Alebiosu: Hardwork, not Godfatherism, is Hallmark of Politicians’ Success

Astute businessman and age-long friend of President Bola Tinubu, Otunba Busura Adedeji Alebiosu, in this interview, talks about his involvement in politics since the Second Republic and offers candid advice to present day politicians. Folalumi Alaran brings excerpts.

Tell us about your childhood, where you were born, your upbringing, and the schools you attended.

I was born in Ijasi quarters, Ijebu-Ode. I attended Moslem School, Ijebu-Ode, thereafter came to Lagos and served as a gas station attendant around Denton, Ebute Metta, Lagos. From there, I went to the United Kingdom to study first at the Hammersmith College of Arts and Building and then proceeded to Paddington Technical College to study Welding Engineering, after which I worked briefly before returning to Nigeria with my bosom friend, Hon Justice George Adesola Oguntade, formerly of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, who studied law at Holborn College, UK. It was after we got back to Nigeria that we set up our own companies.

What type of training did you receive while growing up

I trained in Britain. I returned to Nigeria in 1967 and worked briefly with GMI Structural Engineering. Later, I worked with a technical company. After about seven years, my very good friend, Justice Adeola Oguntade of the Supreme Court, and I established a company called LJ Engineering Nigeria Limited. I served as the Executive Director while he was the Chairman. We owned the company on a 50/50 basis.

Apart from Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, who were some of the people you grew up with?

I grew up with people like Justice Adesola Oguntade, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, the late Kanbi Ishola Osobu, Frank Okonta, Ikomi, and several others.

Tell us more about the company you formed with Justice Oguntade.

Well, we eventually named the company Elios Engineering. I saved some money from where I worked, and Oguntade also saved some money, and we both invested in the business. With my own engineering background and his own legal background and training, we decided to combine resources and form the company.

Initially, we called it Skyline Metalworks, then changed the name to Helios Engineering.

The business took off like a rocket, and we started making money. We were doing three shifts at the factory, morning, afternoon and evening. Our bankers were giving us credit facilities, and when we required and expanded remarkably, honouring all our obligations and contracts, life was good.

Our major clients were Leventis Group at Iddo House, Pera Beam, a division of UAC and others.

How did you come into politics?

I joined politics in 1976 with Chief Obafemi Awolowo in Somolu Local Government. At that time, Somolu had just been created out of Mushin Local Government.

What was your relationship with Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, who later became Governor of Lagos State?

I won a local council election and later became a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly during the Jakande administration. I won elections in both the first and second terms. The late Jakande and I were very close. He was like a father to me.

After the termination of the Second Republic by the military, what did you do as a politician?

A few of us formed a group behind the scenes. The group included me, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, Alhaji Hamzat, the late Rasheed Shitta-Bey, and several others.

We worked together politically, and it was through this network that we supported the emergence of Dapo Sarumi as a candidate for Governor of Lagos State.

Could that group have been Primose?

Yes, you are right. It was Primose. Chief Tajudeen Olusi was the chairman of Primose.

You and your friends, Chief Tajudeen Olusi and the late Alhaji Hamzat, became powerful forces in Lagos State politics.

Yes, we have been together for a very long time, since the Second Republic during the UPN days. Chief Tajudeen Olusi was a member of the House of Representatives then. The late Alhaji Hamzat served as a commissioner and also as a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. That was where we met. Chief Tajudeen Olusi, whom we call the “Prince of Peace,” is from the Central Senatorial District; the late Alhaji Hamzat was from the West Senatorial District, while I am from the East Senatorial District.

You are also a member of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) of Lagos State, a body that plays a leadership role in the state. Let us in on some of your activities there.

Our role is mainly advisory. We advise the governor.

President Bola Tinubu has been your friend for about 40 years before becoming President of Nigeria. How would you describe your relationship with him now?

President Tinubu is very reliable. He is doing a good job, and I am proud of him.

Which policy of the state would you say was solely initiated by you?

There are many; I cannot even count them.

Let us talk about the ratification of the land titles in Anthony Village, which you proposed to Jakande, then?

It was not only Anthony Village. Ojota, Ketu, Bariga, and Gbagada were also involved in the ratification process. We thank God that today the people are free. At that time, all that was required was a payment of just N1,000 to the government to regularise the documents.

As a political leader, many politicians visit you to seek your blessings for their political ambitions. What do you tell them?

They must go through the normal democratic process. Candidates must emerge through primary elections at the ward and local government levels. I do not pick candidates, and Asiwaju does not pick candidates. It is the people themselves who choose their candidates.

At your age, you have seen a lot, particularly in politics. What advice would you give to politicians today?

If you want to succeed in politics, you must be hardworking. You cannot rely solely on having a godfather somewhere. You must work hard and campaign vigorously. If you do that, you may be fortunate enough to be chosen as a candidate. I understand politics very well; sometimes I even call myself the professor of politics.

How did the nickname “Bush of Africa” come about?

It is quite a long story. In 1961, while I was in East London with my friend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and some South Africans, Fela introduced himself as Fela Ransome-Kuti, and I introduced myself as Busura Alebiosu. They had difficulty pronouncing “Busura.” Fela then told them not to call me Busura but to call me Bush. That was how the name “Bush” stuck.

When did you become the Otunba Gbelegbuwa of Ijebuland?

That was in 1987. The late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, invited me to his house and conferred the title on me. As the Awujale, he had the prerogative to give chieftaincy titles to anyone he considered deserving.

You must have been very close to the late Awujale before he decided to confer such a title on you?

Yes, we were very close. Kabiyesi, the late Awujale, was a highly principled man. His yes was yes, and his no was no.

Just recently, you were made the Chairman of the Council of Otunbas of Ijebuland. How have you been coping with such a demanding office?

I am not alone. I have Otunba Dr Hassan as the First Vice Chairman and Otunba Osiyemi as the Second Vice Chairman. With their support, I am coping very well.

What fond memories do you still have of the late Awujale?

Many memories. Kabiyesi, Oba Sikiru Adetona, was a highly principled man who did not tolerate nonsense. I miss him a lot. He was very reliable and a good man.

At 90, what do you thank God for?

I thank God for giving me a good life, a good family, and good people around me

 As a politician who is always moving from one meeting to another, how easy was it for you to combine politics with family life?

I thank God for that. It has become my personal routine in life. Without it, I might even fall sick.

Which of your children is following in your footsteps in politics?

Yacoob Ekundayo Alebiosu, the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development in Lagos state. He is learning fast and, at the rate he is going, he will go far.

If you had to choose between your family and politics, which would come first?

Both. Even when I am with my family, we discuss politics. I discuss politics with my wife and my son, Dayo. As far as I am concerned, both my family and politics are important.

What would you say you are proud of about your children?

I am proud of all of them. They listen to me. They may disagree with me sometimes, but eventually they come back to agree with me. Yacoob and I discuss politics a lot. He may disagree initially, but later he will say, “Baba, I agree with you.”

At 90, what are you most grateful to God for?

I am grateful to Almighty Allah for all He has done for me.