The first female Ibadan-born colonel in the Nigerian Army, Adenike Akerele (rtd), has revealed why she stepped down as Chairman of the 2020/21 Ibadan Cultural Festival and how she was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight over a token of N750,000 at Bodija.
Col. Akerele, who is the Iyalode Akinrogun of Ibadanland, while speaking during a podcast, ‘Mic Uncensored’ anchored by Hazeez Ayansola, disclosed that involvement of Governor Seyi Makinde and Chief Jubril Dotun Sanusi saved her from embarrassment as the chairman of the 2020/21 Ibadan Cultural Festival.
Akerele, who was also a member of the Olubadan Coronation Committee for the new Olubadan of Ibadanland, HIM, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, said that the appointment turned her to a ‘beggar’ because she has to engage other prominent Ibadan indigenes to seek financial assistance for the success of the programme, further noted that she accepted the offer because of her passion for Ibadan.
“I was appointed as Chairman, Ibadan Cultural Week 2020/21, I was appointed by Chief Yemi Soladoye, then President General, though I have been informed earlier by late General Abdullahi Muraina of blessed memory, I used to call him my egbon because we were closed. When I came to Ibadan to meet him, he handed me a letter of appointment as Chairman, Ibadan Cultural Week, 2020/21, said I would go and pray over it, he said I should collect my letter first. So, I left without knowing that there is an issue underground and they didn’t tell me. I accepted and we started with other members of the committee, we had our meeting. I have been given the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes’s (CCII) account number because it is money that we are going to use to carry out the assignment. They turned me to a beggar then because with myself and other members with drum and all other things we would go and meet various prominent people to seek financial assistance for the success of Ibadan Cultural Week, and people are paying into the CCII account.
“At some points I would ask them to do some certain things but they would tell me to be patient and based on the training I have our patience does not reach that level. It got to a stage that I wanted to leave their assignment because I was fed up, but when I prayed that spirit told me not to fight with anybody, whatever I can do, whoever I can speak to I should go. So, with committee members, those babas were very good people, they don’t look at me as their daughter, we went to meet Chief Jubril Dotun Sanusi and explained the stage we were and we have drew our programmes that will bring money to the purse of CCII and we will use it to prepare for the main event. I told him that we have been making money but CCII is releasing funds for the preparations. The second part is the Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, he is a very lovely person, that is why I dedicated the award I received during Ibadan Week to him because he is someone I really love and appreciate, he loves Ibadan.
“So, Engineer Dotun wanted to give us money because he said he would not pay into the account we gave him, so he asked what we wanted and we showed him the list of our programmes, he wanted to give us cash but we did not want cash so we called printer and the person in charge of Aso-Oke and he paid them on the spot, I was so happy that I would not be embarrassed. I also called General Muraina; he also gave us money. That was how we started. They didn’t tell us what to do; I was just using my wisdom and the contributions from the elderly ones to move on. The one that made me happy most was that of the governor, with a lot of efforts from the late Baba Lere Adigun of blessed memory and Chief Bode Amoo and the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism will see the governor. We have written letters, even I have sent text messages to him, and he would read but didn’t reply. He received us with joy and expressed his feelings and mentioned his contributions to Ibadanland. Within two weeks he fulfilled his promise, I was perplexed. I went to deposit the money into the CCII account because they gave us cash. the decision I was blamed for, they wanted me to bring the money to them. The kind of money I never received as a pension from the Nigerian Army.”
Speaking on how she was robbed in broad daylight, retired Colonel Akerele revealed that she went to a bank at Bodija to collect N750,000 from the pension paid by the Nigerian Army. She explained that her appointment by the CCII was at the time she retired from the Nigerian Army giving her the opportunity to accept the offer.
“They collected my N750,000 at Bodija, the money I wanted to use to do a supply job given to me by someone. They thought it was part of a donation for the cultural festival, they were two and came with a bike, one stood with me, the other one entered my car. I was confused because if something like this could happen in broad daylight, being robbed of a sum of N750,000 at gunpoint around 2pm. I called some people and the police, they swung into action but at the end of the day, nothing was recovered and I told the police to rest the case.”
She used the opportunity to appreciate late Governor Abiola Ajimobi for his ingenuity and love for Ibadan. She prayed for the wife and the family left behind.
“I thanked the family of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, he was a complete and real Ibadan man, he was blunt and a good man. I talked about the robbery incident in his present during Ibadan Week, and he called me ‘sister mi’ because that’s how he used to call me, he took a picture with me on that day and promised to appreciate me in return for the money collected. He asked me to drive to follow his convoy but I told him time has gone, he said would see me when he returned from Abuja because he said he was traveling the next day. But unfortunately, that next day was when his sickness was announced before he passed away. It was painful. May God continue to hold his wife and the family left behind.”
Reacting to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s advice to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, HIM, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, retired Colonel Akerele, described him as a matured person and an epitome of perseverance.
“Ladoja is a promoter of culture and tradition and his reign will add value and bring development to Ibadan. Olubadan has plans in stock to develop Ibadan. He will yield to the advice because he always wants peace and development of Ibadan.”
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