Recounting few Lasu experience; SOLA AJISAFE WROTE THUS: ALHAJI ABIBATU MOGAJI: THE PEACE MAKER The loss of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji to the cold hands of death at the ripe age of 96 years has inflicted a serious blow on the rank of the progressives and dealt a hard blow to the foundation of peace making in our land. At this critical period in our national life when all sane, reliable and responsible heads are needed, the death of the President General of the market Men and Women Association of Nigeria is a cruel twist of fate. She was not only a mother to the men and women in the markets and politics. She was a source of strength inspiration and support to Nigerian students. Let me recall my only encounter with Alhaja Mogaji as a student union leader under the Comrade Ayodele Adewale (current Chairman Amuwo Odofin Local Government in Lagos) led LASUSUG Student Union government. Our administration was elected into government under the Col. Buba Marwa administration. Recognizing the activities of BAT during the pro-democracy struggle in which we were very prominent we had no problem pitching our tent with the Alliance for Democracy and its candidates both at the National and State level. We got involved in the campaigns and held personal rallies at centres in Lagos with our greatest target being Obasanjo. Our union procured about 100 school or Aladura bells and distributed it to students as their campaign material. Before the coming into office of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration in Lagos, we had some unfulfilled promises (buses) and uncompleted projects (SUG building renovation) by the Marwa led government. When the Tinubu administration came into government we attempted to see the Governor to get assurances that the promises will be fulfilled and we equally have other demands like the issue of the GCE 98 students being denied admission by the Prof Akesode led school management. Every effort made by us to see the Governor seemed to be hitting brick walls. We concluded that it was a deliberate attempt to undermine our administration, hence the necessary step to take was to confront the Governor and prove to him that we are “greatest lasuites”. In LASU when there is any struggle the first place to note the success or failure of the struggle is to find out if LASU was involved in the protest. Our strategy is usually making use of what is available in our environment. We do not indulge in destruction of properties either of the school or the public. It is a sacrilege in LASU student Union Government. It is one of the few lessons you are thought when you enter the school by the student union government. For any protest, the first step was to cause commotion in the Ojo/ Iyana Iba area. The plan is simple but always with deadly impact. We would lock the University gate from the Mile 2/Badagry express way, block the road at three strategic points Iyana Iba close to the University main gate, block somewhere further down around Alaba market and Volkswagen on the way to Mile 2. Within 20 minutes to one hour, the whole of Lagos is jammed and locked down in traffic. When you do this the traffic along the express will be blocked. Those coming from Ikeja, Agege, Ogba etc through Igando will not be able to access Iyana Iba, those coming from Badagry or going towards Badagry will not be able to access Iyana Iba. They will have to detour through Agbara to Sango and those coming from Mile2 will be stuck. More than the grid lock, the greatest damage is usually the various tales that would have been carried to and from the inside of Lagos. No one will dare to come close. One advantage was the presence of the pedestrian bridge in front of LASU gate which serves as a sentry post to monitor the success of the “blockage” or the movement of security agents. Also, the availability of many things that could be used to block the road and make quick access with leg or vehicle for security agents is another advantage. Equally the presence of ready-made hands like traders, members of the NUWRT whom we have systematically indoctrinated and cultivated their friendship is also of importance. On this particular occasion, we had approached some respected persons considered people who may have influence on the Governor without success. We spoke with Musiliu Obanikoro a Commissioner who was very close to us, Dr Abubakar Momoh a highly cerebral intellectual respected within and outside LASU, we spoke to Dr Noah a former lecturer in LASU who had been seconded to Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education at Ijanikin, we contacted Prince Ifalade Oyekan a law graduate of LASU to help talk to his father Oba Oyekan, we contacted S.O.B. Agunbiade, former LASUSUG President and current member Lagos State House of Assembly, we contacted Barrister Femi Falana and a student of the faculty of law who was then the Private Secretary to the Governor Mr Akintola Benson. As the oldest member of the exco and someone considered to be highly experienced in student union matters I was involved in making the contacts. We consulted widely but we seemed not to be making any progress, hence we decided “to dare to struggle and dare to win” One evening as a warning of what may happen, we decided to “do hijack ” The aluta concept of commandeering commercial buses to ferry students to their destinations during protests. Before our administration the concept of hijack had been abused. Hence we outlawed it. We also outlawed the issue of any student driving the few “aluta jets”. Our administration made it an offence punishable by “maximum shishi” for any Lasuite to hijack busses. The student will also be suspended from the union. Instead, we had an arrangement with the executives of NUWRT beside the University to provide their vehicles at reduced prices