The factional leader of Oodua Peoples Congress, Gani Adams, in this interview with ADEOLA BALOGUN, questions the relationship between the founder of the organisation and the recently released chief security officer to the late Sanni Abacha, Major Hamza Al Mustapha
How do you feel about the court judgment that freed Major Hamza Al Mustapha?
With our experience with June 12, I am not happy with the judgment. Perhaps people have forgotten that it was not only Kudirat Abiola that died as a result of the struggle; what of people like Pa Alfred Rewane, Sola Omotehinwa? They were killed. Alex Ibru was shot and he didn’t really get off the effect of the shooting until he died. In the process also, Pa Abraham Adesanya was shot, even though he survived it. Later, the symbol of the struggle, Chief Moshood Abiola, died in mysterious circumstances. It was tragic enough that both husband and wife died in the struggle. The judge said that there was no enough evidence to link Al Mustapha with Kudirat’s murder; so the question remains: who killed Kudirat Abiola? She was gunned down in broad daylight and Sergeant Rogers confessed that he shot her but he got orders from above to shoot her. That was during the regime of General Sanni Abacha and don’t forget, Al Mustapha was a very powerful figure in the government. Supposing MKO died but his wife Kudirat survived, do you think his business empire would just perish like that? That is why it is so painful that the family was left empty handed without justice. I am sure that Chief Gani Fawehinmi would have filed a case immediately Al Mustapha was set free if he was still alive. Unfortunately, those who benefitted from June 12 apart from Dr. Fasehun kept quiet without condemning the judgment. I condemned the judgment immediately even though I don’t have any issue personally with Al Mustapha. I was made by June 12 and if not because of it, there wouldn’t be anything like Oodua Peoples Congress. The election was annulled in 1993 and OPC was formed in 1994. Fasehun was one of the beneficiaries of June 12. How many people knew about Fasehun as a figure in Yoruba before the annulment of the June 12 election?
But the OPC was there shepherding Al Mustapha about when he was discharged.
It’s not correct to say OPC was accompanying him about. It was Dr. Fasehun that you saw. Don’t forget, we have two different organisations under two different leaders. Fasehun runs his own organisation in Century Hotel while our own secretariat is at Palmgroove. Dr. Fasehun leads his own OPC while I Gani Adams, lead my own OPC and the two of us are not operating on the same principle. Normally OPC could have been one but the old man has never allowed it. Assuming I have not continued the struggle, Dr Fasehun would have sold it. What is he looking for? Mustapha said that he paid a visit to Prophet T B Joshua after he was released, did the prophet follow him to Kano? He said he visited some Yoruba leaders in Ibadan, did he mention their names? Why did Dr. Fasehun have to be there, even waving to the people? You cannot compare me with Dr. Fasehun by any standard. I have never done anything against the wishes of Yoruba race since we started this struggle in 1993. I have never compromised the interest of the race even when things were very rough. Even when Fasehun was in detention, I refused to compromise; a lot of people wanted to hijack OPC then but I did not. Then I was still in my late 20s with nothing whatsoever as earthly possession. Then, the only thing I had were just four pieces of clothing but I held on to the ideas of the struggle. It’s so unfortunate that Dr Fasehun is behaving the way he is doing now. What does he want? A medical doctor for that matter; he is one of the best doctors around, acupuncture expert. I don’t know why he suddenly turned himself to be Al Mustapha’s bodyguard. Is it because of material things that he wants to destroy the image of Yoruba race?
Don’t forget, Dr. Fasehun is floating a political party, the Unity Party of Nigeria.
