This tribute is an update of my tribute ten years ago when I first wrote it in celebrating Chief Amitolu Shittu at 50.
It is difficult to believe that ten good years have rolled by!
I am happy to celebrate Chief Amitolu Shittu at 60 and without regretting what I had written about him 10 years ago. This brings to light another striking attribute of the celebrant – the consistency of Chief Amitolu Shittu as a good man, as a man of honour, as a man of principles, and as a credible personality.
The life of Chief Amitolu Shittu has been a life of service to humanity without any expectation of material gains.
Chief Amitolu Shittu was appointed the Director-General of the Osun State Security Network Agency code named Amotekun under the regime of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola. In fact, he was the Pioneer Director-General. His role was not limited to administrative matters in an airconditioned office. Even though he was not appointed to undertake field activities, he voluntarily became the Field Commander of AMOTEKUN CORPS. In that capacity, he led field operations, which put his life in serious jeopardy. Chief Amitolu Shittu fought all sorts of life-threatening battles with all sorts of perpetrators of crimes, including cultism, rape, armed robbery, ritual killings, ‘yahoo-yahoo’, all bordering on insecurity. He had cause to interact with security officers some of whom actively supported his work professionally while others who had been benefitting from collaborating with crime perpetrators, went to the extent of instigating unemployed dregs of the society to attack his private house, which put his family members under threat. Police officers who allowed yahoo-yahoo boys and other criminals to organise their birthday celebrations saw the work of Amotekun under Amitolu Shittu as a threat to their continued monumental disservice to society.
Chief Amitolu Shittu will be a suitable leader in a sane society governed by people who have the welfare of ordinary people at heart. Currently, society is ruled, predominantly, by people who use public office in conspiracy against the welfare interests of ordinary people. They use state power to benefit themselves, buying jets, yachts and their unelected first ladies donating billions of Naira in vain self-glorification without linking such donations to any productive factories they have other than looting public treasury. Resources that ought to be used to establish public enterprises and to create employment, are being wasted in corruption. They use state power to impose renewed hardship misnamed “renewed hope”, removing subsidy on fuel, increasing fuel price, devaluing the national currency, and subjecting survival of ordinary people to great risk. Fela sang of “suffering and smiling” in the past. Today, it is “suffering and dying” for the masses. The manufacturers of the ills, crimes and criminals that Chief Amitolu Shittu fought as the head and Field Commander of Amotekun Corps are the anti-people politicians in power. The corrupt segments of the politicians in power are the criminals that the Amotekun Corps should actually direct their energies because they are the real source of the crimes and criminals in society. Unless the source of that river is removed, crimes and criminals will continue to multiply. Thousands may be arrested and prosecuted daily till eternity. If the real criminals, vagabonds, yahoo-yahoo, drug barons in power at various levels of governance in society are not brought to justice, all the brilliant, courageous and gallantry efforts of outfits like the Amotekun Corps will appear as a drop in the ocean, giving the impression that nothing has been done.
One thing I am certain about is that it will be impossible for anyone to sustain any accusation of corruption against Chief Amitolu Shittu. It therefore gives me a rare privilege and joy to celebrate Chief Amitolu Shittu at 60.
I cannot remember precisely when I first became aware of the existence of Chief Amitolu Shittu. All I can remember is that Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu is an inspiring self-made human rights activist. Though we became close with the formation of National Conscience, NC, which later transformed into National Conscience Party, NCP, in October 1994 under the indomitable leadership of the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu had been crusading for a better society on his own long before NC/NCP came into existence. Indeed, it was the rare courage and leadership, which he (along with Alhaji Lawal) supplied the broad opposition movement in Osogbo axis that appealed to other forces that joined the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi in the NC/NCP.
