Tai Solarin, Darkness, Curses, and Candles
Nigeria hardly celebrates deserving heroes. In fact, the whole idea of a “prophet without honour in her/his own home” until they are recognised beyond our shores which then prompts us to lay claim to them as ours is not new but as the man we celebrate — again — today suggested through his life, actions and investment in humanity, the real focus should be less on special heroes that we reserve our worship for, and more on making every citizen a “hero” in their own rights. We must democratise heroism so that the next generation can be spoilt for heroic choices, unlike the present situation.
Tai Solarin was a hero that made other citizens aspire to be daily heroes. From his investment in educating a new generation of heroes — and I do know some — to his attitude of remaining humble in the midst of accolade, this presenting himself as an ordinary citizen, he demonstrated the need for everyone to stop looking for heroes to adore and settle to the task of being the heroes for their own country. In saying he remained humble, I refer to Tai Solarin’s simplicity — and not just in dressing. He believed in delayed gratification. His simple lifestyle was, and is, not a condemnation of comfort but a pointer to the need for us to move away from the status-based culture that is at the root of corruption and incompetence in our country today.
Well, corruption is not our only problem; we seem to have them in abundance. And Tai Solarin knew that, which was why when there was wrong, not only did he point it out, he cursed the darkness until it had enough light shining on it. Stories of how he dumped a dead body at the doorstep of the Minister of Health highlights the need to call out sub-par performance, and even shame government into action if necessary. Allow me to quote from an August 3 1994 obituary written by Kayode Soyinka for the UK’s Independent newspaper:
“Solarin had an immense capacity to shock and to inspire, especially when, in the mid-1970s, he decided to do something about the dead bodies which were often abandoned for days on Nigerian roads. He warned the Nigerian police that if they refused to collect the bodies he would do so himself. He carried out the threat one day when he collected a body that had been lying for days on a main street in Ibadan. Solarin brought a coffin, poured disinfectant on the body, put it inside the coffin and drove it to the Government Secretariat in Ibadan, and left it at the front door of the office of the Minister of Health. He then left to leak the story to the local newspaper.”
He did not stop at cursing the darkness but also lit candles. The easiest job is that of the critic but the citizen that chooses to go the extra mile immortalises Tai Solarin and every other hero that lived as an example of what Nigeria needs to become a better nation. When people ask me why I do what I do, my response is simple: I was denied access to computers as an opinionated 13 year-old, so it is only natural that I now work to make sure that every under-served young person does not face that kind of embarrassment but that they learn and use the knowledge to improve their lives, and of their families’. The work of education, that our government has not demonstrated a unique expertise of, is for all of us.
Education was something Tai Solarin focused on a lot. He was critical of what we now know to be our (dis)education system but was also independent enough to agree with state governments that took over missionary schools. He also did set up institutions to showcase models. Education is not just about classrooms but about each citizen that knows what is possible to go the extra mile in making sure that others are connected, mentored and allowed to soar. There would be no ‘Gbenga Sesan without Titi Omo-Ettu, for example, so every young person whose life is transformed by Paradigm Initiative has him to thank for providing a platform for a long-held dream. His bet is now paying off, if I may say so myself, and I doff my hat. Again.
The curses of education and youth unemployment continue, unfortunately, and the candle is also being lit. From Aba to Ajegunle and Dakata, and new locations across secondary schools, etc., Paradigm Initiative is acting out Tai Solarin’s principles. Also, as unpopular — and ahead of its time — as the advocacy for digital rights may be, the same principle applies. When government hurts rights, we curse through the court and plain old naming-and-shaming. We do not stop there: we train, discuss and even drafted a bill for digital rights. We curse the darkness and light candles because, really, we can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Let me end this by reminding us that Tai Solarin did not identify as an activist, so change in Nigeria cannot be about a few active citizens like Tai Solarin or Ken Saro-Wiwa that we can outsource our fights to. It is about each citizen owning the space they understand and will monitor for delivery, progress and much more. I have decided that Digital Inclusion and Digital Rights form the core of my life’s work so any darkness in those areas will be duly cursed while my excellent team and I do the work of lighting candles to eliminate various forms of darkness.
Nigeria is in transition and there are problems that require emergency-like solutions. We need citizen-heroes to extend the legacy of men like Tai Solarin, and while we know that the road will be rough, we will enjoy the therapeutic and cautionary effects of cursing the darkness while also putting in place long-lasting solutions by lighting candles.
*This speech was delivered at the 2017 Tai Solarin Memorial lecture in Yaba, Lagos, on July 27, 2017
