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Obasanjo Reveals His Political Role Model (Guess Who)
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has
said that he believed in the political philosophy of the first Federal
Minister of Social Services and Natural Resources, Adegoke Adelabu
popularly called ‘Penkelemesi’ , describing him as his political role
model.
Obasanjo said the political philosophy of the late
politician was devoid of ethnic and tribal considerations, but focused
on a united Nigeria.
He stated this while receiving the family of the
late Ibadan-born politician, who visited him on Saturday in Abeokuta,
saying, majority of Nigerians are still struggling to reach the pinnacle
Adelabu attained in politics.
Obasanjo, who accepted the offer
to be the patron of the posthumous centenary birthday celebration of the
late politician, described the late Adelabu as a detribalised Nigerian.
Some
members of the Adelabu family, who were led by an Ibadan chief and a
former broadcaster, Aare Tunde Alabi, said they were in Obasanjo’s house
to seek his help in giving a befitting ceremony to the first African
Manager of UAC Haberdashery, Lagos.
According to Obasanjo, Adelabu
was years ahead of his political contemporaries, adding that he
advocated for United State of West Africa before his demise.
He
said, “Adelabu was not just a historic figure, he was a reality, he was a
phenomenon, he was uniquely Yoruba, uniquely Nigerian, uniquely African
and uniquely a member of human race.
“What you are proposing to
do, I believe Adelabu deserved it in every facet. Today, we are still
struggling to reach the pinnacle or the pedestrial Adelabu reached in
politics, of not being swayed by linguistic, ethnic, tribal, regional,
sectional consideration but by what is best for Nigeria.
“He was
years ahead of his contemporary politicians. In his life time, he was
talking of United State of West Africa, ECOWAS came up years after his
demise. In his lifetime, he belonged to a political party that has its
base outside the western region where he came from. He was not a tribal
baron, but a national politician.
“So, when you asked me to be the patron of Adelabu posthumous centenary birthday celebration, I have no reason to say no.”
“I
have no reasons to say ‘no’ because, I share what Adelabu stood for, I
share Adelabu’s philosophy of a united Nigeria and believe, I share
Adelabu’s view of politics beyond ethnicity, beyond tribe, beyond region
and I believe that in our national life, we should extol the virtues
like the one we saw in Adelabu, a man of the people, down to earth,
absolutely down to earth and yet, a man who believed that his politics
must be above ethnicity, must be above tribe, must be to unite the
country while, of course, uplifting his own people.
“On behalf of
the family who asked me to accept this and having accepted this, I will
do my utmost best to contribute to making that day you have chosen to
celebrate the birthday a success and also to use it to remind those who
may like to forget that there was, even before independent, men and
Nigerians like Adelabu who believed in the unity of this country, who
lived for it and indeed died for it.”
Earlier, Aare Alabi who gave a
brief bio data of the leader of opposition in Western House of Assembly
between 1956 and 1958 pleaded to Obasanjo to ‘carry Adelabu to the
world’
:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/adelabu-penkelemesi-is-my-political-role-model-obasanjo/#sthash.aK3wmSrK.dpuf
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