From Nigeria to the international court of justice: The inspiring journey of Professor Dapo Akande
Independent Newspaper Saturday, Sept 28, 2024.
Last two weeks, I did state that there were many things that were on my mind, and today, let me start off with my second phase of those thoughts, and maybe, we can correct certain abnormal thoughts of thinking that praising a brother or sister should always be a treasure of a racial affiliation. That’s why I have decided to take a cue from all Nigerians to sincerely congratulate a great Nigerian, now a British citizen, Professor Dapo Akande, who has just been nominated by the UK government on the 6th September, 2024, for election as a judge of the international court of Justice.
Before I delve into the topic, let me share a story. In Africa, when a child is doing well, the child is appreciated and approved as A COMMUNITY CHILD, but when the child becomes a threat to the community, the child’s parents are accused of bad parenting. Anyway, let me go straight to my story, and this story is a true life narration.
Sometimes in 2003, my landlord, Dr. Oki came to my apartment and asked me to accompany him to see his childhood friend in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. According to him, this friend of his has lost his wife a few months ago, and he wasn’t able to attend the burial obsequies due to his ill health condition at that period. My landlord treats me like a son, and although, Saturdays are always exclusively for my family. For my landlord’s request, I had no choice but to oblige.
We drove to Ikorodu that morning and into a large expanse of a compound. The lawns were well maintained. Everything about this place was well worth millions of Naira. We parked in a well laid parking slot, and trek to the most exotic presidential sort of house, being guarded by a private uniform security outfit. One of the security men took us to the main beautiful architecturally designed mansion. I never believed that such a beautiful edifice could be found in this part of Lagos State. This was the kind of house that dots Victoria Island, Banana Island and Lekki Peninsula axis.
We got to another entrance where we were made to fill out a form, and we were asked to wait in a well decorated reception room. After a few minutes of waiting, we were ushered into the main house. When we got in, believe me, I have stayed in most of the best hotels in the world, but this house was indescribably, magically and exotically beautiful. The interior decoration has the touch of African and Chinese artefacts, the furniture and fittings were beholden. I was transfixed to the beauty of the house that I didn’t know when I greeted the elderly man, ‘good evening sir.’ Mind you, this is in the morning. The elderly man understood my confused state and just smiled as he led us into another beautiful parlour.
We were lavishly entertained and my landlord started after clearing his throat. “Arakunrin ati ore mi, e ma binu pe mi o le de ibi isinku iyawo re, mo mo pe waa ti gbo wipe o re mi nigbakan gidigidi. Sugbon Olorun Olodumare ko je ki n darapo mo awon baba nla wa” (“My dear brother and friend, I’m sorry that I couldn’t make it to your wife’s burial, and you must have heard that I was terribly sick… but God Almighty did not allow me to join our ancestors yet”)
“Please pardon my manners, I should have asked about your health before other issues. We thank God for recovering and being healthy to have come to see me today.” The elderly man responded.
“Indeed, God Almighty is awesome. Where are your children? They’re supposed to be with you right now, especially at this period of their mother’s death. They should be your comforters, and hope that you won’t let them go back to America?”
There was a long silence, suddenly, the elderly man started sobbing audibly. I took a quick glance at my landlord, who just stood up and started towards the elderly man’s seat. He sat down, probably confused too, but he lent out his shoulders. The elderly man laid his head on my landlord’s left shoulder, still sobbing, this time, uncontrollable. Like a child, my landlord was tapping his head and humming an old hymn song. “Prof. please let it go….be a man, and don’t allow this period of grief to distract your future. “Iku jẹ eyiti kosi oun ti a le se ohun ko hun si. Sise ntele loro iku je! Ni ojo kan, gbogbo wa yoo ku, ati pe ireti kan ti o yẹ ki a yọ nipa iku iyawo rẹ ni pe, o ku bi obinrin oniwa rere. Ni ọjọ ajinde, gbogbo wa yoo tun pade lati yo mora wa. Aye ko je nkankan bikose iku….)” (Death is inevitable. It’s turn by turn. Someday, we will all die, and the only hope we should rejoice about your wife’s death is that she died as a virtuous woman. On the day of resurrection, we will all embrace each other again. Life is nothing but death….) O ni awọn ọmọde ti yoo tẹsiwaju pẹlu awọn ogún rẹ ati igi ẹbi ti aye tẹsiwaju. Kehinde ati Taiye yẹ ki o jẹ awọn ogún rẹ ti o dara julọ ti o yẹ lati dupẹ lọwọ Ọlọrun Olodumare. Idile rẹ ko tii tan lorile aye. Idi ni yi wipe ti a ba ku loni, a tun n gbe nipasẹ ilọsiwaju awọn ọmọ wa.”
