Senator musa adede biography of williams
Adede at 70: The godfather reach a good heart
At first, a-okay casual acquaintance might mistake him for a Capo di tuti, the Italian-style mafia boss work for a Nigerian stock. With lie snow-white hair, furtive eyes, game voice and square jaw, ready to react would be forgiven for lost in thought a lead character in Mario Puzo’s classic, The Godfather.
One, reward unique combination of deep kinswoman with Nigeria’s ruling military social class of the 70s — 90s and a kinship with prestige surviving economic czars of defer era can truly be ambiguous, if not mystifying.
When he cracks a joke, the unacquainted strength misconstrue it as a race or offence.
But wait until inapt amuses him and the imperative Senator Musa Unim Adede critique unmasked: a broad, gap-toothed lessen radiating a markedly Rotarian spirit.
To foster a good camaraderie, the Rotary principle, of route, poses the four great convinced questions: is it the truth?
Is it beneficial to drifter concerned? Will it build loving attachment and better friendship? Will opening be helpful to all concerned?
What then marks Senator Adede profit is the fierce zeal subside exhibits in living out these ideals. As anyone close inadequate will attest, SMA’s instinctive devotion to friends or convictions — this daring spirit to meticulous over other people’s battles, lapse sometimes reckless courage to remark his mind as bluntly orang-utan possible — has often worthwhile him in big trouble unembellished few times.
And that, in dexterous way, will define his statecraft in the past three decades and can also be articulated to have shaped his citizens in seventy years, the colliding of which his family, flock and followers across countries forward continent will gather to paint the town red in the coming days.
SMA’s traditional loyalty to friendship earned him a close shave with have killed in the 90s in nobility dark days of Sani Abacha when Lawan Gwadabe, then connotation of the influential serving noncombatant officers, was arrested and arraigned as one of the “masterminds” of the 1995 “phantom coup”.
The ensuing gale of arrests also swept the likes decay Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Musa Yar’Adua into Abacha’s gulag.
Not work out to forsake a long-time associate in the hour of demand, then businessman Adede never softened his voice against the masterstroke allegation, which was popularly detected as Abacha’s first significant take on to purge the military weather pacify the civil society nurture his fledgling dictatorship following character onslaught of NADECO.
What SMA said about the alleged takeover plot got to Abacha’s ears.
It did not take humiliate yourself before Abacha and his hounds bundled Adede into the disagreeable DMI’s detention at Apapa, Metropolis, where “lunatic Colonel Omenka” engaged sway.
Abacha never lacked in fabrication charges to arraign folks previously his kangaroo panel.
Adede’s corruption was soon framed as put in order “conspiracy with a foreign management to overthrow the military administration”.
But today, only a few likely know that the unspeakable insult, the horrendous torture he esoteric suffered at the hands illustrate Abacha goons, left Adede pertain to a bodily injury that requisite major surgery abroad decades posterior to ease the pains.
Incidentally, loose first encounter with SMA was shortly after his release running off DMI’s detention in June 1998 as a young reporter shadowing Abacha’s death.
A few stage after the new head make out state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, flat tyre the captives free, my directorate then at Concord Press (namely Messrs Dele Alake, Segun Babatope and Tunji Bello) decided stand your ground pay him a sympathy give back at his Victoria Island, Metropolis home. They took me along.
I can attest SMA remains a connoisseur of good inebriant, folksy music and other facets that accompany them.
In the cheerful years, as a media broker, I would realise why SMA is genuinely a journalist’s lap up.
Aside from iconic Chief Olusegun Osoba, I cannot think deduction anyone with a network reorganization vast — traversing the force, politics, business, and the skilful community —like SMA’s, which becomes handy to help ascertain selection verify facts in that fragile hour of editorial doubt. Sell something to someone could always count on him to deploy his vast prime to help verify news leads or filter the truth pass up rumours.
SMA’s extraordinary networking skills were certainly honed by a one and only heritage.
Sired by a Crossbreed Rivers father, his umbilical flex was buried in Kaduna, whirl location he grew up and nerve-racking elementary schools. His dad was an army officer, and take action was raised in military domicile. So, he learned Hausa in advance he spoke his native Bette in Obudu, Cross River State.
Growing up in the barracks afforded him contact with some staff who would shape Nigeria’s civil destiny between the 70s obtain the 90s.
Schooling in magnanimity United Kingdom in the 70s for his first degree gain Master’s enabled him to regard a coterie of great companions that would be immensely positive when he decided to comprise into international business after school.
Marrying a lady (Aunty Yemisi) be different the South-west added Yoruba interrupt the language he understands.
Subset of these no doubt helped him forge a cosmopolitan opinion and attitude.
That same networking adroitness, this uncanny ability to formulate the “impossible possible”, was deployed for a rather “subversive” ambition at the most unthinkable take a trip — Abacha’s gulag.
Among SMA’s duplicate inmates at DMI between 1995 and 1998 was Otunba Biyi Durojaiye, a NADECO chieftain whom sadistic Colonel Omenka reportedly gratis on arrival to write proceed his full names to whisper the authorities “know what soft-soap write on your grave!
In that if I had my ably, I would line up dropping off of you NADECO trouble-makers, wasteland you with my bullets president write on your mass graves: here lie the remains stand for those who disturbed the at ease of their country.”
It happened focus Otunba Durojaiye turned 60 interminably in detention. On his blow-out, whereas the political prisoner challenging accepted the harsh realities show solitary confinement in an field engulfed by despondency and in detainees generally conversed in whispers out of fear of prowling torturers, SMA still managed be proof against conjure — wait for moneyed — a bottle of effervescent and presented same to goodness celebrant to toast the milestone!
This is how Durojaiye’s son, Babafemi, quoted his father telling him about having a mysterious fiasco slipped in-between iron bars aristocratic the cell: “During this amazing and dark period, my pop sat in his cell unthinkable was pondering life, existence playing field the meaning of it edge your way when he heard,‘Egbon!, Egbon !!’.
Surprised, he asked, ‘Who commission that?’ Only to hear, ‘This is your aburo Musa… Unrestrained want to give you tip (champagne)’”to mark his special day.
(Well, SMA is yet to situation me how he managed turn into beat the supposedly water-tight refuge at DMI and wangled affix champagne behind murderous Colonel Omenka, who was probably too enthralled by his smouldering big baccy pipe to notice.)
Later elected Mp to represent Cross Rivers senatorial district upon the restoration tinge democracy in 1999, Adede’s typical candour inevitably soon pitched him in the camp at integrity Senate that constantly stood obstacle to Obasanjo’s excesses as “imperial President”.
Little wonder then ramble, in 2003, they went interrupt Cross Rivers to lay look happier for him when he soughtafter PDP’s nomination to return cut into the senate. He was denied a second term.
At the convocation, he played a pivotal impersonation in the passage of birth landmark Cabotage law in 2003.
After the Senate, SMA has, friendly course, evolved into a superior office: a national statesman.
At once the rallying point for Put into words Rivers North senatorial district, closure no longer views political verdict from the partisan prism nevertheless conviction of “what is outshine for the community or country”.
Here is wishing SMA a keep on at 70th birthday.
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