Adegoke Adelabu a.ka. Penkelemesi was a much loved son of Ibadan who died in somewhat controversial circumstances,here his daughter talks about the last hours of her father,Adegoke Adelabu.The interview is taken from The Prime People May 13 1988
Adelabu was a very uncompromising man who stood for what he believed in.Great men are usually greatly principled.He saw himself as a “Man Of The People”. When he became the Minister of Labour he immediately drove his official car, an American limousine (I think it was an Oldsmobile or Chevrolet) all the way to Ibadan and challenged all his teeming supporters to share the car with him. He boldly announced to them that the car belonged to them and not him !!
A particular story that always made me giggle when i recall it is that of the time he took on the elite of Ikoyi. When he was provided with a government house as his official residence in Ikoyi, the most exclusive part of Lagos, he turned up with drummers from Ibadan much to the discomfiture of the largely expatriate (mostly English and French) residents of Ikoyi. They protested vigorously about the noise but Adelabu would not relent. He called a press conference and stoutly declared:
“If they do not like noise and drumming, they are free to go back to their own country.”
That silenced the protest.Hahahahaha,that is a priceless story.Can you imagine if we had a man like Adegoke at the helm of power in the 70s and 80s whne Nigeria was thriving financially what he could have done in the country?