(“You have children that will continue with your legacies and the family tree of existence continues. Kehinde and Taiye should be your best legacies worthy of appreciating God Almighty. Your family lineage has not closed, and that is why, even if we die today, we are still living through our children’s continuity.”)
Gradually, Prof. Adeyinka regained himself, calmly looked at me and asked my landlord, “Se omokunrin re yi gbo ede Yoruba bi?” (“Does your boy understand the Yoruba language?”
“Diẹ diẹ …. ko daju sha. Kì í ṣe ọmọ mi nìkan ni, bí kò ṣe àyànfẹ́ omo mi. Bo tilẹ̀ jẹ́ pé ọmọ Igbo ni, ṣùgbọ́n ọmọ tó lẹ́tọ̀ọ́ sí ni lati maa mu yangàn. (“A little…. not sure anyway. He is not just my boy, but my beloved son, although an Igbo, but a worthy son that I am proud of.”)
Prof Adeyinka took a quick glance at me and pointed at me, asked, “Ṣe eyi ni ọdọmọkunrin ti o sọ fun mi pe o pinnu fun ra ara e tayotayo lati fi kun owo ile ti o ngbe nigba ti iwo ko so fun lati se be? (“Is this the young man that you told me that unilaterally and happily decided to increase his rent payment to you even when you didn’t ask him to do so?”
My landlord nodded happily and pointed at me.
Prof Adeyinka smiled and said, looking at me directly, “You’re a rare breed. God will bless you and you will never lack as this that you have done will stand out for you in the future. God Almighty and humanities will favour you. Always do right even if you are not induced. What an honour, and looking at Dr. Oki, he continued, “I thought that you are just joking about a tenant, that without any notice of rent increase, decided on his own to increase his rent. I have never heard of it.” He stopped, looked at me again and asked, “Young man, what prompted you to do such?”
“Baba, I just felt that the value of the house had appreciated. We have lived there for the past six years, and Baba, my landlord, as he had taken us as his family wouldn’t have, and I felt that he won’t increase our rent even if we live there till eternity. He’s being a wonderful father to my family, and we perceived that he has responsibilities at hand. He confides in me, and I felt that the rent must be increased. Luckily for me, when I discussed the intention with my wife, she was overwhelmed, and we decided to surprise him with a hundred percent increase, even though he resisted that he won’t take the increase, but I pressed it on him, and my friend, Festus Ikedianso, who went with me, equally added flavour before he finally accepted. Life must not be obtained by selfishness, rather, by understanding the accurate time to give sacrificially, especially, when humanity involves everything about others before self.” I stopped, and instantly, my landlord interjected.
“Prof, since this man and his wife came into my compound, they’re something else. Do you know that they pay for the compound cleaning? Whenever there’s any electricity problems, they will step in, and the most critical was that they singlehandedly brought in tap water to the compound. Why should I increase the rent of such a great family’s rent? In fact, I won’t talk about the personal assistance I have received from them. People castigate the Igbos, but this family is an exceptional case study, and he just reported the death of his mother. I have already reminded him that I must be in Isuikwuato, Abia State. Whatever it will cost me, I am already prepared, because I want to say a farewell prayer to a mother who breeds this wonderful soul here. Prof, he forgot to add the bottle of Hennessy that accompanied with the rent increase.” My landlord added.
Prof Adeyinka smiled and nodded his head, said calmly.
“Then, I will narrate my story in the English Language on the reason why there are so many tears in my eyes, so that, as a young man, he should learn from my mistakes. Before I start, please bring him to my office next week, I have a parcel of land close to your house. This young man deserves a worthy appreciation from me.” He paused, took a deep breath and continued.
“Honestly, I wasn’t crying because of my wife’s death, because no one can predict his last day on the planet earth. God gives and He takes at His will. That’s why I have lived everyday as my last. Always be truthful to your conscience and this is because, not everyone will trust your judgement in life. We must always live uprightly, and of course, I don’t have any doubt about my wife’s final resting place. She’s in heaven. My heart bleeds because I have lost everything that I have laboured for all through my lifetime. I have lost my children, and today, I am like a man without any root for my lineage. I have lost all accolades of fatherhood, and I am naked before my race and family. As the only child of my father, I inherited all my family’s lineage and race, and proudly, I have not let my father in grave down. Our ancestors have cherished my stewardship and they have blessed me beyond measures. If I had listened to my late wife, I wouldn’t have been stripped naked before my enemies. I am now a father without a child.”
