Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN)
This is a brief reflection on the beautiful past of the All Progressives Congress gubernatorial aspirant in Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu who has contributed immensely to the structure of good governance in the South-west State and Nigeria as a whole. Mario Gianluigi Puzo, an American author, screenwriter and journalist who is known for his crime novels about the Mafia, most notably ‘The Godfather’ once made a statement about greatness which has refused to fade away even 17 years after his death.
This wise man said: "Great men are not born great, they grow great . . ."
This statement perfectly fits into the rise of a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association — Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu from obscurity to prominence. The truth is this, Akeredolu who was humbly born on 21 July 1956 in Owo to Reverend J. Ola Akeredolu of the Akeredolu family and Lady Evangelist Grace B. Akeredolu of Aderoyiju family of Igbotu, Ese Odo, in Ondo State defied all challenges of life to carve a niche for him in the highly competitive society through painstaking sacrifices, long-suffering, patience and industry.
This wise man said: "Great men are not born great, they grow great . . ."
This statement perfectly fits into the rise of a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association — Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu from obscurity to prominence. The truth is this, Akeredolu who was humbly born on 21 July 1956 in Owo to Reverend J. Ola Akeredolu of the Akeredolu family and Lady Evangelist Grace B. Akeredolu of Aderoyiju family of Igbotu, Ese Odo, in Ondo State defied all challenges of life to carve a niche for him in the highly competitive society through painstaking sacrifices, long-suffering, patience and industry.
In fact, Akeredolu’s life history exudes greatness devoid of criminalities as we have in Nigeria today where treasury looters are publicly celebrated with staunch hypocrisy.
The high-powered All Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate has contributed both locally and nationally to the entrenchment of democracy as well as human rights in the country.
In 1997, Akeredolu popularly known as Aketi was called to serve his state of origin, Ondo at the capacity of the Attorney General which he did without blemish for two years upholding the principles of justice and ensuring the court is the final arbiter of the common man. His good record, years of selfless service and intellectual prowess as a young legal practitioner elevated him to the enviable status of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN in 1998.
The high-powered All Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate has contributed both locally and nationally to the entrenchment of democracy as well as human rights in the country.
In 1997, Akeredolu popularly known as Aketi was called to serve his state of origin, Ondo at the capacity of the Attorney General which he did without blemish for two years upholding the principles of justice and ensuring the court is the final arbiter of the common man. His good record, years of selfless service and intellectual prowess as a young legal practitioner elevated him to the enviable status of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN in 1998.
Rotimi Akeredolu was the only civilian that walked up to Anthony Ibe Onyearugbulem, a Nigerian navy captain who served as Military Administrator of Ondo State (August 1996 - August 1998) during the military regime of General Sani Abacha over his abuse of freedom of press in the Sunshine State.
The late Onyearugbulem sanctioned the invasion of Ondo State Radiovision Corporation, Akure, by soldiers in the course of which journalists and other workers were harassed and debased for simply carrying out their social responsibilities which he felt threatened by. Akeredolu who was the Attorney General summoned courage to criticize the action of the military ruler; a feat which was like a sacrilege during the military regime of flagrant abuse of power and human rights.
Aketi in a recent interview with Breeze 91.1 FM recounted his exasperating experience with Onyearugbulem in his quest to entrench the tenets of good governance in Ondo state.
Excerpts from his words read:
Aketi: “I have served the bar and served this state (Ondo). You (Interviewer) were there when I was attorney General, when you were DIJ and co. You remember all of our struggles with Onyearugbulem and co when I was there.”
Interviewer: When I was dismissed?
Aketi: “Yes, I know, and you knew what I did and you know that I was part of the struggle for the masses in Ondo state. Even Mrs Fagbigbo, all of them knew even when they invaded the station OSRC, it almost led to problems with me and the Governor because I told him “you don’t do it, you don’t invade a civilian setup”.
