In an interview with Saturday Vanguard, former Minister of Information and Culture, Chief Alexander Opeyemi Akinyele, spoke about life at 75 aand politics in Nigeria.
Excerpts:
At 75, you still have a wonderful sense of humour, is that the secret of your ageless look?
Yes, it is one of those elements that keeps me going. As a result of the fact that I am always humorous, and I turn every situation of life to humour; I continue to look younger. I don’t have high blood pressure. I don’t have wrinkles and my heart is also very young. No doubt, I have problems like any other human beings, but I don’t allow my problems to kill my spirit or overwhelm me. So, I believe in humour.
Again, I don’t do anything in excess. I eat good food moderately, I drink socially, I don’t smoke, I sleep by 9:00pm every evening. The following morning, I listen to news to know what’s happening. I don’t bother my head about what others are doing, and above all, I am absolutely content with what God has done for me.
Even in the face of adversity you’re always happy, how do you do it?
Everybody especially the younger ones should appreciate that they have challenges and problems. Some of them may be very herculean but to solve the problem or difficulty depends on how amorous you become and how much you let people know you’ve a problem. The best way to solve a problem is by attacking it but with deep thinking and tactical approach, and if you cannot achieve that, you go on with your life. There is no one without a problem and there is no reason worrying over it. There is no reason why you should allow it to kill your spirit and dampen your enthusiasm for life. I’ve always believed that whatever has a beginning must have an end.
After so many years of weathering the storm, what lesson have you learnt in life?
Akinyemi…I was never a politician, perhaps, you link me to politics because of my relationship with General Babangida
Life is a terrible phenomenon. You live it; you cannot adequately describe it. You cannot exactly say that this is how it is or how it will be. It throws you here and there and there is no one particular philosophy or formula for life. If there were formulas for life, everybody will use it and organise it in such a way that they will all succeed. Some students who were very brilliant in school; later in life you don’t hear about them again. They just failed. You ask why life is so unkind to them. Some say as you make your bed, so you will lie on it, but life can be disappointing.
As an elderly man, one will expect that you have a wife as a companion. How do you cope without one?
Don’t worry, you have solved the problem, let your colleague be my companion (laughs). Yes, that is what I’ve just told you about life. There was a time I had a wife for 30 years and six months. We were very happy without any problem. The same Akinyele took another wife after my wife’s death and between two and half years, she had to leave. Then, after two years, I took another wife but the same thing happened. I guess it had been written so; that “heh look, you’re going to have a wonderful marital life for 30 and half years and after that, you shall be having unstable marriages.
Do you intend to take another wife?
I am not in a hurry to do that. ‘God made a man, man made a woman and woman made a devil and the devil made a fire’; that is the way I see it.
In all of these, if you look back, what do you think you would have done differently?
I would have behaved differently the way I acted in my marriage with Lady Maria. I was guilty but she had her own faults. I would have handled her with greater measure of care. I would have allowed her to grow and mature. That is why I said it was my fault in spite of the fact that she was a bundle of faults. So, the fault for the dissolution of that marriage was absolutely mine.
The President is on the verge of granting amnesty to Boko Haram insurgent group. Do you think that is the way out of the crisis?
It is either some people are giving the President bad advice or the President himself is goofing. He did say that he will not give amnesty to ghosts which meant that he did not know them. So, what is the fundamental reason for amnesty? He shouldn’t have made that statement. We all hailed him then but on deeper thought; the fact that he doesn’t want to expose them does not mean he doesn’t know them. There are people in the corridors of power that are moral coward. Moral cowardice is worse than corruption tendencies.
They should have been bold enough to tell the President the truth. The greatest thing that is lacking is that we’re not patriotic at all. If you put money down and put Nigeria down, they will destroy Nigeria and take the money. I’m ashamed of this attitude. At 75, I feel very sorry for this country. I went to India in 1977 with some former Directors of Newswatch on Air-India free flight, with what we saw in India then, and a second look at Nigeria, we were very happy and proud of this country. But today, you’ll want to cry. We’re having this interview in darkness; without electricity just because President Jonathan cannot give us electricity, and the same Jonathan wants to go for another election to rule us for another four years in darkness ?
Is that fair? He cannot deliver electricity just because he is caged by some very terrible and unpatriotic individuals. It is unfortunate that like most other Nigerians, I cannot provide electricity for myself for 24 hours.
The cost of diesel, and maintenance of generating sets are overwhelming. All the artisans and other poor Nigerians needs electricity, and because we don’t have electricity, we’re not happy in our own homes. I have a 150 KVA generator which is supposed to be standby. But when you make it permanent, it dies. As it is to me, so it is to other Nigerians.
