Oluwole Awolowo is Dead

                                      
Oluwole Awolowo, the surviving first son of the late politician, Chief Obafemi Awolowo is dead. The publisher of Tribune newspapers died after a protracted illness. Oluwole’s elder brother, Segun Awolowo passed on in 1963.

The biography of Oluwole Awolowo shows he was born at Ibadan on the 3rd day of December, 1942 into the prestigious family of the Ikenne Sage, he is the third child and second son of Papa Obafemi Awolowo and Mama Hannah Idowu Didolu Awolowo. He grew up amongst his grassroot generation of the era without any elitist trait from his parents. He never discriminated against friends and relations who knew him as “UNBREAKABLE”, a title given to him by Papa Awolowo himself for his tenacity of purpose.

His contemporaries always describe him in the superlatives as kind, considerate, compassionate and diligent. Studious and enthusiastic in sports, his main forte was the game of soccer.At the tender age of twelve his independent mind led him into joining the youth wing of the NCNC, the political party led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe which was opposed to his father’s Action Group. This was not an act of rebellion, but freedom of expression and association which in fact Papa Awolowo admired in his son.From Ibadan Grammar School, he proceeded to Leighton Park School, Reading, Berdshire, England for further studies. He was admitted into the famous Leeds College of Commerce where he graduated in Business Studies in the early sixties.

After sojourning abroad successfully he returned to Nigeria when the inclement clouds were gathering on the Action Group Party and his revered father was unjustly being befitted by the perfidious political turbulence of that era. Making a virtue of the necessity, Oluwole took his destiny into his own hands and set to job with several organizations at the middle level managerial cadre at the Nigerian Tobacco Company, Ibadan, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation and the Nigerian Television Service, Lagos. Having acquired experience in the public service, his entrepreneurial spirit propelled him into the business of Transportation, Petroleum Products dealership and Estate Management and Development amongst others.

In keeping with the title ‘UNBREAKABLE” given to him by his visionary father, the responsibility of manning the family fort fell squarely on his young shoulders when his father was incarcerated and his beloved elder brother – Lawyer Segun Awolowo, passed on in terrible circumstances in 1963. Those were the difficult times that tried men’s souls; but in spite of the gloom that encircled the Awolowo family, he still managed to put up appearances to remain undaunted and UNBREAKABLE.
This was when he became very active in politics. He joined the UPGA and effectively participated in the successful election of Chief TOS Benson as an Independent United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA) in 1964.With the emergence of the military on Nigeria’s political landscape in 1966, he veered away completely from politics to active full-time business. Apart from transportation, petroleum products dealership and Estate Development, he was also a Director of Dideolu Stores Limited, Sopolu Investment Ltd, amongst others.

As a committed socialist, he has always regarded service to the generality of the masses as a primary importance. He said in an interview – “For me, politics has always been a subject concerned not with theory but primary with human beings, what service one can render to alleviate their suffering.
He won his first elective office in 1975 as a Councilor representing Apapa in the then Lagos City Council. For discharging his responsibilities creditably in various city council committees, he had virtually no rival when the time came in 1979 to pick a UPN candidate for the Lagos State House of Assembly to represent Apapa Constituency. He won a landslide victory and remained a Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly till 1983 when the military came calling the second time in the chequered history of Nigeria.

A successful parliamentarian, he had a reputation as a smart political operator. With a high sense of responsibility and unusual capacity for hard work and vigor which are the hallmark of the Awolowo family, he was able to head several Legislative Committees on Environment, Education and Health.
He led the delegations that visited UK, Canada and USA on special assignments. Little wonder why a famous Nigerian politician remarked that “Wole is the best politician in the Awolowo family”.
When in 1984, the Board of the African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc appointed him Publisher/Vice Chairman of the Tribune titles, a position which he still holds; he took up the responsibility with his characteristic sense of duty that has become legendary.

As he became a Publisher, he said “I am not really interest in sitting for hours in office doing paper work,. But rather to put in place strategies that would encourage all staffers from the Managing Director to the Cleaners to see themselves rather as one family who are joint owners of the business than employees.His style of leadership by example, predicted on this characteristic sense of duty, has brought love, direction, discipline, unity, loyalty, positive progress, service and propriety to the tribune family. An unbreakable heritage.

For his relentless humanitarian services to various communities he has been rewarded with many chieftaincy titles amongst which are – The Ajiroba of Ota, Lagos State; the Sbolaloju of Ijanikin, Lagos State, the Babajiro of Isolo, Lagos State, the Odofin of Owo, Ondo State, the Ogboye of Ijeun, Abeokuta, A prince of two Royal Houses in Remo land, his mother Mama HID Awolowo is the present head of Liyangu Ruling House, the House that produced the current Akarigbo of Remo land.