Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George is the Source’s Atona Oodua. In this conversation with BOLA BADMUS and AKINROLABU AKINDURO, he discusses his life as a young man, his experiences in college, his motivations for joining the Nigerian military, and his eight decades on earth. His 80th birthday, he says, calls for a period of gratitude. Samples:
Today, sir, you turn eighty. What have you learned thus far about your life’s journey?
I was raised in the home of my family. When I initially started attending school, it was at St. John Aroloya, a deeply Christian institution. I was placed in the center of my father’s Raleigh bicycle after he purchased uniforms. Between Campus Square and Isale Gangan is the neighborhood where I was raised.
As a chorister, I recall that every Tuesday and Thursday I had to attend to choir practice, and on Sundays there was only church. We would attend an early morning service and wait for the fundamentals of Catholicism to be taught to us.
I became friends with many different types of people. That part of Lagos was both amazing and problematic. Boys who have begun to exhibit what is known as “youthful rascality” are often exceedingly obstinate. A few didn’t even bother to attend school.
I was really playful, but I also relished my youth. Because I was aware of the repercussions of misbehaving, I acted like a proper Lagosian and someone from a Christian background. However, I continued to play football at Onala despite it. I quickly rose to prominence in our community. However, in my elementary school, I didn’t merely focus on academics.
My father once told me, “Look, I think the best thing for you is to go and learn a trade,” as I was always promoted on trial at the end of the year. My father used to tell me that if I got promoted on trial, I would have to sit with half of my ass in the next class. However, I managed to continue from elementary 1 to Primary 2 since, in Lagos at the time, elementary education lasted eight years instead of the six that Chief Obafemi Awolowo had instituted. Primary 1, Primary 2, Standard 1, Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 4, Standard 5, and Standard 6 comprised our eight full years of education. After that, you would have to take secondary school entrance tests.
In the meantime, my father was persuaded to send me to a boarding school by one of our tenants. Mr. Ogunsanya is his name, and I will never be able to forget the man in my life since secondary school was a total transformation for me.
You know, we were regulated in those days’ secondary schools. You had time to go to your lectures, wake up, eat, and everything else. I believe that being regulated has a very positive effect on me. I will always remember Mr. Ogunsanya and his wife, who suggested to my father that I take the Ijebu-Ode Grammar School admission exam. I had never been anywhere other than Lagos before.
In order to take the test, I traveled to Ijebu-Ode, the first secondary school in Ijebuland. As a joke, I finished the first term exam in 10th place out of 30. This grade made me very happy, and my father was also thrilled to see that I had improved because I normally did well in football. Our family’s home was constructed with both a front and a rear path. Even though I was my team’s captain, I had to walk to the rear to play football since my father was constantly at the window after work, so you couldn’t screw around when he was home. Next, our community’s elders organized a tournament between different clubs that they independently organized and oversaw. “7 Brights For 7 Brothers” was the name of our squad, and I served as captain. One of my team members was Tunde Disu, a resident of Yaba, Ebute Metta. I continued to try to bring my team’s jerseys and boots home to wash them against my father’s strictness until we reached the final one year, which was scheduled for Sunday.
Since the final was on a Sunday, I told my team management to ignore me. I informed him that I had to go church, therefore I wouldn’t be able to make it. The team manager informed me that since I was the team captain, it was not feasible. As a result, the team manager visited my father behind me and informed him about the football competition. Upon returning from the class, my father called to let me know that someone was present, mentioning his name. He brought up the name of our team manager, which startled me. My father advised me not to be taken aback. He claimed to have seen boots and jerseys while he was in my room. So there was no reason to tell lies. After that, I told my father that I really was the captain of my team, “7 Brights for 7 Brothers.” I was shocked that my father didn’t beat me up for my admission. Instead, he allowed me to take part in the championship game. They even elevated him to the position of chairman. We were unfortunate to lose the game. At that point, my dad realized how much I loved football. One evening as we were chatting, Mr. Ogunsanya, our tenant, recommended Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, and that’s how I found it. No one can alter what God has intended for you, you know.
I was therefore at the top of the class by the conclusion of the first term of Form 1. This was a huge step forward. When my father saw me after I proudly returned home, he was taken aback by my rapid progress. It was an act of God. I was driven to enlist in the military in part because we were subject to regulations in high school. We were expected to abide by those rules, and if we didn’t, the house masters or seniors would penalize us right away. There were times for everything we did in school at the time, so perhaps that helped me settle. There was time for play, study, morning devotions, and more. It was a controlled system. My father was really pleased with my academic success when I arrived home from Form 1.
Generally speaking, I continued to attend Form 2. As soon as I reached Form 2, I joined the football first eleven. I was added to the school team, but you can only image how small I looked at the time. I had many friends and classmates, and we had excellent professors, some of whom were British. Mr. V. W. Ferris, who taught us mathematics, is someone I will always remember. He made math as easy as ABC. I was excelling in every other topic. I was still very engaged in football, but for some reason, I held the top spot from the first year until I reached Form 5. I actively participated in the school’s quiz and debate societies.
