Baba Aye's

May 31st is a day of utmost significance to me, in my personal and political life. And the two days of May 31st that defined me in fundamental ways were in the consecutive years of 1988 and 1989: when I welcomed a brother into my life, and when the events that would shape my political and ideological trajectory for life occurred. Ibukun means Blessing I had grown up for almost seventeen years as the only son. I have four lovely sisters who are dear to me. However, I always longed for a brother for many years. I was doing my A levels at Anwar Ul Islam College Agege in 1987 when my mom became pregnant. By then, it didn’t seem to matter, though somewhere in my heart, I prayed the baby would be a boy like me at last. Momsie's water broke just as I was getting ready for school. Dad dropped me at the Iyana Ipaja bus stop as he took my mom to the same hospital I was born years back. On arriving back home in the evening, I got the news that mo ti r’énikéjì. To say I was elated would ...

The Great Anti-SAP Revolts and thereinafter 1989 was one of those years that represent a turning point in history. A wind of mass anger threw away authoritarian regimes behind the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe, students took over Tiananmen Square in China, the Berlin Wall fell paving the way towards German re-unification. And in Nigeria, there was a mass upsurge like none other since 1 October 1960. This was a revolt against the structural adjustment programme and the legendary spate of corruption of the General Ibrahim Babangida-led junta, in the midst of rising poverty. From 24 May, all hell was let loose for almost two weeks. Students ignited a wildfire of action, with the first spark struck at Benin, where Uniben students took to the streets. This immediately spread to Ibadan and then Ilorin, where activist students mobilised thousands of students from UI and Unilorin (and Kwara Poly) respectively on to the streets. They were joined in no time by other angry youths. Ea...