Babalaje @ 86 : Matters Arising. Tributes to Chief Michael Koleosho||YY Muslim

 

How time flies! I had earlier planned to go full throttle on the life and times of Chief Michael Adeniyi Akano Koleosho when he clocked 85. Then,my intention was to follow up on the promise by the ebullient chief himself that he would allow a biography and documentary on his life at that age which I thought he considered a milestone. That time he was 83; which itself was a milestone for how many people lived to be setuagenarian let alone middle octogenarian age. For inexplicable reasons, I couldn't do a full fledged write up on the noble Chief and neither the biography nor the documentary was a reality;at least,as far as I know. But Chief Koleosho,as an extremely lucky man,who normally enjoys a larger than life image since he was young,has always had a second opportunity which is his celebration bash of his birthday @ an advanced age of 86. I therefore,have no option than to take the bull by the horns and do the needful on the life and times of a political Colossus called Chief Koleosho.

Here, I better make known at the very beginning like this that I don't intend to dwell on what is already known about the eminent Chief. At an age when most specie of homo sapiens had long been dead and buried beneath the bowel of the earth, Chief is still around and kicking. Not all mortals are that lucky. Reliable demographics has it that less than 20 % of septuagenarians make it to the age of 80. Add this to the fact that Chief Koleosho has had nature being benevolent to him at an early age. He was already a comfortable millionaire at age 25. This means Chief Koleosho has been rolicking in affluence and splendour right from his youthful age. On account of this and many more, I don't think there's anything left about the gargantuan success of Chief Koleosho both in the business and the political worlds. Fat and deep wallets, various houses for which he himself has lost count,chain of distributorship businesses, land merchandise, hospitality guru, uncountable shareholdings in blue chip companies,realty businesses and so many innumerable other enterprises that have been outsourced. Only lazy writer would keep harping on Chief's stupendous and fabulous wealth. Such was the astonishment of his success in business and politics that the tribunal of enquiry set up by the Nigerian military junta in 1983 to probe ill gotten wealth of the political class in the second republic absolved him of any iota of financial impropriety during the preceding civilian era despite prevalent financial malfeasance that characterized the period most especially in the NPN wing. This goes to Chief's humongous and stupendous wealth before venturing into politics. Having said this much, I now delve into areas which the much revered Chief has to advert his mind to before he bids the world a glorious goodbye. I used the word glorious because @ 86, Chief has been extremely lucky and life has been kind to him in a nation with barely 60 as life expectancy.

1) Establishing a Koleosho Foundation- Koleosho has morphed into not only a household name but a dynasty. With three prominent members of the family as comfortable millionaires in both life and death, what else do we need to establish a foundation in the hue of Ford,Rockyfeller,Bill Gate and Awolowo Foundations. With a Koleosho Foundation come other things antecedent do it such as empowerment, scholarship, advocacy,grants,loans and other benefits that the trustees' body may deem fit.

2) Samson Koleosho University- I don't know how Chief Michael Adeniyi Akano Koleosho is looking at it but establishing a Private University in the name of the Patriach of the family is long overdue. Other prominent families in the south Western Nigeria who have done this can hardly compare to the Koleoshos in all ramifications.

3) Putting in Place a formidable Political succession Plan- The days are gradually getting hoary. Bi ewe ba gbo,ewe a re naa ni. Olohun ko je ki atunbotan o daa si. Babalaje has lived so long that I don't think there's anything he can say he didn't have the time or resources to plan. If Chief Awolowo didn't groom the like of Bola Ige,Jakande, Koleosho,Bisi Akande, Olabisi Onabanjo, and the like,his political empire would have been in ruins today. It could have been a political orphanage. If Baba hasn't been thinking of this, the time to make a deliberate plan is this.

4) Chief Koleosho is already a statesman and nothing more . All the imbroglio about religious partisanship surrounding the Koleosho political aura should have vanished by now. Babalaje should be for everybody,he should be for nobody. It would be a big omission on Baba's part as an elder statesman and mentor for some politicians to still feel unsafe in his political enclave.

5) Need for a biography and documentary on this enigma called Babalaje: There's need to document the life and times of this great man so that the big grammar people want to speak as his obsequies can start now. Let's celebrate Chief alive so he can know he's a worthy ambassador for all and sundry.

6)  Common Trend in Award of Professorship: We must not allow Babalaje to depart from this terrestrial divide without imparting to the present and incoming generations fully his economic, political and social bravuras that define him as a person. This is why Universities now confer practice professorship on individuals who have distinguished themselves in private practice. The recent appointment of Yusuf Alli (SAN) as a Practice Professor in the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile Ife comes handy here.

7) On Oke Ogun Polytechnic,Saki-. Through Chief Koleosho's singular efforts and determination,Oke Ogun had a fair share of the state common patrimony in 1981. The net contribution of that institution to Oke Ogun GDP is in millions of naira every month. No sacrifice can be deeper than this at that point in time considering the fact that the campuses were shared among the top echelon of power brokers of that time. Babalaje's success in having a say in the sharing of the campuses was a good testimony of his avowed love for his immediate constituency any day. My only humble suggestion is to appeal to Babalaje to do more on the campus in terms of more infrastructure. The school cannot point to any worth project by the host Community till date. Saki Parapo started well with a project that has almost become abandoned owing to illimitable completion timeframe. The host Community can and should do better.

8) Last but not the least and closely connected with the previous poin is that Oyo State Government should rename  The Oke Ogun Polytechnic,Saki Michael Adeniyi Koleosho Polytechnic in Baba's life time. Renaming big institutions or roads after the demise of the hero hardly do any honour to the man or woman while alive. Bi eyin eeyan o ba dara, loju aye lati ma mo. It's time we began to celebrate our heroes alive. Oju eni,laa mo aku sin eni. A post humours award is as useless and insignificant as justice to a dead victim.

I hereby heartily wish The Babalaje of Sakiland,Chief Michael Adeniyi Akano Koleosho a happy birthday. Many happy returns to Baba in all respect.