By Ayodele Fagbohun
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Chief Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti (OFR), the leader of Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, political enigma of our time and the best governor Ondo state never produced, is 97years.
For upwards of half of a century, he has been in the vanguard of nationalist movement, democracy and good governance, and in the theatre of practical politics as a pioneer student of the University College Ibadan where he joined the Action Group (AG) Nigeria’s youth wing.
Back home in Akure, his native country home, Fasoranti, an egghead, combined his chosen teaching career as a school principal at Anglican Grammar School, Iju/ Itaogbolu (1957-1973) with politics as a calling where he called the shots in the then Akure District Council, nay Ondo Stake.
As a grassroots ambitious and aspiring young politician, he mustered necessary resources and local support; and successfully countered the belligerency of the entrenched National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) to overawe the emerging and nascent political party i.e, AG to which R.F Fasoranti belonged.
He took and still takes politics as both a hobby and religion strictly commited to the ideological welfarist programmes and policies clearly and eloquently espoused by his leader, the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo a.k.a Awo.
It is most pertinent to put records straight and correct an erroneous impression that Chief R.F Fasoranti politely turned down an offer by the leadership of the Alliance for Democracy /Afenifere to carry the guber flag of the party in Ondo State, on the ground that he was a widower and needed to attend to his children.
This loud and unverifiable assertion borne out of sentiment and mere emotion freely banded over the years, is futherest from the truth.
On the face value, the last two children of Papa Fasoranti, twin brothers, were over 30 years of age, strong enough to fend for themselves and run their separate nuclear families much earlier than May 29, 1999, the inauguration of the Fourth Republic.
Fasoranti was never a green horn in politics, having started politics actively, with the foundation of Action Group (AG) April 1951 at Owo by Chief Awolowo and Micheal Adekunle Ajasin.
Nelson Mandela was a widower when elected as the first black president of South Africa. Ditto, the Primate of Church of Nigeria, Anglican communion, Most Revd Abiodun Adetiloye, was enthroned Archbishop as a widower.
What matters most at any point in time on question of leadership is competence, industry, integrity, capability and ability to excel which always earmark men of sterner stuff like Nelson Mandela, Bishop Adetiloye, R.F. Fasoranti and few others to provide unalloyed services to God and humanity.
May I quickly say for the sake of emphasis that by virtue of his pivotal role in the politics of Ondo State, Chief Fasoranti was the undisputable governorship material for Ondo State after the former governor, Chief Adekunle Ajasin.
Fasoranti was the preferred candidate of Governor Ajasin to be his running-mate, instead of Chief Akin Omoboriowo who eventually became the deputy governor.
According to Ajasin, Chief R.F. Fasoranti, an accomplished educationist from Akure, at different times, he was the principal of such reputable schools as Anglican Grammar School Iju/Itaogbolu; Baptist High School, Iwo; Olivet High School, Oyo and Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti. In 1973 and 1974, he was Chairman of Akure Local Government Council.
Governor Ajasin futher eulogised Fasoranti in high epithets as follows: ”I have known Chief Fasoranti for a long time within and outside politics. He was by any standard a solid personality.
He was solid in capability, integrity, dependability, reliability, efficiency, effectiveness and loyalty. For this reason, I decided to put him in charge of finance as my Finance Commissioner”
However, Akure ”gallantly” lost the ”crown” to Akoko Division when AD/Afenifere duo picked Baba Peace, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, as governorship candidate, who eventually won the race and emerged as Ondo State governor in May 29, 1999.
This was perhaps for intrigues , abysmal failures of the Akures to put its house in order, sheer diffidence, lack of focus and political miscalculation to get it right.
Fasoranti, we know as an enigmatic personality, could not condescend to force his way through and force himself on the people sharply divided and polarized by envy, parochialism, indecision and sundries.
The onus was on committed rights’ activists and politicians of Akure extraction to be resolute to put forth their own formidable candidate in the person of the AD primaries, and heavens would not fall.
Alternatively, the good people and other residents in Akure could be mobilized for a powerful lobby and strongly canvassed the candidacy of Chief Fasoranti as Governor that could faithfully accomplish the herculean task of governance ably started by his leader, Governor Adekunle Ajasin, still on-ongoing before the Major General Mohammadu Buhari putsch of December 31, 1983.
Hence, it is wrong and indeed unfair to lay the entire blame on the door step of Fasoranti for the inability of Akure to produce elected governor since the creation of the state in 1976. We are all vicariously liable to this defect. The fault is not in our stars but in ourselves to act expeditiously and appropriately.
To corroborate and lend credence to the fact that he was not privy to the local politics of intrigues, non- relevance, non performance that bedeviled Afenifere, Papa R.F. Fasoranti’ sent shivers down to the spines of many when he officially resigned as leader of the embattled political outfit.
He decried the implications of the disunity of Yoruba land, especially among the Afenifere members.
This among other intrinsic qualities of leadership are the attributes of Chief Fasoranti with: organize men and materials with a view to providing Ondo State with good government in all its ramifications, second to the former governor, Adekunle Ajasin.
However, due to lack of foresight and outright political miscalculation, some Akure elite within the AD/Afenifere traded off Fasoranti’s experience and merit in pursuit of wild goose chase of Olu Falae’s presidency that never was.
Inspite of the political and personal vicissitudes ranging from political persecutions, frequenting one jail house to the other across the country; sudden death of only wife, Mama ‘Diwura Fasonranti, a confidant and pillar of support; and the recent callous murder of his daughter, Funke, at the evening of Papa’s life, Papa Fasoranti bore and still bears the calamities with fortitude,courage and equanimity.
He continues to soldier on, undeterred on the onerous task and mission of nation building even at 97.
May it please God to grant Papa Fasoranti more serene, peaceful mind and state of good health to witness and savour the inauguration of progressive government to be led by his affable and likeable political disciple, the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Monday May 29, 2023.
For a better society and new Nigeria, Chief Fasoranti should be a role model to the ever growing rank of political aspirants and politicians gallivanting all over the place, if they are truly convinced of making any success in the call to service.
They are strictly enjoined to imbibe the rare virtue of honesty, probity, hardwork, and venture to tap from the wealth of experience which personifies Chief R.F. Fasoranti as a public man and foremost educationist par excellence.
