Bola Ige’s son, Muyiwa, tells TUNDE ODESOLA that the late Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation’s time in detention prepared him for difficult time
It’s a privilege to be born to a family like yours. How did it reflect in your upbringing?
It’s not as easy as people see it. I had a normal upbringing. What I mean here by normal upbringing is that I had a bit of strict parental care laced with love. I am the last born in the family of three children so I was literally my mother’s handbag. She would not leave me behind when she had a function to attend.
My elder sister, Olufunso Adefunke, was seven years older than me while my late elder brother, Babatunde Adedapo Ifedayo, was three years older.
How close were you to your late father?
We had normal child/parent relationship. He was a strict man but my mother had more grip on discipline in the family. My dad was cerebral so he was an ever-busy man. But when he is not happy with your conduct, he would say, “I am very disappointed in you,” this statement was more painful than being beaten.
Can you recall any incident that reflected the strictness of your mother?
I think I was about 11 or 12 years old when I went to watch a movie. The driver was sent to pick me twice and on both occasion, I told him to go back home. After the movie, I had to sleep in a teacher’s room and he (the teacher) washed my clothes. I don’t think the driver reported me but somehow, my misconduct did not miss the eagle eyes of my mother. The following morning, she said I should follow her to court. When she was sitting in the court, I thought the tension would soften by the time she rose and that both of us would go home happy thereafter.
But I was wrong. I grew tired and slept off while she was sitting. When she rose, she came to me with a bundle of long, frightening canes and said in Yoruba, “Omo to ba ni iya ohun o ni sun, ohun na o ni fi oju kan orun,” meaning a child that is determined not to allow his mother to sleep won’t sleep either. I was given several strokes of the cane and I ran to a hiding. It was a big lesson and since then, I never pushed the limit again again.
Were you ever openly chastised by a non-member of your family for misbehaving?
There was never a time like that. As the children of Bola Ige, we knew the limits. We knew the dos and the don’ts of our family. We were conscious of who we are. Though we are a family of three children, we always had many people at home with us. We had regular visits from cousins, uncles, aunties and other relatives. So, even when my parents were not around, we had older people around us, so you dared not misbehave.
What was your relationship with your late brother?
When my brother was born, my father was on political restriction in Ubiaja, Delta State, in 1962. I was born during the Col. Adekunle Fajuyi’s funeral and my daddy was the secretary general of Fajuyi’s foundation, so he was away. In April, it would be 20 years since my brother passed away. He died before his 31st birthday. Babatunde was always called was Babajeje, meaning a gentleman who was so brilliant and level-headed. He was a very strict man, more than our father. I was closer to my uncle than to him.
Whenever we had a discussion, I listened to him very well. He talked smoothly with lots of confidence. He was athletic and a champion in triple jump.. He died in his sleep in Lagos
With his busy schedule, did your father find time to attend the graduation ceremony of his children?
My father did not miss any of them. He was always there with my mother. We were also lucky that he was not in detention each time his children were graduating from school or getting married.
My dad was a charming individual. He called us “Omo Ige’ – the children of Ige. He called people who were not his children but who believe in the Ige philosophy “Omo Ige” too. He had sweet compliments for everyone around him.
Did he have a particular seat he uses in sitting room or dining room?
No, he had no particular seat in the sitting room but he sat at the head of the table in the dining room.
Your father was a close disciple of the late political Obafemi Awolowo. Can you recall the relationship between him and Awo?
My father believed in the Awoism credo. He was not a sycophant who hid his belief. While he looked up to Awolowo as political father, he would not hide his opinion if he noticed something wrong in a policy. That was why Awo respected him.
What were the things your father shared with his children?
He shared a lot of books with us. He loved reading and he wanted his children to imbibe that from him. After reading a book, he would share the content with us and give us to also read. A book written by Haanel Charles was given to him by Awolowo. The book is about how man can discover himself and harness his potentials. It is a rare collection which is now out of print. After reading it, he wanted us to do the same and get the message in it, so he gave us to read. He also gave copies to other people. Reading was an aspect of Ige’s life that he was always ready to share with people, not only his children.
Did your dad use jewellery?
My dad did not use jewellery all his life. He did not like them on him. The only necklace he had was the one given to him by my sister and like my father, the only one I had too was the one given to me by my sister. But I have the two necklaces with me now because I inherited his.
What was his favourite food?
My father’s favourite food was dodo – fried plantain. He maintained a simple life and it reflected in his eating habit. He ate sparingly and could forget to eat his meal sometimes. Having been in and out of prison, I think he cultivated some behaviours in order to cope better with life difficulties. So, going without food was not a problem to him. When he took tea, he did so with honey because he did not like sugar. He also liked omelette and toast. I think this accounted for the state of his heart when he died. The autopsy showed that his heart had no fat and that his blood pressure did not rise.
As for my mother, her favourite food was amala and fish. She liked removing the bones in the fish while cooking vegetable soup.
How did your father celebrate your birthdays?
He would call you at midnight and wish me a happy birthday. He did so to all his children and all those who were close to his heart. For someone to call you up in the middle of the night just to wish you happy birthday shows a level of respect and love. My mom did that too.
Golf is a fad among the rich and influential. Did Ige play golf ?
He did not have time for that, but he loved football.
What music did he listen to?
My dad listened to Fela Anikulapo’s music. He had an extensive collection of Fela songs. He also loved listening to jazz, highlife, juju and apala music. He was a great lover of the arts so anytime he travelled abroad, he loved to go to the theatre to watch classical or historic movies.
You were born of parents who rose to the height of their career in law. Did they influence your choice of law as a profession?
They didn’t do anything to make me study law. I was the baby of the family so by the time I was of age, they had become liberal and they allowed me to make my decisions.
How did Lagbaja manage to lure your father to feature in one of his songs?
Lagbaja and my in-law were schoolmates. My father took a liking to his music and he (Lagbaja) later became my father’s sole performer. At a time, Lagbaja performed at every ceremony of my dad. The prayer my father prayed for Lagbaja in his album was done at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos in 1997 during the 10th anniversary of Awo’s departure to immortality. It was during the anniversary that my father prayed for Lagbaja, who had come to perform at the ceremony. That was the part that Lagbaja, out of ingenuity and creativity, extracted and injected into his song.
How do you feel that your father, an Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, was killed in his residence and till date the police have made no headway in arresting his killers?
- When some of my friends from the US heard that my father was killed without his killers being brought to justice, they said “You people are barbarians.” Mark you, those that killed my father will get their reward. It is even more shocking that the instrument of government was used to let the culprits go free. I believe justice will be done sooner or later. If you recall, he was assaulted in Ile-Ife palace a few days before he was killed. No one was arrested for that assault till date.