OPINION: How time defines generational mission By Comrade Abiodun Aremu

HOW TIME DEFINES GENERATIONAL MISSION – In Revolutionay Memory of Comrade (Mrs) Abiodun Ogunkeye & Our President – Comrade Emma Ezeazu! 

Yesterday May 28, 2016 was the Launch of the Abiodun Ogunkeye Foundation (AOF), in which am privileged to be a Member of its Board of Trustees. Comrades Abiodun Ogunkeye (who passed on last year May 13) and her life-long partner – Samuel Ogunkeye deservedly earned their comradeship, in the true sense of what makes a Comrade, by their practical commitment to the cause of humanity.

But yesterday, most signicantly, reminded me of my generation in the students’ movement. I remembered as I made short remarks to the secondary school students, their teachers & others in attendace, our Comrade, who I called our president in our time – Emma Ezeazu, who passed on, also in 2015.

I remembered Comrade Emma 30yrs ago as the President of NANS briefing the media on May 28, 1986, at the Nigeria Labour Congress, Yaba with a 13-page fullscap sheets address titled “On the Threshold of History”, following the nationwide protests against the atrocious murder of students in ABU Zaria. And I became joyous that “a very gentle human element known during that period as Aremson or Arymson – a 1985/86 President of the Students’ Union of Kwara Tech (now Kwara Poly) was part of that generation of the glorious NANS of 1981 – 86 as a student, and after till 1994 as a duty to student-working class historical alliance.

And yesterday was a generation challenge at stake as the Keynote Speaker – Comrade Ngozi Iwere (then Ojidoh) NANS PRO 1982/3 tasked the current generation from Frantz Fanon’s golden words – “Every generation out of relative obscurity must discover its mission – Fulfill it or betray it”. And our Comrade Affiong Affiong, also a veteran of the glorious students’ movement, who chaired the event, added the Pan-Africanist perspective, in terms of the larger picture of struggle in Africa, citing Kwame Nkrumah.

Abiodun Ogunkeye, though an elder sister to Abiola Dabiri – (our SOUL in the Amilcar Cabral Ideological School ACIS), & Sam Ogunkeye walked their ways into ACIS, without being invited and stuck with ACIS as Confidat and unsong supporter and active participants in the struggle for social transformation of our society.

Even at the risk of her health, Abiodun Ogunkeye was in a strategic corner (urging us on) at the Onikan Stadium on May 1, 2014 where the Joint action Front (JAF) led protest against the hike in tuition fees in LASU, humiliated the then Governor Fashola of Lagos, out of the venue. She later confided in me, that I should please always endeavour to notify her of all such protests, because Biola (her sister) would hide information from her due to her failing health.

And Sam Ogunkeye (almost moved to tears) was apt yesterday, when he said: “Biodun and I could live together for 100yrs and beyond, because we both hate injustice, we abhor material wealth, we cherish contentment, we believe our purpose in this world is to impact on the society, …..”. (despite both came from background of averagely comfortable families), And the main obective of AOF attests to the GOAL of comrades Abiodun & Sam in the life they chose: “promoting the spirit of patrotism, where the larger interest is given priority over narrow self-interest to the benefit of a better society and a greater nation”.

Back to Emma Ezeazu this morning, I went to my archive to unearth what NANS under our President Ezeazu leadership said on May 28, 1986 and I shook my head – how time flies? And whither our generation and the succeeding generations of students?

Comrade Ezeazu had read to the world then: “Capitalism – root cause of our crises”, and he concluded: “Since we ve demonstrated that the economic problems that face this nation is dependent capitalism compounded by the control and domination of our economy by multi-nationals, we therefore demand a complete Nationalisation of all the commanding heights of our economy on oil industry, insurance, banking, etc. Such nationalised companies should be placed under the democratic control and management of the workers.

30 years ago, Capitalism was the root cause of our problem; today, Capitalism remains the root cause and it will continue to be for as long as we are not organisational prepared to consume Capitalism, we should ENJOY the continuous CYCLE of – sufferin & shimillin!

Long live Emma Ezeazu & the NANS leadership before him (Chris Mamah, Chris Abashi, Lanre Arogundade, Buba Joda) & those after him who abided by the principles of the NANS Charter of Demands.

Long live the Abiodun Ogunkeye Foundation.