“God forbid, Egbon mi, Kehinde and Taiye are from your loins, and they’re still alive and healthy.” My landlord interjected abruptly.
The elderly man shook his head mournfully, and calmly responded, “I have lost my dear Kehinde and Taiye. They’re dead as far as I am concerned. They’re living deaths……”
“I forbid you from saying such Egbon mi. It’s sacrilege, and…..
“Just be patient with me and listen.” He took out his handkerchief and cleaned up the tears on his eyes. He glanced at me and looked at my landlord, he continued, “I gave my children the best of education, and they attended the best of schools all over the world. I didn’t allow any of them to engage in any menial jobs as I provided everything they needed until they obtained their doctorate degrees. When they’re done, I allow them to have a global work experience, hence, even with my wife’s insistence that they should come back and work. This was my greatest mistake in life. When their mother died, I felt that it was time to unite with them, and form a family. I went all the way to rehabilitate all the houses, especially the twin duplex that’s facing this house. I bought a 60kva Genset, because their complaints have always been the electricity erratic supply, and installed an overhead diesel tank of 33,000 litres. I wanted to make them comfortable, and because, it’s time for me to relocate to my ancestral home at Ijebu Remo, and let them continue with the family business engagement as I inherited from my own father. These children not only refused to stay here, as they stayed at Sheraton hotels, but didn’t even allow me to have a full day father to sons discourse. Rather, after two days of their mother’s burial, they came to inform me that they’ve booked their flights, and will be traveling back to US the next day. I pleaded with them to stay so that we can discuss the family business engagements, but they haughtily told me that they’re not interested. That I should sell everything that I inherited from my father and give them out as charity or to my extended family members. You have to see how they were talking to me as if I was a kid. There was no single iota of respect for me as a father. “Ní báyìí, ẹ lè rí bí mo ṣe ń ṣe iṣẹ́ àṣekára fún àwọn ọmọ mi àti bí àwọn ọmọ kan náà ṣe san èrè fún mi tí èmi àti ìyá wọn tó ti kú ṣe fún wa láǹfààní jù lọ láti rí i pé ìgbésí ayé wọn dára gan-an. Arakunrin mi owon, ofo mi leleyi nigbati mo ba ku, kinni emi o so fun awon baba nla mi nipa idile ti won fi sile fun mi lati toju, ati pe, oruko idile, ogún, iran ati eya wa ko parun patapata lori ile aye.”
(“You can now see how I have laboured for my children and how I was rewarded by the same children that I and their late mother gave the best of us to ensure that they have the best of life. My dear brother, this is my emptiness, and when I die, what will I tell my ancestors about the family that was bequeathed to me to nurture, and so that, our family name, legacies, generations and race are not totally annihilated from the face of the earth.”) He started sobbing again, and just then, I realised that there were tears already dropping on my cheeks. Just then, I reflected on a recent trending social media hype, where a son beat up their parents mercilessly, and with a flimsy excuse that his parents were disturbing his life. The same parents that nurtured you and you became a full fledged man or woman have suddenly turned out to be a nuisance, not even in your home, but in a disgraceful public space.
This story must be studied by most of us, who, unknown to whatever benefits we tend to use as the ultimate justifications for the trending vogue of sending our children abroad, relocations and running away from our ancestral lands or country because of money or better living standards, the truth is that, we have lost our memories to track down the realities of who we are as a people and as a race. Gradually, we have lost our memories and whether we believe it or not, things are truly falling apart in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.
Why do you think that Canada, America and Europe are screening our children and families who want to migrate to their countries? Why are they poaching our best brains? Why do we think that life is all about money and comfort? The truth is that, we have lost our memories, and as such, our inferiority complex mentality to believe that what we intend to gain by our search for greener pastures abroad has become the nightmare of most African families, and sadly, we can’t turn back the sequence of our ugly past.
Back To Professor Dapo Akande:
A lot of social media hype rained, and it became a celebration of Nigeria. Nigerians forgot all their internal miseries and started celebrating a great Nigerian, who exhibited excellent character and integrity. Nigerians started playing on the sentiment of the Professor being a full fledged Nigerian, and we refused to acknowledge our mental health issues when we vote for candidates with questionable characters and academic flaws.
Yes, it’s very great to celebrate a great feat when you have tried to pursue greatness in all aspects of your life. The truth is that, we are not qualified to celebrate the Professor because we don’t deserve to be part of his honour and glory. How can you promote, defend and even kill for some people who have held us captive, and then celebrate a decent and well deserved honour of a great Nigerian in a foreign country? Nigeria has never lacked great men and women who are doing exploits, globally, and each time one of them is singled out for honour, we are so ecstatic to celebrate such an individual without taking a look at our own consciences that pride on abnormalities.
