When at some future date, the High Court of History sits in judgement on each of us ' recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibility to the State - our success or failure, in whatever office we might hold, will be measured by the answers to four question: Were we truly men of courage' Were we truly men of justice' Were we truly men of' integrity' And were we truly men of dedication'''John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)(35th President of the U.S.)Like many other African nations, the main problem of Nigeria has been bad leadership. Our leaders are the bane of our political and socio-economic development. For the over 50 years of our political self-determination as a country, the features of Nigerian leadership at the local, state and national levels are ineptitude, inefficiency; large-scale corruption, profligacy, naked self- interest, irresponsiveness, insensitivity and high-handedness, Most of our heads of government - military and civilian - have been task-masters and leaders with feet of clay. However, quite a few of them actually distinguished themselves as credible, God-fearing and reliable leaders of men and committed administrators in the science and art of statesmanship. One of such dependable leaders was the late Chief James Adegoke Idowu Ajibola Ige, popularly called Uncle Bola Ige who, if he were to be alive today, would be 82 years old. Right, left and centre, Uncle Bola Ige was a man of integrity; very courageous and dedicated. He was not only just, Bola Ige was a consistent and doughty fighter for social justice. Chief Ige, a lawyer, politician, elder-statesman, publisher, author and newspaper columnist, was born in Esa-Oke in the state of Osun on September 13, 1930 - some 30 years before Nigerian became a free state. He was educated at St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Kaduna (1936-1941); St. John's Anglican School, Iloro-Ilesa (1942); Ibadan Grammar School (1943-1948); University College, Ibadan (1956-1959); University College, London (1956-1959) and was called to the Bar at Inner Temple, London in February 1961. Between 1955 and 1956, Bola Ige was a teacher at his Alma Mater, Ibadan Grammar School. He was a private legal practitioner from 1961-1967. In the former Western State Government of Major-General Adeyinka Adebayo (Rtd.), Uncle Bola Ige was first, Commissioner for Agriculture & Natural Resources and later Commissioner for Lands and Housing (between 1967-1970). In the Second Republic, he was the first Executive Governor of the old Oyo State between October 1, 1979 and September 30, 1983. Under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo's government, Bola Ige, was Honourable Minister of Power and Steel initially from 1999-2001, before he was moved to the Ministry of Justice as the nation's Chief Legal Officer, Justice Minister and the Attorney-General of the Federation. The 'Kaduna Boy' began his active' political life in 1962 when, at the Jos Conference of the defunct Action Group, he was elected the National Publicity Secretary of the party. He made an indelible mark on the post and there laid a foundation that was to set him apart as a relentless progressive politician. According to the Father of History, Herodotus of Halicamassus: 'The purpose of history is to put on records the astonishing achievements of our own and other peoples, so that the great deeds of men may not be forgotten'. On assumption of office as Governor of the old Oyo State in 1979, Chief Bola Ige met just about N1.7 million in the kitty but succeeded in effective execution of all the UPN's four cardinal programmes. He increased the number of secondary schools from the 286 on ground to 750 before the end of his four-year term. His government established 24 primary health centres and about 112 clinics. To promote rural development, about 75 per cent of the state was provided with electricity, and water projects costing about N265 million were put in place. Bola Ige created four satellite campuses for The Polytechnic, Ibadan and sited them at Eruwa, Esa-Oke, Iree and Saki, in order to bring tertiary education to the people at the grass roots. Two of the four campuses have since 1992 gained autonomous status as full-fledged Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke and Osun State Polytechnic, Iree in the State of Osun today. Colleges of Education, Ilesa, Ila-Orangun in the state of Osun and the one at Oyo in Oyo State were babies of Bola Ige's government. He raised the number of technical colleges in the state from four to 30. Uncle Bola established the Television Service of Oyo State (TSOS) and built the multi-million naira ultra-modern new Gbagi Market at Ibadan which has since been named after him. The establishment of these projects automatically provided full and gainful employment for many citizens in the state. During Uncle Bola Ige's administration, both the old and young people enjoyed free health services and children of primary and secondary school age had unbridled access to free and functional education. In spite of machinations of detractors and political adversaries, Chief Bola Ige was able to live up to the philosophy of King Pharaoh Amenhotep IV of Egypt that 'the glory of a king is the welfare of his people'. He successfully ran one of the best state governments on African continent. It is part of contemporary Nigerian reality that the politician has become the object of deep public resentment and official contempt. The reasons need not be too strenuous to seek. Today, rather than build public wealth and contribute to the development of the State, our politicians prefer easy access to common purse. Those in government no longer see governance as public trust and a vocation; a call to serve the people. That great philosopher, Robert Browning once said: 'If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing on'. Uncle Bola, without doubt, achieved both. Power to Uncle Bola Ige was merely a vehicle for service, and it only had legitimacy in proportion to the degree of selfless service rendered. Chief Ige did not waste time mouthing these precepts; he was so busy putting them into practice that he shunned the acquisition of personal wealth.Bola Ige would be remembered as a moon, if not a sun in the lives of many Nigerians who have held or are today holding positions of great responsibilities. Blessed are they who remain steadfast in faith and constant in friendship. They shall never die in perdition. Happy 82nd birthday, Uncle Bola Ige. Awopeju is on the staff of Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke.
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