dreaded strongman of Ibadan politics.
But the youngest of the late Chief’s wife, Alhaja Chief (Mrs) Modinat Abosede, the Yeyelua of Ibadanland still keeps the Adedibu’s homestead alive, of the late Chief’s wives she is the only one still residing and keeping the place going.
Asked why she chose to remain in her husband’s home, she said: “First, I thank God for my life, I thank God for Pa Adedibu’s life. The man was just too good, I was much younger than him when he married me. Though he was still a young man then but I was much younger than him, I am well over 60 now. My marriage to him was the handwork of God. There was really nothing special about him before I married him because I didn’t really know who he was at that time, that is why I said it was the handwork of God. It was after I married him that I got close to him, I now understand who he was and really got to know him.
“I was just a young girl then, he was already popular but as a young girl I did not know him. Even the day he came to our house people were asking me, ah, Bose, what is wrong with you, do you know who this man is? That is the lieutenant of (Chief Obafemi) Awolowo. And I said who is Awolowo, because my father was then in NCNC. So I didn’t know anything about him, it was just God’s intervention.”
Adedibu: Twelve years after
“But today I thank God for everything, it cannot be the same, but God is there for me and my children. I was the youngest wife but I decided to remain in his home because he was too good to me, he was a fantastic husband, so why should I leave his house, why?
“When Baba was alive he was a very busy person politically. People thought he had no job to do, but I am telling you, my husband was a workaholic, aside politics. When he was alive he was a very busy person. You know, when people need something from you they always come to you, but they know that I don’t have money to give like Baba used to and that is why everywhere is now quiet unlike when he was alive. Where will I have money to give them every day?
“When he was alive, my husband would feed more than 1000 people every day. So where will I get the money to do that when I don’t have any money minting machine at home to be producing money for me? And he is not the kind of person that use to keep or hide something, whatever he sees or has now he would spend it all, that is his kind of life.
“That time people would run to him for one thing or the other, he settles matters, solve problems, I cannot do that. Although I can do a little but you can’t compare to what he was doing.
“So now that he is no more, I was enjoying it all then. People that got something from him are no more coming to us and I cannot go and meet them for anything. But if they realize that they got something from him and they want to pay back to me, the children or the house, they are welcome; if they don’t come no problem. What I am happy for is that with God there is nothing impossible. God has not failed me since his demise, what am I looking for when God is there? The children are fine, they are doing well.
Adedibu left N7,500,000.00
“Contrary to what people think, Baba had no money, because if he has something he will spend it for everybody. He doesn’t keep money. When he died you will be surprised we only met N7,500,000.00 in his account. He loves to spend new currencies, and that money was the money he asked his son to bring out and count few days before he died as if he knew he was going to die. He told his son to go and deposit the money in the bank, about N6,000,000. I am very sure that was the money we met in his account.”
On remarrying
“I have not remarried, by the way, how can I go and remarry? I am well over 60, my children are married, so what am I looking for. I am comfortable by God’s grace.
The June 12 struggle
“There is no way you talk about June 12 without mentioning the role played by Baba Adedibu, and myself as his wife, I also played my little part.
“As a wife I supported him in whatever he was doing. I disagreed with him initially about June 12 when (Chief Moshood) Abiola was incarcerated. I told him we must get the mandate at all cost, but he said “which mandate, can you tie someone’s hands and legs and tell him at the same time to fight?”
“Baba said he has worked with Awo and so many other people and that he has to get Abiola out first before he starts to fight. How can MKO be incarcerated and you are shouting June 12, what June 12 is that?” he used to query.
“According to him June 12 would be realized when Abiola is outside not when he is locked up somewhere. I saw reason with him, as an experienced person he knows you cannot fight when you are tied down, but we wanted to fight to realize the mandate. He wanted Abiola to come out first before any fight. He was working for the release of Abiola and I gave him all the support that I could.
“He made so many efforts before the problem started. (Chief Ernest) Shonekan was the head of the Interim National Government, Pa Adedibu was not comfortable with the interim arrangement because nobody voted for an interim government.
“Everybody voted for Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, and before Abiola does anything he will call my husband first and my husband will advise him. But the advice that my husband gave him that he did not follow because of other people that surrounded him led to his incarceration.
“He told my husband that he was going to announce himself as president, Baba advised him not to do it, Adedibu advised him instead that the matter should be taken to the international level. But Abiola refused because of people surrounding him, the NADECO people.
“When he was apprehended, any court they took him to, Pa Adedibu will also be present there. The last one I saw was when MKO wrote a letter in a small piece of paper to my husband which he handed over to Baba in the court. He told my husband in the letter that, “This people don’t like us, do anything to get me out of this place.”
