Like the proverbial elephant, there are many sides to Chief Tony Anenih. From whichever side you view him, you will still come off with the deep conviction that the Iyasele of Esanland embodies the finest of principles, notably in politics and public life -- two areas in which he has excelled.
Beyond those, however, is a man who has inspired a generation of Nigerians with his exemplary personal attributes, a deep commitment to his community and humanity at large.
JACOB OKPANACHI takes a peep into the life of this enigma who at 82, continues to bestride the nation's political landscape like a colossus
On the occasion of Chief Tony Anenih’s 80th birthday in 2013, eulogies were so rampant that one newspaper columnist suggested the ovation was so loud he would consider quitting. He was wrong; Anenih did not quit, and is not showing signs of quitting the Nigerian political stage he has dominated for decades.
As he added one more year last month, he was still active on the circuit, attending the reelection campaign of Governor Seriake Dickson in Yenagoa. Earlier this month, as his ‘twin’ brother in PDP, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clarke was throwing in the towel in retirement, Anenih was busy playing various roles in mapping out strategies to return his party, the Peopes Democratic Party (PDP) to its glorious past.
Indeed many pundits say he may still lead the party on the road to rebirth and chart the course towards the national elections of 2019.
Like a good wine, the Iyasele (Prime Minister) of Esanland and immediate past Chairman, Board of Trustees of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, gets better with age. His longevity and continuing relevance in Nigerian politics has confounded many. At 82, he seems to be unaffected by the passage of time; he is still physically fit, unbent and very much mentally alert. He continues to take on the broad spectrum of political, social, economic and even international engagements as his house remains the centre of political traffic in Nigeria, with politicians of all strata and persuasions flocking in daily to seek his counsel.
He is easily the only titan who continues to remain politically relevant, among the heavyweights who ruled the Second Republic.
Humble Beginnings
Chief Anenih’s life story is the unusual grass-to-grace narrative, the crux of which was how his parents could not afford the six pounds required for his higher education and he had to, among other things, take to rubber tapping to raise funds for his education. After completing his sojourn at Eguare Primary school and Government School, Uromi, he could not proceed to Saint Thomas’ Teacher Training College, Ibusa, after passing the qualifying examination.
He had later lived up to his middle name, Akhakon, meaning “endurance” when he headed for Benin City to stay with and serve, for one year, Lance Corporal Omeben, the father of retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Christopher Omeben, who was then in Edo College, Benin City. It was the late Lance Corporal Omeben that advised and encouraged him to enlist in the Nigeria Police Force in 1951.
Born in Uromi on 4 August 1933, Anenih joined the Nigeria Police Force, attended the Police College Ikeja and underwent further training in the Bramshill Police College, Basingstoke, England in 1966 and the International Police Academy, Washington DC in 1970. He served as a police orderly to the first Governor-General of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and later worked as an instructor in various police colleges across Nigeria. He had risen in the Force to the enviable position of Commissioner of Police before he retired in 1978 to venture into private business and ultimately, politics.
His Politics
His arrival in the nation’s political landscape during the second Republic, was dramatic. As Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Bendel State, he plotted and led the political/electoral onslaught that saw his party’s candidate, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, defeat the then sitting governor, the late Professor Ambrose Alli of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Ogbemudia was to reign as governor for only three months before the military, led by a certain Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, struck.
His rising political profile was not dampened by the military overthrow of that civilian government in 1983; he played a leading role in the series of political activities to return the country to democracy. He had replicated a similar feat in the ill-fated Third Republic.
As National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party from 1992 and 1993, he was pivotal in the election of Chief MKO Abiola as president, an election that was later annulled by then military President Ibrahim Babangida. He was one of the associates of Shehu Musa Yar’adua who founded the Peoples Democratic Movement, a group that was eventually subsumed within the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and remains relevant to this day.
In all the parties he had identified with, none has been an electoral failure. Like the NPN triumphed in Bendel State in 1983, the SDP of later years swept the national polls under his leadership in 1993. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been flourishing since 1999 until the defeat of incumbent President Jonathan in the last national elections.
Political Agenda-Setter
One quality that puts Chief Tony Anenih ahead of his peers is his ability to set Nigeria's political agenda. This he has done consistently; in doing so, his pronouncements may not always be popular initially, but they have always ended up as wise counsel. This is true in every party that has been lucky to count him among its leadership, and more especially in the Peoples Democratic Party whose conscience bank he headed as Chairman of its Board of Trustees.
Chief Anenih is an asset to any political party. He epitomizes discipline and he is committed to any cause he is convinced about. His insistence that the political party he belongs to must always speak with one voice, has usually brought him against recalcitrant members but it is a principle he tenaciously holds on to. And when disagreements occur, as they usually do, many look up to him for a solution. His ability to resolve such knotty political puzzles would later earn him yet another sobriquet- “Mr. Fix It”, which the opposition elements have tried to twist negatively to demonise him.
