Day Bola Ige Resurrected in Ibadan

The echoes of the first civilian governor of Oyo State and former Attorney General of the Federation/Minister for Justice, Chief Ajibola Ige, SAN and what he represented in his lifetime resurfaced in Ibadan on December 23rd, 2021, during the 20th anniversary of his murder when family members and political associates converged to immortalise the late political icon. The one day long celebration kicked off with a memorial and communion service at St. Annes Church, Molete and a luncheon at the residence of his son, Architect Muyiwa Ige. It was rounded off in the evening with a Command Performance, ‘From Kaduna Boy to Cicero of Esa-Oke’ held at Wole Soyinka Theatre, University of Ibadan. Funke Olaode who was part of the anniversary reports

The late Ajibola Ige’s death drew anger, empathy, sympathy and grief in the land. He was a shining star and faithful disciple of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. 20 years after, his death still remains unresolved. The late Ige was a hugely influential Nigerian politician, visionary, brilliant and courageous. And in tribute to his enduring legacy, memorial and stage play were held in his honour.

Ige may be dead but he is not forgotten. While his immediate family is hopeful that he would get justice one day, every December 23 has been set aside as a remembrance day. On December 23, 2021, family members and political associates trooped out in large number to celebrate the life and time of the sage. Led by his eldest daughter, Mrs. Funso Adegbola and husband, Gbenro, his son, Architect Muyiwa Ige and wife, Oyinda, granddaughter, Ayotunde Salami and husband, Jide, the 20th anniversary memorial and communion service was held at St. Annes Church, Molete. They were joined by other dignitaries like Senator Olushola Adeoye; Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye; Chief Iyiola Oladokun; Amb. Yemi Farounbi and Barr. Niyi Akintola, SAN.

The mood was extremely somber but there was a great turn out to honour the late politician. In his sermon, the Lord Bishop of Ibadan Diocese, The Most Rev’d J.O. Akinfenwa extolled the virtues of the late Ige whom he described as a true leader. Recalling how the late sage was murdered, Akinfenwa said December 23rd was a dark day that brought Christmas gloom to a happy family. Though the Ige’s killers have not been found, Akinfenwa is delighted that the late Ige’s children have kept his legacy going.

“The lineage of Ige has done well,” the cleric said. “The Vale College, a foremost secondary school in Ibadan being run by his eldest daughter, Mrs. Funso Adegbola has continued to produce leaders of tomorrow. The milk of kindness has not dried from the his lineage when his son, Muyiwa gave a helping hands to accident victims along Ilesha road.”

The cleric thanked everyone for honouring the late Ige with their attendance. He rounded off his sermon with Matthew Chapter 11: 28 by admonishing all “to come less unto Jesus, all ye that labour and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

After the memorial service, a luncheon was held at the residence of his son, Architect Muyiwa Ige. And later in the evening a Command Performance, ‘From Kaduna Boy to Cicero of Esa-Oke’ was held at Wole Soyinka Theatre, University of Ibadan where the life and times of the late political colossus was presented through a stage play. The cast was led by renowned Nigerian/British actor, Wale Oyo who played the older Age while Glory Oyejide acted the young Ige. Shola Ogindiwin was Ige’s mother, Kunle Agboola acted as Ige’s Papa and Nollywood actor, Afeez Ayetoro played Yanmirin, character of Ige’s neighbour in Kaduna. Sonorous voice of Damilola Makinde with his song ‘Soldier’ declared the floor open.

The stage play, From Kaduna Boy to Cicero of Esa-Oke unfolded the late Ige’s life trajectory from infant, to his teenage years in the North, his migration to the South-west, his education, marriage, student activism and his foray into politics until the very end on December 23rd, 2001. What the children have done with the stage play it is to keep his memory alive for now and the next 20 or 30 years and no matter how it takes until his killer is found.

Prof. Tunde Awosanmi who directed the stage play, in his note acknowledged the late political as an enigma. “I refuse to put him in the past for he doesn’t belong there. The late politician is more relevant in our present and in the future in our moral and political lives. Nigeria has only been lucky to have just a few political intellectuals participate in its political space and Bola Ige is one of them. Writers are never dead. You encounter them everyday, on the pages of their books and you draw newer meanings as you do so. Ige, an individual who demonstrated such a proficient level of writing, will always live. This is why this performance had had to rely -no choice anyway- on the books written by the Sage of Esa-Oke for content.”

According to the narrative, the late lawyer had his early life in the Northern part of Nigeria where his father worked in the early 19th century first as a railway worker and later joined the army. The drama, from Kaduna Boy to Cicero of Esa-Oke was first produced in 2000 in commemoration of his 70th anniversary, it relied heavily on famous childhood memoir-Kaduna Boy. It has been performed twice since then in 2002 and 2011. In the 2021 presentation to commemorate his 20th memorial, effort was exerted to extend the story of Bola Ige beyond Kaduna Boy- Here, the director of the stage drama, Prof. Awosanmi has found useful people, politics and politicians of Nigeria 1940-1979, a book written by Bola Ige while in political detention between 1984-1986 during the Buhari/Idiagbon. Ige’s newspapers articles, and other books written by his daughter, Funso Adegbola, his son, Muyiwa Ige, and political associates came in handy for the superlative stage drama.

The dramatic content of the performance, according to Awosanmi eponymously title ‘Ige’ is merely a small fraction of Bola Ige’s life. As the drama unfolds inside the expansive theatre, Bola Ige’s stylish cap as a supervening symbol for the crystallization of the meaning and essence of the Bola Ige phenomenon was conspicuous.

Speaking further on the play, Awosanmi says the idea compresses the Bola Ige essence into seven philosophical compartments and reflects each in a colour of his peculiar cap-folding. The cap-folding would then been surmounted on a wheeled tripod which is rolled in and out to signify the theme of each scene being dramatised. The audience, through performance was invited to have a glimpse of the seven cardinal points of Bola Ige’s being: humanism, political sagacity, warrior spirit/courageous/stoicism/ oratory prowess, artistic inclination, sense of responsibility at the family level, and now his ancestral stature from the central symbol provided on set.
Awosanmi commended the entire cast and crew involved in the stage performance who he described as the scapegoat who volunteered to bear the sacrifice and have done it all for Uncle Bola and for nation’s future.

How does Muyiwa Ige feel after 20 years and Nigeria is yet to apprehend his killers feel? “Disappointed and upset by the fact that the chief law of the country can be brought down in his own space and 20 years nobody has been apprehended. We will continue to ask who killed Bola Ige and they should be brought to book.”

The eldest daughter of the deceased said, “God has kept us inspite of the odds against us; the circumstances and the fact that our mum died 16 months after him. It was a lot but God has held us. We are 20 years older and the grand-children are 20 years older and now we have great-grandchildren. Even though it has been 20 years, the memories are still very fresh as if it happened yesterday. So it is very upsetting that 20 years after, there is no justice for the Minister for justice and Judicial officer of the land.

“Each time I remember that his killers are yet to be apprehended is very upsetting. It is a dent on Nigeria’s image. Ige was renowned as an apostle of qualitative education irrespective of your parental status; over the last decade, his children have instituted scholarships to keep his legacy alive. So we are still hopeful because our hope is not in government but in God. And as a lawyer, there is no statute of limitation on murder case even if it takes 40 years or to my great grandchildren they will ask question. So it is going to be from generation to generation in as much as my father’s death is unresolved we will continue to ask question.”