Our school and other schools, including the Government College in Ibadan, participated in tournaments. Western Region education was of the highest caliber at the time. The people truly benefited from Baba Awolowo, and our country will always remember him. You can see how long ago he died away, but because he was a gift from God, people still talk about him. His policies were advantageous to everyone. I’ve read a lot about him even though I never had a face-to-face encounter.
In your opinion, what does it mean to be eighty years old?
In retrospect, I have visited both the highest and lowest mountains in this nation. That is to say, I had a seat in the president’s room at the Villa. What better room could there be? At the same time, though, I had visited a prison-like bedroom—the worst bedroom in my life. I’ve thus seen it all. As a result, the purpose of my 80th birthday is to give thanks to the Almighty God for His grace, which enabled me to overcome my adversity and emerge triumphant. I never would have imagined myself as a famous politician or governor. However, God made it occur. I had encountered a great number of people along my life’s journey. The good, the bad, and the ugly had all come my way. You see, having a fear of God is essential for anyone involved in politics. Based on their ranks, military personnel can be easily predicted, as can the obstacles they may face. It’s up to them whether or not they now complete the task successfully. They will face immediate consequences if they fail the assignment. As a result, we are taught in the military to allocate resources based on their capacity. However, in civil life, you are responsible for managing individuals from the lowest level of behavior to the highest. Therefore, you must always use caution. Even if nobody is flawless, you need to be able to recognize what is wrong and take action. You shouldn’t succumb to flashy or vulgar lifestyles because no one, regardless of social standing, would be buried rich after they passed away. We entered the earth as naked humans, and we will continue to do so. There would be a limit to how we are all racing to obtain earthly materials if we could keep this thought in the back of our minds.
No matter how wealthy we are, life is vanity. Every material on Earth is completely useless. In politics, there are two groups of people. We have decent politicians who think that the people’s resources should be used wisely for their benefit. On the other hand, there are also those who pretend to be politicians and take advantage of the people’s resources for their own gain. I consider these individuals to be “Politrickcians,” and as a politician and military leader, I believe that I have done my best for the nation and all of humanity. I’m at the departure lounge of my life now. God is always able to summon me or anyone else. We must thus make sure that all we do is for the benefit of both God and the people. As previously said, I visited the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock, which is the best and highest location in Nigeria. However, at one time, a group of people worked together purposefully to put me in the worst possible situation. That’s the penitentiary. Despite all of life’s ups and downs, God has been there for me and has given me victory.
I have every reason to give thanks to God at the age of 80. You know, if God wants to utilize you, He can lead you to a spiritual desert where you will experience many hardships in order to prepare you for the task He intends to give you. You will triumph if you can maintain a strong sense of trust, and that is just what God has accomplished for me. I have every cause to be grateful to God. I’m grateful for my health. I’m not a wheelchair user. I have healthy hands, legs, eyes, and brain. Every child I have is doing well. He also bestowed upon me a wonderful wife who supported me through all of my hardships. She actually organizes all of the birthday celebrations. I give God praise for this.
How was your time at college? Which of your childhood antics will always stick in your memory?
Our young energy led us to perform many practical jokes throughout the lovely university days. The University of Lagos awarded me an engineering degree. My graduating class consisted of just eight individuals, and all of us secured jobs prior to taking our final exams. At the time, this country was very lovely. To enlist us, the Niger Dam Authority (NDA) Kanji arrived. Three of us were drawn to Kanji from the same class. As you are aware, Kanji Dam was constructed with World Bank monies. The Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, or ECN, was their only customer, and their investment returns were insufficient. The accounting book consistently showed them as being in the red.
In contrast, Kanji only had one client, ECN. The NDA proved profitable for the nation. With the help of numerous skilled technicians and twenty engineers, we continued to operate the business effectively. For two years, I received technical instruction there. Back then, in order to become a qualified engineer, you had to complete two years of student training in order to combine your theoretical knowledge with practical experience. My friend, Engr., and I became close. Foluseke Somolu, whose father served as the Western Region’s Chief Judge. We were in the same university class. We spent the next two years in Kanji after traveling there together. Prior to then, however, the top grammar school pupils were always sent to Brentwood’s school in England for an exchange program.
