This piece is a review of ‘My Participations’, an autobiography of former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress and former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, by Professor Ayobami Kehinde of the Department of English, University of Ibadan.
My Participations: An Autobiography’ is a thirty-six-chapter encyclopaedic autobiographical account of Chief Bisi Akande which is ingeniously arranged in four sections. In this historical and intellectual treatise, Chief Bisi Akande historicises his evolution, involvement and active participation in the Nigerian project. Though a personal and private encounter, the chronicle touches on public icons and affairs that have had direct influences on the formation of his character and personality. The foreword titled ‘The Man who Looks History in the Face’, written by the literary giant, the Nobel Laureate, Kongi himself, Professor Emeritus Wole Soyinka, foregrounds the author’s impeccable character, political quintessence and historical consciousness. As a narrative that exhumes many sensitive subjects that many would prefer to allow to lie in their graves, it is bound to generate several responses, especially by those whose ugly praxes and past are fearlessly disentombed in the book.
Section I of the book comprises eight chapters. Chapter One narrates the emergence of Chief Bisi Akande as a national politician from his rural base, Ila-Orangun. Entitled ‘Ancient and Modern’, Chapter Two contrasts the indices of the ancient and the modern in Ila-Orangun. It does a nuanced description of the author’s hometown and its environs. The serenity of the ancient town, the religiousness of its inhabitants, its organisation into compounds, its historical connection to Ile-Ife and the influences of the internecine wars on its development are underscored. As typical of pedigreed chroniclers, Chief Akande infuses Ila-Orangun in the colonial history of Nigeria by exploring the activities of the colonial masters and diverse reactions to them.
Having examined the history of his birthplace in Chapter Two, Chapter Three chronicles the humble family background of the author. The author also describes the communal and happy life he enjoyed while growing up until his father’s conversion to Islam…
In Chapter Four, Akande explains some earth-shattering events in his life. In Chapter Four, Akande presents some major challenges with which he was confronted after the sudden death of his mother.
Titled ‘Exile and Years of Preparation’, Chapter Six chronicles some major historical happenings that affected Ila, the Yoruba nation and Nigeria… The author also addresses political factions and turbulence which led to his exile. Awolowo’s political and life challenges are represented, including his trial for treasonable felony and the death of his son, Olusegun.
In Chapter Seven, Akande recounts his ‘Road to Politics’. Chapter Eight has the title, ‘Old Foes, New Friends’ and it is centred on Akande’s providential meeting with Chief Awolowo and his consistent participation in the activities of the Awolowo group. Akande also spreads his historical lens to cover political practices in various places in the Old Oyo State.
Section II begins with Chapter Nine which is titled ‘The Turning Point’. Here, the author relays a major turning-point in his political career. Chapter Ten, with the title, ‘Baptism of Fire’, unfolds the naivety of Akande about the salient modus operandi of politicians and some bitter lessons he had to learn from the home front in Ila-Orangun.
Furthermore, the classic role of Chief Bola Ige in transforming Oyo State is given adequate attention in Chapter Eleven: ‘Ige, The Master Builder’. In Chapter Twelve, the chronicler examines the activities of some politicians who were doggedly plotting against Bola Ige. Chapter Thirteen highlights the formation of the Bola Re-Nomination Group (BREG), under the chairmanship of Chief Akande, with the sole aim of recruiting loyalists and dividing the state into zones.
Section III of this autobiography begins with Chapter Fourteen titled, ‘A Journey into the Dark Alley’. Akande recollects the dawn of political darkness after the loss of the 1983 governorship election in Oyo State. During this dark alley in the political history of Nigeria, many politicians were trailed, arrested and detained, including this autobiographer himself. The Agodi Prison became a place of reunion for Akande and many of his colleagues in the UPN. Undeniably, the period was known for a draconian system of government.
In Chapter Fifteen, tagged ‘Agents of the Night’, the author narrates his ordeal at the Agodi Prison. As a selfless and socially committed political icon, Akande reveals that he gained nothing materially for occupying public offices for good four years. Akande does not fail to mention some important characters that played major roles in his life, especially during his detention years. Titled ‘Where is the Way to my House’, Chapter Sixteen of ‘My Participations’ documents the release of Akande and other political detainees from prison.
Chapter Seventeen alludes to the eternal exodus of Chief Obafemi Awolowo which occurred on May 9, 1987 at the age of 78 and the birth of another political party (Peoples’ Solidarity Party), which later got subsumed under the Social Democratic Party (SDP). It also relays what led to the emergence of Afenifere. In Chapter Eighteen captioned ‘The Road to Power’, Akande vividly describes some privatist and public issues that culminated in his emergence as the governor of Osun State.
In Chapter Twenty-one which has the heading ‘Mud-Wrestling with the Unions’, the author relates his many struggles with the labour unions in the state occasioned by an increment of workers’ salaries… The rest of the chapter discusses the various steps taken to weather the storm.
Chief Akande further buttresses his strained relationship with his deputy, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, in Chapter Twenty-two.
As of the time Akande received the mantle of leadership as the governor of Osun State, the Ile-Ife-Modakeke crisis had assumed another dimension. This forms the meat of Chapter Twenty-four titled ‘An All-Out War’.
Replete with mourning mood and funereal atmosphere, Chapter Twenty-five, captioned ‘Death of Bola Ige’, digs into the unfortunate death of Bola Ige, the ensuing blames and counter-blames, the lackadaisical attitude of the Presidency toward the arrest of the assassins, and the final funeral rites for the late political icon.
