Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi

*Col. Fajuyi

HISTORY

We will not forget him!

When Col Francis Adekunle Fajuyi’s immediate elder sister visited him (Fajuyi) in Ibadan, the headquarters of the western region, she took the opportunity to register a company so she could lobby for contracts from government.

But when the Western region Governor, Col. Adekunle, returned later that day from the office, they exchanged pleasantries, and the big sister went ahead to show the kid brother the certificate of registration of her new company.

Col Adekunle’s mood changed immediately! He asked,”What is this? Is this why you came from Ado Ekiti to this place? Do you want to soil my name? The thing we want to eradicate is that what you want me to have a hand in? You will be going about getting contracts from the ministries? No way, you can not do that!’

Then he tore the paper and went upstairs. The sister broke down in tears.

Col Fajuyi was an incorruptible soldier who became governor of old Western Region in January, 1966, and sent words to Ekiti to stop the building of his house, which was at foundation level on Textile Road in a place called Onimosoyin in Ado-Ekiti, because the ethics of public service demands that you do not acquire anything during service. He never had a personal house when he died.

His “native intelligence” was legendary. Some British men came to have a meeting with Fajuyi and the Secretary to the government of Western region, Pa Odumosu, because they wanted to site an industry in Ibadan. At a point, the British requested to see Col Fajuyi privately, so Pa Odumosu was asked to leave. They wanted to bribe Fajuyi!.

They gave him huge cash, and they left. But Fajuyi called Pa Odumosu and said the British brought “our money,” and he said he collected the money from them because “it was part of our money.” He then instructed him to pay the money into the government’s treasury.

Col. Fajuyi was an embodiment of courage and unalloyed loyalty. Suicidal loyalty!. For example, when the head of state, Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi went to Ibadan on official visit and gunshots were heard in the dead of the night, both the host and the guest were taken aback by the ugly development. The government house had been surrounded by soldiers of northern extraction in a COUNTER-COUP.

Still in their pyjamas, Fajuyi and Ironsi went to the governor’s office to make calls for reinforcements. Then Ironsi asked Fajuyi,”But you assured me yesterday that I was safe in your territory.””Yes, I thought you were safe. I didn’t know anything. I didn’t hear anything. But don’t worry, the two of us will stay together. Go and dress up, and I will dress up. Anything that will happen will happen to the two of us.” Fajuyi replied.

The invaders broke in, and before they saw the Head of State, they told Fajuyi; ‘Give us Ironsi, we want Ironsi. Give us Ironsi, we want Ironsi.’ Fajuyi stood his grounds and replied;‘No, you can not take him. He is my guest. Why didn’t you take him in Lagos or elsewhere? You can not take him here. If you are taking him, then take me along. “Gallant, brave and outstanding soldier, Col Adekunle Fajuyi put his own life on the line to defend his guest and even when he was told they only wanted Ironsi, he stood by his guest and died with him.

He was just 40 years old when he took a bullet for his friend.

Fajuyi was survived by aged parents and very young children. His heartbroken father died shortly thereafter.

This is history that is worth telling at this crucial time in Nigeria, when political rogues without honor are at the center stage of our polity. I feel irked by their indecency and gullibility.

O ma se ooo. (What a pity!)

*Culled from Nairaland#NigerianHistory

Edited by Anthony Ororho

Increase Education Budget Allocation, Institute Tells FG

*President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The National Teachers Institute (NTI), Kaduna, has asked for an increase in the federal government’s budgetary allocation for education.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday following the conclusion of a three-day conference held at the NTI headquarters in Kaduna.The theme of the conference was “Re-directing the Focus of Education Stakeholders Towards Modern Process of Producing Competent, Dedicated and Professional Teachers in Nigeria”.

The statement, signed by Prof. Musa Garba-Maitafsir, Director of the Institute, said the upward review will help to improve infrastructure, delivery and overall educational quality, among other things.‘’There should be an improvement in remuneration of all teachers in line with the current economic realities of the country,” it added.The statement also noted differences in teacher training, resource allocation and use of good teaching practices in Nigeria.

*Daily Post Nigeria

Critical Listening

By Anthony Ororho

A teacher and her pupils

As a teacher, do you listen even when your pupils aren’t talking? This is the question every teacher must personalize. The reason is that our young ones don’t like to open up until we encourage them to do so.

A good teacher should:

a. Listen to understand, not to reply.

b. Be able to interpret the Look on her pupils’ face.

c. Have the ability to reach the SOUL of every pupil in her class.Many souls are heartbroken, yes, even those of the little children in our classrooms.

Some are suffering from Sexual Abuse, others from Physical Abuse. Yet, there are some who just need a Parent, a Friend, a Mentor, someone to talk to.

The Class teacher is that someone.

*Anthony Ororho is the Director of Studies at King’s Kids Christian International High School, Uyo. Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria.

Most hated tribe in nigeria = IGBO

The Igbo-speaking people of Nigeria, are a peculiar people with an interesting history. After the Nigerian Civil War, they were able to, within a short period of time, take their place in the Nigerian space, in politics, business, education etc. However, the below claim by some Igbo-speaking people, is open to debate. What is your take?

HISTORY

By Igboland History

*An Igbo work of art.

