| Urhobo Historical Society |
Source:
Subject:
Adogbeji
Salubi: A Man Worth Remembering
Date: 31 May 2007
09:47:09 -0700
(PDT)
From: ochuko justice
<ochuks_4urhobo@yahoo.com>
To: Editor@waado.org
Adogbeji
Salubi: A Man Worth Remembering
By
Ochuko
Tonukari
| "It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success." -- George Washington Carver (c. 1864 – January 5, 1943). |
The
lives and works of certain
celebrities have been fodder for all shades of creative persons for
ages. For
some reggae musicians, especially, names of personalities like Marcus
Garvey,
Haille Selassie, Nelson Mandela and Kwame Nkrumah have become
well-loved
mantras that must be sprinkled, even if in very tiny doses, in their
works.
In
Urhoboland, there is no such sparse
sprinkling. It is a very generous pour of adoration for Late Chief
Adogbeji
Salubi, one of the finest men ever to live in the Urhobo country. The
late
Chief Adogbeji Salubi was among those who were specially gifted from
birth.
Some people, as it is often said, in life attain greatness through hard
work;
some have it bestowed on them, while some others are simply born great.
Chief
Salubi was undeniably an uncommon blend of nobility and intellectual
prowess.
Chief
Salubi was born on November 8,
1906 at Oko r’ Agbamu, a satellite village of Ovu, in the present day
Ethiope
East Local Government Area. Between 1917-1919, Salubi attended the St.
James’
(then C.M.S.) School in Ovu. In October, 1919, while still in St James,
he was
sent by his father to Lagos. He went to Lagos by a slow-moving canoe
and it
took him 14 days before he got there through the creek. Salubi schooled
in
Lagos for some years, attaining standard six in December 2, 1924, at
the St
Paul’s Breadfruit School, Lagos. It is on record that the positive
manner with
which Salubi greeted learning endears him to some Colonial Officials
who established
public libraries in Lagos in the 1920s. Chief Salubi and some others
were
allowed to enjoy library services as much as they wanted.
As
someone who studied
librarianship, I understand that the 1920s witnessed the establishment
of
public libraries in Lagos; but their services were quite limited to
Nigerians
on the premise held by librarians who were sent from London as at that
time
that Nigerians did not read books. Even when a case was made for
sending books
and other information resources from the British Headquarters in
London, the
gesture was turned down on that note. In the letter of the British
Library
Officials in Lagos that was sent to their Headquarters in London, the
name
T.E.A. Salubi and some 62 others were mentioned as the few persons who
patronized their libraries regularly.
Chief
Salubi returned home from
Lagos in February 15th 1925. While at his hometown, Salubi became a
teacher in
Okpara Waterside and at the same time a catechist and interpreter for a
Yoruba
pastor who preached in Yoruba at the time. Yet again, Salubi returned
to Lagos
in April 9th 1926 and enrolled as a founding student in Baptist academy
in May
15th of that same year. He completed in record time the two
years
course and then worked as a secretary inspector. In the course of time,
Chief
Salubi worked in the Labour Department and was given the chance to
further his
studies in Labour relations matters in the United Kingdom.
As a
direct consequence of his great
effort, Chief Salubi became the President of Urhobo Progress Union.
This is a union
that came into existence on November 3rd 1931 with Chief Omorohwovo
Okoro as
president. When its name was changed from Urhobo Brotherly Society
(U.B.S) to
Urhobo Progress Union (U.P.U) in 1936, Chief Mukoro Mowoe was elected
the life
President General until his death in 1948. Chief J. A. Okpodu became
President-General
from May 13, 1950 to January 23, 1957), Chief J.A. Obaho
President-General from
January 26, 1957 to December 29, 1961 and then Chief T.E.A. Salubi
President-General (from December 30, 1961 to 1983). These past leaders
made us
to understand that the aim of this union was to maintain good
reputation and to
aid better positions or place in the public or society. When he saw
that the
union couldn’t control the pressure facing her alone, Chief Salubi
during his
time as President General admitted without pride. I quote: "let us
admit
that for the moment our ship has shattered and we have to retrace our
steps. We
have to begin again." He personally moved to put the machineries in
place
and brought back unity and understanding among its members. Chief
Adogbeji
Salubi in his 1963 Presidential address proclaimed: "Urhobo is great
and
that greatness must at all times be jealously guarded."
