Opinion
By Bashorun J.K. Randle
IT must be about 40 years ago when I found myself seated next to Justin Olabode Emanuel at a dinner at the Good Earth (Chinese) Restaurant at 233 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London.
The heavyweights around the table were Sobo Sowemimo S.A.N.; Femi Okunnu S.A.N.; Bolaji Ajenifuja; Professor Bolaji Kuti; Alade Idris Animashaun; Professor Theo Ogunbiyi; Akin Disu and several others.
Perhaps it was inevitable that discussions would centre on the widely publicized BBC Panorama programme on Nigeria, which was broadcast on the previous day. The trailer cut straight to the marrow:
“It’s amazing that Nigeria first had Cable lines in 1886 and telephones in 1893. Electricity followed in 1896 and in 1898 Lagos became the second city in the world (after Munich, Germany) to have electric street lights when most cities were gas lit. Iju Water Works has been supplying potable water in Lagos since 1910.
What went wrong?”
Emanuel provided the answer. With a chuckle he declared:
“King’s College, Lagos !!”
The Old Boys of King’s College around the table – Okunnu and Idris Animashaun protested vigorously. However, nothing would dissuade Emanuel from pinning the blame on King’s College.
Anyway, the argument went back and forth. Emanuel was adamant. He insisted that the British colonial government had founded King’s College in 1909 to groom Nigeria’s future leaders but the Old Boys had abdicated their responsibility. According to him, the country was in ruins and the rescue mission was being dumped on St. Gregory’s College and its Old boys. It was all said in jest. Hence, there was no damage inflicted on the conviviality around the table.
Even back then, Emanuel had his tentacles in many businesses.
He was already a tycoon and business mogul at the relatively young age of 50 years. He did not suffer fools gladly. In fact, he could be very abrasive.
Here we are 40 years later and we are confronted with our latest scorecard and auditor’s report by “The Economist” magazine. On 11 January 2025, it published a hefty special report entitled “THE AFRICA GAP” which according to “Private Eye” magazine identified a number of ways in which the economic gap between Africa and the rest of the world is getting wider.
“If its 44 countries are to seize the opportunity they have to do something exceptional: break with their own past and with the dismal statist orthodoxy that now grips much of the world. Africa’s leaders will have to embrace business growth and free markets.”
Back to the memorable dinner in Knightsbridge, London it was a clear case dereliction Emanuel was in his element – teasing and taunting the old boys of King’s College Okunnu, Idris Animashaun and me) for the decay and decadence in Nigeria. As far as he was concerned, the old boys of King’s College, “KCOB’s, had abdicated their responsibility.
The “KCOB’s” were unanimous in defending the reputation of our alma mater. However, the more we protested, the more adamant and vehement Emanuel was. He was having great fun at our expense.
It was all good-hearted banter anyway. He just would not stop. He proceeded to highlight the self-evident decay of King’s College – the pristine and elegant colonial structure had become an eyesore. The classrooms which were meant for only 25 students had exploded beyond quadruple that number. It was the same story with the boarding house and its dormitories. The toilet facilities had collapsed entirely.
Sowemimo (ex-C.M.S. Grammar School, Lagos) joined forces with Emanuel). So also did Akin Disu (also ex-C.M.S. Grammar School) to regale us with their dismay over the state of affairs in Nigeria and Lagos State in particular. Whichever way, the old boys of King’s College were the culprits It was confirmation of the old adage – many a true word is said in jest. The humour was not lost on us the KCOB’s as we retaliated by pointing that both King’s College and St. Gregory’s College had become victims of circumstances. The chequered history of Nigeria was well known to all of us. Even if it is true that the British Colonial government had deliberated created King’s College, Lagos (founded in 1909) as an elite school in the image of Eton College or Harrow schools (public schools) as the incubator for Nigeria’s future leaders, the military coup of January 15, 1966 had blown the mission totally off course. Six months later there was a counter coup which threw the entire nation into turmoil. The nation was on the verge of breaking up. From 1966 to 1975, the leadership of Nigeria fell on the head of General Yakubu Gowon (ex-Barewa College, Zaria) who was toppled on 29th July 1975 and replaced by another old boy of Barewa College – General Murtala Muhammed who was assassinated on 13th February 1976 in Lagos. It was a chilly Friday morning.