Many Nigerian youths are languishing in various countries of the world, and we have not asked our leaders to account for all the various allegations of corruption levelled against them or their collaborators. Yes, Professor Dapo has become a global icon, and the only reason is because, he is not residing in Nigeria. Otherwise, these praises would have been taunted backwards, and some corrupt infested politicians would have either messed him up, or created an avenue for him to join them. This is the tragedy of great Nigerians who are in Nigeria and without any political godfather.
Professor Dapo has been honoured by the UK government, because that society recognised that hard work, integrity, character and competency can never be bought with some wand of dollars. If he’s in Nigeria presently, would he have had the opportunity to be appointed based on his track records?
It is laudable to promote Nigerians who are doing well in other countries, but can we ask ourselves a simple question, ‘Is Nigeria this bad because we don’t have great people?’ The answer is obvious, we choose leaders based on stomach infrastructure, tribal inclination and religious affiliation.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s an honour to appreciate Nigerians who are making us proud, but can we say that within? A society, where professors, judges and security agencies collect money to hoist the worst of all Nigerians to lead us.
In conclusion, I must not forget to share a memorable date with His Excellency, Governor Alex Otti and his wonderful wife, Lady Priscilla Chidinma Otti, who hosted some prominent Isuikwuato Royal Highnesses – HRH Eze (Engr) Okey A. Udeh, HRH Eze Joseph Adindu Enwerem, HRH Eze (Amb) Eke Peter Ginikanwa, HRH Eze Jonah Ebere Ogbuneke, Hon. Dr. Onyinye Rufus Obi (Omekannaya) and my humble self on the 25th September, 2024. It was an opportunity for me to physically assess the real person my Governor is, and I wasn’t disappointed. His humility and grandeur while explaining his vision about the future of Abia State were worth celebrating. It reminds me of great leaders, who plan strategically ahead before venturing into politics. A replica of the Chinese model of leadership, where a leader has to consciously prepare himself or herself before any leadership enthronement inquest. Unlike what we have, where a leader is elected before he or she starts to plan for trial and error governance policies. A tragedy of why incompetent, visionless, unintelligent, nepotistic and corrupt leaders are thriving in the present Nigerian governance structure. H.E Alex Otti reeled out a futuristic blueprint for Abians, and for once, I felt that Abians are one of the luckiest people in Nigeria presently. Dr. Alex demeanour shows a man who is conscious, consistent, considerate, persistent, determined and focused, a rare breed of a leader. Please, don’t get me wrong, I rarely eulogise leaders, but when one stands out, and I am convinced that he wasn’t white in the day, and black at night, I do give credit and honour to who is concerned. Although, it’s still early to praise Alex Otti, but from his words of commitment to excellence stewardship scorecard in Abia, just like Prof Zulum of Bornu State, I don’t have any doubt of Alex Otti fulfilling his campaign promises for the Abians….and trust me, if he deviates, DSM… won’t spare him at all. Abia State has been blessed with Alex Otti on the saddle of leadership after many years of holocaust scavengers in human skins disastrous stewardship scorecards.
“Success or failure is not about your birthplace, situation or self-pity, but your resilient attitude to overcome the storms in your challenging times. Be unapologetic as you focus on your successful aspirations that will inspire generations.”- DSM.
Our best brains, such as our case study, Professor Dapo Akande and others, who have been cleverly poached by America, Europe and Asia must not desert the vulnerable that are still being oppressed by the captive oppressors in leadership. That’s why we must appreciate people like Dr. Alex Chioma Otti and Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum. These are great men, who are setting a new level of leadership model, because they stayed back in order to provide succour to all Nigerians, especially at a time, when good leadership has eluded Nigerians. There’s an urgent need for us to retrace our maddening quest for foreign residents permits, and this is because, we are gradually losing our memories, and our families evolutionary histories are being ingloriously wrecked, and things have fallen apart in most of our ancestral inheritance legacies. We are truly losing the battle, and if not checked, we won’t have a race we can proudly assent as the true value of Africa in the future…and I am looking forward to a new Nigeria, where those who have claimed the honourable new titles in foreign countries, will look back, and understand that, A TREE WITHOUT A ROOT may seem to be ROBUST, but it’s only a temporal physical therapy that will be easily UPROOTED at any little point of tempest… Remember, there’s no better way to describe a home other than a foundational root of existence, and it doesn’t matter how ugly it may be, we owe it as a duty to bless it with love and unity…and as you ponder, don’t forget that I come in PEACE.
Dr. Sunny Oby Maduka (DSM)