Well, if that is so, he is making a mistake. A typical Hausa/Fulani would not join a core Yoruba party. We still have tribal sentiment with us in Nigeria and we should stop deceiving ourselves. Why did the Northerners refuse to join the Action Congress of Nigeria until they called for merger? He is deceiving himself if he thinks he can use Al Mustapha’s release to sell his UPN. If you watched the event in Kano very well, the crowd were not cheering him but their son, Al Mustapha. Maybe Mustapha has promised to help him in politics but I know that there is more to it. Dr. Fasehun is saying Yoruba should forgive and forget; if it was his wife that was murdered, will he easily forget that? I know Dr. Fasehun very well, he will not forgive you if you take away his N10,000. Mind you, he has been doing something like this in the past. During the 10th anniversary of the death of Sanni Abacha, he was in the same Kano where he said Abacha could have been the best Nigerian leader if he did not die. This is Abacha that has been adjudged the most corrupt Nigerian leader till date. This is the same Abacha that gave instruction that everybody that proclaimed anything about June 12 should be shot or detained. I was lucky to interact with the late Kudirat Abiola; she remained the pillar of the struggle when her husband was detained. She was the one sponsoring the struggle then and Fasehun can not come out to say that he did not benefit from it. The woman was the one coordinating the struggle then and that was the reason she became the target and was killed. Why should Fasehun, who benefitted from the woman now work against her?
But the OPC may dissolve into UPN because the leader of the organisation is spreading the party.
That is what I am saying, it is Dr. Fasehun, not me and my followers. If you go to Century Hotel now, there is no structure of OPC there any more. The only people you see with him are the UPN people, and he is still claiming that he is the founder of OPC. You call yourself the founder of OPC, yet you are the chairman of UPN, how will you run the two together? If he wants to go into politics, let him renounce the struggle. If he is ready to compromise just to buy the interest of the north because of his party, we will not allow him to destroy the hope of the Yoruba race. You can’t be portraying yourself as leader of OPC and working against the interest of Oodua. Kudirat and her husband MKO were descendants of Oodua. What Fasehun is doing negates the struggle in every way. Yerima Shetima is a friend and he has spoken to me a lot about Al Mustapha and I told him that I would not work against my race even with trillions of naira. Another prominent football coach in Nigeria has equally approached me about Al Mustapha and I told him to leave me out of it. Yoruba will not forget those who betrayed them; they have not forgotten the issue of Awolowo and Akintola or those who betrayed them during June 12. Supposing God did not use me to keep up the struggle, where will OPC be today? People should watch out.
Maybe Dr. Fasehun is doing all this because of the pipeline security contract.
What does becoming bodyguard to Al Mustapha have to do with the pipeline contract? How much would they pay him for the pipeline security? Most of the young boys who got contracts worth billions of naira have not compromised the principles of their race. Why would Dr Fasehun do so and this is a contract that has not even been awarded. How much is the cost of the pipeline contract that Fasehun wants to sell his race? How much of the money can he spend before he goes away? This is a man close to 80 years. I don’t pray for his death but he is an old man and should borrow a leaf from his contemporaries like Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Ajayi Olanihun and Chief Fasoranti. Dr. Fasehun should not destroy the name before God calls him. Yoruba value name more than money. The children of Obafemi Awolowo are benefiting from the legacy of their father today. Even on the issue of the pipeline, Dr. Fasehun has been selling forms to people promising them job. And this is a contract that has not been approved.
Are you alleging fraud?
I don’t know but the information at our disposal indicates that he has been selling forms, go and investigate. He has been selling forms for N2000, N5000 depending on the location. You want to give somebody job and you are taking money from him. He has made millions from that. He sold forms even in Edo State which is not part of the South West. The job we are bidding for does not even cover the entire South West. Osun and Ekiti states are not part of it. It’s only Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Ondo but Fasehun has sold forms in Edo. He is also selling form to mobilise people to the UPN; you can see how cunning the man is. Why is he using the pipeline to cajole people? Fasehun will never make friend for five years without crisis unless three things are not involved; money, beautiful ladies and positions. Even those people who introduced him to Al Mustapha, he has sidelined them. We have other things that I can not tell you about his relationship with Al Mustapha. Al Mustapha too should be careful. The feelers we are getting about this issue are disturbing. His role in Al Mustapha issue is affecting my own image because those who heard that the founder of OPC was in Kano with Al Mustapha are disturbed and I have received a lot of calls from prominent people regarding that. Fasehun is now calling Al Mustapha his own son whereas he has never shown the world his
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