I remember with nostalgia, how my people in Uromi and indeed the whole Esanland use to declare "Anthony Enahoro ni ima joluhuomhon" meaning: "Anthony Enahoro whom we sent on errand" Indeed, Anthony Enahoro was on errand for the Esan people, because they voted for him to represent them in Nigeria's federal legislature. Those were the days, when legislators were voted for by the people, not fraudulently selected by political godfathers. Anthony Enahoro did not disappoint my Esan people. Tony Enahoro was the man. Till his very last day on planet earth, he enjoyed the love and support of the Esan people. He was blessed and favored by God and the Esans to be fully competent as a legislator representing the Esan people in Nigeria's federal legislature.
I remember with heavy emotion, how my late father back in the day, would announce the name TONEE, with extreme pride. At such moments, his eyes would glow and become radiant with pride. He would pause to remember events that happened in the very distant past, many years before I was born. After some meditative interlude; he would announce to me that a white man once told him, that there can only be one TONEE Enahoro in a life time. That another Tony Enahoro can only emerge, after the death of TONEE. At such moments, my dad was usually very liberal and generous. His mood would blow up positively and he would request for a bottle of Harp lager beer and begin to tell us stories of how the Esan people use to gather in the palace of the King of Uromi to pray for Enahoro's success as a representative of the Esan people in Nigeria's federal legislature. Those were the days. The great Anthony Enahoro. Oh merciful providence, give us another TONEE.
Nigerian is one country that would have remained under colonial bondage for a much longer period, had God not blessed the country, with brave and courageous souls like the late Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro. The great man spent the whole of his life fighting for the betterment of Nigeria. As a young student in Kings College Lagos, Anthony Enahoro was very actively involved in the struggle for the decolonization of Nigeria. The great Zik soon tapped the young Enahoro and elevated him very quickly into the office of Editor of the Southern Defender, one of the numerous newspapers in the great Zik's stable of anti colonialism newspapers. Anthony Enahoro soon made a name for himself as a freedom fighter per excellence. The young Tony Enahoro was such a dogged fighter for liberation, independence and freedom that he was constantly in trouble with the white colonial overlords.The great Obafemi Awolowo was so impressed with Tony Enahoro's credentials as a nationalist and patriot, that he secured for the young Enahoro, a place in his political camp and in his government in the Western region. Till this day, the achievements of that administration remain unrivaled.
To state here that it was Chief Anthony Enahoro that moved the Motion for Nigeria's independence would merely be restating the super acknowledged. Anthony Enahoro was firmly determined that Nigeria must be free from the White man's shackles. In his younger days, Nigerian youths rallied round him and his celebrated Motion for Nigeria's independence. Tony Enahoro helped kicked the white folks out and helped send them back to wherever they came from. Anthony Enahoro was not your everyday overpaid legislator. He was a legislator's own legislator. At a time, others saw the white colonial masters as gods, Tony Enahoro looked at the white man, eye ball to eye ball and demanded that they hand over power to Nigerians. Tony Enahoro was actively involved in all the constitutional conferences, meetings, rallies et al for the liberation of Nigeria from the oppression and shackles of Britain. Indeed, Anthony Enahoro sacrificed his youth on the alter of the struggle for a free Nigeria. I am writing about an era in the distant past, long before President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo were born.
During the civil war, Anthony Enahoro was once again the face of the Nigerian federal government's struggle to keep the country united. Minus Anthony Enahoro's indefatigable diplomatic shuttles for Nigeria; the civil war, could have ended differently. Had Anthony Enahoro not provided leadership in the areas of international military and diplomatic co-operation, hmmnn......