Indeed, his return to the party’s BOT Chair in February 2013 after seven years, had presented such a challenge. The problems Anenih inherited on arrival were largely internal. The bonds that united members of the party were gravely strained and grievances among the leadership were poorly managed. Reconciliation efforts were half-hearted and not much was done to resolve the crises in almost all the state chapters of the party. All these combined to cast a shadow of doubt on the party’s unity, moreso since it alienated the governors who understandably held the aces in PDP.
The return of Anenih invoked as much excitement within the PDP as it dampened the spirit of the opposition: it was obvious that the man who earned his reputation managing crises and ensuring unity within the PDP, would not stand by and watch the party cave under the weight of unnecessary bickerings.
Within two months of his return as BOT Chairman, Anenih created the ambience for true reconciliation within the PDP, so much that its leaders, especially the governors, had their grievances assuaged to some extent. The overheated polity of the year’s early weeks had gradually given way to a more temperate climate within the PDP and Nigeria in general. It was only Anenih, resilient as ever, that had the capacity to plunge into the fray and pull the party from the brink.
Chief Anenih is not new to tough political assignments, especially for the PDP. He has always been associated with them so much that it has become second nature. Many would even swear he thrives on them. Over the years, he has shown an uncommon willingness –commitment if you like -- to take on the usually inconvenient job of ensuring that members submit to the larger interests of the party. This has defined his politics as much as it has brought him in confrontation, severally, with those who compromise. As a politician who leads by example, he maintains the dual character of a quintessential leader as well as a loyal follower, all at once.
Statesman And Philantropist
It is not only in the political parties that Anenih plays the crisis manager. As with the parties, so it has been with the country in general. The statesman in him has led Anenih to intervene in the nation’s numerous political cross-roads, each time playing commendable roles in the resolution of the problem. One of the nation’s longest-lasting actors, successive Presidents have found him dependable and his counsel invaluable.
However, Chief Anenih has paid some price for his doggedness. He fell out with President Obasanjo for daring to hold a strong view on the way the nation was going. It cost him the party’s BOT Chair which he regained only in 2013 before resigning last June. He has also had a running battle with his colleagues in the Peoples Democratic Movement, the group formed by associates of the late General Shehu Musa Yar’adua, over the secret registration of the group as a political party. His principled stand is that the decision by a few elements to register the PDM as a party was a treacherous departure from their long-standing resolution to remain a pressure group within the PDP.
Perhaps, the most prized attribute, over which Chief Anenih never compromises, is his integrity. More than anything else, he treasures his good name and would not, whether in politics or business, let it slip off. He is known to have categorically asserted severally in public that “not all politicians are corrupt.” And, he proved it on all the occasions that his records in public office were scrutinized.
When, a few years ago, the Central Bank of Nigeria got Chief Anenih’s name mixed up with the list of offending public debtors, he sought legal action and won public apology and compensatory damage from the apex bank.
A silent chapter of his life which is hardly celebrated is his philanthropy. Among countless individuals and institutions, both academic and religious, which have benefitted from his large-heartedness are: Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; the University of Benin; Igbinedion University, Okada; and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. In 2012, he endowed a multi-million naira Geriatric Centre at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, the first Geriatric Centre in Africa, to bolster the care of the aged and senior citizens. He has contributed financially to the advancement of scholarship in no fewer than six universities in the country, among other philanthropic gestures.
His Personal Attributes Drive His Politics
According to one of his aides, the secret of Aneni’s staying power may be found in two things, among other attributes: his willingness to give and give and his readiness to forgive and forgive. His almost childlike readiness to forgive his traducers who almost always come back to him, has helped the old man age gracefully.
Other glaring attributes are his resilience and his deep capacity for loyalty. Once he commits himself to a cause, he never waivers. Though he does not crave excessive media attention, the whiff of great politicians, he has for over three decades consistently influenced political outcomes in Nigeria in a seemingly unequalled manner.
Anenih is reputed for his legendary generosity and catholic conviviality. These represent the core of the humanity component of his persona.
The flow of visitors to Chief Anenih’s house is amazing by the diversity of ethnicity, race, religion and social class.
Last Line
Anenih’s life had been a testimony of selfless service given the significant contribution he had made to the development of the Nigerian nation. Like President Goodluck Jonathan captured on the occasion of his 80th birthday, Anenih is without doubt, an epitome of the noble ideals of loyalty and patriotism. “An embodiment of diligence, hard work and perseverance, he is, undoubtedly, the nation’s strongest stabilizing voice”.
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