Oldest tribe in nigeria = IGBO

Most successful tribe in nigeria = IGBO

Most science and technology tribe in nigeria = IGBO

Richest tribe in nigeria = IGBO

Origin of Iron in nigeria (OPI LEJJA) = IGBO

Most hardworking men and women in nigeria = IGBO

Strongest indegenous military tribe in nigeria (BIAFRA ARMY’S) = IGBO

Third most populated tribe in Africa and nigeria = IGBO

Highest adventurers in history of mankind = IGBO

Origin of democracy in the world = IGBO

Oldest Iron smelting site in the world (OPI LEJJA) = IGBO

Oldest pyramid in west Africa (Nsude pyramids) = IGBO

Most spoken African language in the white man’s land = IGBO

Origin of apprenticeship = IGBO

Add yours 🙏No wonder IGBOS are the most hated tribe in nigeria.

IGBO pass them normally.

We lead others follow

*Edited by Anthony Ororho

MALAM ADAMU: PASSING OF THE WAZIRIN FIKA

By Is’haq Modibbo Kawukawumodibbo@yahoo.com

FEATURE

*Mallam Adamu

When I read a few hours ago, that Malam Adamu, Wazirin Fika, died on a flight, from London, where he had been receiving treatment, I felt really sad, that we’ve lost one of the genuinely venerable old men, of Northern Nigeria. It’s without doubt, the closure of an era in our history.

The Wazirin Fika would no longer be present amongst us to consult, when in doubt, about aspects of our history, as well as the nuts and bolts of the administrative structures, upon which some of the most impressive achievements in our history were recorded.

On that fateful morning of November 28th, 2007, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, died in an accident, on the Abuja-Kaduna highway. To be double sure of the story, I placed a call to the Wazirin Fika. He answered me in words that conveyed very deep sorrow: “Yes it’s true, Modibbo, we lost Sunday!”

Chief Awoniyi had been the person that cemented my relationship with Malam Adamu. For those familiar with the old structures of life in the Kaduna of the past few decades, Wazirin Fika and Chief Awoniyi, were inseparable. One was a channel to the other, and the two, were repositories of all that people recall with genuine nostalgia; the era of dedicated labour, genuine service delivery, and patriotism that was a lived daily reality.

During my years as Editor of DAILY TRUST newspaper, we were working on a series of interviews with the old men, who had served during the years of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello. When I got to the residence of Malam Yahaya Gusau in Kaduna, he refused to do the interview. I placed a call to Chief Sunday Awoniyi, who advised me to stay in the residence. A few minutes later, he drove into the compound. Chief Awoniyi asked me to follow him. Mal Yahaya greeted: “Ina kwana, Sunday”, and the reply was “Lafiya Lau, Sir”. Then Chief Awoniyi pressed further: “Modibbo said you have refused to do the interview, but you should sir°. Mal Yahaya turned towards me and replied: “Toh, if Sunday says I should do the interview, then you’re very lucky Modibbo”.

We did the hour long interview, and headed for Malam Adamu, Wazirin Fika’s residence. We were informed that he was slightly indisposed because he had returned from Fika late the previous night and was still in bed. Chief Awoniyi went upstairs into Malam Adamu’s bedroom, and a few minutes later, we were sat in the study for the interview.

Subsequently, it was a library that would be open to me, as it was to several other people. Just as Mal Adamu was always ready to offer very enlightening insights on administration, history, politics, and even social aspects of life.

A few years ago, one of the Governors of our Northern States had appointed over 250 Personal Assistants. People were surprised, and I was too. I called Malam Adamu to find out how many Personal Assistants were appointed by the Sardauna, when he ran Northern Region, that eventually became the nineteen northern states. He told me there was nothing like that in the Sardauna’s period, yet there was a consensus, that things were done much better then. Malam Adamu had a very distinguished life of service to our country, in several positions, and was to retire as a very respected SGF.

Over the next couple of decades, he would continue to offer his remarkable insights to Nigeria, Northern Nigeria and his community in Fika, whenever he was called upon to do so. And because people knew that they would learn a lot from the venerable old man, they never stopped reaching out to him to tap from his wealth of considerable knowledge.

It is part of the mythology of the Northern system, that almost all the top men, from the time of the Sardauna, retired into Kaduna, the old Northern Regional capital. It has always, therefore, been seen as a city of power and influence.

Malam Adamu was one the most respected members of that generation, and because Kaduna is one of the three cities that I call home, I’ve been able to see at very close quarters, the roles and positions of people like Mallam Adamu, and the culture that they created and nurtured, with roots in the most important early years of Northern Nigeria.

Unfortunately, many of the venerable old people have died over the past few years, and the country itself has evolved in an increasingly different direction. The demography has changed, and the country is today a country of very young people. These young people are growing up in a world of neo-liberal hegemony, which has devastated all aspects of life.Our world today, and especially life in Northern Nigeria, now resembles the Hobbesian jungle, with life overwhelmingly “nasty, brutish, and short”. That’s not the world which formed Malam Adamu’s generation.

They grew up in a world of transition, where older community values strongly influenced the formation of character, even while becoming educated within the certainties, if they ever were, of colonial society. Many of the younger generation might not have even ever heard of his name. But Malam Adamu, Wazirin Fika, represented some of the very best of those truly golden years of Nigerian development. Allah gave him a very long life, and allowed us to tap into the wealth of experience that he acquired over nine decades.

In his passing, we arrived at what the old Fullo intellectual from Mali, Professor Hampate Ba, once said. The death of an old African, is the equivalent of the burning of a library. Indeed, a major library has, literally, burnt, with the passing of our very dear Malam Adamu, Wazirin Fika. We are poorer with his passing.

Allah ya jikan sa, ya gafarta masa, ya rahamshe shi. Amin.

Lagos, Wednesday, October 25, 2023.

*Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, PhD, FNGE, is a Broadcaster, Journalist, and Political Scientist.

*Edited by Anthony Ororho