to students for any legitimate venture which must be made known to the Welfare Director who will sanction it. However, on this occasion we deliberately broke our own rules and hijacked over a hundred buses. Instead of the popular “blockage” we went for about a hundred buses and headed for Alausa through various routes. We mobilized Lasiutes who were already thirsty for action and were already seeing our administration as either being compromised or just a lame duck administration. We managed to get to Alausa when workers were about leaving the expansive Secretariat. Two issues made the protest very impactful. While leaving LASU we decided that we should not go through one route. While some went through Igando/Agege motor Road/ikeja some went through Mile 2/Oshodi while some went through Agege/Ogba/ Agidimgbi. This was to prevent the security agents and make it difficult for them to stop us. Going through different routes also added another advantage; all the gates into Alausa were now targets to the students. In the process, access became impossible as gatemen refused to allow the students to enter through the out gate or through the Governors gate. The students on their part refused to yield ground. In the process there was so much pandemonium that the whole of the secretariat and the adjoining area came to a total stand still. A few of us led by the President, Ayo Adewale made it to the entrance to the Governor’s office but we were prevented and totally refused entrance. The Governor sent Musiliu Obanikoro to talk to us but we refused to listen to him and continuously shouted him down. Every attempt by us to make Tinubu see us did not succeed after singing so much song and confronting the security agents we left Alausa without seeing Tinubu but we had made our point. We did not leave without sending Lai Mohammed and the Adc to Tinubu then, Mr Disu that we would return the following morning with a larger contingent. We knew we will not come back the following day because the element of surprise of the previous day may not work again and we were not ready to have the blood of any student in any confrontation with overzealous policemen.. Back to the campus that day, we convoked an “activist forum”. A loose but highly effective gathering of experienced and respected student activists and leaders. It has no constitutional backing but has been accepted as a clearing house for very important student struggle and strategies. The activist forum admits anyone who is seen to be sympathetic to student and prodemocracti struggles. That day people like the respected Taiwo Akinlami former leading student activist in LASU, Bruno Arigbabu former SUG President of LASU, Comrade Kosoko of the Kosoko ruling house of Lagos and a former student leader in LASU, Sina Ogunlana (Serubawon), former Director of Legal Affairs or Attorney general of LASU (the post I was holding at the period). In -house activists like Femi Kirin, Atom, Sola Salau and many more were there to join the students to find out the basis for the siege on Alausa. We explained our position from the point of view of the executive. I was asked to explain our efforts and the contacts we made but which were rebuffed. A lot of useful suggestions were made after listening to us. One of the suggestions was that we should visit Alhaja Mogaji at her Alausa home. It took a lot of deliberation before it was finally agreed that we meet her. We were with Alhaja for about two hours wherein we ventilated our anger on her son. Some of us abused him and called him unprintable names. She did not show any anger neither did she stop us from saying whatever that made us do what we did. In her response, she told us she has so many children and our parents are her children too and we her grandchildren. She said Tinubu was only older than us and became our Governor that it could have been any of us in Alausa and we would still be her child. She said, when two children quarrel it is the duty of a good parent to settle and make peace between them so that the family can continue to remain one. She said she had listened to us that she would call our “egbon” and that soon we would be sitting together discussing. She said our “egbon” has no reason not to see us or sit down to discuss family issues with us. We left Alausa that night not knowing how we feel. We were disarmed, unsure whether we had made any progress or not. All I knew was that our anger and frustration were gone. All we were looking toward was to wait for the meeting with our “egbon”. The waiting did not last along as we were summoned to the Governor’s office about 72 hours latter to be in the presence of the man popularly referred to as “Ojuyobo”. That day, we got a lesson in leadership and human management. The success of that meeting was due to Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji a mother to a man who has become a reference point in leadership and cadre development. After this meeting we got more than we asked for from our Governor our “egbon”. Hence, when the period of his trial came, we supported him and were not found wanting. Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji’s death will have lesser impact to the 96 years she spent here. Whether we like it or not, we would die one day but what we live for and do with our position is what matters. May her deeds continue to be the benchmark for our generation. Mama, it has been said that what we do here also takes place in the great beyond. Mama, I suspect the market in “ijan” (the place that people who had not been judged stay before proceeding to judgment and the market is called “ota pete” in Oka mythology) will be larger and contain more goods than here in Nigeria. Please go and excel among the market leaders in Aljannah. Adieu.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:43:48 +0000