<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Oladele Ogunsola<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof. Aderemi Abass Adedibu, the eldest son of the late strongman of Ibadan politics, High Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Akanji Adedibu, needs little introduction to anyone who knew the late \u201cAlaafin Molete.\u201d At first glance, the resemblance between father and son is striking. Yet that is where the similarity largely ends.
Unlike his father, who was renowned for his boisterous style and commanding presence in politics, the academic giant is quiet, reserved and deeply reflective.
Unassuming yet self-confident, Prof. Adedibu believes that if he can achieve his goals on his own merit, there is no need to parade his father\u2019s influence like a badge of honour. In this encounter with our reporter, Oladele Ogunsola, he speaks about carving his own path outside his father\u2019s political shadow, the values that shaped him, and other issues concerning the Adedibu family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Scandal-Free Family After Their Father\u2019s Death<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou hardly read any negative story about our family in either the traditional or social media almost 18 years after our father\u2019s death. That is because we do not practice dictatorship within the family.
\u201cIn many families, the execution of the will of such a prominent figure often leads to disputes. But that has never happened in ours. At the time of our father\u2019s death in 2008, we were 19 children. Sadly, we have since lost four siblings, but none of us considers the other inconsequential. That is why there is harmony among us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Living a Modest Life Outside His Father\u2019s Influence<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI realised very early in life that whatever position or stature my father attained would not last forever. It would only be for a moment. I therefore asked myself: what would become of me when his reign ended?
\u201cInterestingly, my father never indulged any of us. He ensured we went to school and did everything within his power to help us pursue our dreams. Along the way, I discovered that I had the capacity to achieve whatever I set out to achieve on my own.
\u201cSo, if I could become whatever I wanted without relying on the badge of his influence, why should I bother? My modest lifestyle is simply my nature. As they say, empty barrels make the loudest noise. The path I chose demands focus and concentration, not the boisterous style many people expected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His Aversion to Active Politics<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you mean full-time involvement in politics the way my father practised it, then yes, I am averse to politics. But if you mean being politically conscious, then no, I am not.
\u201cAt the moment, I hold a political appointment as a member of the pioneer Governing Council of Emmanuel Alayande University of Education in Oyo State.
\u201cBut having witnessed my father\u2019s experience in politics before the glamour, influence and popularity came, I was never fascinated by it. When people later started chanting his name across the state and beyond, I often shook my head because they were seeing the glamour, not the struggles he endured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Travails Before the Glamour<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy father did not begin politics during the SDP\/NRC era of the early 1990s when he eventually blossomed, especially during the presidential bid of the late Chief MKO Abiola under the Social Democratic Party (SDP). That was when the glamour and influence became visible until his death in 2008.
\u201cBut what about the years before that?
\u201cIn the 1964 elections, he contested under the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA). His aim was to use the platform to work for the release of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was then serving a 10-year prison sentence for treasonable felony.
\u201cHe lost the election. The painful part was that he had borrowed the money he used for the campaign. Worse still, he had told the lender the money was meant for my school fees. In the end, he lost the election and could not pay my fees.
\u201cFor some time, he had to go into hiding from creditors in a secluded section of our old house before he later built the famous Molete residence. Only a few family members knew where he was hiding then. At that time, nobody knew him as the \u2018strongman of Ibadan politics.\u2019\u201d
Prof. Adedibu recalls another incident when his father was put in charge of coordinating pilgrims for Hajj.
\u201cThe man he sent to Kano to process travel arrangements lost the pilgrims\u2019 passports and the funds. While that crisis was unfolding, my admission letter to study in the United States arrived.
\u201cI informed my father around 8 p.m. Barely two hours later, security agents arrived and arrested him over the Hajj issue. He was detained alongside Alhaji Dantata, the grandfather of Aliko Dangote.
\u201cDespite his predicament, he still found a way to raise money for my trip abroad. Having witnessed such experiences, I never saw politics as my own calling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shoes Too Big to Fill<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople say we are born equal but not equally talented. My father was naturally a welfarist from childhood. As a schoolboy, he often took his friends to his mother\u2019s house to feed them.
\u201cSo when he later practised what people called \u2018amala politics,\u2019 it did not start suddenly; it had always been part of his character.
\u201cIf he believed you had the potential to win an election, he would support you wholeheartedly. From contracts and patronage he received, he would fund candidates and distribute resources openly among his followers.