Although he was a military governor, I was serving him but I would tell it to his face what you did was wrong. You knew. I am happy that you and I are now here and you know you can confirm that. I have been part of it. I have done my little bit. But I said that look, let us leave a legacy, let us show the people of Ondo of true governance, let them take and benefit from what God has blessed us with. We are totally blessed in this state. We need everything and we have everything and we will deliver good governance.”
Aketi’s defence of the Nigerian constitution in the conundrum that trailed the absence of the late President Musa Yar’dua from the seat of power in 2009 due to severe illness as he was flown to Saudi Arabia for medical attention is another display of bravery and gallantry that speaks volume of his dedication to the right cause despite the discomfort and enmity it may brew. Democracy and good governance were on the verge of being truncated by powerful hands that preferred to watch the entire country of over 150 million people as at then experience a grave standstill rather than see a single man of their own lose political power.
Aketi who was at that critical time the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA reiterated that former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua should have handed over to the then Vice-President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in an acting capacity according to the dictates of the 1999 constitution which would have saved Nigeria of the political restiveness that precipitated Jonathan’s assumption of his office before Yar’dua later passed away in 2009.
Rotimi Akeredolu speaking about the issue of Yar’dua during a valedictory ceremony in 2009
Nigeria became a headless state for virtually 6 weeks as Yar’dua was covertly ferried out of the country without a written official notice to legislature or his federal cabinet. The saga coincided with a failed terrorist attack by a Nigerian named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on American soil which threatened diplomatic relations with the hegemon as Yar’dua was absent to address the lingering crisis at least with prompt communications and intelligence sharing with the U.S President and Secretary of State.
In the midst of the storm, Aketi stood tall and said;
"We haven’t heard from the President for 45 days — not one word. I don’t know where he is; Your guess is as good as mine. Everything is shrouded in secrecy and we are worried as a country."
"It’s a big problem because we don’t have leadership. How can we give assurances to America? How can we communicate with the President of the United States and his Secretary of State?"
These were the passionate cries of a national icon about the plight of our great nation.
Aketi was almost crucified by some cronies of Yar’dua who felt unfavoured with the true and impartial interpretation of the 1999 constitution. It took the intervention of the National Executive Committee of the NBA who endorsed Aketi’s claim as the holistic views of the association to douse the pressure on him. But Aketi isn’t a man of words alone but unwavering actions. He risked losing his head for the truth by filing legal action against the Nigerian government under the umbrella of the NBA, accusing Yar’dua of breaching the constitution to stay in power. There is more to Aketi’s exploits on this high profile political anomaly but due to space and time factor, we will be assigning it to readers for further research.
Aketi’s love for democratic principles is uncommon even years before his participation in Nigerian politics. In the year 2009, Aketi during a public discuss bluntly told a gathering of eminent Nigerians that no amount of electoral reforms or restructuring of the judicial system could give Nigeria free and fair elections if Nigerians themselves refuse to take practical steps to let their votes count. Aketi continued in his advocacy against political apathy in Nigeria which was fast crippling the electoral process till the 2011 general elections results yielded positive indications of public adherence to his campaign.
In the midst of the storm, Aketi stood tall and said;
"We haven’t heard from the President for 45 days — not one word. I don’t know where he is; Your guess is as good as mine. Everything is shrouded in secrecy and we are worried as a country."
"It’s a big problem because we don’t have leadership. How can we give assurances to America? How can we communicate with the President of the United States and his Secretary of State?"
These were the passionate cries of a national icon about the plight of our great nation.
Aketi was almost crucified by some cronies of Yar’dua who felt unfavoured with the true and impartial interpretation of the 1999 constitution. It took the intervention of the National Executive Committee of the NBA who endorsed Aketi’s claim as the holistic views of the association to douse the pressure on him. But Aketi isn’t a man of words alone but unwavering actions. He risked losing his head for the truth by filing legal action against the Nigerian government under the umbrella of the NBA, accusing Yar’dua of breaching the constitution to stay in power. There is more to Aketi’s exploits on this high profile political anomaly but due to space and time factor, we will be assigning it to readers for further research.
