Aregbesola at 60: The godfather from the left.
By Adewale Adeoye

Constantly lean, emaciated but steely leader of the state of Osun is now 60. Raised from a tough peasantry background, scion of a third generation of forebears that fought the bloody Kiriji liberation war, how he had managed to survive the intrigues of life associated with his own generation, and his engagement on the turbulent sea of bourgeois politics, the threats and the daring covert and overt plots in its wake, is not a just a stroke of the pen.
Unknown to many, Comrade Aregbesola was a touch bearer in the burning spears of the 1980s, when young cadres from the students movement dreamt of a socialist revolution that would take Nigeria by storm, chase out the baldheads through a socialist revolution that would eliminate despair through a radical paradigm shift from a bourgeois economy to a new order, where wealth would be redistributed among the people, especially the working class. He enlisted in this movement when he was green and lurch, as a teen at the Polytechnic, Ibadan.
In Nigeria, there were two major socialist trends; The Trotskyist and the Stalinist, sometimes in perpetual ideological conflict, against each other, in debates, on campuses and in the field of revolutionary politics, of a once vibrant students and labour movement. But Comrade Aregbesola was a bridge in-between, owing to his liberal disposition, his culture of tolerance and his amazing listening ability.

If not for the end of the cold war, Nigerian history would have been different. If anything had changed the tempo of Nigerian ideological movement, it was the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent impact on all the radical social movements across the world, Nigeria inclusive. The name Raufu Aregbesola first struck me as a member of the students’ movement in the 80s. In the South West, the Polytechnic, Ibadan, University of Ibadan and Great Ife were the custodians of the leftist ideology and the pillars of the socialist encampment in the hemisphere. In the students’ movement of old, radical cadres were divided into the covert and the overt operatives. The overt leaders were the ones that dominated the newspapers, not necessarily the most dogged. The covert operatives of which Aregbesola belonged, were like the brain box, the hidden engine that propelled the wheel. He is honest, open, and transparent and possesses a high moral ground. These qualities make him to command automatic respect.
Perhaps for his love to work rather than being heard or seen, many of us younger Marxists heard the echoes of a ‘strong, iron-cast firebrand Aregbesola’ who worked as an undercover revolutionary and whose ferment for a people’s revolution was molded in steel. Femi Ahmed would come to UNN at the time, to brief us about the upcoming revolution, the hard work, sleepless nights and trans-Nigerian underground campaigns by the likes of Aregbesola which he would narrate led him to be among those that planted the roots of radical politics in his days in Kaduna alongside the Aminu Kanu peasant-driven group. Aregbesola, then, was one of those who looked up to leading the vigorous battle for a new Nigeria where spring would flow for all.

