By Dr. Bunmi Aborisade
Babafemi Ojudu’s vision and mission in life is clear. From his days in the Newsroom, his goal as an investigative reporter was unequivocal-to expose societal ills that will on the long run rub the poor of the opportunity for better life. This was evident in his work as a journalist with the thousands of investigative stories he did to ensure the affluent in the society does not take advantage of the poor. As a journalist, I benefited from his brand of journalism which earned me a niche in the profession. This made my colleagues and I to model a magazine (June 12) after Tempo magazine which he edited at the time.
Not only that, the printing press of his organization helped with the printing of the June 12 Magazine at a time when no printing press was ready to print any anti-government publication. Ojudu offered useful advice on how the June 12 Magazine could survive. When he knew we were cash strapped, he advised we let his organization take over the printing and circulation of the magazine. All these he did for us because three of the founding editors of June 12 magazine are from Ekiti and he was glad we stood to be counted when it mattered in the political history of Nigeria. More importantly, Ojudu prefer to teach you how to fish rather than giving you fish to eat. This is a rare quality in Nigerian politicians of today that prefer to distribute rice and chicken to our people rather than empowering them to be able to feed themselves.
During the struggle against military rule, Ojudu was in the forefront of the war against military rule in Nigeria; to secure the democracy we all enjoy in the country today. This turned him to a regular guest in the most notorious prisons in Nigeria which almost claimed his life. When he was in prison, he never wavered. He believed Nigeria will soon be free from the clutches of the military. He believed there is always light at the end of the tunnel. As a prisoner of conscience at the time, he helped publicized the story of my arrest so that the military would not secretly eliminate me as was the practice then. His courage to whether the storm kept hope alive during the struggle.
When the heat was too much for some of us and we had to go into exile, Ojudu remained in Nigeria and continued with the struggle. He believed that some people needed to remain in the country to continue the struggle regardless of the consequence so that the military would not have a free day. He did not stop at that, he continued to sneak in and out of the country to liaise with Nigerian exiles in the West African sub region, Europe, Canada and America. He then became the most dependable link between Nigerian exiles and comrades in the struggle back home. He helped take messages to our families back home without fear of being arrested for doing so at a time when Nigerian exiles and their families back home were regarded as enemies of the state that must be eliminated.
His role in the struggle was widely acknowledge home and abroad. The only cloth he wore for six months while in Prison occupies a unique place in the museum in the US. A Ghanaian freedom fighter and Former President of West African Journalists Association (WAJA), Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere sees Ojudu as one of the most courageous journalists in the sub region. Kakuna Kerina who headed the African desk of the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) was fascinated by the resilience of people like Ojudu and she organized a reception in Ghana for Nigerian journalist detained under the military Junta so that they could tell their stories to the whole world.
Ojudu’s resilience, courage and tenacity of purpose endeared him to most of us in the struggle for the actualization of June 12. Professor Adesegun Banjo, one of the unsung heroes of June 12 who wanted to engage the Junta in armed struggle always refer to Ojudu as the most courageous Journalist of his generation. While in exile in Ghana with Professor Banjo, he asked me to persuade Ojudu who travelled via Ghana to East Africa not to return to Nigeria. But in a rare display of bravery, my plea with Ojudu not to return to Nigeria when he returned to Ghana from East Africa fell on death ears. He left Ghana for Nigeria by road and was arrested by the Abacha men at the Nigeria Border with Seme and he was detained for nine months.
When Nigeria finally returned to Democratic rule, tireless Ojudu took a plunge into the political emancipation of the good people of Ekiti. With his antecedence, it was clear that he will be a game changer. With his clarity of purpose, he represented his people at the Nigerian Senate and came back after four years with his integrity intact.
Now that he has offered himself to serve as the governor if his home state, he leaves not one in doubt as to his mission and vision for the state. This has manifested in his campaign which can be likened to that of Obama of the United State. Like Obama, Ojudu traverses the nooks and crannies of Ekiti land to galvanize support of the young and old. His team takes the social media by storm. Today, Ekiti people now have a leader they can trust with their future, a leader that the youth can rely on for job, a leader with the audacity to build, a leader who will role his sleeves and work for them. No doubt, the youth in Ekiti are already warming up to pull up their jeans and ready to go to work.
That is the kind of hope that Ojudu had unleashed on the political landscape of Ekiti State as a governorship aspirant.
Having followed Ojudu’s clarity of purpose, mission and vision in his service to humanity, I can say with authoritative chest- thumbing that I am a living testimony to his audacity to build and his preparedness to role his sleeves and work for his people. His ability to come up with a blue print that will put smile on the faces of Ekiti people and help rebuild the battered image of the state has changed my perception of our modern day Nigeria politicians. With Ojudu, I am convinced that there is hope for Ekiti. For sure, Ekiti is gradually ebbing out of the woods where people go into politics without a clear idea of what he or she wants to do in office. I bet every right thinking Ekiti indigenes are convinced as I am that Ojudu truly understands where the shoes pinches the Ekiti People.
Bunmi Aborisade Ph.D., College of New Rochelle, New York,
