OAU July 10: Hello! Hello!! Afrika
(A morn-night inside a hall of residence on OAU campus, Ile-Ife, Osun state showing scenes of students having the time of their life, drinking palm wine and catching fun.)
…“Dele! Dele! They are coming. Run. Run”. (Shouts of panic echoed in the air)
“Warn Lade. Tell him to escape. Lanre is nowhere to be found. Men of the underworld are here…” (Voice fades)
"Legacy come out your life has been paid for." (Shouts echoed)
"Awo boys come out if you dare,"
"Awo boys must leave this school,"
"We are going to call back," (Shouts continue)
(Sounds of panic and several shots fired)
“Ha! Many soldiers down.”
(Blazing campus headlines of the following day)
“5 down, 11 injured as OAU student community suffers a massacre”.
(23 years after)
_____________________
“Hello holder, Can I speak with George Iwilade (Afrika)?”
“Hello... hello. Oh yes,”
"You must excuse the hurry in my voice. I'm trying to take as little of the network provider's time as possible. Oh yes, yes, yes, it's expensive to call abroad now, not to talk of calling you. I can hear some voices in the background. Is it a party or something? Oh, I see. How is Afrika? Is that him in the background? Please, put him on the phone for me."
(Afrika comes on board)
"Hello, who is this?"
"Afrika, ah, na me o. How now?"
"Of the greatessssttttt… my Great Ife comrade. I am fine. Fine. I've just stepped into this 23rd-anniversary party of my arrival here."
"I can almost smell cognac from here. Did your entrance cause a thunderous rally of aluta chorus, I can bet it did."
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. How una dey? I hear that a lot is happening in Nigeria now. In fact, I was going to call you tomorrow for the details."
"Oh yes-o. What do you want me to tell you? Where do I start from sef? The latest thing is that today makes it exactly 146 days since ASUU embarked on industrial action. The federal government, earlier on had an agreement with ASUU which is yet to be implemented and it has become a tug of war between the duo also resulting in to issue of yam, and pepper scatter. ASUU strike has become a thing of "culture" in the Nigerian educational sector that bothers not the ruling class and elites with the future of the Nigerian youth stands bleak. It's saddening, the ruling elites don't give a damn as the upcoming 2023 general election is their utmost concern despite the mess the educational sector has found itself."
"Omooo... That's terrible. I feel for you all but regardless of the anomalies, I urge every Nigerian youth to brace up and remain hopeful because they're stars, and stars shine no matter the condition. Tell me, what's up with Great Ife and its union?"
"You see Afrika, ever since your circle of union leaders had passed on the baton to those behind them, things have gone haywire for the union. Recently, one of the past leaders was convicted of wiring a sum of N720,000 from the students' union's bank account. What an absurdity!
Even the current union leaders who are doing their best possible, still find it extremely difficult to challenge the status quo. In a similar vein, I would like to console you that your formidable role in curbing the dominance of cultism in Ògbà Fémi, for which you paid a price with your dear life on the fateful July 10, 1999, has become the most cherished legacy in the life and times of every OAU student, even OAU generation yet to be birthed. Such that every student can tour the nooks and crannies of OAU without any fear of harassment even at dusk. 1999 is a long time ago, but still lingers in our mind as the evil perpetrators are yet to face the wrath of justice."
"No, no, no. Don't get into that. Be a man. Over here, there is no pain. There is only joy and peace and rest. And when I look down at what people do to themselves in that country, I laugh. I'm also happy for the fact that my struggle then wasn't in vain. Listen, I'm fine. And I've not decided on whether I want to return or not. Maybe the reason is that when I do, you'll not be able to tell it's me. So why bother?"
"But is it worth it, Afrika? You may have to think again. Do you really miss being in Nigeria? A few times I've caught myself thinking, you're better off being up there. Not that such a dramatic person would have gone off differently from the way you did. But that is another topic altogether. I'm just saying that this country got as much of you as she deserved. I really couldn't see you an old man, though you often dreamt of presiding over judgment in your dazzling legal professional attire."
"You're sounding hard today. Why? Life should be easy, you know."
"Agreed. But if there is any aggression in my voice, it's just a sign of the times. Look Afrika, living in Nigeria is difficult now. Damn too hard. You know the usual story... no light, sky-high price of foodstuffs, inflation... The one that pains me most is the fallen price of the Naira. Makes me want to do something crazy. I look at my generation and I feel bad. You people had something to recall as the good old days. My generation has never had it good. I have strongly begun to feel that when one has to do here is to contribute to pulling down the country. That has been the pre-occupation of all our leaders, big and small, alive and dead. They just enjoy measures to the negative gain of the country."
"Looks like you've been working too hard at..."
"Our savior, let's discuss something else. Abeg. How is life over there?"
"Fine, Fine. Alright. I wake up at about six and jog. The weather is just fine for that. After jogging, I shower and get a massage. Oh, these girls are wonderful here. Ha ha. Then I eat, do some reading and writing in between phone calls. Actually, my life here is like that of one on a perpetual vacation. Never knew that life here was like this. No hell, no perpetual singing, as we were taught. Just a state of being."
"That sounds beautiful but how about the parties?"
"Those are in abundance. As you know, the essence of life here is perfection. Everything is just so. But to be candid, I miss the Nigerian and Great Ife life a little. Sometimes, I've pondered on life over there. Maybe because I was not quite ready to cross over. But the public reaction and the rest of the activities have intrigued me."
"Why?"
"Because I've been able to see the essence of human associations. We up here are aware. It's been interesting watching how friends and lovers have been carrying on."
"I may have to interrupt you. If life there is perfect, it is not yet so here. But let me say this; Afrika, we do miss you. Words may not be able to carry this feeling. But we do. Can you guess how many people say 'if Afrika was alive,' or the number of students that recall your struggle in eradicating cultism in OAU? History has depicted you so well."
"Thank you very much but life moves on. We just have to do our part in making it a better place. Let me rush back to this shin-dig. I can see Martin Luther King looking for me."
"Oh, Martin Luther? Is he there too?"
"Yes, Also Malcom X, Ghandi, so many of them.
"Wow, man. Seems I found myself a place to be after I depart this stinking world. Let me run off. Please, if you see anybody coming this way, give him some foreign currency for me. By the time I sell it on the black market, I'll be able to supplement my Naira. Give my regards to your comrades."
"Yap bro. Talk to you on the next anniversary. I have to go now"
"Yap. Take care."
____________________
George Iwilade was a law student and former Secretary-General of the Great Ife Students’ Union who impacted and contributed to making the OAU campus a better place for students. He made an immeasurable sacrifice to eradicate cultism and social vices in OAU, laying down his life in the process alongside 4 others.
Today July 10, 2022, makes it exactly 23 years since this huge asset was gruesomely taken away by those he intellectually fought against. Although the consciousness that came with ‘the 5’ sacrifice eliminated the recurrence of cultism in OAU and some other campuses in Nigeria and several arrests were made, the perpetrators of this dastardly act were never brought to justice.
However, we shall not be deterred in our fight against cultism. ‘OAU KILONSHELE’ brings this faction to you as a way of celebrating our 5 heroes who laid down their lives in the process of making the campus a better and safe place.
Our Condolences forever stand with the families of
George Iwilade;
Eviano Ekeimu;
Yemi Ajiteru;
Babatunde Oke;
Godfrey Ekpede.
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