Chief Adeniyi Akintola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is a leading figure in Oyo State. In this interview by Nigerian Tribune Abuja Bureau Chief, TAIWO AMODU and TAOFIK LAWAL, he speaks on the administration of Oyo State, the government of President Bola Tinubu and other matters.
You were educated in an era many Nigerians now recall with nostalgia—a time often described as more hopeful and orderly. What moments from your school years best capture that Nigeria for you?
I would say my tertiary education, though even my primary education was very good. I am a product of the free education programme of Obafemi Awolowo. My primary school was not far from my village; we walked there in our khaki uniforms. We had excellent, committed teachers. I remember vividly that the fundamentals of English—verbs, adverbs, nouns, and pronouns- were taught to us at the primary school level. Our teachers were like parents. A simple threat from one’s parents—“I will report you to your teacher”—was enough. We feared and respected our teachers even more than our parents.
I did not have the privilege of attending secondary school immediately. When I later got to the Polytechnic, I was among the first set of Ogun State Polytechnic, established by Governor Olabisi Onabanjo. We paid no school fees; it was the era of free education under the UPN. Before then, I had come from the North and desired to attend university. I gained admission to study Sociology at the University of Ife and had registered, awaiting matriculation, when Professor Iluyomade noticed me during a discussion with other students.
He was struck by my interest in political debates. Because I had grown up in the North, he noticed I spoke Hausa fluently and called me “Gambari.” That intrigued him. He asked why I would not consider studying Law. That suggestion changed everything; I decided to transfer to the Faculty of Law.
However, a woman at the admissions office, Mrs Olamijulo, an assistant registrar, opposed the change despite the registrar, Dr Ezekiel Adetunji, being in support. Something happened that I still cannot fully explain, and the change of course did not go through. In frustration, I left the university and intended to return to the North. Instead, I visited an older friend from Okemesi Ekiti who was Chief Accountant at the NNPC Depot in Apata. We had met earlier in Jos during my GCE preparations through church activities. He encouraged me greatly.
When I explained my determination to study Law, he advised that rather than stay idle, I should return to the Polytechnic to strengthen my academic foundation. He showed me a Tribune newspaper advert announcing the establishment of Ogun State Polytechnic. I applied and was admitted, again, free of charge. Because I already had some GCE papers from the North, I became a teacher at McJob Commercial Secondary School opposite the Polytechnic at Onikolobo, Abeokuta. We began operations at Oke-Goya Baptist Boys’ High School. I earned about N170 per month, just enough to survive. The Polytechnic was non-residential, but we paid no school fees—a situation unimaginable today.
Eventually, I gained admission to the University of Ibadan. We enjoyed bursaries until 1983. I personally benefited for two years; the N500 bursary then was worth more than N500,000 today. I even used part of it to visit London for the first time. Through the Students’ Union, we paid N300, which covered everything, including airfare. There was no visa requirement then because we were Commonwealth students. That privilege ended when Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister.
At the university, meals were heavily subsidised. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner cost just 25 kobo. When it was increased to 45 kobo in late 1983 or 1984, we protested violently. It was under the Shagari government that the increment occurred. Chief Bola Ige was governor when the bursary was abolished in 1983. We received it that year but not in 1984.
I was a student at Independence Hall, University of Ibadan. Azikiwe Hall was nearby, with Idia Hall behind us. On days we could not afford meals, we bought 5 kobo bread from Agbowo, shared it among ourselves—Dr Tunji Bello and I. One Tunji Bello later became Chief Medical Director in Oyo State; the other became a journalist. The university porters collected our clothes weekly for dry-cleaning and made our beds twice daily.
When you were called to the Bar and began earning your own income, what did your first salary mean to you, and how did you spend it?
I began legal practice as a pupil without pay. At the time, chambers did not pay salaries. The first to do so in Ibadan were SPA Ajibade and Afe Babalola, paying N50 or N100. I later secured a job with the Ibru Organisation as legal adviser to Federal Palace Hotel, with a proposed salary of ₦400. That was substantial; permanent secretaries earned N290 and judges N300. I was eager to accept, but my uncle advised against it.
