Afrigather December 27, 2023 dawned in a really grim method. As I awoke I noticed a information merchandise on the scroll bar of Channels Tv that Ghali Umar Na’Abba eighth Speaker of the Home of Representatives had handed on on the age of 65.
The son of a rich Kano aristocrat, he turned Speaker by default after the removing of Salisu Buhari, a short-lived Speaker after a forgery scandal. A person of steeled convictions he turned Speaker on the defining second of our democracy.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former navy Head of State whom windfall had thrown up following the assassination of the charismatic but tempestuous Normal Murtala Mohammed, and who had performed a important function in our unlucky civil battle had develop into President on our return to democracy, or is it civil rule, in 1999.
President Obasanjo had include messianic zeal to create a Nigeria after his personal picture. There was nevertheless an issue, Speaker Na’Abba. Obasanjo accused the legislature of overstepping its bounds. Na’ Abba replied that Obasanjo was a captive of his navy antecedents and insisted that we have been now in a constitutional democracy.
I joined the Fifth Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after I was elected Senator by my folks in 2003. President Obasanjo had ensured that Speaker Na’Abba didn’t return to the Home of Representatives in 2003 however I met him as he had develop into a reference level for legislators. We wanted his perception particularly within the delicate problem of holding the legislature unbiased of the manager and managing the picture of the Senate as pioneer chairman of the newly created Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs; and later Deputy Senate Chief, and later Chief of the Senate. We turned mates.
I used to be nonetheless making an attempt to digest the information of Speaker Na’Abba’s demise when my youthful brother known as to say Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, the a lot beloved Governor of Ondo State had died. It was public information that Aketi, as he was famously recognized, was having life threatening well being challenges and he had already died many occasions earlier than by rumors and hypothesis. I dismissed my brother and informed him that this was only one extra of his many deaths. The distinction was, sadly, this time Aketi was really lifeless. Not lengthy after there was an official assertion saying his demise.
I first met Aketi in 1975. He together with Onueze Okocha, higher often known as OCJ OKocha, Awa Kalu, Adegboyega Awomolo, all very distinguished attorneys at present and the late Moses Pere Okoro have been very lively within the Regulation College students Affiliation of the College of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo College). Aketi was President of the Affiliation on the time. I used to be Secretary Normal of the equal affiliation within the College of Lagos with Yemi Akisanya who was to develop into Normal Counsel of oil big, Mobil, as President. From Ahmadu Bello got here Chrysanthus Senlong who turned a choose of the Federal Excessive Court docket, and Haruna Abubakar who turned Deputy President of the Senate in 1999 and Yahaya Mahmud Zaria who turned a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (each of blessed reminiscence). Then solely 4 universities in Nigeria supplied Regulation, College of Lagos, College of Ife, College of Nigeria and Ahmadu Bello College. We have been all very lively within the Nationwide Affiliation of Nigerian Regulation College students and struck friendships which have endured. College of Nigeria was then not very seen within the Affiliation. We have been to deepen our friendships within the Nigerian Regulation Faculty, Victoria Island which was the one campus of the varsity on the time.
Aketi has at all times been political, as a scholar he was, as an expert who attained the best rank within the occupation, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he turned President of the Nigerian Bar Affiliation. He had been Legal professional Normal of his residence state, Ondo and later Governor and died in workplace. Utterly detribalized, as primarily evidenced by his cross cultural marriage to Betty, an Ibo whom he met throughout his NYSC days in Enugu. Friendship to him was sacred. I recall his shock go to to us his classmates (Olaseinde Kumuyi who turned Chief Decide, Ibrahim Muktari Katsina, former Legal professional Normal and later Secretary to Katsina Authorities, Oyewale Akinrinade former member of Oyo State Home of Meeting and late Ijeoma Offonry (nee Enyeazu) an Abia State Excessive Court docket choose) serving in Bauchi in 1979.
On a private notice he stood with me in my darkish moments together with the darkest one. After I misplaced my Calabar residence to the EndSARS riot in October 2020 he was the primary to name to commiserate. When my spouse died three weeks later in a motor accident close to Ore he took cost and ensured together with Bayo Ojo and Ike Ekweremadu that her physique was flown to Abuja instantly with the opposite casualties. He was an everyday customer to me throughout the interval. He was supportive of me professionally, politically and socially. I recall his concern when he thought I used to be getting late in taking silk.