The President should have looked at what he could do to be remembered for. If he gives us electricity today, we will never forget him and he will not have to campaign for re-election again, because that is the greatest need of every Nigerian.
Why can’t he give us just that? All other offences of the government like corruption will be forgiven. Are we not ashamed that other neighbouring small countries give electricity to their people for 24 hours uninterrupted.
People have stolen money meant for providing electricity for this country and nothing has been done to them. They destroy the country with impunity. The happiest people in this country are the corrupt ones who trample on the constitution, they are above the law. It is sad and unfortunate.
The President has said he inherited these problems, you were a Minister in a past government…
(Cuts in) Did the President not promise electricity? Can he tell us that he did not know those who are responsible for our calamity? If he does not know, why is he still the President? It is not sufficient to tell us that he inherited these problems, did he not know that he was going to inherit them? He knew and he told us that within a specified period, he will give us stable electricity. Even those who are hanging to be the next President know the problems but when they get there, they pretend as if they don’t know.
The president is surrounded by bad advisers and God will punish them. Immediately God turns around to destroy the bad advisers that surround Jonathan, the problems of Jonathan is solved.
After you left government as Minister, why didn’t you go into active politics, what discouraged you?
I was never a politician. Perhaps, you link me to politics because of my relationship with General Babangida. He is not active in politics these days and you don’t hear my name. By tomorrow, if he says he is going to Kaduna to campaign, I will follow him. But that still does not make me a politician. I am just a follower of a man whom I trust. I am not a politician and that is the fact.
With all these image deficits Nigeria has as a result of corruption, bad leadership, among others, as a PR expert what PR strategy will you offer for Nigeria?
The PR strategy, I can offer is for every Nigerian to think in terms of Nigeria; that whatever touches Nigeria is your priority. We are not patriotic. Once money is involve, we throw away Nigeria. Anybody who is going to do PR successfully for Nigeria will first call out all the Ministers to swear before the gods of Ogun so that they will not steal our money.
The first thing they will say is that it is anti-Christ. Jesus Christ does not in anyway support corruption. So, if we are doing anything to curb corruption, it is in line with the ideals which Jesus taught. But you see, most of these flambouyant pastors encourage them. They build their churches on the foundation of native medicine. If you want to cure Nigeria, let them swear to these native deities.
How did you know, have you had encounter with them?
At 75, why won’t I know? If I don’t know, then what have I done and how have I lived? You want to tell me I have not gone to a shrine before? I know all these things. Why am I all over the places?
Do you think I closed my eyes to all these things? I don’t, or do you want me to tell you that I am Alex Akinyele who knows only one God, that I have never being to a shrine before? If you come to our area in Ondo State, there is what we call ‘Aiyelala.’ It is a terrible deity. If you swear there and you steal, you will become dead in no time. Let them all go there and swear.
We need terrible things to turn us to the way of God. If you stole and you are taken to Oyo; to the shrine of ‘sango,’ and they perform their rituals on you, you will see the consequence immediately. We have all these powers but we don’t use them. That is the only way I think we can cleanse Nigeria. I say it and I mean it and I don’t care if anybody says I am not a Christian.
I am a true Christian, I believe in God but we have to call a spade a spade. These corrupt Nigerians don’t have sense of shame. Sometime ago, a thief was to leave the prison and then they rolled out the drums with ‘aso-ebi’ to receive him. Is that right? Also, when Alamieyeseigha returned from prison, there was a crowd-pulling service held for him and the Bishop that preached was lamenting. Where is our integrity and sense of honesty? These are the beginning and the end of our problems.
On Newswatch, there is this proverb that says that when an old man is present in the market, the head of a baby at the mother’s back does not dangle; what are you doing to bring the stakeholders to the table and possibly settle out of court?
God bless you. (long pause). I could have called it a challenge especially when the old man calls himself a PR practitioner. I would have loved to handle it headlong, but… (another pause). What is happening in Newswatch, I feel like crying for Nigeria. These gentlemen came here yesterday. (last Tuesday) but when there is a moral bankruptcy, it is difficult. It is just like what I call “Olowo-Ojebi” which means ‘the rich is never guilty’ but let us see how far this will go. I don’t want to say more than that.
But why, you are also a stakeholder?
Yes, there are many stakeholders in Nigeria who lose gallantly.
Have you lost out?
I have only lost out to Nigeria.
What about others?
Well, it is wisdom for you to know when you have lost out. I told them something yesterday. Some of us are stupid, we think God is not watching. The wheel of justice from God is ever rolling. Anybody that thinks he is winning should know it is only a Pyrrhic victory.
What are the plans for your 75 birthday, is it going to be loud?
No! It is going to be solemn. I am not calling the world like I did when I celebrated my 70th birthday. Now I am very sober.
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