His appearance is that of an ordinary Nigerian, and indeed, he is, for he claimed to be a contractor and businessman. He added that he generally does “supply,” but that he is also a politician, having been with “Baba Adedibu since SDP days.” His diction is arresting; and in the course of his conversation with newsmen he regularly reverted to Yoruba to ensure clarity of his message.
Alhaji Abass Oloko was narrating his role in the demolition of the statue of late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He also disclosed that he led the team of men that destroyed the statue, and that they were all under instructions to do so. So why is he just telling the details of the event, more than 14 months after? Oloko said that he became greatly “disturbed” when he read in the papers that “Adedibu said that the destroyers of the statue would die in perdition. You know, in Yorubaland, curses from elders are to be taken seriously. Baba Adedibu said “awon ti o wo ere Awolowo lule, atubotan won o nii dara.” (Translated this means “Those who felled Awo’s statue would end up in terrible circumstances.) That was why I had to speak out. Eni ti o ni ki won lo wo ere Awolowo lule, atubotan oun naa o nii dara. (Whoever sent people to pull down Awo’s statue will also end in terrible circumstances.) It is the curse that is making me speak up. He was actually the one that pulled the statue down because he sent us.
Oloko, 44, also said that people should not believe Adedibu when he says he is an Awoist. “Baba is never a progressive. He was in the NPN when Awolowo was in the UPN. He is not a progressive, he is a conservative. Baba is using political jankara.” Follow the mind of this former follower of Adedibu for more insight into the quarrel between Oyo State Governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja and Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu in the conversation below. Excerpts:
Who are you?
I am Alhaji Abass Oloko, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state.
What do you do for a living?
I am a contractor and business man.
What position do you occupy in the PDP?
I am an ex-officio officer of the PDP nominated by Alhaji Adedibu.
Which of the camps do you belong to?
I was formerly in Adedibu’s camp.
Tell us what happened on the day in question?
We first went there in the morning of May 29, 2003, that was swearing-in day, to inspect the statue, and what we would need to destroy the statue.
Why an inspection?
It was an express order from Baba Adedibu.
Did Alhaji Adedibu tell you why?
Baba Adedibu said that Chief Awolowo never lived in Agodi for a day; he was not an Ibadan man. We had people like Adegoke Adelabu, Lekan Salami, Wura Olaitan who were Ibadan people. So the statue should have been installed either in Abeokuta, Awolowo’s state capital or Ikenne, his home town, and not in Ibadan. That was the reason he ordered us to go and destroy it.
Before that day, was there any meeting held to discuss the issue?
No, Chief Adedibu doesn’t believe in any meeting. He believes in action.
So after the order, what happened?
We all moved to the venue for the job. Hakeem Adedibu was the one that brought the welder who helped us saw down the statue. He supervised the job. We went back and told Adedibu after the inspection that we would need a ladder and he informed us to go and meet this electrical contractor in his own compound. They call him Jide Onina. We did not do anything on the 29th, we only carried out inspection.
So what happened the next day?
We all assembled at Molete around 10.00 a.m with PDP vehicle. All of us wore PDP ankara with Baba Adedibu’s photograph embossed on it.
When actually was the statue pulled down?
The day the SSG was sworn in.
How did you leave Molete for the job?
We move together to Agodi Government House.
How many of you?
Fatai Aremu (Tyson), Taiye, the youth leader, Gafari Ologundudu, Wale Ijebu, and we were supervised by Hakeen Adedibu, Baba’s son and Safara Iroko and Bola Awos.
What happened when you were destroying it?
We saw the NTA cameraman trying to video it, so we sent him back.
So how did you go about it?
It was Tyson that used the ladder we got from Baba’s electrician, Tyson climbed and pulled down the statue with the assistance of Taiye.
There was this phone call that was made that day. Who was it made to?
It was Chief Adedibu. We told him that we saw somebody who was sent by the area commander. He said don’t worry, go ahead with your work.
Were you challenged while destroying the statue?
Nobody challenged us.
After pulling it down, what happened next?
We went back to Chief Adedibu. Who went there with the PDP vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was Taju. The vehicle number was PDP 001; it was a Mistsubishi L300 bus.
What happened when you got back to Molete?
We saw Baba Adedibu and he congratulated us, saying we have tried. So I was disturbed when I read in the papers that Adedibu said that the destroyers of the statue would die in perdition, whereas he was the one.
Why would Baba Adedibu be cursing you people, his boys?
I am now saying that eni ti o ran won lo wo ere, atubotan re o nii daa, meaning the person who sent us to destroy the statue won’t end well.
Is it true that the head of the statue was taken to Governor Ladoja?
I was never the supporter of Governor Ladoja. Governor Ladoja met me at Adedibu’s house. I am Adedibu’s boy and supporter from the Ibadan South East Local Government. We didn’t interact with Governor Ladoja because he knew us to be Adedibu’s boys. Nothing concerns Ladoja about the statue. He did not know anything about it. After the demolition of the statue, we learnt that Governor Ladoja was annoyed and he came to Baba’s house to complain.
When Governor Ladoja showed his disapproval on the demolition, what did Baba say?
Baba said don’t mind the governor, Awolowo is not an Ibadan man. He did not live in the Government House. He never married here. Ibadan people and Awolowo are never friends.
But Baba kept saying he is an Awoist?
Baba is never a progressive. He was in the NPN, when Awolowo was in the UPN. He is not a progressive, he is a conservative. Baba is using political jankara. There is a song Baba used to sing to abuse Awolowo. Baba was the municipal chairman of the NPN, he led the campaign against Chief Bola Ige.
Why did you leave Alhaji Adedibu’s camp?
I advised Baba not to fight the government. I told him if you want to fight Ladoja, let him leave office first, then fight him as an ordinary man. We cannot fight government. As a bricklayer, you don’t build a house and come back to tell the owner that you want to have one room to yourself. So Ladoja knew nothing about the demolition of Awolowo statue.