Aketi’s love for democratic principles is uncommon even years before his participation in Nigerian politics. In the year 2009, Aketi during a public discuss bluntly told a gathering of eminent Nigerians that no amount of electoral reforms or restructuring of the judicial system could give Nigeria free and fair elections if Nigerians themselves refuse to take practical steps to let their votes count. Aketi continued in his advocacy against political apathy in Nigeria which was fast crippling the electoral process till the 2011 general elections results yielded positive indications of public adherence to his campaign.
The 2015 presidential election which was a blatant demonstration of the superiority of the ballot box over militating elitist mercenaries of state is a testimony to the works of Aketi as enshrined in the tenets of democracy.
Aketi’s profound bid for a better Nigeria prompted him to condemn publicly the trend of media trial which has rented the Nigerian newswire even when the members of the opposition party; People’s Democratic Party are the major victims. At a valedictory court session held by the Oyo State Judiciary for Hon. Justice Misitura Agbaje-Oladeinde, at Court 1 of the State High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, Aketi said:
"Can we continue with the media trial of suspects? At what point is one deemed guilty? If you find N5 million in someone’s account, is the person guilty before being proved guilty and that guilt is established?
"We can’t continue the way we are going with media trial of suspects. I want to call on the government to look at it again. What we want is our money back. What we want isn’t 500 charges that none will be proved. What we need is two or three charges, do a plea bargain and if you are going to put them behind bars, let there be agreement on the number of years they will serve and give us back the money."
Aketi over the years has expressed zero tolerance towards human rights abuses as he has defended several voiceless, powerless and also influential people in Nigeria who have been cheated without the financial enablement to seek redress in court. A vivid example is Aketi’s intervention in the case of Mr. Aare Femi Adebayo, a businessman in Ibadan whose wife, Mrs. Funmilayo Adebayo allegedly died on February, 2016 due to the negligence of doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State. The highly humble legal practitioner alongside his partner, Akin Olujinmi, SAN swiftly demanded for the release of Funmilayo’s autopsy result within the next seven days of the event for the pursuance of a case through the judicial system.
The indefatigable fighter also possesses a rare spirit of excellence that influences positively any environment he steps his feet into. Whatever he touches no matter the state literally comes back to life and becomes gold without being hyperbolic with words. For example, in 2012, the Nigerian Bar Association named its new secretariat in Abuja after him* with its president citing the reason being the need for generational identification and recognition of those who had contributed immensely to the development of the association.
The then president, Joseph Bodurin Daudu, SAN said;
“Everything in the NBA is highly politicized. The sheer courage for him (Akeredolu) to go through the rigour is a testimony to his selfless service”
The history of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria’s merger with the Congress for Progressive Change in Ondo and Nigeria as a whole can’t be complete without the mention of Aketi’s name. After the merger, Aketi briefly became an interim chairman of the new party in Ondo State during which he stabilized and presided over the ground on which party bigwigs now contest elections. Aketi was also part of the organizing body that actualized the birth of the APC that ended up being the rock of consolation and hope the Nigerian masses have clinged to as Nigeria undertakes an evolutionary process of change.
Aketi’s selfless and trusty nature endeared him to President Muhammadu Buhari who swiftly assembled him and other legal representatives to manage a distraction by one of his traducers under the guise of his allegedly missing Secondary School Certificate.
Furthermore, Aketi reportedly turned down a chance to be appointed a federal minister in Buhari’s cabinet to focus on his gubernatorial ambition in Ondo State which is borne out of pleas from his multitudinous supporters who have become despondent as a result of poor leadership that has put the state in a perpetual beggarly posture.
"We can’t continue the way we are going with media trial of suspects. I want to call on the government to look at it again. What we want is our money back. What we want isn’t 500 charges that none will be proved. What we need is two or three charges, do a plea bargain and if you are going to put them behind bars, let there be agreement on the number of years they will serve and give us back the money."