Incidentally, I had visited him at his house at 6 Second Avenue, Ikoyi on the day before. That is a story for another day. He was replaced by General Olusegun Obasanjo (ex-Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta).
On 1st October 1979, General Obasanjo handed over power to Shehu Shagari (ex-Barewa College, Zaria). The Vice-President was Dr. Alex Ekwueme (ex-King’s College, Lagos).
In between all that turmoil and turbulence was the Nigerian Civil war which raged between 1967 and 1970. It cost more than a million lives.
On the Nigerian side was the Head of State – General Yakubu Gowon while the Biafran side was led by General Emeka Ojukwu (ex-King’s College, Lagos).
Of course, Emanuel was quick to capitalize on a photograph which was widely circulated. It was taken at the meeting in Kampala where the OAU, Organisation of African Union, had endeavoured to broker peace between Biafra and Nigeria in 1968.
On the Biafran side was Sir Louis Mbanefo, who was my father’s classmate at King’s College and on the Nigerian delegation were Chief Anthony Enahoro (ex-King’s College), Minister of Information, Wenike Briggs (ex-King’s College, Minister of Education; Femi Okunnu (ex-King’s College), Minister of Works; Allison Ayida (ex-King’s College) Permanent Secretary; and Philip Asiodu (ex-King’s College) Permanent Secretary.
It was with glee that Emanuel declared that it was all a King’s College, Lagos affair.
However, here is the official report by Reuter:
“Peace talks opened between Federal Nigeria and Secessionist Biafra in Kampala today (Thursday) with both sides agreeing on the need for a ceasefire in their 11-month-old civil war, but differing on its timing. President Milton Obote, of Uganda, formally opened the talks in the conference Hall of the Parliament Building.
In speeches at a public opening session, the Biafrans said an immediate cessation of fighting should be the first step of peace, while the Federal side said it wanted discussions first. Then a ceasefire. Observers in the Uganda Parliament’s Conference Hall, where the meeting started, noted that while the two sides were strong in condemnation of each other, they appeared to be leaving room for compromise.
The Nigerian Civil war broke out a month after Biafra’s secession from the federation a year ago and has gradually increased in intensity in recent months. As the two sides came to the conference table – after months of urging by other African States – Nigeria has captured several important Biafran centres.
The two sides came to Kampala after preliminary talks in London, and the meeting is under the auspices of the commonwealth secretariat, led by the Secretary-General, Arnold Smith, of Canada. Both the Federal side and the Biafrans are represented by five-man delegations and are accompanied by observers. Anthony Enahoro, Commissioner for Information in the Lagos Government, leads the Federal Delegation, while the main Biafran spokesman is Chief Justice and Former World Court Judge, Sir Louis Mbanefo (ex-King’s College)”.
It was uncanny how deferential Chief Emanuel was to Sobo Sowemimo, S.A.N., the Jaguna of Egbaland. The chemistry between them was palpable and self-evident. It was Emanuel who whispered to me that Sowemimo was actually the friend of his elder brother, Abosede Emanuel. However, the Jaguna of Egbaland was his benefactor. Jaguna had grown up in Kano. Hence, he spoke Hausa language fluently and his network of Hausa speaking northerners was instrumental to Emanuel’s highly lucrative business contacts with the likes of General Murtala Mohammed; General T.Y. Danjuma; Alhaji Ibrahim Damcida; Ahmed Joda; Senator Mahmoud Waziri, etc.
It was well after midnight before we left the Chinese restaurant. We had been so thoroughly engrossed in dissecting the problems of Lagos; the fate of Nigeria, and the future of democracy in Africa that we did not notice that the restaurant had closed !! All the staff had gone home.
Justin Olabode Emanuel and I were the last to leave. We were neighbours in Chelsea. All the same he remained an enigma. His chauffer and sleek Mercedes Benz Limousine were waiting for him. I preferred to walk all the way down Sloane Street, then King’s Road and Flood Street. I could not but notice the policeman who was standing in front of the house of Margaret Thatcher who was then the Prime Minister of Britain.
A.I
Feb. 3, 2025
Tags: Akin Disu Alade Idris Animashaun Bashorun J.K. Randle Bolaji Ajenifuja Professor Bolaji Kuti Professor Theo Ogunbiyi Sobo Sowemimo
