Who are the people seeking to be president of Nigeria? We know their “credentials” for what
they’re worth, we know about their public faces and what they present to the world. But who
are they on a human level? Do they pass the have-a-drink-with test or should they even
have to pass it? What are some of their childhood memories?
Omoyele Sowore has a reputation as a media and political agitator, so his responses show a
different side to him. In the end, we all bleed red.
We hope our 21 questions tell you more about the candidates than any town hall or
manifesto ever will. The responses are only lightly edited for clarity.
1. What is your earliest childhood memory?
Traveling on a dug out canoe with my dad to a school where he was a teacher. We would travel for 12 hours into the dead of the night, deep into the Niger Delta area. One night our canoe was caught by a fishing net, we thought it was some river goddess, I thought it was the end.
2. Who was your best friend in primary school?
A guy named “Bebeyo” from Arogbo town in southern part of Ondo state and a pretty Urhobo girl nicknamed ‘Babie’ she was older but I think she liked my ginger hair.
3. Which music record would you save in a fire and why?
Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s ‘Zombie’ I was enthralled by his sheer audacity to sing about soldiers.
4. What item would you save in a fire and why?
A cowrie shell.
5. What is your favourite food?
A cassava meal known as “Pupuru” and Marugbo soup I used to eat them all day long without getting tired.
6. Where are you happiest?
Near water, any form of BODY of water. I also love the sound of rain, it makes me happy.
7. What trait do you most admire in others?
Liberalism or what you’d call simplicity. I am no fan of complex people. I like happy-go-lucky people.
8. What trait do you hope others admire in you?
I think I want people to understand that I am the same person at all times and that they discover I am actually a shy person. And I could be very laid back and intense at the same time.
But you know, you could only assume what people think of you, sometimes you never know. So, I am careful not to take what people tell me on the surface.
9. Who is your Nigerian political hero and why?
Chief Obafemi Awolowo, because I benefited from his free education policy. I am also a big fan of Chinua Achebe, Femi Falana and Wole Soyinka for more reasons than just for politics.
10. Who is your non-Nigerian political hero and why?
Nelson Mandela because I like his company whenever I am detained and kept in solitary confinement. I find myself talking to him.
11. How has climate change affected your community?
A fresh water lake beside my village polluted and species of fish extinct. I blame climate change for those fishes I can’t find no more.
12. What was the last interesting book(s) you read?
Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria’s Military Coup Culture (1966-1976) by Max Siollun, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson, and Permanent Record by Edward Snowden.
13. Should daughters have the same inheritance rights as sons?
Yes, but I worry for my kids, I don’t think there is any thing they’d inherit from me, materially.
14. What do you do to relax?
Sleep! It is the first thing I try to do when I get into trouble.
15. If you weren’t a politician what would you like to have done?
I like teaching. I taught in the US for 8 years or so, US students are typically unruly but once they get in the elevator with me, they behave themselves.
16. Are the arts (music/drama/art/philosophy etc) as important as science?
Science and arts are interrelated. Science defines art and Arts promotes science. I don’t see how they are different. Isn’t it Science fiction (Sci-Fi) one of the best futuristic movie genres?
17. Do you tell people you love that you love them or is that too Western?
I still find it difficult to hug people in Nigeria. I think I prefer the body language way of expressing love, if I love someone they’ll know. I’ll be acting like a hovering craft, you ask my wife.
18. What have you learned from your children?
I learnt from them that they pay attention to me more than I think. My daughter is very expressive and loves validation. My son is very philosophical.
19. What would you like to be remembered for?
I don’t bother about anything I won’t know about, if I am gone, as in death, it won’t matter what people think of me. I care more about how much I could do while I am here.
Reason I hate awards.
20. Are you the life and soul of the party?
I used to be, people used to wait for me to arrive and kick off parties, I could be funny and a low key social butterfly but I am quick to retract.I could be a loner.
21. What is a phrase in your native language that captures its beauty and what does it mean?
Ajeji E Gbule Ren!
Meaning: You can’t take your home with you anywhere you go.. I think it also means that “ East or West, home is the best!”
Omoyele Sowore is presidential candidate for the African Action Congress party, and founder and publisher of Sahara Reporters. He tweets at @YeleSowore.
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