The life and times of Tunji Otegbeye (3)

This is the final piece on the life and times of Tunji Otegbeye. If I may reiterate, this exercise is being conducted in view of the fact that as a social force Otegbeye was there in all the distinct phases of the Nigerian social formation. For this writer at least, what marked out Otegbeye was that he was a member of the counter-elite.

Having studied at chrome-yellow places like Government College Ibadan and the University of Ibadan, Otegbeye’s place in the cadre of the Nigerian elite was guaranteed. But he would have none of this. Rightly or wrongly, he was of the view that society should be organized in a different way. Incidentally, such a posture on Otegbeye’s part was taking place in a Manichean context when the world was viewed in stark black and white terms by the then superpowers. Unfortunately, very much the same attitude could be observed on the part of Nigerian rulers in the First Republic. Communism was regarded as evil.

In view of the immediate foregoing, Otegbeye for much of his life, particularly in the First Republic, was under surveillance. His passport was seized several times and on many occasions he was simply hauled into detention. By contrast, other doctors in Otegbeye’s neighbourhood – Dr Coker and Dr Alakija – would have none of man’s hard-headed idealism. They simply practiced their medicine and cruised around in their comfortable cars.

Ironically enough, as an activist, Otegbeye turned out to be something of a prophet. When the First Republic collapsed, and the country descended into a civil war, the perfidious Albion as he is wont was not very supportive of Nigeria. At a crucial moment when arms supplies were needed, it was the self-same Soviet Union which came to Nigeria’s rescue. Therefore, it is possible to contend that through his activism, Otegbeye was something of a fore-runner as far as refurbished Nigeria-Soviet Union relations were concerned.

Yet it must be said here that Otegbeye was not your blind ideologue. As the world unfolded around him, he took note and adjusted accordingly. This clearly goes to demonstrate that far from being ensnared by the communist ideology, he was concerned first and foremost with the Nigerian condition. If communism was going to save Nigeria, so be it. If communism would not, then farewell to this foreign diet.

Consequently and in the final chapter, Otegbeye attempts a re-assessment of himself in his twilight years. And in a mood of candid self-assessment, he describes himself along the following lines: “So here I am. I started out in politics as a fiery, narrow-minded, i.e., ideologically-driven and idealistic youth…Now, I am retiring as a mellow, more matured, and more broad-minded elder on the platform of my ethnic nationalism.”

Clearly, Otegbeye in his eight decades of existence had seen much and done much. And such exposure virtually transformed his view of life and living. Apparently, he was in the midst of tying up the loose ends of this important book when death came calling.

It was therefore left to his son, Deji Otegbeye, to complete the book. In the specific sense, this was done by the inclusion of the rather extensive epilogue and tributes at the end of the book. What comes forth here was an Otegbeye who was now much more conscious of his spiritual essence and who, in the course of a turbulent life, gave to life as much as he got.

Reading through the book, I was intrigued by the fact that, with his education, Otegbeye could easily have chosen an easier path. But no. He decided to get into the fray by espousing his convictions, not privately, but on the streets. And it must be said that he paid dearly for it. His tempestuous involvement in public life as revealed by his son had a perverse effect on his domestic circumstances. Consequently, like Nelson Mandela, he went through three different marriages – and the various and successive wives all bore the name Bola!

Thus, it could be said that the struggle was not just his life; the struggle in a large sense was also his WIFE. And indeed, he really struggled to the end. And such is the infinite nature of struggle that every generation as deposed by Otegbeye himself must, in the Fanonian sense, have to contend with its own version of struggle. Two responses are possible here. You either face it, or walk away.

Dr. Jeremiah Olatunji Otegbeye chose to do the former. And it could be said that, all said and done, he won through to cloudless day. Significantly, and as revealed in the book, it was through Otegbeye’s doggedness that many young men and women in Nigeria were able to access higher education in the then Soviet Union. The various tributes at the end of the book attest to this stupendous contribution of Otegbeye to our national life.

Kayode Soremekun

May the soul of Dr. Jeremiah Olatunji Otegbeye continue to rest in peace.