Chief
T. E. A. Salubi was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters of
the
University of Ibadan in recognition of his brilliant efforts in
recording the
history of the Urhobos and their neighbours. No doubt, he lived his
life as a
visionary and exemplary leader, an innovator and a change agent. In
fact the
world is filled with few people who build and the many who destroy: he
was a
builder.
As Professor Peter Ekeh rightly noted, “Adogbeji
Salubi was from a generation that witnessed at first hand the early
stages of
British colonialism in Urhoboland. But he alone in his generation of
Urhobos,
who grew up in the 1910s and 1920s, committed into writing what he saw
and
witnessed. Furthermore, he carried out his own research into documents
concerning the beginnings of British imperialism in the Western Niger
Delta.”
The distinguished Professor went further to add that, “the calibre of
Salubi’s
manuscript flows from the fact that it tells the truth and seeks no
harm to his
own people or to their neighbours, the Itsekiri.”
From
a grapevine, I learnt that the
late Chief Salubi was a thorough family man with a great sense of
humour. He
lived his life bringing succour to all that came around him with heart
lifting
and positive words. He worked in the British Colonial Civil Service,
working in
the Labour Department in which he rose to be one of the first Nigerian
Labour
Officers. Chief Salubi, well known and well respected, always based his
principles, diligent work, and devotion to duty on sound religious
values. He
was a devoted family man who loved his wife dearly. He was never
happier than
when surrounded by his children and grandchildren who would visit
constantly.
At Christmas, the whole family would gather together for celebrations.
Throughout
his career, the main
interest of Chief Salubi was education. Because he believed that
education was
a necessity for the development of the individual and the nation,
Salubi
advocated that it should be a prominent feature in government
programmes. His
published works include: "The Origins of Sapele Township in British
Colonial Nigeria," The Miracle of An
Original Thought Being the Origins of Urhobo College, "The
Establishment
Of British Administration In The Urhobo Country and "Perspectives
on
the History of the Itsekiri and the Title of Their King." A
distinguished
scholar, historian and leader, Salubi devoted his scholarship to
promoting
African history as an essential element of African education.
Today
the wretched of our country
have begun to walk with a firm tread in their step, confident of a
better
future for themselves and for the African motherland. They walk tall,
with
straight backs, no longer afraid to look into the eyes of those who had
sought
to set themselves up as rapacious demi-gods. On the shoulders of these
generations rests the duty to answer the drawn-out cries of those who
were
enslaved and colonized by strangers and abused by their own kith and
kin. They
rest on firm ground because they stand on the foundation of stone that
leaders
like Chief Adogbeji Salubi built. In it are infused the passions which
constituted his wealth -- love for the people and loyalty to their
cause;
commitment to the cause of peace; attachment to principle; honesty,
simplicity,
humility and personal integrity; courage and a great intellect; the
capacity to
sustain hope at the most difficult moments; the determination to ensure
that
the sun shone over Nigeria, to banish the dark centuries which have
been our
heritage.
He
leaves us a legacy of peace and
unity which is admired throughout the world. It is not a legacy we can
allow to
be squandered. If he was still with us today, he would ask us to take
over his
crusade against poverty, exploitation and discrimination. He would urge
us to
move much more quickly to integrate African economies and promote
African
unity. He would appeal for collective self-reliance.
