Detained by Buhari whilst his daughter lay dead: Story of Pa Fasoranti, mourning yet another daughter

By Olusesan Laoye

There is no doubt, Pa Rueben Fasoranti is a force to be reckoned with in Nigeria and especially, in the South Western part of the country.

As the leader of Afenifere, the Pan Yoruba cultural Organisation, his voice on issues, as it affects his people becomes authority and carry strong weight. He is regarded as the representative of the people.

Although there are two factions of Afenifere which came as a result of the influence of politicians in Yoruba land, who wanted relevance and whose philosophies, motives defer from the principles for which the organisation was set up. Right from the days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Premier of the defunct Western Region, who was among the founders of the organisation and its first leader, Fasoranti has remained very much in the picture.

For whatever reasons that may have split the group, the name Afenifere and what it symbolises, still remains the canopy under which the Yoruba nation still hide, to lend their voices and actions on their common interests and agenda.

With this, Pa Fasoranti is leading a body regarded in Yoruba land as a pressure group and a legitimate force.

The 92 year old man, is now leading what the entire Yoruba race regard as the authentic Afenifere, as its fourth leader after Chief Awolowo, who was the first, succeeded by Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, followed by Chief Abraham Adesanya. Pa Fasoranti took over the leadership of the group through consensus of all the stake holders before a splinter group now headed by Senator Ayo Fasanmi and financed by Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu came up.

Since Pa Fasoranti took over, the leadership, the entire Yoruba nation see his Afenifere as serving their interests and maintaining the glory and influence in Nigeria and across the globe and a body preserving the ethnic identity of the Yoruba people.

That was why the Afenifere he is leading upon all odds in 2015 and the antagonism of Tinubu, stood it’s ground supported the reelection of Former President Good Luck Jonathan, insisting that its action was in the best interest of the South West because if Jonathan was reelected, he gave the assurance that he would implement the outcome of the 2014 confab, which favoured the restructuring of the country and devolution of power, which the South West stood for.

Although Jonathan lost the election, Chlef Fasoranti, Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falaye and other argued that they never regretted their support for Jonathan which has now become history but maintained that the events now unfolding with the advent of Muhammadu Buhari, whom they warned Nigerians especially their people against, have vindicated them.

It may perhaps be a surprise to many Nigerians, and those in Yorubaland, how Pa Fasoranti emerged as the leader of the group known as the authentic Afenifere six months after the demise of the third leader, Senator Adesanya at his country home in Ijebu Igbo in 2008 being a quite person who was not known like his colleagues in the fold and who has not been outspoken and aggressive like his predecessor Abraham Asesanya

Unknown to many he has been in politics as long as when the likes of Chief Adekunke Ajasin, Chief Olanihun Ajayi, Chief Bamidele Olumiluwa, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, Pa Onasanya, Gani Dawodu and Chief Ayo Adebanjo among others were in it. He was the one holding the flank for the Action Group in Akure and has never left politics since then, despite the fact that he detest elective office.

Pa Fasoranti has now become a telling reminder of the state of the Yoruba nationality. As a young man, he contested the coucillorship which he won but overturned, when the result was announced and giving to the opposition. He disclosed that that incident pissed him off as a young man just coming up into politics..

He is a man who now plays underground politics and serves currently as advisers to politicians. He is also a king maker in Ondo politics and the South West.

The nonagonerian who has five children two of who are diseased, the latest being Mrs Funke Olakunrin, his third, killed by alleged Fulani herdsmen recently at the Ondo Ore junction is also said to be playing politics without bitterness.

He is also a strong Awoist who would never bend with the continuity of his political legacy.

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He studied in England and worked as a teacher and principal of many schools in the Western Region and Ondo State. As an educationists, he served as Principal in Christ school Ado Ekiti, Olivet Baptist Boys High School Oyo and Iju/Itagbolu Anglican Grammar School in Akure North, which he founded.

He was a good friend of Chief Ajasin and he was instrumental to he Ajasin’s emergence as the first civilian governor of Ondo State as one of the strong member of Ondo State movement which fought for the creation of the state in 1976.

During the tenure of Pa Ajasin, Pa Fasoranti served under him as commissioner for finance and was one of the politicians and government functionaries, detained when Buhari came to power with Tunde Idiagbon in 1983, along with Chief Ajasin, Chief Olusegun Adegoke and Chief (Mrs) Mobolaji Osomo.

There are two significant incidents, which Pa Fasoranti and family would not forget. The first incident was during the time Pa Fasoranti was detained by Buhari in 1983 when his first daughter and first child died. He was jolted by this incident and was bitter that Buhari only allowed him just an hour to see his family after he was brought from detention, where the news of his daughter’s death was broken to him.
The second incident again is the death of his third child also a girl, Funke Olakunrin who was said to have been murdered by the Fulani herds men at the period when Buhari now in government accused of planning to Fulanise the country and impose Ruga settlements in the South West, which the Afenifere led by Fasoranti stood strongly against.

As one of his children said, “our father can never support Buhari because he is an Awoist to the core and would never depart from that ideologies of which Awo was known and secondly, for what he suffered in the hand of Buhari in 1984 when he was incarcerated and that was why nobody in my family voted for Buhari in 2915.”

The veteran teacher who lost his wife in 1991 never got married again now devotes his time to church activities.

He is a strong disciplinarian who like his mentor Obafemi Awolowo who never lived in Government House as Premier, did not live at the government quarters allocated to him when he was the commissioner of Finance under Ajasin. He never abused his office. It was said that he never used his official car beyond the official hours as his driver would come for him at 7am and drop him at home at 3. 30 pm and would return the car to the office.

He is known as a formidable political fighter who has never been accused of corruption. He was a member of NADECO who had a turbulent period with Anthony Oyearugbulem a Navy Administrator in Ondo State..

Pa Fasoranti loves fried plantain and pounded yam, never eats outside even when he had to go on a long journey. When there was the need to eat, he would rather prefer biscuits and water.

From what he has been saying about Buhari’s government he was reported to have said nothing “is happening with this government because security of Life was fundamental rights of every citizen and Nigerians deserve their rights”

The 92 year old Afenifere leader who detests Military in governance his also not happy about the state of education in Nigeria saying that government is not bothered about education and insensitive to teachers welfare and qualifications.

One thing which Pa Fasoranti would be happy about is equality, self determination and freedom of his people in the hands of the oppressors and restructuring of the country which has been the reason why he was blackmailed by enemies of restructuring that he received N500 million from Jonathan to support him in his second bid for the presidency.