Following my graduation from Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, I made an effort to apply to universities. All the International School in Ibadan was intending to do was provide a higher education. I therefore made the decision to enroll in the school. I went to the interview without telling anyone. The American who conducted my interview was quite happy with my performance. I asked him about the school fees after the interview, and when he brought it up, I told him that my father couldn’t afford them. I was asked to hold on for a minute. He went to tell the headmaster to accept me on a half-scholarship after leaving. Upon returning to the interview room, he informed me that the headmaster had agreed to award me half of the scholarship. He inquired about my parents’ ability to pay the fees under the half scholarship arrangement. I replied, “Yes, that makes sense.” I left the school with the intention of joining them in January. However, the school sent a letter of congratulations to my previous school, Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, stating that they had produced a very good student with a bright future ahead of him and that they had offered me a half scholarship to attend their school for my further education.
My partner Sola and I were to travel to Brentwood to begin our A-Level, and my principal at Ijebu-Ode Grammar School released the letters the next day after receiving the letter. When I went home, I handed my father an offer letter from International School (IS) and a note from the principal stating that we would be leaving for England to begin our A-Level on January 15.
After examining the two proposals, my father asked me to choose between them. I had never considered going to England, but I told him I would want to. My A-Level began in Brentwood as a result. As soon as I arrived in Brentwood, I joined the football squad. Since I was the only Black student at the school, all the white people in the area came to watch our games. As a result, I became well-known in Brentwood since I was the only Black football player, reminding them of the legendary Pelé.
Thus, I was given the first chance to visit the UK. I recall getting a new outfit from my dad. My schoolmate Sola and I took a flight on Lufthansa. From Frankfurt, where we initially landed, we continued. The suit, which was made in Nigeria, was on Sola and me. There was a lot of cold at the airport. I had never in my life encountered such a situation. The garment was unable to keep Sola and myself from freezing. Eventually, though, we arrived in London. You know, we were told to report to a location at the airport. However, since we had no idea where in London to report, we were at a loss. As a result, we had to approach a desk to ask questions. We found the Brentwood school waiting for us. It was a different experience, you know.
In terms of size and infrastructure, the airport in London differed from the one in Nigeria. Because our airport was so tiny, they didn’t even need to make an announcement for your folks to notice you. We had excellent grades, and that’s how the A-Levels went. To continue our education at ABU, we were awarded a scholarship. I had assumed that my father’s financial pressure would be lessened by the scholarship.
However, my mother refused to go to ABU because she was afraid of civil war atrocities. Eventually, we arrived at UNILAG. We were accepted at UNILAG. At UNILAG, I recall something intriguing. The late Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson, the governor of Lagos at the time, had a wife who was related to me through the Aganga Williams family.
One day, we learned that the government of the Western region awarded scholarships to their kids. Lagos was established in July, May, or June of 1967, the year we enrolled in the university. We remarked, “No, they should also start giving out scholarships in Lagos,” when we learned about the Western region government’s scholarship program. I then advised my friends that we should visit the governor’s office to discuss the matter with the governor. I offered to guide them. They gave me a startled look and stated that my boldness was intended to get them into trouble. But I reassured them that even if they detained us and my mother found out, the governor’s wife, who is my cousin,
would allow us to leave. After lunch, the four of us left the university and went across the Onikan Stadium to the Governor’s Office, which at the time was Tafawa Balewa’s office. The Governor’s Office was the final structure before you reached the freeway. After lunch, four of us departed. Four of us: Anibaba, Kweisi, Jabezi, and Alex Oni.
We made it. When the protocol asked us what we were doing at the gates, we explained that we were University of Lagos students and that we wanted to visit the governor. One of them then pulled out their paper to see if our names were on the list of appointments, and when he saw that they weren’t, he chased us out. However, a Yoruba man who was their supervisor came out to listen to us, and we explained to him why we needed to meet the governor and handed him our identification papers. Then the man suggested that we hold off. He was inside. He entered and found Baba Yemi Bero. There was Baba Bankole Oki, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General. Baba Domingo was present. The final individual, Justice Williams, served as the Solicitor General after he was the Governor’s Chief of Protocols. It took me years to meet them.
After the man gave them our identities and they realized we were native to the state, they asked him to let us in. The governor wasn’t there at the time. Downstairs, they awaited his arrival. We so bowed down to the elderly guys as soon as we entered. As the spokesperson, I then got up to represent the four of us. I informed the elderly men that we were University of Lagos students and that we had recently learned that their children would be receiving scholarships from the Western Region. I expressed our desire for the Lagos administration to treat their own children in a same manner.
These elderly men gave me their undivided attention. Following my address, they advised us to be patient with them as their administration was only six months old and we arrived near the end of the year. They promised to take our ideas into consideration and take action. As promised, Lagos State formed a Scholarship Board around a month later, and we were able to take use of it. Thus, that was an additional experience with government. They did not expel us. At their larger meetings, they must have made judgments after listening to us.
What led you to enlist in the armed forces?