A few
years ago, as a young man
fired on from the inside by a powerful force of pan-Africanism, I read
the
background and works of Chief Adogbeji Salubi. The Salubi I read
about
was the liberator, thinker, strategist, organizer and our kinder and
gentler teacher
on the politics of liberation, African unity, nation-building and
internationalist solidarity with the people of the Third World. It was
Chief
Adogbeji Salubi together with the great Chief Mukoro Mowoe, that
strengthened
decisively my love for Nigeria in general and Urhobo in particular. One
of
Chief Salubi’s sentiments that have never ceased to capture my
imagination goes
thus: “The title “Olu Itsekiri” is historic and deserves to be retained
by the
Itsekiri. Changing it to “Olu of Warri” is illegitimate, not only
because it
violates Itsekiri history, but because it takes and steals from their
neighbours who share the name of Warri with the Itsekiri.”
Chief
Salubi lived a simple life in
harmony with his message and the values of truth and justice to which
he
referred. Incorruptible and fully accountable, his life and work set an
example
of integrity that challenged his country and people, the rest of Africa
and the
world. In many ways, Chief Salubi was the conscience of Nigeria.
Chief
Salubi was a man of tremendous
intellectual and moral resources. He was a pillar of strength to
oppressed
people all over the world and was admired for his wisdom, his intellect
and
integrity. The best ways to pay tribute to Chief Adogbeji Salubi was
for
Nigeria's people to re-commit themselves every day to the cause of
peace,
stability and a better life for all, for he served as a source of great
inspiration towards Nigeria's rebirth. The best way to remember Chief
Adogbeji
Salubi is to continue the struggle to free all Nigerians, from hunger
and
starvation; from homelessness; from diseases that are killing thousands
of our
people; from joblessness; illiteracy, conflict and war; from tyranny
and from
oppression.
Chief
Adogbeji Salubi was one of the
wise sons of Africa who guided our journey towards placing Africa in
her
rightful place in the world. At the height of his career, Adogbeji
Salubi had
dedicated himself to the upliftment of his people and remained
committed to
justice and equality. In the word of one elder, "Salubi was a model
leader, very humble, selfless, a great thinker and revolutionary
leader, and it
would take a long time before Urhobo will again see a leader of his
caliber.”
Indeed
Adogbeji Salubi was an
outstanding leader, a brilliant philosopher and a people's hero, a
champion for
the entire African continent. No wonder then my father who was Chief
Salubi’s
contemporary stated categorically in his diary that he was devastated
at the
news of his death and was weeping in memory of "this giant amongst
men."
Chief Salubi’s death was a great loss because he had played an
important role
in the politics of the Niger Delta, particularly in its liberation
struggle.
Chief T.E.A. Salubi was an important architect and a guiding light in
the
African revolution and a champion of human rights and democracy within
that
revolution. No doubt Nigeria has lost an important source of moral
lessons in
our quest for transformation and democratic consolidation. Chief T.E.A.
Salubi
will be remembered for his many pioneering initiatives, not just in
Urhoboland,
but throughout Africa.
With
the death of Chief T.E.A.
Salubi, a venerable Urhobo leader and one of Nigeria's most charismatic
and
respected elder statesmen, Urhobo people have lost the father of the
nation,
the courageous leader of their independence struggle and the architect
of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Urhobo people in particular and the
Nigerian
people as a whole have lost an ardent pan-Africanist, a man of high
principles,
a man of self-abnegation and the champion of Nigeria's
self-determination,
liberation and independence.
Without
Chief Adogbeji Salubi's firm
guidance and steadfast support, the struggle for liberation,
particularly in
Urhoboland, would have been even more difficult and divisive within the
ranks
of the Urhobo Progress Union and other freedom-loving forces in the
Niger
Delta. Indeed, Adogbeji Salubi was one of the giants of the 20th
century
African liberation movement. For those of us the Urhobos, his death
takes from
us a great father and a tireless supporter of the Nigeria Nation. Chief
Salubi's death silenced "a voice which, uninterrupted for five decades,
never abandoned principle, never abandoned purpose, never abandoned
vision.
While his accomplishments were formidable and touched everyone on the
Niger
Delta region, his greatest accomplishment may be that Urhobo became a
nation
where human life is valued and peace is treasured. When you recognize
that so
many of the surrounding nations in the Niger Delta are characterized by
horrendous ethnic and tribal division, what Adogbeji Salubi
accomplished for
Urhobo seems almost miraculous. At the death of Chief Salubi, it was
said that
there were many who fear that Urhobo nation will disintegrate, the
union will
falter and our relations with our neighbours will deteriorate. His name
permeated all the significant moments of the country's development from
its
colonial past, and he had played a key supportive role in the Niger
Delta's
path to freedom.
