In this interview with our Editor-in-Chief, Mark C. Orgu, Distinguished Senator Anthony Adefuye, the Olugbon of Lagos and a respected member, Governor’s Advisory Council, (GAC), shares some political thoughts and why he prefers parliamentary system of government to presidential.
He also used the medium to advocate for unity and understanding among various geo-political zone in the country, pin pointing however, that, politicians must play politics of good conscience knowing that some days, they will be held to account for their deeds. The Senator who joined the league of octogenarians last year August, wants a country of progress and peace.
Senator Sir, you clocked 80 last year, how has life been?
I’m happy am still alive at 80. It is the grace of God even with the troubles and pains associated in it. It not like when you are young. At old age, the body begins to give problem like the flesh that deteriorates faster than the bone. Old age is not only painful, it is also expensive because you have to take care of yourself and take care of the pain.
The only secret in old age is that; never give up, never stop going to work, don’t stop going to church, don’t stop going to club, and make sure you are always surrounded by young people- just to make you happy with good people not bad people, then you will enjoy old age.
At old age, you need to have people who will make you happy, young people who will be telling you things that will ache your heart, do regular checkup, your blood sugar, blood pressure, your sight, your teeth, your ear; you should check them regularly because if you don’t, they may fade away. Remember Psalm 90: 10, that says, Seventy years are given to us, some even live to eighty, but even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. God has designed it so, and if you want to live for more than70 years, you have to pay for it, you have to make sure your body is fit all the time.
Again, the secret of old age is checking your body, don’t feel am okay today, I will check tomorrow, no. Eat healthy diets and take your drugs as at when due.
Sir, are you still in active politics
Politics is a life time thing, you cannot give it up, if you give it up, is like, you are giving up on your people. If the people rely on you, don’t let them down, if the people make you their voice, you must speak when the time allows you to do so. So politics is looking after the masses and sharing their concerns; laugh together, and marry each other if love comes. Politics is supposed to be, making sure everything is going according to the wishes of the people. Politics is a thing one dies with.
Senator Sir, after 28 years in politics, your voice remains relevant, share your secrets
I have maintained a principle, to speak truth to power, even if some persons will not accept it. Do not deviate when it is time to say the truth even though it will hurt your opponents. Criticise when the need arises and do it maturely.
The Nigerian leadership structure and your views.
I was in the senate in the 90s, so I have to be very careful, if I didn’t like the presidential system, why did I participate. Yes, it was forced on us by the military. They took over and then chose the presidential system because that was what they wanted for the country.
Now, let’s compare Great Britain with America. No single person in Great Britain can take a decision because they are practicing parliamentary system. Anything they want do, they will all sit down in the parliament including the prime minister and argue it out and take a decision, but in the American system, the president takes decision and then send it to the House to confirm and most of the time, the house always go with the president. Only on a very rare cases, the House would say no, so, left to me I would have preferred the parliamentary system rather than the presidential system.
You know we were using the parliamentary system before when we had regional government and everything was going on well. Now, when you have a presidential system, the president can do and undo. Take for an example what is happening in America now, President Donald Trump is back and he thinks he is the most powerful in the world and when he says, stop that war, you must obey, divorce your wife, and you will divorce her. That is the problem. Look at the Chinese governance system, they take over from each other so they can have a 100 years plan. If you get there you will continue with that plan because you are all coming from the same orientation, not that when you get into power, you jettison the plans, no, you will have to continue. First, you will look at the plan, what have to be done, and what is the next thing to be done president.
So the current structure in your own opinion does not really suit the Nigerian system
I don’t believe in the presidential but parliamentary system.
Can you advocate for it now that President Tinubu is there?
No, he is already there, but I know with time, parliamentary system will work here.
Democracy and my ordeal, and sustainability
President Tinubu was one of the heroes of democracy, he fought for it and even escaped death. I was being chased in the night and I was running just by the lagoon trying to escape at Ebuta metta thinking that I could run into the lagoon and enter Badagry.
Unfortunately, they came and started shooting at me. I was wearing agbada and my agbada was been balloon that I think deflected all the bullets at the time, I just fell down and say ‘God, am coming home’ When I fell down, they thought I was dead, so the assailants ran .I was lying down for close to three minutes. When I finally woke up I started walking alone came out at mainland hotel. At the hotel, I checked in there with a strange name for two weeks without coming out
The Funny thing was that, through out that time most people I knew, were not looking for me. It was some of my friends who betrayed us at that time and was writing nonsense about us to Abacha and were collecting money, but thank God some of them died poor death, some of them regrettably. I pray God to forgive them. It wasn’t easy during ABACHA’s time but it was our own people who were giving him wrong information about all of us just to get rid of all of us.
Share a little bit of your political experience especially the campaign in Owerri around 1996.
There was a time I think we went to campaign in the East, precisely at Owerri in Imo state. Recall, it was the time of the serial killing at Otokoto. It is a hotel in Owerri , where all manner of ritual killings were taking place. What they do was, after killing their victims at night, they will bury the person at the grass or flower in front of the hotel. As a sales man then, I had gone with my wife to Owerri in one of the public holidays and I was lodging in that hotel without prior knowledge of the evil act going out there. While there, we went around the hotel. Am sure that was what saved me. If it has been me alone, they would have taken the advantage to kill me.
This was what happened. In the night, we heard of the noise of the person they were killing, suspected to be a foreigner, and when I wanted to go out to see what was happening. My wife told me not to go. Later that morning she told me that, if I had looked very well, I would have seem graves of some persons buried near the flower or besides the flowers. The government after discovering, brought the place down.
Sir, what do you think has changed so far in politics?
Politics is not a money making thing. When we were doing it, it was to make sure that the people were better off, now I don’t understand. I don’t understand the crop of politicians we have now.
Does it means that politicians of your time and now comes with great difference
I have told you I prefer the parliamentary system when no single man will control the entire structure or system. Obasanjo became president and commercialized governance and sold government properties to all his friends, sold Nigerian airway to one person, sold federal palace hotel to one person, sold all the oil rigs to one person.
What is the hope for your Nigerians for politics?
There is room for young people to play politics, some young Nigerians believe it all about money, no, just be dedicated to what you want to do , you must identify yourself as a potential being, and then someone will develop interest to aid you
Your take to this administration.
Politicians must realize that one day, they will be called to account, so, they should be transparent and provide leadership to the citizens.
Culled from the 2025 Afrikanwatch Memoir
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