“When my husband came back to Ibadan he met Aare Arisekola. (Gen Sani) Abacha was a very close friend to Aare. My husband and (Alhaji Azeez) Arisekola Alao now went to see Abacha in Abuja. Abacha told my husband that he knows MKO that Abiola will not agree to whatever they discuss. My husband said it is not true and showed Abacha the letter Abiola wrote him in the court. It was when my husband showed Arisekola the letter that he agreed to follow him to Abacha, that convinced Abacha that it was true.
“Abacha now said, “Baba, you know I respect you so much, I know Bashorun so well, you know I am not his friend, it is Babangida that is MKO’s friend”. He said he wasn’t the one holding him up where he was.
“My husband now went to see General Oladipo Diya, who was then the second in command. Diya was doing what he could as a Yoruba to get Abiola released, he tried. It was Diya that told Baba that he should stay on Abacha’s neck. So even when Abacha was telling my husband that MKO will not agree, my husband insisted that he would agree because he gave him a note saying ‘anything to get him out of the place’. My husband even prostrated for Abacha.
“I followed them to Abuja, though I did not follow them to the Villa, but when my husband came he told me everything that happened. Abacha would always tell Arisekola to excuse them anytime they want to discuss, because according to him, Arisekola was not a politician.
“My husband prostrated before Abacha promising he would stand surety for Abiola. Abacha now called for Diya and told him to go and do anything Baba wants; General Diya was very, very happy.
“Now, it was a weekend and the Judge handling Abiola’s case was not in Abuja, Diya ordered two planes to be looking for him to give the bail, eventually they got the judge. We were all in Abuja, it was very tough, going up and down. My husband now called, the late Alhaja Kudirat, Abiola’s wife to come to the court. She refused and told my husband to get MKO’s lawyer, Chief G.O.K. Ajayi and another lawyer as well as Abiola’s personal doctor, Dr. Ore Falomo. They now insisted that they don’t want conditional bail.
“Baba now told her on phone that they should let MKO come out first that once he is out nobody can stop him but he must come out first. When Alhaja Kudirat did not agree with my husband, he now called Abiola’s other wife, Alhaja Bisi who said they should let him come out first whether conditional or not, he should just come out.
“Everybody now went to court not knowing that they have mobilized people to come to the court. Immediately my husband got to court with everybody there; when the Judge came out and read out the conditions attached to the bail which includes that he cannot travel out, hell was let loose.
“If you see the mob, my husband nearly died that day. They accused him of collecting money from Abacha. But before they could attack him, one man took my husband out of the court. They threw missiles at him, shouting “ole, ole,” he has collected money from Abacha, he wants to give him conditional bail.”
“That was when my husband said, okay, since God has saved him, he would just sit down peacefully on his own, that is like saying he has removed his hands from the matter.
“That same night Abacha called him, I was the one that picked the call in the Hotel at Abuja because my husband had to be drugged before he could sleep that day, his eyes were reddish; the stress was much.
“Abacha now told my husband on the phone that, “Baba didn’t I tell you, I told you, that man, let him stay there, don’t worry Baba”, that was all. Well, God knows everything, but I am very sure, maybe he wouldn’t have died like that.
“After that time, Abacha called the Muslim elders and told them that they should pray. You know the problems were too much then, NADECO, this and that, bombs going off everywhere. He now told them to pray against whatever was disturbing the country.
“We did our own prayers here, every state did. Arisekola now went to Abuja to tell Abacha that we have concluded the prayers in Oyo, Osun, Ogun. My husband was supposed to see Abacha a day before. I was not around, I traveled and came back a day before. He told me on phone that he has an appointment with Abacha. I was however not too comfortable with his going to see Abacha again.
“It was that same night that somebody called us from the Villa saying Abacha had died. My husband did not believe and told the person so, saying how can somebody he spoke with the previous day who asked him to see him that same day die? The next thing, Arisekola called to tell Baba he was going to Abuja immediately. And Baba asked him what happened, that he should wait for both of them to go together. But Arisekola told him that he has chartered a flight to take him down to Kano. Baba asked him what happened and he told Baba it appears his friend Abacha had died.
“Everybody in the house was disorganised, running helter skelter, because every time they use to attack us in this house because they saw us as supporters of Abacha especially since after the MKO court incident when he decided to stay on his own.
“My husband and Arisekola were very close, and Arisekola was a friend of Abacha. They thought my husband was also a friend of Abacha. They thought Baba had betrayed and abandoned Abiola. But after the ugly court incident where my husband was almost mobbed, my husband stayed away from making any further effort at interfering in the Abiola matter. (The Nation)
