Introduction
When his passage to immortality was announced by the Executives of the Federal Council of Ede Descendants Union on Thursday, 10th February, 2022, I could hardly believe the bad news but bad news travelled like wild fire. So, Alhaji Sule Alao, who turned 70 on February 2, 2022, had gone the way of all mortals. The celebrations marking his 70th Birthday had been scheduled to hold on Saturday, 5th February, amidst pomp and pageantry but Allah Subhana Wata Allah knew that he would spend that day on hospital bed. Allah eventually recalled his servant to His abode like all other mortals. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (إِنَّا ِلِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ).
I was billed to give his 70th Birthday Lecture on February 5 but now, I have to pen his obituary and tribute. His remains were lowered into the mother earth at exactly 4.02 pm on February 10, 2022 at his Odo-Eja Residence, in the axis of C.A.C. Grammar School, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria.
The Birth and Career Process of a Community Leader and Political Icon
Sulaimon Aderibigbe Alao was born into the Alao and Rainat Alao family of Ile Oniso, Ede on February 2, 1952. He was raised along with his other siblings by his parents in a mud house. His early life was very humble, he was not even born with any wooden spoon in his mouth at all, let alone a silver or golden spoon. In his life time, he rose to become a man of substance and a barometer of success.
The young Sule Alao attended District Council School, Adogbe, Ede between 1959 and 1964. In the early years, Sule Alao and Suarau Aderemi (a.k.a. Olofa Ina) were members of Olofa Ina Theatre Group. In his odyssey, Sule Alao spent his formative years in Kaduna where he attended Rimi College, formerly St. John College, Kaduna, a school established in 1949 by the Catholic Missionaries. Some of the prominent alumni of Rimi College incude(d) Major Patrick Kaduna Chukwu Nzeogwu, Major Christian Anuforo, Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi, Hon, Justice Kumamai Bayang Akaahs OFR, Assistant Inspector General of Police Ahmed Ibrahim Iliyasu (Zone 2, Lagos and Ogun), Alhaji Shettima Kolo, Emeritus Prof. Austin Esoghue and Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa (the 16th Governor of Kaduna State), among others.
Sule Alao later attended the Federal College of Education, Zaria, formerly known as Advance Teachers’ College, Zaria. The Federal College of Education is thus the Premier College of Education in Northern Nigeria. Some of the outstanding Alumni of the College include Professor P.N. Lassa, former Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and Professor Abdullahi Mahdi, former Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University and Vice-Chancellor of Gombe State University. Others include Dr. M.M. Bunza, former Executive Director, National Teachers’ Institue (NTI), and the former Provost of the College and Late Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed Shika (Wakilin Makaranta Zazzau), among others. On completion of his education, he was a Sales Officer at Akande Trading Company and PAN Limited Kaduna. Sule Alao also worked as a Quality Control Officer of Oyenihun Ventures.
To live up to the age of 70 in Nigeria is a blessing from God. When Sule Alao was born on February 2, 1952, LEB (Life Expectancy at Birth) in Nigeria was 33 years. Today, experts have put life expectancy at 54. Togo, Ghana and South Africa are ahead of Nigeria in LEB. Sule Alao was twice a lucky man. As at the time of his death on February 10, 2022, he had more than a double, against the predicted mortality of his 1952 birth time, through the special grace of Allah. Today, anybody who is older than 54 has also broken the jinx. Sule Alao had defied Nigeria to survive more than it expects him to survive or live. It is apt to note that the 2019 World Population Review ranked Nigeria 198th out of 202 countries studied. Nigeria has better LEB than Sierra-Leone (199th), Chad (200th), Lesotho (201st) and Central African Republic (202nd position).
What I know about Alhaji Sule Alao
I have known Alhaji Sule Alao by reputation and by name during Nigeria’s Second Republic (1979-1983). At the time, he was the Secretary of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) Doka Constituency, Kaduna, Kaduna State. On his return to Ede, he was appointed the Publicity Secretary and later Secretary, Ede North Federal Constituency. At the time, I served as the Youth Leader of the Unity Party of Nigeria. I was also privileged to learn politics under the grand-masters of the period. My leaders then were Chief Amusa Lawal (Amusa Aato), Chief M.A. Laogun of Iragberi, Hon. Samson Siyanbola, Hon. Isaac Adejare Esq of Elerin and Balogun Raji Ayoola Adeleke. Indeed, I served as the Returning Officer for the Unity Party of Nigeria in what was then known as Dada Estate of Old Ede Local Government. The 1979 election eventually produced Barrister M.A. Laogun as Member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Barrister Isaac A. Adejare as the member for the House of Representatives and Balogun Raji Ayoola Adeleke as the Senator.
It is indeed very important to note that Sule Alao also served as one of the Honourable Councilors in the Old Ede Local Government. In the aborted Third Republic, Alhaji Sule Alao served as the Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Osun State Chapter. He also later served as the Organizing Secretary of Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN), a party which had Prince Gboyega Famodun as the Chairman.
Alhaji Sule Alao was also a very active participant in the politics of the 4th Republic at the Local, State and National levels. He was one of the founding fathers of All Peoples’ Party in the late 1998 during the transition from military to civilian rule midwived by General Sani Abacha’s regime. The party drew considerable support from the Middle Belt and parts of the core North.
