If not for the cold hands of death, the clairvoyant Oyinbo of Iwoland, Alhaji Bilaal Akanji Oyebanji Akintayo (Onseyoo) would have been a year older.
I intend to seize this anniversary of his posthumous birthday to talk about the virtue of this great man some people might not know about. I will make it very short. The details would be found in a memoir I’m writing about him, which is still in the offing.
He co-founded the defunct Social Democratic Party, SDP (Not the present-day SDP). He was asked to chair the party in Iwoland. Before then, he had held many party positions, including Organizing Secretary of NPN. He never wanted the position of SDP Chairman but was conscripted into moulding an interest. He was going to be the consensus until a certain Baba, another great man of blessed memory, was equally made to join the contest by another faction of the party.
The great Onseyo lost the fierce contest to the said man and took it in good faith. His detractors made jest of him but he never took it to his heart. He continued being a party man and never raised an eyebrow.
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A week later when it was time to fill the position of Osun West Senatorial Leader (State Vice Chairman), he was unanimously nominated for the position. Now, he would chair and pilot the affairs of 10 Local Governments, including Iwo where he had wanted to be just an LG chairman. The consensus that couldn’t work for him in the LG contest made him senatorial chairman where he sat on 10 LGs. I’ll cut the story here so I won’t delve deeper.
Fast forward to the days of PDP, he pioneered as Osun West Senatorial Leader and state vice chairman of the party after joining hands with Baba SM Afolabi, Chief Alawode 007, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun and a few other members of the Osun Team that joined leaders from other states to co-found the umbrella party, PDP.
As always, he became one of the few names everyone deferred to at the party. He helped make Governor, Senators, House of Reps members, LG chairmen, House of Assembly members, commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, Directors, etc.
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Later on, the said man, the one who won the SDP party chairmanship wanted to join the PDP after years of being a member of A.D and ACN. He had to come through Baba Onseyoo. Getting the wind of this development, party members, friends and associates started making overtures.
They began to advise Onseyoo against giving the said man a chance in the PDP, stating the old contest of SDP, the bullies and attacks that accompanied it as reasons. The great Onseyoo vehemently rejected the overtures and helped the said man join the party and conveniently settle him in the top echelon. He also nominated the man for various positions and committees.
This story mirrors one of his many virtues. He never begrudged. He would fight you, shouting at top of his voice to vent his anger and that would be the end of it. The moment he poured out his mind, he had let go!
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Death is a bitter pill that we must taste. It is a leveler that will lower everyone, no matter how highly placed or the stratum of the society you belong. The angel of death took my father, friend, teacher, and confidant, Alhaji Bilaal Akanji Akintayo Onseyoo away without notice. At the time of his death, he had Governors, Ministers, Senators, etc who were ready to pay any amount to save him but Allah said time up!
He was a ‘god’ of politics. He called shots, made premonitions and built politicians but as a clairvoyant, as he was, he never saw death coming. None of his good deeds nor the great men he helped build could save him from the cold hands of death.
Adieu Papa
Happy Posthumous Birthday to your beautiful soul and wonderful legacy. I promise to continue flying the golden flag.
May your soul rest in Al-Jannah
ONSEYOO LIVES ON
Your Dear Son,
Jubril Akintayo Onseyoo
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