He told me, “Sacrifice today for tomorrow. You have the potential to become one of the best lawyers in this country if you are patient and learn the foundations of legal practice.” I was displeased but obeyed him. I had been an indigent student, surviving largely on scholarships, notably from the Lagelu 16 Club of Ibadan, which supported me after my outstanding HSC and Cambridge results—15 points out of a possible 16.
I had grown up in the North, spoke Hausa fluently, and was often called “Gambari” when I returned to the South-West. My classmates included Justice Godwin Kolawole of the Court of Appeal, Leke Sanusi, now a senior figure in the Redeemed Christian Church in the UK, and others from diverse backgrounds. There was no discrimination. We were admitted purely on merit.
That was the era we enjoyed. When I declined the job offer, it was painful, but today I am grateful. Many of us began our professional lives modestly. We bought Volkswagen Beetles on hire purchase. Even senior lawyers, including a future Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ariwoola, drove Beetles. Ambition was modest, and contentment was common.
Your first appearance in court as a young lawyer, what was it like?
It was exciting. I was posted to Ondo State for NYSC and later returned to Ibadan. Following my uncle’s advice, I joined a litigation chamber immediately. My principal was the late Justice Lambe Aransi. Although many assumed I trained under Afe Babalola, my foundational training was under Aransi. At the time, Ibadan was predominantly litigation-oriented; commercial practice was limited.
Young lawyers were exposed quickly. Seniors could send you to any court across old Oyo State. My first court appearance involved moving a motion. I was not afraid because I had watched my principal repeatedly. We handled land cases, constitutional matters, and chieftaincy disputes—serious matters that built confidence early.
Who was the first judge you appeared before, and what lesson did you learn?
It was at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, barely eleven months after my call to the Bar. Justice M.M. Akanbi presided, alongside Justices Uche Omo and Aloma Mukhtar. I was frightened, particularly because opposing counsel, Alhaji Kunle Abass, was a senior colleague who had previously sent me on assignments.
Justice Akanbi calmed me: “Young man, take your time.” When the judgment was reported, I bought the law report for N20, a significant amount then, and cherished it like a medal. That experience confirmed my decision to remain in private practice.
You entered partisan politics early and became Deputy Speaker before age 34. How would you describe that phase?
I entered politics by providence, not design. As a student leader, I had been active in union politics. On returning to Ibadan, I became involved in local development advocacy, particularly the creation of Ido Local Government from Akinyele. I drafted the memo in 1988 as a young lawyer. We succeeded in 1989, operating initially with a typewriter in my chambers.
In 1992, under the Babangida regime, I was invited to contest. I spent nothing; the leaders funded everything. I was elected unopposed and later asked to step down from the speakership for zoning reasons. I accepted party supremacy without inducement.
That era taught discipline, restraint, and service. Politics was a vocation, not a profession.
As a leading figure in the APC in Oyo State, how do you assess the performance of Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration so far especially in the areas of achievements in roads, security and others?
Let me say this: I resigned from partisan politics a long time ago. Yes, I was a leader of the APC in Oyo State. I was a foundation member.
On the performance of Seyi Makinde, even the blind would see that Seyi Makinde is God-sent to us in Oyo State. I never gave him a chance; let me make that confession because I saw him as a non-starter who had never been a councillor, or a House of Assembly member and what have you. But the man surprised many of us including me in many ways. He never invited us to join him when we had crisis in the APC. We went to him, I mean we the APC members. Many may want to deny it but many of us supported him and he too acknowledged that. We assisted him and he too assisted us tremendously during the presidential election in 2023, we were together.