Aketi over the years has expressed zero tolerance towards human rights abuses as he has defended several voiceless, powerless and also influential people in Nigeria who have been cheated without the financial enablement to seek redress in court. A vivid example is Aketi’s intervention in the case of Mr. Aare Femi Adebayo, a businessman in Ibadan whose wife, Mrs. Funmilayo Adebayo allegedly died on February, 2016 due to the negligence of doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State. The highly humble legal practitioner alongside his partner, Akin Olujinmi, SAN swiftly demanded for the release of Funmilayo’s autopsy result within the next seven days of the event for the pursuance of a case through the judicial system.
The indefatigable fighter also possesses a rare spirit of excellence that influences positively any environment he steps his feet into. Whatever he touches no matter the state literally comes back to life and becomes gold without being hyperbolic with words. For example, in 2012, the Nigerian Bar Association named its new secretariat in Abuja after him* with its president citing the reason being the need for generational identification and recognition of those who had contributed immensely to the development of the association.
The then president, Joseph Bodurin Daudu, SAN said;
“Everything in the NBA is highly politicized. The sheer courage for him (Akeredolu) to go through the rigour is a testimony to his selfless service”
The history of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria’s merger with the Congress for Progressive Change in Ondo and Nigeria as a whole can’t be complete without the mention of Aketi’s name. After the merger, Aketi briefly became an interim chairman of the new party in Ondo State during which he stabilized and presided over the ground on which party bigwigs now contest elections. Aketi was also part of the organizing body that actualized the birth of the APC that ended up being the rock of consolation and hope the Nigerian masses have clinged to as Nigeria undertakes an evolutionary process of change.
Aketi’s selfless and trusty nature endeared him to President Muhammadu Buhari who swiftly assembled him and other legal representatives to manage a distraction by one of his traducers under the guise of his allegedly missing Secondary School Certificate.
Furthermore, Aketi reportedly turned down a chance to be appointed a federal minister in Buhari’s cabinet to focus on his gubernatorial ambition in Ondo State which is borne out of pleas from his multitudinous supporters who have become despondent as a result of poor leadership that has put the state in a perpetual beggarly posture.
Finally, the excruciating economic hardship of the Ondo people was clearly perceived by Aketi in the year 2012 by virtue of his visionary nature. It was on this note that he promised the provision of 30,000 in his first 100 days in office so as to ameliorate the scourge of poverty that has ridden the Sunshine State which has been covered by the dark cloud of the ‘Iroko’.
Aketi like a prophet advocated for the development of the agricultural sector as a way of diversifying the economy, providing jobs and ensuring the viability of state that is slavishly accustomed to bail outs upon bail outs from the Federal Government which are heartlessly diverted into private pockets.
Ondo State is in a dilemma today as the people have been rewarded with hyper-inflated infrastructural facilities to serve propaganda purposes without food in their tummies. State civil servants are hopelessly owed several months salaries. Ondo’s deplorable state will soon be satirized by comedy shows as the people are hungry while an exotic advertorial of the state runs concurrently on Channels Television purposely to launder the image of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
As Mimiko has produced his stooge — Eyitayo Jegede to continue to plunder the state’s resources from where he stopped, democracy has provided Ondo people with a second chance to make the sun shine again.
November 28, 2016 is another chance for Ondo people to leave the wilderness for Canaan land and Aketi is like the biblical Joshua.
*The NBA has since reversed its decision to name the building citing that the decision was a unilateral decision of the administration and the NEC was not consulted.*
As Mimiko has produced his stooge — Eyitayo Jegede to continue to plunder the state’s resources from where he stopped, democracy has provided Ondo people with a second chance to make the sun shine again.
November 28, 2016 is another chance for Ondo people to leave the wilderness for Canaan land and Aketi is like the biblical Joshua.
*The NBA has since reversed its decision to name the building citing that the decision was a unilateral decision of the administration and the NEC was not consulted.*
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