Celebrating a mentor: Comrade Segun Osoba, By Jibrin Ibrahim

The celebration was an exciting opportunity for reflections on his contributions to building a progressive Nigeria. Trust comrade Osoba to spoil a party. He refused to cut his birthday cake. He explained he had never celebrated his birthday nor cut a cake throughout his life and he will not change at eighty. There is nothing in a birthday he explained, it’s just another day in your life, which will end in death. We cut the cake and ate it anyway, but could not dare sing “Happy Birthday.” Comrade Osoba is best known for the minority report he and Dr. Bala Usman wrote as part of the 49 “wise men” of the Constitution Drafting Committee charged by General Murtala Mohammed to write a new constitution for Nigeria in 1975/76. I recall that as students, we had tried to launch the minority Constitution in Sabon Gari, Zaria but we were tear-gassed and beaten up by the police for supporting the “wrong” draft constitution.