Abimbola is one of the children of the late law activist and a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Alao Aka-Bashorun. She talks about her father’s life as a defender of the oppressed with GBENGA ADENIJI
P lease briefly introduce yourself.
I am Abimbola, a daughter to the late legal luminary and rights activist, Alao Aka-Bashorun. I studied Social Work at the City of London Polytechnic and Anglia Polytechnic, United Kingdom. I also did a degree in Early Years. I was a social worker for over 15 years in England but I now participate actively in politics in Nigeria. I belong to the All Progressives Congress party.
What memories of your father can you remember?
He was a loving father but very strict. He believed so much in educating his children. He would risk anything to ensure the best of education for his children. He made sure we attended good schools rather than him building houses. My father did not lead a life of flamboyance because he was more interested in the education of his children. Once we finished secondary education in Nigeria, he tried to make us go abroad to study.
Did he not encourage his children to study law like he did?
My father encouraged his children to study law but he did not force the discipline on any of us. I never liked law anyway and I cannot say why I do not have interest in it. But like I said earlier, he wanted some of us to study law. I have a sister who studied law. I think I followed in the footsteps of my father’s elder sister who was a social worker. She was first a secretary and I also followed in that path too.
You said he was strict, what was his method of punishing any erring child?
If any child did anything wrong when he was going out, he would address the matter when he returned home later in the day. The child who misbehaved would have known that he or she was in trouble for that day.
The only thing that could save such a child was if a visitor came and pleaded on the his or her behalf. I used to do a lot of things wrong and he would mete out a punishment to me. He could ask me to kneel down, close my eyes and raise up my hands. Whenever any erring child was serving the punishment he gave, he liked to be eating cooked crabs or watching the news. But his eyes would also intermittently be watching the child to be sure he or she was serving the punishment well. He had a horse whip and used it to beat any of us that misbehaved. I was very weak in mathematics and if I was not able to solve the mathematical problems he gave me, I knew I was in trouble that day. He also punished us if he came back from the court and saw us playing when we should be in our rooms reading.
Did he create time for his family?
Yes, even though he was very busy, he created time to take his family out. I remember that he used to take us to the Takwa Bay Beach in Lagos to have fun. During Easter periods, he would take us to Badagry. His friend was the king of Badagry at that time. He also took us to the Ikoyi Club to enjoy ourselves. He was a good father to be with and we enjoyed going out with him. On Sundays, we were always at one swimming pool or the other in Lagos to learn swimming or play by the poolside. He always brought gifts for us whenever he travelled abroad.
How did he relax at home?
He had some friends who used to come to the house and they used to have good discussions. Mr. Femi Falana, was always in our house then because he worked with my father in his law firm. While we were growing up, I recall that my father used to slaughter rams during id-el-kabir. We would be asked to give some food and some pieces of meat to his Christians friends. We were always eager to run the errands to the homes of his friends like Benjamin Adekunle and Chief Ayo Adebanjo because we would be given some money when returning.
Did you ever watch him in court sessions?
Yes, I did many times. When I finished my secondary education, I did not gain admission into tertiary institution immediately. There was a day he came home and took me to the High Court in Lagos to work. He said it would help me to gain some work experience instead of staying at home. I worked as a junior clerk in the Registry’s Office. While there, I saw him many times arguing cases in the court. I liked the way he argued his points and envied his posture. But that did not make me to want to study law. There was a day he heard me telling a friend that ‘lawyers are liars.’ He jokingly called me and said, ‘Bimbo, so lawyers are liars? That is the profession I use in feeding and sending you to school.’
How did his family react when he became the president of the Nigerian Bar Association from 1987 to 1989?
We were very proud of him because at that time, he became a celebrity. The position however did not change him a bit. He continued with what he believed in and remained focus. If anything, the position energised him to do more for his colleagues and advance the society better.
How did his family handle the challenges associated with his radical posture against military rule?
Some of us were abroad at that time and did not witness most of the challenges he faced because he was antagonistic to military rule. Some of my younger siblings and step mother in Nigeria then were the ones who witnessed most of what happened. But when my father came to England in 1995, I noticed that he was sick. We had to ensure that he visited some clinics to run some tests.
