The late Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo stormed the political landscape of Kwara politics with a roar that reverberated across the length and breadth of the state in the early 1980s. He was then a dashing young man in his early 40s. He was charismatic, educated, intelligent and likeable.
C.O, as he was fondly called, was the darling of young and oldfolks in Kwara. The fashion at the time was for young men to dress like him, look like him and have a pattern of a straight line on the left side of their hair like him. The then Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Zulu Gambari, was quoted as saying that if Adebayo was a woman, he would not hesitate to marry her.
There is no doubt that C.O. till date, is about the brightest star to come from the Igbomina/Ekiti axis of Kwara state. Before him in the 1950s were the trio of Chief A. Ekunrin from Oke Ode, David Matanmi from Oke-Opin and Chief E. Rufus of Eruku that represented Igbomina/Ekiti in the defunct Ilorin Native Authority. They were the opinion leaders when in 1958, the departing colonial masters asked Yoruba of present Kwara and Kogi states to decide in a plebiscite if they wanted to join their kith and kin in the Western Region or remain part of the monolithic North.
In the 1960s, Chief Josiah Sunday Olawoyin, took over. He was the minority leader in the Northern Region government headed by the legendary Sir Ahmadu Bello. He had the singular honour of representing the Yoruba in present day Kwara and Kogi states.
After Olawoyin came C. O. who became a national figure when he emerged as the elected governor of Kwara state after 1983 general elections. He carried the flag of his people with dignity and made his people proud by his modest achievements in the state and at national level.
His background
C. O. was born on Monday, February 24, 1941. He attended All Saints Anglican School, Oke-Onigbin, Irepodun Local Government Area, Kwara state, Provincial Secondary School, Ilorin and the famous Barewa College, Zaria, Kaduna state, from 1962 to 1963.
He was at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, from 1964 to 1967. His pursuit of knowledge took him to the University of Ghana, Legon, from 1967 to 1969, and became a lecturer of English Language at the University of Ife in 1969. In 1973, he was appointed Head, Department of English, at Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin.
The administration of General Goerge Agbazika Innih appointed him commissioner between 1975 and 1978. He was, first, Commissioner for Education and later Information and Economic Development.
In 1978, Chief Adebayo joined Second Republic politics. He teamed up with the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and represented Kwara South in the Senate between 1979 and 1983. In 1983, he threw his hat into the ring to contest for the governorship of Kwara state.
He was appointed Minister of Communications and later Transportation by President Olusegun Obasanjo and served from 2003 to 2006.
How C.O. tasked Awolowo’s intelligence
In 1988, leader of the UPN, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, had his favoured lieutenants as governorship candidates of the party in all the South west states except Oyo where the late Chief Bola Ige insisted on primary election. Ige defeated Pa Emmanuel Alayande, Awolowo’s longtime associate and his school principal.
Chief Olawoyin, another associate of Awolowo, contested the governorship election and lost to Alhaji Adamu Attah of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1979.
By1982, another young tuck like Ige challenged Chief Olawoyin at the primary election and won. One of those close to Awolowo said in confidence that: “Baba (Awolowo) was disturbed. He did not want to ditch Olawoyin and the chance of young Adebayo winning election was bright.”
Awolowo assured Olawoyin he would order a rerun while he told C. O. to convince Olwoyin that he won. After the second victory by young Adebayo, Awolowo assured Olawoyin of a final rerun and again told C. O. to ensure a convincing victory. C. O. made history by going through the primary election three times and he won convincingly.
His tenure as Kwara governor
He was sworn in as governor of Kwara state on October 1, 1983. The young and old in the state felt he was a breath of fresh air. He lived in his own house at GRA Ilorin and rode in his personal car like his mentor, Chief Awolowo. He immediately put his cabinet in place and most of them were technocrats or professionals in their various fields. The people of Kwara walked with their shoulders high. A new sheriff was in town. A new dawn had come. Alas, the people woke up on the morning of January 1, 1984 to martial music of the military when Major General Muhammadu Buhari took over from the civilian administration of Shehu Shagari.
