Newly elected National Chairman of the Movement for National Reformation (MNR), Sen Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo has called on his members to ensure that restructuring becomes topical issue of national discourse and debates.
This calls is coming as Nigerians prepare to elect their leaders in February 2023, amid discontent among the citizenry in the manner the nation’s political leaders have run the affairs of the country since the return of democracy.
Adebayo made the call while delivering his acceptance speech, following his recent election as the National Chairman of the organization.
His words: “Work and stay tenacious and undistracted by political short-term gains or losses and ensure that our undertaking on restructuring can become a topical and mainstream issue in Nigeria’s politics starting from debates and discussions during the 2023 election campaign.
“In the speech, he eulogised and celebrated the memory of the founding leaders who had the foresight to start the movement, and many others who joined later, “but who, sadly are no longer with us today.
“Chief C.O. Adebayo went down memory lane stating that the founders were ‘the architect of change who set out to plant a Tree and not grass.”
He calls to mind the founding aims and objectives of the movement as: “a non-partisan, non-governmental Think-Tank whose aims and objectives are to conduct in-depth analysis of and research into, the socio-economic and political problems facing Nigeria, its ethnic nationalities and citizens and actively mobilise the people and work towards the resolution of the identified challenges.
“Work for the Convocation of a People’s National Conference (PNC) to address the National Question and for a National Referendum on the Recommendations of the Conference.”
“Propagate the ideals and practices of democracy and the promotion of a democratic culture in Nigeria. Work for the integration of the best values of indigenous cultures with the ideals and process of democracy.”
While reiterating the achievements of MNR for championing and achieving some success in these areas, he reminded the members whom he called the “Apostles of change,” that quite a lot are still left undone.
“The previous challenge was that because of her problems, Nigeria as a country was making very minimal developmental gains by the day. But today, any conscious political observer would realise that we have moved further dangerously towards a fragile state status.”
He also observed that: “The urgency and scope of Nigeria’s unfinished political liberation were aptly captured by Chief Enahoro in his remarks made at the send-off banquet organised in his honour in New York City on the 11th of November 1999.”
This, he captured by saying: “In my time, our country has been liberated from direct external rule, but the liberation of our people is as yet incomplete.
“We of the MNR believe that the next step in the true liberation of our people is the recognition and empowerment of our nationalities, the establishment of true democracy within the nationalities, and the prescription of equitable relationships between the nationalities which choose to live under one flag.
“Chief Enahoro went on to call on MNR members: “Let us dare to conceive, let us dare to contrive and strive and let us dare to hope.” Such is and that is the spirit of the MNR movement.”
Chief Adebayo further noted that “It is this realisation that has motivated this revival of the MNR with the hope that we can re-energise the vision, mobilise the manpower and the organisational capacities to catch-up with the lost time more so as the problems have worsened.”
Adebayo was the first General Secretary of the movement when it was formed in 1992, while the founders; Papas Alfred Rewane and Abraham Adesanya, Chiefs Olaniwun Ajayi, Ayo Adebanjo, Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu, Dr Olu Onagoruwa elected Chief Anthony Enahoro as its founding chairman.
National and State leaders mainly from Mid-West, South-South, South-East, joined the movement at its official launching in Benin City, Edo State of Nigeria.
Following the demise of its founding Chairman, Chief Anthony Enahoro, on December 15, 2010, the organisation became less active for some time.
A statement released by Dr Philip Idaewor, General Secretary of the organization, profiled Senator Adesanya as follows:
The Sen Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo was born on February 24, 1941 in Igbaja in Kwara State. He studied at The Provincial Sec. School, Ilorin, 1956–1961 where he got his School Certificate. He proceeded to Barewa College where he received his HSC between1962/63.
Between 1964/67, he received B.A Hons English at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and then MA at the University of Ghana between 1967/69.
He became a Lecturer at the University of Ife between1969/73, before moving to Kwara state polytechnic and becoming Head, English Dept KWARATECH 1973/75.
Chief Adebayo was Kwara state Commissioner for Education and was responsibility for launching the Universal Primary Education (UPE).
He later served as Commissioner for Information and was responsible for Kwara state contribution to FESTAC ‘77, and Commissioning of State TV.
He joined the UPN and was elected to the Nigerian Senate in 1978/83. Sen Adebayo was elected Governor of Kwara State in 1983, before Military Coup in December of that year.
He later turned down ministerial appointment by Gen. Sanni Abacha through the nomination of Chief M K O Abiola.
And when the military crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners began he was picked up in Papa Enahoro’s Sheraton Hotel Room with the Chief and Gen. Alani Akinrinade.
He was detained with Chief Enahoro for a few days in Lagos before they were later flown to Port Harcourt where Chief Enahoro was detained, and Adebayo flown to Calabar where he was in Prison for almost six months.
His release was ultimately facilitated by Chief Enahoro’s intervention when he was offered release on Gen Gowon’s and Archbishop Okogie’s intervention.
He insisted that “the young man who was arrested with me in my Hotel room in Lagos and was detained with me before we were flown out and I was detained in Port Harcourt while he was taken to Calabar prison must be released as well. You can’t release me and leave him in prison.”
In 1996, after finding that he was going to be arrested again by the same Abacha regime, he sneaked into Benin Republic, as earlier done by Chief Enahoro, later moved to Togo and finally into Cote de Ivoire where it took him almost two years to obtain Canadian Visa to enable him escape to Canada where he was selected by NADECO to establish and run a branch of NADECO-ABROAD.
He secured Canadian citizenship after four years and returned to Nigeria where he was appointed Chairman of AFENIFERE Political Committee.
General Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006, sought permission of Pa Abraham Adesanya to have Chief Adebayo join the Ahmed Joda team to help him screen his Second -term potential cabinet members. Chief Adebayo was appointed Minister of Communication by President Obasanjo.
Under his watch Nigeria became the world’s fastest growing telecom network.
In 2006, he was moved to Ministry of Works and later made Minister of Transportation covering air, land and water transportation, supervising three ministers of state. (Aviation Works and Transport).