Was his family not worried about his life of activism at that time?
No, we were really not worried because we knew it was part of him. He always wanted a just society where equity and justice would be the guiding principles. When I was growing up, I knew my father to be fearless. Some of my siblings have also taken the path of activism so as to demand good governance and make the rulers accountable to the ruled.
What was his favourite food?
He loved fresh fish, okro soup and crabs. He loved seafood.
What was his favourite drink?
He enjoyed drinking a bit of beer whenever he was with his friends.
How sociable was he?
My father was very sociable. He enjoyed attending parties organised by the social clubs he belonged. He was a member of the Yoruba Tennis Club.
What opportunity has your father’s name brought to you?
When I was in Nigeria, there was a school I wanted to enroll into. The principal gave me all the necessary assistance having identified who my father was. I get some special treatments from people who often acknowledge the ideals of my father while he was alive.
One day I was in Osun State for a project I wanted to finalise its execution when I met some people. Upon knowing that Alao Aka-Bashorun was my father, they offered me a great assistance regarding the project. They told me my father was their lawyer and a great man who helped them a lot while he was alive. I am happy that my father led a good life and was a brilliant lawyer. He told me that he initially wanted to study mathematics when he travelled to England. But there were two papers among the ones he passed at once which surprised a Ghanaian friend he met there. He said his friend told him that he managed to pass the two courses before my father came to England. Hence, because the courses were related to law, he advised him to study law instead which he did. He later studied Industrial Relations. My father also told me that the late celebrated novelist, Chinua Achebe, taught him before he (Aka-Bashorun) went to England to study.
In England, he also became friends with some fellow students like Kwame Nkrumah. When he returned home, he did not initially practise law. He was farming in Badagry until his elder brother died. He started practising law shortly after the death of his brother to have a regular income to cater for the children he left behind.
Was he into sports?
Yes, he played football when he was studying at Eko Boys High School, Lagos. When he was young, he partook in Eyo festival and was an Eyo masquerader. He also enjoyed watching football and boxing.
Where were you when he died?
I was in England when he died. That day, we were holding a party in England. I was on the way home from where I went to purchase some things for the event when one of my siblings in Nigeria called me to say that my father had passed on. I had to stop the car immediately. I was devastated. I used to talk to my father on the phone before the sad occurrence. He was ill and that made me to sometimes visit Nigeria to see how he was faring.
How does his family remember him every year?
The Ikeja Chapter of the NBA holds what it tags the ‘Alao Aka-Bashorun Annual Memorial Lecture.’ The family also participates in the programme. We are grateful to the Lagos State Government that named a Recreational Park and Garden in Gbagada Phase II after him.
What can you say you learnt from him?
I learnt integrity and humility from my father. He was a man of integrity and very humble. He could prostrate for anybody and he treated all individuals with dignity and respect.
How did he like to dress?
He always wore his wig and gown from Monday to Friday. He also wore English dresses but wore native attire on weekends. He loved to dress simply.
What was his favourite car brand?
He detested flashy lifestyle. He lived modestly. I cannot remember anytime he owned a fleet of cars. I recalled that as a child, our family had a Mercedes Benz car and one other car.
Did he visit you when you were studying abroad?
Yes, he used to come to England to see all his children studying abroad at that time. He used to handle some cases abroad and he always visited. Sometimes, he could come unexpectedly to visit us.
Did he ever fear for his life because of his roles against the military at that time?
No, he did not. He always told us about his activities in Nigeria whenever he was in England. There was no time we told him to be careful because we knew he was pursuing a noble cause.
Did he tell you what the cause was all about?
Of course, we always discussed. He wanted the military to go. He said they were not governing the country well. My father believed that the country had attained a level she could govern herself without the incursion of the military.
Did he advise his children on their choice of friends?
Yes, he did. Whenever a friend visited us, he would ask us to know everything about the person after he or she had left. If he did not like the person, he would tell us and advise us to be wary of our choice of friends. He was interested in our choice of careers, partners and friends.
Why are you in politics?
I think it is the only way I can contribute my quota to the development of my country. I have been involved in social services for many years; taking care of women who experience domestic violence and children from such homes. If I am part of governance, I will be able to critically put my experience to bear on these areas.
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