Biography/Autobiography
Then Spoke the Thunder By Peter Enahoro (Hardcover)
Nigeria and Africa's foremost and respected journalist, Peter Enahoro finally came out with his long awaited autobiography, a 750 page treaties. The book is his personal account and reflections on the crisis of leadership in Nigeria, garnered over 50 years as a journalist in Nigeria and Africa, both as editor (and later Administrator) of The Daily Times and publisher of Africa Now Magazine.
Footprints Of An Iconic Diplomat By Chief Emeka Anyaoku
Not surprisingly, the volume of written material on chief Emeka Anyaoku is considerable. Yet, a common thread runs through all of them - each publication gives insight into the unimpeachable character of the man; This publication, Footprints of an Iconic Diplomat, is no different. it's only distinction being that it presents a largely pictorial version of the Emeka Anyaoku narrative; that it portrays a fullness of life, depth of purpose and breadth of impact that few can lay claim to; that it personalises the well-used phrase, a picture is worth more than a thousand words. Indeed, this pictorial biography like its name, speaks to the extensive footprints in both the literal and figurative sense, of Nigeria's and certainly one of Africa's most respected diplomatic icons.
Out of Stock
₦8,500
One Step Ahead: Life As A Spy, Detective and Anti-Graft Czar by Farida Waziri
“It is the story of a young girl’s journey through life, from being a Catholic girl to a Muslim; from being born of a Tiv family in Benue to becoming a matriarch in Tangale family from Gombe; from a police officer who was the best recruit in 1967 to becoming Assistant Inspector General of Police, who also became a lawyer. Along the way, there were assassination attempts, face-off with cranks and officials in foreign lands, thrust and parry with criminals and personal tragedies of losing loved ones, particularly husband and daughter within one year. “I have written this book, not as a rejoinder to past polemics or false accusations and fabrications against my personality by individuals, groups or institutions. I have simply put the story of my life together to fill some gaps in the history of the country.”
The Education of a British-Protected Child By Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe’s characteristically eloquent and nuanced voice is everywhere present in these seventeen beautifully written pieces. From a vivid portrait of growing up in colonial Nigeria to considerations on the African-American Diaspora, from a glimpse into his extraordinary family life and his thoughts on the potent symbolism of President Obama’s elections—this charmingly personal, intellectually disciplined, and steadfastly wise collection is an indispensable addition to the remarkable Achebe oeuvre.
The War Against Counterfeit Medicine My Story By Dora Nkem Akunyili
There is a general agreement that piracy; counterfeiting and passing off are unfair. However, there is often surreptitious - or even open - sympathy for, say, those who purchase counterfeit designer fashions or the latest technical gadgets. The pirate is even sometimes represented as a daring evil hero. In this book, Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili, Director General of Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, presents a unique study of a global phenomenon in which law-breaking and profiteering prevail at the cost of human health and life - and of the ways in which this can be fought by appropriate legislation, regulation and enforcement.
BATTLELINES: ADVENTURES IN JOURNALISM AND POLITICS By Olusegun Osoba
Here’s a fascinating account of highlights of Olusegun Osoba’s life story. From his boyish pranks in the railway town of Osogbo, to the inner city of Lagos, where he attended secondary school and began his career as a journalist, to his sojourn in Ilorin and Ibadan, it is a journey driven by vision and enterprise. From his entry into the world of ideas-politics of Obafemi Awolowo’s Unity Party of Nigeria to his days in the Social Democratic Party’s politics of his hometown, Abeokuta and home-state of Ogun to the confounding intrigues on the national stage, the book takes the reader into the promise of the All Peoples Congress and Osoba’s stimulating world of networks and contacts.
From the divine deliverance from the evil plots of the Abacha dictatorship to the governance of Ogun State, it is an absorbing account of how his life as a pressman, politician, and statesman intertwines with people in different places. It is a book that unearths Osoba as he has never been before. It is as much a story of love, hope, and achievement as it is a narrative of human foibles, of jealousies, persecutions, and setbacks. It is a chronicle of plots and betrayals, of high-mindedness and pettiness; documentation of history with revealing insights. It is an unusual account told by an engaging reporter. Racy and exciting, it is a book you will not put down in a hurry.