His NADECO, Afenifere connection
Chief Adebayo was one of those recommended for ministerial appointment alongside Lateef Jakande, Abubakar Rimi, Solomon Lar and other credible politicians to make General Sani Abacha administration acceptable to Nigerians after the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Chief Adebayo declined the offer and became the recognised leader from the Middle Belt region in the progressives’ fold. As a member of Afenifere and the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), he was incarcerated. In those heady Abacha days, late Abraham Adesanya and Solanke Onasanya, the Afenifere/NADECO leaders, often remarked in the presence of this reporter: “Its C. O. Adebayo can reply to this issue.”
Achievement as minister in Obasanjo govt
It is on record that it was during his tenure as minister for communication that development of telecommunication was accelerated after libralisation that gave birth to private communication companies such as Glo, MTN and others. NITEL, the federal government-owned telecommunication outfit since Nigeria’s independence lost its monopoly status. The consequence was that telephone, which a former minister of communication said was not for the poor, is today common among the poor. If you have a handset and value it, remember C.O. in your prayers. He made it possible without making noise about it.
Personal favours
As an individual, I can never forget three distinct favours I enjoyed from C. O. First, when I was elected president of Federation of Kwara Student Union at the University of Ilorin in 1986 and the exco decided to celebrate Christmas and New Year by honouring deserving union members with Certificate of Merit, C.O. was about the most prominent politician at the time in Kwara because he left government as governor two years earlier. I requested he should be physically present to present the certificates.
Alas, he came with Dr David Atte , his Commissioner for Education, and presented the certificates. The auditorium at the mini campus was filled to the brim as virtually all the students wanted to catch a glimpse of the popular C.O. He made a speech and I made a speech. The campus press was awash with my imaginary political connection in Kwara politics for weeks.
The second unforgettable favour was the attendance of the last birthday of legendary Chief Obafemi Awolowo on March 6, 1987. Dr Atte asked me if I wanted to attend and I gave him a nod. C.O. went in a different car, while Dr. Atte, another young man and I went in a car. We met C.O. at Efuyela Hall, Ikenne home of Chief Awolowo. We all went straight to Chief Awolowo and I had the honour of being introduced by Dr. Atte as, “One of the new young men discovered in Kwara state.”
Chief Awolowo warmly shook my hands and when we were leaving, he asked : “Omo student yen nko?” (where is that student?), even though I was standing between C.O. and Dr. Atte. Awolowo asked me: “What course are you reading? Work hard, work hard.”
The third favour was when in 2006, I contacted Professor Albert Ogunsola, a close political ally of late Abubarkar Olusola Saraki in a letter through my colleague at the Guardian Newspapers, Abiodun Fagbemi, on an issue I considered germane about Kwara. I followed the letter up with a visit to Professor Ogunsola in Ilorin. We discussed for more than one hour and concluded he should raise the issue with Dr. Saraki while I raise it with C.O.
Prof. Ogunsola remarked when I was about leaving for Abuja: “You impressed me as a young man. But C.O. will not see you. Those who went there were unable to see him for two weeks.”
I smiled and told him to see Dr. Saraki. “Sir, C.O. will see me,” I said confidently.
When I called C.O. and identified myself, he shouted: “Duro, how are you? Where are you?” I told him I was in Abuja to see him. He said I should come the following day to Mabushi, his office as minister.
I was ushered into his office within 10 minutes and after exchanging pleasantries, I stated my purpose in Abuja. As customary of him, he was silent for some minutes. Some other times, he may close his eyes before responding to issues he considered serious.
He spoke: “Dr. Bukola Saraki (He was then governor of Kwara state), sat on the same chair you are sitting now and he said the same thing you are saying.”
C. O. then lectured me on what I did not know and told me what he expected of me.
His demise is a personal loss. My his soul rest in peace.