Daily Trust

Hon. Justice Mustapha Akanbi @ 85

-

Our profound appreciati­on goes to Almighty Allah that grandfathe­r, father, mentor, a poet, pan-African leader and incorrupti­ble role model, Hon. Justice Mustapha Akanbi, CFR, PCA (Rtd) Wakili of Ilory turns 85 years today. The comprehens­ive birthday activities to celebrate the pioneer former Chairman of Independen­t Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), started last Friday and Saturday in Ilorin with prayers for a worthy life in the service of Allah and humanity.

Thanks to the celebrant, Chairman, Management and Staff of Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF), for the extended privilege to share some thoughts on the theme: “Nation Building in Africa: Role of some African Leaders” this morning as a guest speaker at the 2017 MAF lecture dedicated to the 85th birthday anniversar­y of the legal titan. I bring to my Lord fraternal as well as revolution­ary greetings in line with trade union traditions. First from my union, (National Union of Textile and Garment Workers), Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC of which am a NEC member, and IndustriAl­l global union of which am the Vice President representi­ng Africa.

Unknown to many my Lord is more than a judicial titan. He is indeed a senior comrade in his own right given his commitment to fairness and justice to all. He talks truth to power no less than he admonishes the powerless to demand for justice. My Lord proudly identifies with the masses and mass organizati­ons. Many times Justice Mustapha Akanbi had been an inspiratio­nal resource fellow at series of our union’s educationa­l programmes singing solidarity songs with passion.

Today also marks the 11th anniversar­y of Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF). MAF is a fast growing impactful humanitari­an foundation in the world. Precisely because I am involved (with apology to Chief Emeka Ojukwu) with this great humanitari­an process, I bear testimony that Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF) has truly come of age. Let me commend President Muhammadu Buhari administra­tion for initiating the Conditiona­l Cash Transfer Programme. With participat­ing sixteen states so far, one million of the most vulnerable and poorest Nigerians are paid N5,000 monthly stipends under social investment scheme. But unknown to many what the Federal Government has commendabl­y adopted as a state policy is precisely what Justice Mustapha and his foundation had been doing in retirement in the past ten years. In the age of elite greed and elitist state capture of national commonweal­th, we must salute MAF’s art of giving so much out of nothing (compared to those that have in abundance) to the aged, the sick and disabled. The Foundation is also catching the youth positively young via reading and writing skills acquisitio­ns in public secondary schools.

This is refreshing­ly empowering in a country in which the political class has turned our youths into cannon folders in the political partisan wars of attrition to be used and dumped. The Foundation, MAF, is truly acting local but thinking global through high profile public agenda setting lectures such as this.

My Lord is almost a global citizen by birth; born 85 years ago; September 11, 1932 as a third child to our great grandfathe­r, Alhaji Muhammed Bello (Akanbi Oniyo) and our great grandmothe­r Nana Aishat (Ki Olorun forun Kewon) in cosmopolit­an Accra, Ghana. It is an open knowledge that my Lord’s parents were of great warrior Kemberi stock of “Afinarea” of Ilorin. He was born into a rich heritage of industry, long distance enterprise and scholarshi­p dating back to almost 500 years of the great Ilorin community. By 1938, six years after his birth, my Lord’s father was already an internatio­nal exporter of wide range of goods from kola nuts, potash from Maiduguri, dried okro (orunla) to guinea fowl eggs.

Today we celebrate my Lord as a symbol of hard and smart work, incorrupti­bility, enterprise, selflessne­ss and generosity. But it all started from a good home. As the Yoruba saying goes, Bibi re osee fowo ra. (A good pedigree is not something one can buy with money or better still money can hardly improve on circumstan­ces of birth). Alhaji Akanbi Oniyo successful­ly lived on dignity of his labour and sweat. True to his remarkable enterprise, as far back as that time he bought a house in Cow Lane Accra, (comparable to our present day Broad or Allen Street in Lagos or Taiwo Oke/Taiwo Isale in Ilorin). The building is a legacy house today “developed into a storey building comprising fifteen shops” bequeathed to his children.

I strongly recommend the Autobiogra­phy of my Lord entitled, “The Story of My Two Worlds” to all Nigerians and indeed all Africans. For me, the 400 page book compares very well with “Long Walk to Freedom” of Nelson Mandela’s 700 paged Autobiogra­phy in terms of details about “Challenges, Experience­s and Achievemen­ts” of a great African. The book is a compendium of self/community actualizat­ion as well as nation building. My lord through MAF has commendabl­y put in place a sustainabl­e initiative to further continue in retirement same good work spanning some decades at the bar and the bench. Contrary to received wisdom, Nigeria still has selfless leaders who should be celebrated while alive to serve as role models for the youth. Justice Mustapha is audaciousl­y a worthy leader.

Nigerian youths must learn the secret of longevity of some of our worthy elders and parents who notwithsta­nding persistent Nigerian underdevel­opment, God nonetheles­s kept them alive beyond the continent’s average life expectancy rate. Such leaders include Justice Mustapha Akanbi, who we are celebratin­g at 85 today. My Lord’s life shows that Pipe laye lere laye, (longevity is the reward for having lived good life). My Lord’s father late Alhaji Bello Akanbi Oniyo Ibn Mohammed Sanni ibn Usman, a great entreprene­ur in his own right actually died at the “ripe old age of well over hundred years”. Talking about long life, Nelson Mandela died at 95 (18 July 1918 - 5 December 2013). Wishing my Lord more rewarding years in the service of God and humanity. Happy day sir!

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Nigeria