Adogbeji
Salubi’s practical and
benevolent approach to life was based on a profound religious faith to
which he
attributed all his accomplishments. He always believed that faith and
inquiry
were not only compatible paths to knowledge, but that their interaction
was
essential if truth in all its manifold complexity was to be
approximated.
Always modest about his success, he saw himself as a vehicle through
which
nature, God and the natural bounty of the land could be better
understood and
appreciated for the good of all people.
Adogbeji
Salubi took a holistic
approach to knowledge, which embraced faith and inquiry in a unified
quest for
truth. His belief in service was a direct outgrowth and expression of
his
wedding of inquiry and commitment. With victory won, Adogbeji Salubi
was one of
the most revered men in the Nigeria of the fifties and sixties. A
lesser person
in our society of today might have used this power to carry out a coup
d’etat
or to become king.
Our
nation currently agonizes over
questions about ethics and society in the wake of egregious moral
abuses in our
public and private lives. The life of Adogbeji Salubi reminds us that
such
abuses will continue until we reunite ethical and technical reasoning
in the
context of a profound faith that holds all inquiry and action
accountable.
Adogbeji
Salubi needed a Nigeria,
but above all Nigeria needed him. The significant qualities of this
special man
cannot be underestimated nor taken for granted. Within a span of 3
years, he
was able to expound and extricate his Urhobo people from many wrongs.
His
tactics of protest involved non-violent passive resistance to tribal
injustice.
It was the right prescription for our country, and it was right on
time. Hope
in Nigeria was waning on the part of many Nigerians, but Chief T.E.A
Salubi provided
a candle along with a light. He also provided this nation with a road
map so
that all people could locate and share together in the abundance of
this great
country’s resources.
We
the Urhobos honor Chief T.E.A
Salubi because he showed us the way to mend those broken fences and to
move on
in building this land rather than destroying it. Where he is right now,
I guess
he would be wondering if the country he has served so well couldn't do
anything
to immortalize his name. But he would commend Professor Peter Ekeh, the
President and Founder of Urhobo historical Society, for building a
veritable
Website where copious portion was assigned to ensure that Chief T.E.A
Salubi’s
marvelous deeds would forever remain in the sands of time
Accomplishing
all what Chief Salubi
accomplished in the midst of so much diversity is not an easy task. We
can,
however, approximate it if we act on the belief in a common humanity,
which
binds us together despite our differences of nationality and culture,
and a
common destiny that can be secured only if science and technology seek
to serve
broad and deep societal needs.
Although
worn out by years of
service to his country at the Federal Civil Service, Chief Salubi
willingly
accepted the presidency of the Urhobo Progress Union. Probably no other
man
could have succeeded in welding the Urhobo nation into a lasting union.
Chief
Salubi fully understood the significance of his presidency. “I walk on
a ground
that demands absolute carefulness,” he said. “There is scarcely any
part of my
conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent.” During his
years in
office, he laid down the guidelines for future presidents.
Our
Urhobo Political Godfathers
today should be blamed for URHOBO's loss of the governorship seat,
because in
the midst of EVERYTHING they still could not do ANYTHING in the right
way and
at the right time. On the whole, instead of protecting the interest of
all
Urhobo people whom they were representing, they were only using the
Urhobo
umbrella that covers their head to project their selfish and personal
interest.
Chief Salubi in the (U.P.U) conference of 1963, stated: "I prefer not
to
soil my name, my character and my integrity. I refuse to lead you my
dear
people to kneel before any one for a mess of pottage." Thank you Chief
Salubi for having been the drum major who was able and ready to lead
our nation
to greater heights through love and peace.
May
his vision and hope for
humankind grow in each of our hearts and nurture within us a hope for
the
world's future where all people will be treated as brothers and sisters.