The military is a concern. An advertisement appeared in the newspaper when we were nearly finished with our two-year pupilage program in Kainji. The war, you know, had just ended. Everyone was making an effort to rearrange themselves. Additionally, the location where we previously worked at Kanji was stunning. We knew who we were. Our supervisors were people we knew and got along with. At that time, Kainji had just twenty engineers in total. When the World Bank examined the two businesses, Nigerian Dam Authority (NDA) and Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN), the NDA was consistently in the red and the ECN was
consistently in the dark. Thus, the World Bank suggested that ECN and NDA be combined by the government. Later on, it evolved into NEPA. When this occurred, I believed that NDA, where I was employed, would be consumed by the Electricity Corporation, a large corporation. That was what I came to. Fortunately, the Navy then publicized its efforts to upgrade. Professionals were what they sought to hire. I recall telling my father I wanted to enlist in the military. My father disagreed, saying that I shouldn’t enlist in the military. However, following an interview, I was accepted into the Navy. The Navy was glad to have young, talented engineers since they needed to replace their antiquated manual systems with a new, fully computerized system. In order to operate and maintain the new, cutting-edge armament system, they need engineers.
That’s how I got into the Navy by avoiding the merger of ECN and NDA. We completed the foundational training and received our diploma. Because the naval engineering was different from the outside, we were assigned to the Royal Naval Engineering College after doing well. You had to learn how to use your weapons, communication devices, early warning radar, and the real fighting radar, among many other things. As a result, I attended the Royal Naval Engineering College to receive maintenance-related training. I could therefore learn. The Navy gave me the opportunity to see the world, so if I ever return, I will work there. I received my training at the Royal Naval Engineering College. I even attended the Artillery School. They dubbed me HMS Excellence, and I spent more than a year there. In reality, we are limited to military equipment and military life.
What was your experience when you were appointed as a military administrator, and how did you find out?
I was fresh out of the Naval War College. As a result, I was assigned to the Naval Headquarters as a Director of Weapons Systems Engineering. I held the rank of commodore. Thus, we participated in the Chief of Naval Staff’s end-of-year drills. It was sometime in December. The event was over, and the next day we were only going to take a plane back to Lagos from Port-Harcourt. My driver informed me that I was one of the recently appointed cops and that he had heard my name on the radio news when I was already in bed.
as directors. He was saying something that I couldn’t have imagined, so I didn’t understand. After asking him to leave, I switched on my room’s radio to listen to the next hour of news. I heard the news, which surprised me. Three of us were appointed, and I was assigned to the former state of Ondo. Other than traveling through Ore on my way to the East, I had never been in Ondo State. Like everyone else, I was taken aback, but that is just the nature of the military. Before making a choice, they are not required to confer with you. You were required to complete this non-regimental task. My friends and well-wishers had arrived at my residence by the time I arrived in Lagos. I was already picked up by a car supplied by the Ondo State administration. However, after the swearing-in at the Dodan Barracks, we had to travel to Abuja for a meeting.
Top security officials were present at the seminar. The other governors were present for the meeting. We communicated, and everything went smoothly. Following the meeting, we took a plane back to Lagos. People were waiting for me when I arrived in Lagos, so I asked the naval helicopter to drop me off at Akure so I could resume my duties. Already waiting was the departing governor. However, the Navy claimed to have issues with every one of their helicopters. At this moment, I was unsure of how to travel to Akure. However, the Lagos protocol, whom I knew from UNILAG, saved the day for me. We landed at Akure for the first time, something I never would have imagined, thanks to the flight Daddy chartered.
At the time, Ondo State was a hybrid of Ondo and Ekiti, and I arrived in Akure to find many traditional rulers waiting to greet me. You can therefore image the enormous number of monarchs that would have gathered to greet me. Everybody lined up. Colonel Opaleye, my predecessor, introduced me to them, and I welcomed them with deference appropriate to their rank. I was also given the handover notes by the Secretary to the Government during our meeting. I was driven to the Government House from there. Following this, as custom required, I paid Deji of Akure a polite visit at his palace. His town is traditionally Akure. As a well-bred Yoruba man, you would therefore need to show respect for traditional leaders. I went to see the monarch and informed him that I was his son assigned to run the state. I offered him my hand in friendship and encouraged him to call me at any time if he had any suggestions for what I should do. I pledged to contact him.
After that, we returned to the office. I was stunned to see the Governor’s Office. I am not tall, so I had to bend to enter the office because it was so little. Ibadan and Lagos, from which I was traveling, cannot be compared to that. Thus, the rural form was still well defined, just as it was when I lived in Ondo. I made a comment about it in the office, and by the second day, it had made headlines. It was featured in a headline by the media. It was Henry Teniola, my CPS. I was verbatim quoted in the newspapers. This reached General Babangida, the Head of State, who called me and told me that what I had stated about the Governor’s Office was a challenge to make sure I constructed a suitable Governor’s Office. He mentioned that he would be visiting Ondo State to check if I could meet the challenge. And we did not let them down, praise be to God.