With enthusiasm and a mix of desperation, I was one of those anxious to meet him. It was not until during the high-pitched battles against the June 12 that I first met a skinny fellow that struck me with the might of the frame of mind, rather than the brawn and brawl of the human muzzle.
I met him for the first time at a ghetto in Mushin at the home of a consummate revolutionary, Rotimi Obadofin. Comrade Aregbesola, on the global revolution and then on the June 12 crisis, spoke with eloquence, picking his words with distinction, his logic with the precision of a surgeon and the conclusion of his arguments ushered professionally akin to the pinfall of a good wrestler. He spoke about the dialectics of the campaign, the tactical and strategic alliance necessary, and the justification for the support of the June 12 movement by the left movement. I met a good listener, a honest but critical mind, a bundle of knowledge, a strong character, a refined, cultured and principled advocate. His oratory skill was stunning. If there were hidden, but “dangerous” voices and hands behind the June 12 campaign, he was one of the few, with his lenses focused on the mobilization of the working class within the context of the June 12 struggle. He was one of those that took up some of the most life-threatening assignments that should be preserved for a future foretold.
In the realm of politics, it is no longer in doubt that he made tremendous contributions to the laying of the new Lagos foundation in 1999 as the pioneer Commissioner for Works. Today, Lagos is rated as the most viable state with about 305billion IGR in one year. Eventhough his history of radical politicking began from his puberty age at Ikare, it is not unexpected that most people would wish to see Comrade Aregbesola from the prism of his tenure as the governor of the State of Osun from 2010. But the truth is that though his expected 8 years sojourn may actually be the most visible aspect of his life, but not necessarily the most outstanding era of his contributions to the world of ideas and praxis.
There is no doubt that Comrade Aregbesola draws extreme of two perspectives: those who admire him with a blunt spirit and those who detest him. This is the lot of great, charismatic and consummate leaders. It is this contradiction that appears to have continued to define his strength of character. Only a striking politician with some remarkable steps would find himself in this context. What has been interesting is that those who admire him with a scorching spirit, those who adore him and see him as a striking, thunderous spirit are in the majority. Two recent phenomenal events have proved this clearly. The first was the unusual revolutionary movement he was able to build following the rigging of his election in 2007. Aregbesola did not choose despondency. He went back to the poor communities, the peasants and within a short time, ignited a glowing fervor that consumed his strong but tactless tormentors, drawing emergency meetings of retired generals in the PDP that formed the bulwark of the orchestrated campaign to stop his ravaging machine. I believe the Court of Appeal had little uption than to echo the hues of the people. Again, the 2015 election which saw his re-election, may be defined as one of the toughest and most turbulent state electoral battles in modern Nigerian history. Ekiti had just been humbled. Basking in the rapture, the Federal Government launched a coordinated attack against a small state of mainly agrarian people. They met resistance etched in iron simply because of the strong leadership provided by him. Soldiers came in thousands, armed squads, militants in military uniforms, spies, espionage and counter espionage that consumed millions of dollars in public funds, invested, all in the bid to excavate an ideology that was well dug in. I was in Osogbo on the red-letter day. Armed soldiers came to knock right on his bedroom. They threatened to shoot. His answer was that he would yield if there was a coup, or if he was shot dead. The General who led the assault was dumbfounded. A rugged fighter stood on the door, all he had was one indomitable weapon: His will, far more potent than any military arsenal. He dared one of the world’s most vicious and brutal regime. On the streets, young and old, defenseless and those armed with brooms rocked the city, shouting “Ise tee te je tete, e ma je dagunro, dagunro soro je.” The manner in which the common vegetable was devoured is not the way a thorny weed would give in so easily. The Osun election was a Pan Yoruba and Pan Nigerian battle. Peasants and workers came from North, West, East and South to defend one of their own, many sleeping for days on bare floor in a selfless payback service. Have you ever watched him on the rostrum in campaigns? Comrade Raufu is a stinging bee, orator, consummate energy, a maestro of wits, poet and a maverick musician put together to electrify a raging audience. His victory was not only astonishing to the Nigerian state, but confounded the international community who almost gave in that the venomous federal machine would cast a gloomy cloud on the state.
Now, historians are bound to draw different conclusions about Aregbesola. He owes salaries, though himself has not been paid since he assumed office in 2010, neither did he own a foreign account, no building raised after his assumption of office, nor a structure outside the shores of Nigeria and neither an extravagant lifestyle. Yet, the fact is that since 2010, Osun has employed more workers than any other state in Nigeria, thrice the number employed by some states in 20 years. Those things that cannot be wished away are numerous. The IGR rose from 300 million to 1.5billion, free meals for 254,000 pupils, world-class schools, 150, 000 computer tablets for schools, being the first of its kind, free uniforms for pupils, funding of primary schools rose from 74 million to 424 million and a real revolution in the agrarian sector struck. At 60, what many of us wish to see is how this bundle of energy will lead the expected battle for Nigeria’s renaissance. At present, the statecraft is sinking, hunger, want and insecurity have refused to go. The worst is the deaf ears that the caliphate has turned into the hightone call for restructuring of the country. In the few years ahead, it is certain that history will respect those who interpret correctly the feelings and aspirations of the toilworn masses. At 60, comrade Aregbesola has history on his side to continue on the path of righteousness sustained by unflinching spirit that will lead to the renaissance millions wait eagerly to see in their lifetime. At full moon, history will be written in favour of those who can correctly interpret the mood of their people and actualize their dream. Someone needs to tell Comrade Aregbesola that the real battle for freedom is yet to come
Adewale Adeoye is a multiple award winning journalist. He writes from Lagos