And as for performance, I take the area of infrastructural development as an example: you can’t beat him. Recently, I was returning to Abuja and had to pass through the Ladoke Akintola International Airport in Ibadan. Though the international terminal is still under construction, even the Luanda Airport in Angola cannot match that place. And I think Seyi Makinde has come in full blast here. Because the President gave the approval, he (Makinde) decided to change that place to an international airport. He has given it a facelift, the tarmac would match any tarmac in the world. Any aircraft including jumbo jet… The President landed there during the coronation of the Olubadan. The President’s wife landed there. The vice president landed there. And I passed through the place recently. It was a marvel to behold. There is the Circular Road in Ibadan. Just last week, a government official in Ekiti State, this fellow, a colleague of mine, said he was coming from Lagos and on getting to the Abiola Ajimobi Technical University, he saw that some vehicles were passing and he passed through the place, 30 kilometres road, fantastic road, six lanes. From there, he only burst out at a place on Ibadan-Ife Road just a few kilometres to Asejire Dam. It’s part of the 110 kilometres the man is building across Ibadan called Circular Road. Don’t forget the idea (Circular Road) was not his, it was Ladoja’s. But so many governors have come and gone, all of them were afraid to implement that agenda of Ladoja. You have to step on people’s toes. You have to take land. You need land to develop. I’ve had the opportunity of passing through that road and this man is not saying anything?
When his fellow governors came to Oyo State for a meeting, they were taken through that road. It is beautiful to behold. He has done the Circular Road successfully covering four local governments. Don’t forget that six local governments surround Ibadan metropolis: Lagelu, Egbeda, Ona Ara, Oluyole, Akinyele and Ido. Ibadan metropolis is made up of five local governments and you can travel from one end to the other still covering 80, 90 kilometres and you’re still within the metropolis. Former President Obasanjo was correct when he said about the road: ‘you would not even know where you are’. Ibadan metropolis is where you can travel 100 kilometres and you’re still within the metropolis. For instance, those living in Apata might not even see those in Moniya all their lives. They may never even pass through the place because it is a distance of over 50 kilometres. In fact, he has done all the overhead bridges, the service lanes linking the roads. I thought I knew Ibadan until I visited that place. When you visit the place yourself, you’ll appreciate what I’m saying. We took the pain to measure the thickness. That road will not need resurfacing in the next 50 years, and it was not done by the Federal Government but by the Oyo State Government.
When he said he was being criticised for taking land to build the road and said he was going to abandon the project, Dr Yemi Farounbi, wrote him a beautiful letter that was published by the Tribune. He asked him ‘Why would you abandon a good project’? He reminded him that when Chief Awolowo introduced free primary education in the early 1950s, he was criticised by many people. Awolowo was criticised so much that he even lost the following election in 1954. If you don’t send your child to school you’ll go to jail. Baba Farounbi now asked Seyi Makinde in that letter to tell us that fellow in Yorubaland who is being remembered today in every household. He wrote that nobody remembers those who opposed Awolowo then, but that there’s no day that Awolowo’s name would not be echoed in some Yoruba families. I’m a product of his free education.
There was no road linking Eleyele to Ido before now, you had to pass through Ologuneru. Ajimobi awarded the contract but it was constructed by Makinde. Today, you can get to Omi Adio and enter Eleyele without passing through Apata, Dugbe, Odo Ona. He has constructed the second largest market in Oyo State in Omi Adio. He has anticipated what would happen with the development coming from the railway station. The Polytechnic – Apete road down to Akufo was not passable until he came. Today, that road leading to Akufo now is almost completed. It has passed Apete long ago. And the man is doing Akufo to Alabata, a small town before Ijaye, which means that if you are going to Iseyin, you don’t need to pass through Apata, Dugbe, Ibadan town, Ojoo, Moniya. You just burst out at Alabata on your way to Iseyin and 25 minutes you are already in Iseyin. I never knew that there was a town called Odeyale on your way to Akanran, it is by the left, Akanran is to the right. That Circular Road demarcated it. We saw this road being constructed by this man called Seyi Makinde from his village in Ajia side. From Ona Ara to the Airport is five minutes’ drive.
Idi Ayunre to Ijebu Igbo in Ogun State is 25 minutes’ drive. To Ijebu Ode, it’s 30 minutes’ drive. That is infrastructural development. Ogbomoso to Iseyin, 78 kilometres was built from scratch by Makinde. There was no such road before, it was a virgin land.
