PERSONAL OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR BUKOLA SARAKI, THE ELDEST SON OF MY BOSSOM FRINED, THE LATE SENATOR (DR) OLUSOLA SARAKI, FORMER LEADER OF THE 2ND REPUBLIC SENATE

My Dear Son

I believe this my unusual Open letter will not come to you as a surprise, however, whatever embarrassment or inconveniences it will cause you, I have no regret, having regard to the issue raised therein.

I read with grief the statement made by one Mr Femi Ogunsola, eldest son of late Pa Prof, Albert Ogunsola who recently passed on at the age of 90. The name Prof. Ogunsola rang bell when I remembered that my late friend and political associate and your father, Senator (Dr.) Olusola Saraki, (Waziri Ilorin), mentioned to me his desire to recommend one of the sons of Pa Prof. Ogunsola as a Minister and that his son Senator Bukola Saraki who was then the Governor of Kwara State and who was very close to the presidency, wanted another candidate. Later again, he informed me that he has agreed to support the candidate nominated by his son. This was ever before the show of shame exhibited by your own father mainly because he did support your younger sister, Senator Gbemi Saraki becoming Governor of Kwara State. 

However, after you had arrogantly triumphed and humiliated your father and your sister, and greedily seized the central seat, you even encouraged your followers to derogate and call your sister unprintable names. These were the grievances and the pains of your later father, Senator (Dr.) Olusola Saraki, the Iroko of Kwara State who visited me with about six of his supporters at my T.Y. Danjuma residence, Asokoro, Abuja after the 2011 Gubernatorial elections in Kwara State, he said he wanted to correct certain impression that has been created in the media after the 2011 election and that the Media has reported that he has settled with his son (Bukola Saraki) and I replied that I read about it. The statement was not true and that all he did was to return to PDP as a result of pressure from his well wishers and this should not be misconstrued as a reconciliation with his son, Bukola. He went further to state that he has no reason for an immediate reconciliation with his son whom he did everything for, but naked him in public. He went on to cite an instance to support his statement to me. He said one of his sons has just married in Spain and he directed that you, Bukola should not be allowed to attend the wedding ceremony in Spain. He left my house a dejected and frustrated father.

I was away in London for my Medical check-up when my good friend, Senator (Dr.) Olusola Saraki, who was my closest friend in the Second Republic passed on. I immediately phoned you from London but your Aid who answered my telephone said you were very busy with your father’s funeral ceremony. On my return to Nigeria, I sent delegation of 3 including Professor Saliba Mukoro, Prince E. K. Okojie and Chief Richard Lamai to represent me at the “40-day Fidau”. They met you, Senator Gbemi Saraki and your mother, Mrs Florence Saraki. While it is true, I have nothing to benefit from a “Thank You” from the great “Senator Bukola Saraki”, because it is normal for courtesy to return from such kind gesture for an Elder who was a friend of your father. However, it did not come to me as a surprise.

Thereafter, I phoned your mother to commiserate with her and to fix a date for me to visit her in lagos. She replied, she was planning to visit me in Abuja to appeal to me to reconcile you and your sister Gbemi, I accepted her request. Immediately I went into action and every attempt to contact you with the same telephone number with which I phoned you in London has failed for the past 9 months. I went further to contact some on the friends of your late father who were with him in the organisation known as “Northern Union” and you deliberately refused to contact me and I felt upset, dejected and sad, as you can be my biological son, and I remember many years ago when you were in Kings College, Lagos and my nephew, Engr. Ebiakpor Clark. But I did not know that other prominent Nigerians were also making serious effort to reconcile you and your sister until I read the statement by Mr. Femi Ogunsola as published in the Nation Newspaper of today (20th November, 2013) at page 57, where he lamented as reproduced hereunder:

“His late father’s only regret was his inability to reconcile Senator Bukola Saraki and his younger sister, Senator Gbemisola Saraki. The younger Ogunsola, a Commissioner representing Kwara State at the Federal Character Commission (FCC), added “I remember his last words were “what will I tell Dr. Saraki if I meet him again; if the differences between the brother and sister are not resolved.” “Even on his death bed, he said Saraki’s children are vital to the continued peace in Kwara”.

It is therefore, with great pain I join the late Professor Ogunsola to appeal to you to clampdown from your “political Throne” which you have seized from your father without his blessings and humble yourself from arrogance of power. You should remember that power belongs to God and he gives it to whom he chooses, and no one can arrogate to himself which Allah did not give to him and humility cause nothing and no matter your masquerading as a political leader of Kwara State which you believed you genuinely inherited from your father, Kwara State can never be the same again. No amount of celebration anybody makes during the 1st Anniversary of Senator (Dr.) Olusola Saraki, except such person shows remorse and openly ask for forgiveness for the wrong done to your father.

Finally,I repeat again, I have no regret in addressing this open letter to you, because what you did to the late Professor Ogunsola in refusing the 90 years old man reconcile you with your younger sister Gbemi when he was alive, may also happen to me when I am dead and I do not want my son to do like Femi Ogunsola did, and to tell the world that I regretted for not been able to reconcile Bukola and Gbemi as requested by their mother.

Once again, I appeal to you as a son, to clamp down from your high office and put your pride and arrogance aside and face the realities of life, because, your father, Ogunsola and I have seen it all.

Thank you and God bless

Yours sincerely,

SIGNED

CHIEF (DR) EDWIN KIAGBODO CLARK OFR, CON, FORMER FEDERAL MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND SENATOR IN THE 2ND REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

Culled from: Vanguard News paper of 10th December, 2013 (pg 51)