In fact, Alhaji Sule Alao was the Welfare Secretary of All Peoples’ Party in Osun State. In the march towards 2003 Gubernatorial Election in Osun State, Alhaji Sule Alao rallied support for his kinsman and brother, Alhaji Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke but Chief Bisi Akande of the Alliance for Democracy won the election and eventually served as the Governor of Osun State (1999-2003). While all AD candidates emerged as the governors across southwest, the APP was able to record victory only in the local government elections in five (5) local governments including Ede North and Ede South. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the election, the APP witnessed mass exodus. Nevertheless, Alhaji Sulaimon Alao rallied around the party stewards in ensuring that the party remained intact.
After a series of political engineering the All Peoples Party, in 2003, changed its name to All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). This change in name was to reflect a pan-Nigerian character and also re-position the party for the 2003 Presidential, Gubernatorial, National and State Assemblies elections. Under the new platform, Alhaji Sulaimon Alao was appointed at the Chairman of the party in Osun State.
During his sojourn in APP and ANPP, Alhaji Sule Alao was a co-traveller with the late Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, General Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, Dr. Christopher Ogbonnaya Onu, Chief John Oyegun, Dr. Yusuf Rabiu, Hajia Ramatu Tijjani Ali (National Women Leader), Tony Udokan, Mr. Wale Olatunji, Emma Eneukwu and Hajjia Fatima Muhammad.
In 2003 and 2007 when General Muhammadu Buhari was the official Presidential flag bearer of ANPP, Alhaji Sule Alao worked strenuously for the success of the party. Though the ANPP lost the 2003 presidential race, it won 96 seats out of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives and 27 seats out of the 109 seats in the Senate. Perhaps the greatest victory of ANPP in 2003 was its gubernatorial victory in Kano State, one of Nigeria’s most populous states. Indeed, Alhaji Sule Alao served as the Chairman of ANPP in Osun State for roughly ten years (2003-2013).
In 2011, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau emerged as the Presidential candidate of ANPP while Chief John Odigie Oyegun was the running mate. However, the ANPP performed woefully at the poll. It was a solemn period for Alhaji Sule Alao.
It is worthy to note that Alhaji Sule Alao was an ardent follower of the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. It was Alhaji Sule Alao who, in his capacity as the Chairman of ANPP Osun State Chapter, that gave a rousing welcome to the General Muhammadu Buhari in his first attempt at becoming a civilian president in 2003. In 2006, he was appointed as the Convention Secretary of the ANPP and remained the National Auditor of the party up till 2013 when the party formally merged with Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), and New Peoples’ Democratic Congress (N-PDP), among others, to form the most formidable opposition party in the history of Nigeria, the All Progressive Congress (APC). However, APC has since, May 29, 2015, become the ruling party in Nigeria till date.
In the last 11 years of APC’s administration of Osun State, Alhaji Sule Alao, no doubt, devoted much of his time and energy to building and sustaining the party, particularly in Ede South, Ede North, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency. He was also a great pillar of APC in Osun State and one of the highly experienced and trusted elders in the party. At every point in time he was always reconciling and uniting fending members of the party. He enjoyed the trust of the State APC Chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun and the Executive Governor of Osun State, Dr. Gboyega Oyetola. He was a soul mate to Alhaji Gbadebo Ajao. In politics, Alhaji Sule Alao paid his dues. He was a war horse, tested and trusted.
Conclusion
On social plane, Sule Alao was a personable man, easy to approach and fun to be with. He was a one-time President of Osogbo Sports Club (May 2012-May 2014). He was also a one-time Chairman of Ede Day Planning Committee. He enjoyed the company of his small circle of friends, Alhaji Gbadebo Ajao of Ido-Osun, Alhaji Suarau Aderemi (Olofa-Ina), Engr. Lateef Tunji Lawal (Babasanya of Ede), Barrister Dele Adeyemi, Alhaji Mumini, Chief Atidade Adebowale, Otunba Olusola Adekanola, among others. Sule Alao was one of the highly valued community leaders in Ede and one who was held in high esteem by the Timi of Edeland, Oba (Dr.) Munirudeen Adesola Lawal (Laminisa I). Alhaji Sule Alao related with me perfectly and I confided in him on a number of occasions. He was physically present at my 60th Birthday Celebration in February 2021 and the Burial Ceremony of my biological mother in October 2, 2021. Oku n sukun oku.
In his life time, Alhaji Sule Alao was an exemplar of Yoruba philosophical cultural concept, Ọmọlúwàbí. He believed in honesty, hardwork and community service. He valued integrity, fairplay, justice and equity. He was gracious in goodness and he was also a man of exemplary manner. His was a story of decency, honour and integrity.
In his life time, Alhaji Sule Alao was a key player in progressive politics and progressive governance. No doubt, he demonstrated exemplary character, selflessness, courage and compassion over the years. He also demonstrated that he was not just a man of success but a man of values. I also affirm that Sule Alao’s competence as a political leader and icon was not in question at any time. Till death, he remained a repository of experience that can be tapped in real and difficult situations to strengthen party structure. He was truly an organizational man. Perhaps, his greatest asset was that he was a bridge-builder across political affiliations in Ede, Osun State and Nigeria. He recognized the worth of all Ede indigenes and Nigerians irrespective of creed, circumstances of birth and political parties.
May Almighty Allah accept his soul into Al-Jannah Fridaous. Ameena. May God console the family and give his children and loved ones the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss. Ameena. Enikuomehin.
Siyan Oyeweso Ph.D
Professor of History,
Osun State University, Osogbo
Fellow, Historical Society of Nigeria
Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Letters, writes from No. 12 Siyan Oyeweso Street, Ede, Osun State.