I need not repeat here that the present democratic dispensation, would not have happened, had it not been for the struggle of Chief Anthony Enahoro and his brave, courageous and patriotic NADECO associates. In his very old age, Anthony Enahoro fought hard to drive out the military from Nigeria's seat of power, using the instrumentality of the National Democratic Coalition aka NADECO. At a time, that senior citizens, who were Anthony Enahoro's contemporaries were enjoying their retirement from active public life, Tony Enahoro once again took to the trenches to help dislodge the evil general, Sani Abacha. This latter struggle so much endangered his life that he had to run through forests and rivers in Nigeria's border towns to survive military dictator Sani Abacha and his aparatchiks. Thus, Nigeria's present government would not be in existence, but for Anthony Enahoro and his great associates in NADECO. Guess what? President Goodluck Jonathan did not even bother to attend Anthony Enahoro's burial ceremony nor attend any of the many pre burial sessions. Tony Enahoro was not buried immediately after death. All stakeholders and all parties with vested interests were given sufficient time to harmonize their schedules with Tony Enahoro's burial plans. Despite the wide latitude available to ensure his presence at the Tony Enahoro burial; President Goodluck Jonathan found a good excuse to avoid attending Tony Enahoro's burial ceremonies. While Nigeria's many rogues have great landmarks and other exalted institutions named after them, President Goodluck Jonathan has refused to honor Anthony Enahoro. Now tell me, based on the way, President Goodluck Jonathan has ill treated Nigeria's numero uno activist, elder statesman and patriot Anthony Eromosele Enahoro with disdain, disrespect and dishonor, why would any Nigerian want to fight and die for Nigeria just like Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro?
I wonder why, Nigerians who dare the powers that be and helped to bring about change for and on behalf of all Nigerians are never considered fit and proper persons for honor. All Nigerian political leaders are either honored with GCFR or something equally funny. You keep wondering, when they will honour the Tony Enahoros of Nigeria ? Where many well known faces in the corridors of power today, chickened out, during the struggle to oust the military, some Nigerians proved themselves to be generals and marshaled the forces of truth, right when the battle was fiercest, and most brutally dangerous and the enemy gladiators were extremely desperately ruthless, unforgiving, revengeful and cruel. According to Peter Tosh "We all want to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die". The white man asked rhetorically "Who will bell the cat" ? Some Nigerians, led by Anthony Enahoro, under the NADECO umbrella, took the risks that we are all too afraid to take. They risked everything and engaged in the struggle to shove the military aside. You would think that these heros would be honored by a civilian administration. Well, so far, not in Nigeria.
Nigeria's overpaid lawmakers did not even bother to hold a special joint valedictory session in honor of Nigeria's best lawmaker ever, the great Anthony Enahoro. Without equivocation, Anthony Enahoro was and remain Nigeria's best legislator ever. He should be a source of pride to every Nigerian legislator. Unfortunately, Nigeria's present crop of "legislooters" have failed to realize the worth of the great man. The National Assembly did nothing whatsoever, to honor Anthony Enahoro. Even renaming the National Assembly complex as Anthony Enahoro complex, will not be too much. Again, I wonder whether some of the members of Nigeria's legislature, actually know anything about Anthony Enahoro? Na wah.
Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro was very well known as the Adolor of Uromi. Adolor is an Edo word and in socio political parlance means one who brings progress and development. However, the very great man, who has now gone home to be with the Lord, grew beyond, over and above the precints of Uromi and fulfilled his destiny as the Adolor of not just Uromi but as the Adolor of Nigeria. Adolor Anthony Enahoro's struggle for the decolonization of Nigeria, culminated in the historical crescendo now known as Adolor Anthony Enahoro's motion for Nigeria's independence. For a proper and an in depth understanding of the historical antecedents and ancient political dynamics that predicated the emergence of the fulfilled life of struggle for freedom, human rights, political, social and economic emancipation of the great Adolor Anthony Enahoro, we will now engage in a brief historical~ UROMI THE GREAT WILL NEVER RELENT OR RELEGATED - TO BE CONTINUED. Curtesy: ANTHONY OKOSUN, TONYOSUN@YAHOO.CO.UK
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