\u201cHe was also a philanthropist who supported people beyond his political circle. Now ask yourself: where is the politician today with all these attributes? The shoes he left behind are simply too big for anyone to fill.\u201d
Products of the Molete Political School
\u201cMy father had many political prot\u00e9g\u00e9s who attended what people called the \u2018Molete political school.\u2019 But attending a school is one thing; graduating from it is another.
\u201cIn his days, he would never support someone to win an election only for that person to abandon the same people who voted for him. If complaints reached him, he would call such a person to order.
\u201cIf today\u2019s leaders truly cared about the welfare of the people, things would not be this difficult in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Few Political Loyalists Still Close to the Family<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMany of his political associates have gone their separate ways. But three people still remain very close to the family: Ambassador Taofeek Oladejo Arapaja, Hon. Aderemi Ayodele, and Hon. Akeem Ige.
\u201cThey are not just political associates; they are part of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Omission of Adedibu\u2019s Name from Oyo @ 50 Honours<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, my father\u2019s name was conspicuously omitted from the list of awardees at the Oyo @ 50 celebration. I considered it unfair and brought it to the attention of the planning committee chairman, Hon. Saheed Fijabi.
\u201cSadly, it wasn\u2019t only my father\u2019s name that was omitted. Other Ibadan giants such as the late Chief Augustus Meredith Adisa Akinloye and the late Chief Richard Akinjide, SAN, were also excluded.
\u201cHowever, my concern was my father\u2019s legacy. I know what to do to ensure he receives the recognition he deserves, but I will not discuss that in the newspapers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nigeria\u2019s Faulty Educational Policies<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs an educationist who spent his career in the system, I believe Nigeria is often too quick to adopt foreign ideas without considering whether they suit our environment.
\u201cA good example is the 6-3-3-4 education system. It was actually a local policy from a county in the United States\u2014equivalent to our local government\u2014not even a statewide policy.
\u201cIt had existed since about 1846 without being adopted widely even within the U.S. Yet Nigeria imported it wholesale and imposed it nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Continuous Assessment and Nepotism<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fear of abuse is understandable, but Nigerians appreciate transparency when they see it. The key is proper orientation and appointing people based on merit.
\u201cAnyone who lobbied for a job will always be afraid of losing it and may compromise standards.\u201d
He recalls an incident during his time as National Coordinator of the Junior Engineers, Technologists and Scientists (JETS) programme in the Federal Ministry of Education.
\u201cA powerful politician tried to smuggle his school into the national competition list. I disqualified the school because it did not qualify.
\u201cHe reported the matter to the Minister of Education, but I stood my ground. Two weeks later, the same man met me and said, \u2018You are the type of person Nigeria needs.\u2019 That is the confidence merit gives you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Man, Aderemi Adedibu<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof. Aderemi Adedibu was born in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State to the late High Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Akanji Adedibu and Alhaja Misitura Aduke Ajitoni Adedibu.
He attended Children\u2019s Home School, Ibara, Abeokuta, for his primary education and Ibadan Grammar School, Molete, for his secondary education.
He later moved to the United States, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from Indiana University\u2013Purdue University, Indianapolis. He obtained a Master\u2019s degree in Educational Psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington.
Prof. Adedibu went on to earn multiple doctoral degrees: a PhD in Religious Education (1980), a PhD in Chemistry Education (1981), both from Indiana Christian University, and later a PhD in Public Administration from Columbia State University in 2009.
A licensed teacher in the State of Indiana, he worked as a toxicologist at Wizard Memorial Hospital and as Chief Chemist with the Indiana State Board of Health between 1976 and 1981.
He later served in several key academic and administrative roles in Nigeria, including Registrar and Dean at the Federal College of Education, Kontagora, and pioneer Registrar at the Federal College of Education, Obudu.
Prof. Adedibu retired from the Federal Ministry of Education in 2013 after decades of service and has since devoted his time to mentoring young Nigerians through science and technology initiatives.
Married and blessed with children, he continues to contribute to education and youth development while maintaining the quiet, disciplined life he chose long ago\u2014far from the political spotlight that once surrounded his famous father.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Oladele Ogunsola Prof. Aderemi Abass Adedibu, the eldest son of the late strongman of Ibadan politics, High Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Akanji Adedibu, needs little introduction to anyone who knew the late \u201cAlaafin Molete.\u201d At first glance, the resemblance between father and son is striking. Yet that is where the similarity largely ends.Unlike his father, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mlcqvjhyzqda.i.optimole.com\/cb:UNMm.7bb\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/frontlinenewsng.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260306-WA0007.jpg?fit=810%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4166,"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4165\/revisions\/4166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frontlinenewsng.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}