Chapter Twenty-six has the title ‘Dinner with the Devil’. The author describes the fiendish hand of fellowship extended to the AD by President Olusegun Obasanjo. It is revealed that both Obasanjo and Ige had been friends for many years. Obasanjo is, however, depicted as a ‘relentless foe’ of Ige whom Ige would always want to dodge. Obasanjo is, therefore, represented as a villain to the heroic Bola Ige. ‘The Day After’ – Chapter Twenty-seven – recounts the political intrigues that led to the unseating of Akande as the governor of Osun State. Akande relays how he came across Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola who took over from him. Oyinlola’s military background is also delved into…
The last segment of the book, Section IV, contains Chapters Twenty-nine to Thirty-six and the Appendix. Chapter Twenty-nine, with the title ‘The Transformation of AD’, chronicles how the autobiographer was persuaded to accept to become the National Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy, his reluctance and eventual emergence as the chairman of the party. Moreover, Akande foregrounds the consequential role of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was the only AD governor in Nigeria by 2004, and other three former AD governors in making sure that the AD came out strong. Tinubu’s political erudition is vividly described. Akande explains the wilderness experience of his party in Chapter Thirty, under the title ‘In the Wilderness’…
Laden with a jeremiad tone, Chapter Thirty-one, titled ‘Unto Us a Child Is Born’, details the decadent and messy situation of the country under the rule of the PDP… Entitled ‘The Great Merger’, Chapter Thirty-two shows the contribution of Malam Yusuf Alli, who was the National Chairman of the ANPP under which Muhammadu Buhari had contested twice, to the reconciliation of Buhari and Bola Tinubu. The subsequent emergence of Akande as the Chairman of the National Interim Executive Committee of APC and the acrimonious disputations between the ANPP and the CPC about where the national secretary should come from are also critically treated.
Chapter Thirty-three is a narrativisation of the excitements that greeted the registration of the APC among the political elite. Considering his political relevance and instrumentality in the birth of a new Nigeria, Akande dedicates Chapter Thirty-four, ‘Tinubu, the Strategic Thinker’, to eulogise the tactical thoughtfulness of Tinubu. Tinubu is portrayed as a forethoughtful and farsighted individual.
As a family man, Akande does not joke with his family. He quite appreciates the contributions of his dear wife to his success, achievement and survival. Thus, Chapter Thirty-six, captioned, ‘My Guardian Angel’, is devoted to the autobiographer’s wife. Omowumi is portrayed as a courageous, supportive, loyal, loving and persevering woman without whom Akande might not have succeeded.
In the main, this recollection of events and happenings in the life of an African political giant is a by-product of a vision to create a strong awareness and understanding of the enabling contexts of Nigeria’s political history and landscape. What emerges from the thirty-six chapters, therefore, is that vigorous and lively debates and discussions are taking place on the African continent among politicians and seasoned administrators. In this historicisation of Akande’s participation in the political affairs of his fatherland, Akande deploys vivid descriptions in his elucidatory explanation of the issues chronicled in the treatise. This narrative technique enhances the truthfulness, comprehensibility and lucidity of the autobiography. The writer generously offers illustrative details to the narrative.
The language of the book is simple which strongly contributes to its lucidity by the reader. There are also instances of code-mixing and code-switching in the narrative. These sociolinguistic markers index the immediate sociological contexts of the narratives and confer discursive fluidity on the narratives. The accuracy of events captured in this encyclopaedic autobiographical account is foregrounded by the author’s historical consciousness. Even though he is a trained accountant, Akande has equally proven to be a good historian. His journalisation of historical facts marks a distinctive memory.
Moreover, the use of pictorial representations of momentous events in the life of Chief Akande convincingly lends credence to the veracity of the testimony of his participations… These pictures are a good way of complimenting the graphological representations. Indeed, pictures speak!
Another identifiable strength of the book is its chronological plot structure. The autobiographer cleverly arranges historical happenings in their temporal order. Although there are instances where the storyline digresses, the narrative is mainly presented in a linear form. This also contributes to its simplicity and clarity of presentation. Also, the paucity of grammatical infelicities uncovered in the book is proof of the author’s linguistic prowess and writing acumen, as well as good editorial work.
In all, this book is a laudable effort. It remains a tool for understanding, not just the personality and political activism of Chief Bisi Akande, but also the political history of Nigeria. Although ‘My Participations’ professes to be a privatist experience, it dwells on public issues. In the book, Chief Akande wears the toga of the Philosopher depicted in Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave’, which opines that ordinary men are like prisoners in a cave, observing only the shadows of things. Philosophers like Chief Bisi Akande are those who venture outside the cave and see things as they really are; such philosophers return to the cave and tell the truth about what they have seen. Therefore, Chief Bisi Akande, in his autobiography, has tried to put some records straight; we have indeed heard from the horse’s mouth.
In fact, the publication of this autobiography should meet the yearnings of scholars, researchers, students, readers and practitioners of political history across the globe who hanker after books and deal in multidisciplinary, multi-thematic and multi-theoretical perspectives on African contemporary political history. The thirty-six chapters, diverse in nature and treatment, centre on some issues relating to Nigerian history, economy and politics. Their enduring essential unity lies in their utilitarian values: they are intended to inform, to raise questions, to debate fresh and past issues in the Nigerian socio-political and historical spheres. It is, therefore, recommended for all and sundry as we all stand to gain from the insights provided in this life writing.