Under military dictatorship, Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu and his colleagues in the Osogbo axis constituted a force that the military had to reckon with in any policy, action or inaction they were going to adopt or take. Chief Amitolu Shittu is, undoubtedly, from that point of view, a veteran of many courageous battles in resisting the military and in the defence of human rights. No anti-military dictatorship and pro-democracy activities took place without the inputs and direct participation of Chief Amitolu Shittu, at least, when we refer to activities around the leadership of the foremost human rights attorney and activist, the irrepressible Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. That is why the life of Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu is worth celebrating. When we consider the several detentions under brutal conditions and torture which Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu went through under the military and the risks and actual attacks he faced as Field Commander of Amotekun Corps in Osun State, no one could imagine that he would be alive to mark his 60th birthday. Indeed, I consider it one of the miracles of life that Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu is alive today, hale and hearty.
For Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu, his dream, goal and purpose in life is the defence of human rights. Any regime, military or civilian that violates human rights can predict that resistance will come from Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu. That was why, for example in 2001, on Saturday, February 17, he, along with others such as Dr. Olowogboyega Oyebade and Alhaji Waheed Lawal, organized an open mass rally against the anti-worker policies of Chief Bisi Akande, the then Governor of Osun State who sacked thousands of workers. Even though the then Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, threatened publicly, in official statements published in newspapers that any anti-government protesters in that particular rally should be dealt with ‘ruthlessly’, Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu dared the civilian regime and their armed mad dogs deployed to repress one of the unprecedented peaceful mass rallies organized by radical and progressive forces on February 17, 2001 under the leadership of Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu. Some of us, including the elderly but committed Profs. Toye Olorode and Idowu Awopetu, were invited to address the rally. In the course of the rally, Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu, myself and several others were arrested and detained at State Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.), Aiyetoro, Osogbo. The brutalization I experienced on that day was unprecedented in all my years of activism. I thought the end had come. We were asked to lie on the bare ground under the scotching sun. I resisted, saying “over my dead body; not even under military dictatorship did anyone ever asked me to lie down on bare ground under the scotching sun!” My resistance was met with vicious brutalization. Several policemen descended on me, pushing me one to another, beating and hitting me with the butt of the gun. Poisonous teargas in a handheld container was applied directly in our eyes and noses. That was just an example that could scare an average person from involvement in human rights activism. But such experiences never deterred Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu. Rather, his enthusiasm to commit his life to the service of public interest continued to be fired.
One critical characteristic of Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu is that he uses his own sweat, his own funds, to sponsor his human rights activities. He does not depend on external funding, nationally or internationally. In other words, he does not belong to the category of people whose activism is nurtured from Government Houses and who defend only the rights of prominent politicians.
One other key feature of Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu is that he is an unparalleled ‘organiser’ of people. I recall that the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi used to refer to him as ‘International Organiser”. He earned this title, not only in the organizational acumen he displayed in the NCP but also during the many scholarship programmes the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi organized in different parts of Nigeria outside the South West. Where difficult and challenging organizational issues were concerned, the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi saw in Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu, a great and rare asset. He does not fail in whatever he sets his mind to achieve!
Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu is a great thinker, mobiliser and orator. He has the capacity, through inspiring speeches and analysis, to practically wake up the dead from their graves to resist injustice.
Yet, Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu is reliable. His reliability makes many to believe in him and join forces with him in his endeavours in defence of public interests. This is another virtue that may explain the successes of Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu as a crusader for justice as opposed to others who may be categorized as “human rice -not rights- entrepreneurs”.
Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu is a principled man. When he realized that his position as Deputy National Chairman, South West of the National Conscience Party, NCP, might not be compatible with the position of Coordinator of De Raufs, he resigned his position in the NCP with the explanation that he was going on sabbatical. To me, this is a principled position, which is better than the attitude of many others who would continue to pretend that they are still in an organization when, in reality, their being has deserted the organization. I respect Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu for being fearless and principled.
I congratulate my younger but ‘twin brother’ who continues to be mistaken for me in several public places on the account of our shared common outlook and bearded appearance. I congratulate the orator, the organizer, a man with the courage of a lion! As the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi prayed for me when I attained the age of fifty several years ago, May you, Alhaji Chief Amitolu Shittu, continue to have the grace, the resources that would enable you to walk the golden path of honour, credibility and respectability!
Comrade Aborisade, is a human rights activist, lawyer and retired lecturer.