President Tinubu sent his deputy, Senator Kashim Shettima to come and inaugurate it. It was a marvel, a beauty to behold. Today, that is the only road we are passing through Ogbomoso to Ilorin from Ibadan because the Oyo – Ogbomoso federal road is impassable even as we speak. And again, Oyo State had been crying for the construction of Oyo to Iseyin, a federal road. It was not done but when Makinde came, he did it although it took him some time to get the approval of the Federal Government. He constructed that road from Oyo to Iseyin up to Saki. That’s a federal road. And then Saki to Ogbooro, he did it.
Take a look at Ibadan metropolis. I was at the wedding ceremony of the son of Honourable Tolulope-Akande Sadipe, the Member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. She happens to be an APC member. Her son got married to the daughter of Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, a PDP chieftain, and the marriage had four governors in attendance. Also, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and Governor Dapo Abiodun were all there with Governor Makinde. Makinde was asked to stand up by the officiating priest for prayers. He said, “Those of you who came from outside, just look at the frontage of our church and see the beautiful road. That is what we’re enjoying in Ibadan. Take photograph of it and go and show it to your people back home.” I knew the preacher was sending a message to some people. That is Makinde for you.
Talking about my village Omi Adio, you cannot get a plot of land now for less than N50 million. It used to be N2,500, N5,000 and so on. The Makinde government has turned around the economy of my people. I have painted the picture for you from Oyo zone, Ogbomoso zone to Oke Ogun zone, and Ibadan on infrastructure.
The only way I can describe Makinde, to answer your question is that he’s been fantastic and the reasons are not far-fetched. Like I said, I never gave him a chance at all, initially. I later discovered that the man was a multi billionaire before he became governor. I never knew. I knew him faintly acting from Ajimobi when Ajimobi contested in 2007 against Akala.
He (Makinde) contested on the same platform with him as a senator. I never knew that the bullet-proof Toyota Sequoia vehicle we were using was from Makinde. The guy is very rich. He has a second address. I never knew that the law firm where my daughter works, was the firm of solicitors manning the legal aspect of his oil company. I never knew he was the man in charge of oil pipeline from Nigeria to Equatorial Guinea until my daughter told me. She said that this man owns this company and that they were acting for this company.
So, for Governor Makinde, I will say so far so good; he has been fantastic. My only prayer for Makinde is that he should end well and he should finish the Circular Road. If it did not get to my local government, it has not become circular. For it to be circular, it has to cover Akinyele down to Ido.
He should not just leave it in the four local governments of Oluyole, Ona Ara, Egbeda and Lagelu. The remaining local governments have to be covered. But like I did say, the Circular Road was the brainchild of Oba Rasidi Ladoja and when he set it up it was 150 metres. Some of us thought Ajimobi did the right thing by extending it to 500 metres because in order to avoid what is happening to them in Ogun State in Mowe and Ibafo which has now been turned to slums. Ogun State government said they would need up to N30 trillion to resettle the people. So if you want to avoid the Circular Road becoming a slum, you have to ensure that you create the green areas.
If you are invited to offer counsel to both Governor Seyi Makinde and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the next phase of their administrations, what key adjustments or priorities would you want them to embrace going forward?
As a rule, I don’t discuss my associates and friends in public. If I have anything to say, I say it to them privately. I don’t criticise my friends and associates in public. Whatever I have for them I will tell them in private. All I can say to them generally is for them to continue to do the good work they are doing. Asiwaju is doing a good work on Coastal Road. I passed through the road during the Christmas season. Even the naysayers, the so-called Obidients, many of them passed through the road and even created traffic logjam there. I entered the place from Oniru down to the beach… and I was in my colleague’s chambers at Alpha Beach four plots away from the Coastal Road. It is a fantastic road. I wish you go there at night you would think you’re in Tampa, Florida where we have similar road that goes to Orlando. You would not believe you are in Nigeria. Our President should just forge ahead and ignore the critics and of course, Makinde too should just forge ahead and complete the Circular Road and ignore the critics.
Nigerian Tribune