Mr President, you remember Comrade Johnathan Ihonde, who was a former Vice President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, playwright, active member of the Movement for National Reformation (MNR) once led by the iconic Anthony Enahoro, and June 12 struggle. He knew you well. He passed away last March 13 and was buried in his ancestral town of Sabongida Ora, Edo State.
It is the same town that produced Chief Michael Imoudu, Labour number one, who lived well over a century before joining his ancestors. He served the NLC under the leadership of Alli Ciroma who has also joined the pantheon of our departed heroes. Pa Ihonde was aged 86. He had been a father, uncle, and comrade to me. He was a counsellor to me on every political move that I made. He also fed me with missing links of Edo’s history and the struggle for a better Nigeria from the 1960s to date. It was the reason my compatriot, Dr Bello Idaewor, noted that Pa Ihonde “lived history…intellectually voluble…an enigma…a first rate ideologue…a solution …a mind practical”.
Unknown to him he influenced me fundamentally through his drama series, Hotel De Jordan on Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Benin. He created wonderful characters that mirrored the Nigerian society, such as the mirthful Idemudia and Kokori, and the grandiloquent Dr. Mino Moro who mirrored Wole Soyinka’s in the drama series, and talked at society, its sundry ills and elicited hope for redemption.
Dr Mino Moro, whose actual name is Last Eguavoen, influenced me a great deal. I mimicked his grandiloquence, which has remained an aspect of my oratory today. Beyond mimicking, is the socialisation to critical consciousness, critical engagement with the social production that is woven around people and the state that the drama series engendered.
One unforgettable episode in the serial was imifi juju, pidginised IMF and its deadly prescriptions. It was a dramatic re-enactment of the debate on the IMF loan that the Babangida regime sought to take during the mid-1980s, did and called it home-grown remedy for our economic woes.
The popular forces in Nigeria including the Labour and left-wing scholars and activists had dissected the loan and laid bare its antinomies. The verdict was ‘don’t take the loan’. In that episode, Dr Mino Moro led the charge and the loan was rejected by the Jordanians just as it was rejected by Nigerians.
To be sure, Hotel De Jordan has had an enduring impact on my generation of Bendelites during that epoch. I would later meet Eguavoen in real life to the extent of having him as my visitor. In other words, I met one of my few heroes in real life, a character that Ihonde had created.
Pa Ihonde, as we all called him before his demise, was at the vanguard of the left groups in Benin and had managed to rally some of the left forces in Nigeria to form the yet-to-be-registered Liberation Party, a party with social democratic programmes for the transformation of the country. He was also one of the moving spirits behind Edo’s Future (EF), which we had formed in 2006 to inject progressive verve into governance in Edo state unfortunately governed by reactionary forces, and with a consequence that is backwardness in development.
In his twilight, Ihonde was ever-dynamic and could decipher the latent functions of state policies and all forms of political events. In my opinion, he was one of the few who made Nigeria big for something. I am happy I played host to him on a few occasions in my Ogun state residence, and my wife ministered to his failing sight.
Summing up, I found the tribute of Betty Nwabunike, one of his daughters, befitting. Here are excerpts:
“My father was not just a man; he was my hero, the pillar of our family. His dedication and kindness knew no bounds, as he tirelessly worked to ensure our happiness and shied us from hardship.
“A distinguished Ace TV producer and prominent political activist, he used his talents and voice to make a profound impact. Despite his remarkable achievements, he remained humble and always stood firmly by his principles of honesty and integrity.
“Above all, my father was a patriot. He fought tirelessly for his commitment, even untill his final days. His legacy of service and sacrifice will forever inspire us”.
Let me add the signature tune of Hotel de Jordan: “God save us make we nor see trouble./ Who see one nor dey know whether na black or yellow/. Poor man dey suffer,/monkey dey work,/ baboon dey chop.
All said, I will continue to regal in the memory of this great man. Mr President, do not forget him in your next roll of national honourees. We are a country in search of heroes.
