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| Oluwsegun Awolowo, young vibrant lawyer |
PART 3 He was the son of Chief
Jeremiah Oyeniyi Obafemi Awolowo, the first Premier of the Western Region-
1954-1959. He was born on the 20th of January, 1939 and died on the 10th of
July, 1963.
Segun attended Agbeni Methodist
Primary school, Agbeni, Ibadan between 1943 and 1951
In 1952, he was admitted to the
Igobi college, Lagos, where he came out in the Grade one division at the WASCE
in 1957.
At the age of 18, Segun
proceeded to the United Kingdom, where he studied Law at the Cambridge
University, and like his father Obafemi, was called to the bar at the Inner
Temple bar, in August 1962.
His classmates at the law
school were- Ernest Shonekan, Rasheed Shitta-Bey, later, former member of the
House of Representatives, in the second Republic and owner of the Jabita hotel,
Ikeja Lagos.
Ernest Shonekan, later became Nigeria's
Interim President, (26th of August 1993 to 17th of
November, 1993) Aderoju Aderemi, later judge of the high court of Oyo State and
later Osun state, Kunle Olasope and a host of others.
At the Agbeni Primary school,
his classmates, friends and colleagues were his bosom friend, Kunle Olasope,
Adekunle Aromolaran, now Oba Adekunle Aromolaran- the Owa Obokun of Ijesha
land,
After his call to the bar, and
on his way to Lagos, he visited his friend, Abayomi Akintola, the son of Chief
Ladoke Akintola, who was then also, studying in Dublin.
His life was full of promise-
he walked into the Western Region crisis. He was intelligent, cool headed and a
brilliant advocate.
Segun went into full blown law
practice in Ibadan, and displayed the intellectual depth of his father- Obafemi
Awolowo, who in the Memudu Lagunju case, was described by the presiding judge,
as- “a terrible cross examiner” in
1946. He was Counsel for Adetoyese Laoye (who later became the
Timi of Ede.)
The Western Regional Crisis of 1962 had brought in Dr. Moses Majekodumi as the
Sole Administrator of the Western Region. The Administrator set up the Coker
commission of enquiry to look into the affairs of some statutory corporations
in the Western Region. The commission was headed by Justice George Baptist
Ayodele Coker. The commission was then known as the Coker Commission of
Enquiry.
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| The late Sage, Obafemi Awolowo |
Awolowo was at this period,
facing a treasonable felony charge and was detained at the Broad Street Prison
in Lagos.
Obafemi Awolowo was one of the
main targets of this commission of Enquiry. Segun was one of his father's
counsels at the treasonable felony trial, as well as the Coker Commission for
Enquiry. At his leisure, Segun enjoyed life to the brim and he usually enjoyed
his evenings in the company of some of his friends- Tunji Fadairo, Kunle Olasope and others.
In this early age, even though
not married, Segun already had two children- Funke, born in London, by Deola
Fasanya and Segun that was born by Abba Koku, shortly after Segun's death.
The evening of July 9, saw him
at the Osun marina restaurant, in the company of his friends, to enjoy their usual
drinks, social dalliance and camaraderie.
The Osun Marina restaurant, was
then at the annex of Obisesan hall and was owned by Saliba-a Lebanese, with
Eddie Okonta- as a resident artist/musician. Paradise Club, now Femi Johnson’s Broking House, was also one of
their usual rendezvous. Roy Chicago was the resident musician.
Segun, usually called “quicky” and “lucky lucky” by his friends, did not give any premonition of their
last supper.
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| Awolowo in Prison |
On Wednesday, the 10th of July,
1963, which later turned out to be a harsh Wednesday, and coincidentally the
53rd birthday anniversary of Chief SLA Akintola, the then Premier of the
Western Region, he left their Oke-Bola residence, for a fateful trip to Lagos
and was driven by his younger sister's driver- Ogunjinmi Odunlami, popularly
known as "No paddy".
He had bought his daily
newspapers at the Foko junction in Oke-Ado, and looked forward to a safe trip
to Lagos. Unfortunately, some few kilometres outside Ibadan, precisely around
Aba-Nla, there was a ghastly motor accident, that took his life. He was rushed
to the Adeoyo hospital, but was brought in dead. He had a gash on his forehead.
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| Mama HID Awolowo... |
The Adeoyo hospital founded in
1926 from where the University College Hospital, (UCH) took off in 1956 was one
of Ibadan, perhaps, Nigeria's best medical centers. Segun died at the age of
about 25 years.
Awolowo heard this tragic news
from his transistor radio at the Broad Street prison.
Abraham Adesanya went later to
the Broad Street prison, to break the news of this irreparable loss.
Segun was buried in Ikenne the
same day, and a memorial service was held for him at the Saint Saviour’s Anglican
Church, Ikenne.
Every home in Nigeria, was
deeply shocked at the untimely and tragic death of Olusegun, more particularly,
considering the incarceration of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in prison at this point
in time. Dr. M.A Majekodumi, Federal minister and former sole administrator of
the Western region, in his sympathy message to Awolowo said-
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| Hon.Femi Kehinde |
“His untimely death is a
serious blow to the Nigerian bar.” Segun would have been 80 years in January
this year.
May his soul continually find
peaceful repose with the Lord.
To be continued....
This piece was written by: HON. (BARR.) FEMI KEHINDE ATTORNEY AT LAW AND FORMER MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
To be continued....
This piece was written by: HON. (BARR.) FEMI KEHINDE ATTORNEY AT LAW AND FORMER MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
REPRESENTING
AYEDIRE/IWO/OLA-OLUWA
FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY (1999-2003) OF OSUN STATE.
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