The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, on Tuesday, held a special lecture to celebrate the 100th birthday of Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere.

Mr Fasoranti will turn 100 years old on May 11.

DAWN Commission said it organised the latest lecture of a decade-long series, “Yoruba Historical Conversation”, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in honour of Mr Fasoranti’s stellar leadership. 

DAWN’s Director-General, Oluseye Oyeleye, said the special edition with the theme “A Century of Witness: Yoruba Political Culture, Leadership and the Conscience of a Nation” was aimed at bridging the past and the present, particularly as Nigeria struggles with myriad challenges.

“One of the challenges we have as a country is that we have actually relegated our history. I am saying that if you don’t know where you are coming from, you will struggle to know where you are presently, and you will definitely not know where you are going,” Mr Oyeleye said.

In her tribute, Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu, daughter of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, described Mr Fasoranti as a rare gem who has remained committed to social service.

“Pa Fasoranti belongs to the old generation, to which I belong proudly. I refuse to belong to any other generation except the generation of Papa Fasoranti, ably led by my father, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo,” Mrs Awolowo-Dosumu said.

“They had a rare commitment to service. A rare commitment to community and to others. They came from a generation in which they asked for nothing, and they gave everything.”

“Every time we invited him, either at the Tribune or as the Awolowo family, he always made it a point to appear even in his old age. I came here to represent Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his entire family to honour Pa Fasoranti because he is worth it,” she said.

A Fourth Republic Senator and elder statesman, Femi Okunrounmu, in a goodwill message on behalf of the Afenifere group to the organisers of the centenary celebration, described the lecture as noteworthy and timely.

Connecting Mr Fasoranti’s reputation as an elder statesman, leader, and ‘Asiwaju Yoruba’ to the lecture, Mr Okunrounmu said the event’s theme addressed the totality of the Yoruba ethnic group’s social consciousness and existence, as well as Nigeria’s complex structure.

Mr Okunrounmu stated, “By organising this lecture, without being externally prompted, the DAWN Commission has opened a new chapter on public sector, regional and community engagement,” which he stated are priority concerns to the celebrant.

He stated that the Afenifere group considered it imperative and urged the six Southwest governors to convene a summit to address the twin issues of insecurity and hunger bedevilling the country.

“As our country passes through the ravages of insecurity and hunger, we want to use this opportunity to call for a Southwest summit on insecurity. This will be an assembly of all stakeholders and experts who will proffer concrete solutions to address our current tragedies in these areas,” Mr Okunrounmu said.

Also, the Chairman of Afenifere Renewal Group, Wale Oshun, described Mr Fasoranti as a practical, analytical and firm personality.

He stated that Mr Fasoranti’s leadership lifestyle remained distinguished by his dedication to assisting ordinary people through his philosophy of progressive welfarism.

“Papa Fasoranti was in the midst of it all when politics and public service were about progressive welfarism. The interest of the ordinary people for whom the government was established. What we are witnessing today, the current generation, is where a call to public service is being taken as a call to the table or to partake in a feast,” Mr Oshun said.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, extolled the Afenifere leader as one of the institution’s best products, adding that the elder statesman has made an indelible impact on the civil service, politics, and the private sector.

“The University of Ibadan, the first and foremost citadel of learning in our nation, has always been more than a collection of buildings on a hill. It is a living, breathing archive of Nigerian soul. A few living persons embody that archive as completely as the man we celebrate today, Baba Fasoranti at 100 years,” Mr Adebowale said.

“To be a centenary in the Yoruba worldview is to be an Àgbà (adult). One who has seen the dawn of many mornings and witnessed the fadings of many evenings. But to be Pa Fasoranti is to be something rare. A working conscience, a patriarch of thought and a proud alumnus of our great university,” he said.

Mr Adebowale said the Afenifere elder statesman studied English and geography during his time as a student, applying the knowledge he gained from the institution to the western region civil service, the private sector, and the leadership of the Afenifere group.

“Pa Fasoranti remains one of our most luminous products. He’s not a noisy alumnus but a substantive one. When history recalls the finest graduates of UI, his name will be carved not only in marble, but in the very character of our nation,” he noted.

The guest lecturer and professor of history and strategic studies, Ayodeji Olukoju, encouraged young Nigerians to emulate models such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Mr Fasoranti, while emphasising the need for leaders to be visionary, selfless and grounded.

“I want to remind our leaders to avoid vanity projects and bridges to nowhere, which are often designed for personal enrichment and cheap popularity. During and at the end of a tenure in office, there should be a measurable, immediate impact of policies. Leadership is nothing if it leaves no legacy. This is why people talk about Chief Awolowo,” Mr Olukoju stated.

“Leaders are remembered by what they did in the office, which affected the lives of the majority or the populace. This is underscored by the title of Pa Fasoranti’s autobiography, which contains explicit mention of integrity, excellence and legacy.”

Mr Olukoju advised Nigerians to ensure that their participation in governance moves beyond voting during elections to “robust voter education, rejection of vote buying, demanding project accountability and fostering community reconciliation.”