Close encounters with death
Growing up/Lagos life
Good times, bad times at the Daily Times
Lessons from the Civil War
The Herald years
Crusading journalism at the Sketch
Second sojourn at the Times
The Customs lady who stole my heart
Awo, our unforgettable hero
Awolowo and his team
Large-hearted M.K.O Abiola
The annulment of June 12 elections
The unkindest cut
Dark days under Abacha
Governance and resource management
Obasanjo, Ogun state, and the 2003 elections
Official torment in Ogun state
The emergence of All Progressive Congress
Epilogue
Addendum
Index
From the divine deliverance from the evil plots of the Abacha dictatorship to the governance of Ogun State, it is an absorbing account of how his life as a pressman, politician, and statesman intertwines with people in different places. It is a book that unearths Osoba as he has never been before. It is as much a story of love, hope, and achievement as it is a narrative of human foibles, of jealousies, persecutions, and setbacks. It is a chronicle of plots and betrayals, of high-mindedness and pettiness; documentation of history with revealing insights. It is an unusual account told by an engaging reporter. Racy and exciting, it is a book you will not put down in a hurry.
Close encounters with death
Growing up/Lagos life
Good times, bad times at the Daily Times
Lessons from the Civil War
The Herald years
Crusading journalism at the Sketch
Second sojourn at the Times
The Customs lady who stole my heart
Awo, our unforgettable hero
Awolowo and his team
Large-hearted M.K.O Abiola
The annulment of June 12 elections
The unkindest cut
Dark days under Abacha
Governance and resource management
Obasanjo, Ogun state, and the 2003 elections
Official torment in Ogun state
The emergence of All Progressive Congress
Epilogue
Addendum
Index
How To Be A Nigerian By Peter Enahoro
This famous little book is one of the funniest to come out of Africa. First published in 1996, it continues to be in demand. The Nigerian author turns a humorous and ironic eye on his fellow compatriots. The book is described as a guide for Nigerians and expatriates on the conduct, deportment, comportment, bearing, deameanour, mien, carriage, actions, the misdoings, misconduct and misbehaviours of the Nigerian adult male and female. Sprinkled with anecdotes and cartoons, the book addresses the Nigerian essence.
Shehu Shagari: Beckoned to Serve: An Autobiography By Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari
Shehu Shagari was the first democratically elected Executive President of the Federa Republic of Nigeria. His autobiography shared his experience from early childhood through his period as president in 1979-1983, and beyond. Born the son of a village chief, he became a school teacher, political activist and committed democrat and nationalist. His story is told within the context of the transition from colonial rule to independence and the struggle to build a stable country with democratic institutions and values. Detained by Babangida, all Shagari's personal documents were destroyed, and this reconstruction has been aided by academics, and former ministers and advisers.
Arrest the Music: Fela and His Rebel Acts and Politics
A lively study of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and a persuasive interpretation of the social context, instrumentation, lyrics, visual art, and people through which he produced his music.
Arrest the Music! is a lively musical study of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, one of Africa’s most recognizable, popular, and controversial musicians. The flamboyant originator of the "Afrobeat" sound and self-proclaimed voice of the voiceless, Fela used music, sharp-tongued lyrics, and derisive humor to challenge the shortcomings of Nigerian and postcolonial African states. Looking at the social context, instrumentation, lyrics, visual art, people, and organizations through which Fela produced his music, Tejumola Olaniyan offers a wider, more suggestive perspective on Fela and his impact on listeners in all parts of the world.
Arrest the Music! is a lively musical study of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, one of Africa’s most recognizable, popular, and controversial musicians. The flamboyant originator of the "Afrobeat" sound and self-proclaimed voice of the voiceless, Fela used music, sharp-tongued lyrics, and derisive humor to challenge the shortcomings of Nigerian and postcolonial African states. Looking at the social context, instrumentation, lyrics, visual art, people, and organizations through which Fela produced his music, Tejumola Olaniyan offers a wider, more suggestive perspective on Fela and his impact on listeners in all parts of the world.
YOU MUST SET FORTH AT DAWN: A MEMOIR by Wole Soyinka
Mr. Soyinka, masterfully uses his life as a running commentary for the state of political affairs in Nigeria since 1960. While the book does speak on a lot of serious issues there are many moments of hilarity such as when W.H Auden passes him off as an African Prince and the quest to recover an acient mask that led Mr. Soyinka to Brazil.
You Must Set Forth at Dawnis a book full of revelations, which in actuality brings into public glare the political animal in Soyinka and the extent to which he was steeped in national politics, which may led some political leaders to see him as meddlesome. While his dalliance with Biafra earned him a prison term and resulted in his book, The Man Died” he maintained some questionable affinity to General Babangida and loathed General Abacha. Indeed, it was said, that it was Soyinka who gave Gen. Abacha the moniker “deaf and dumb.”
Mr. Soyinka's style tends to be a little heavy on grammar but overall it is a great book, one that you will love to have bought.
You Must Set Forth at Dawnis a book full of revelations, which in actuality brings into public glare the political animal in Soyinka and the extent to which he was steeped in national politics, which may led some political leaders to see him as meddlesome. While his dalliance with Biafra earned him a prison term and resulted in his book, The Man Died” he maintained some questionable affinity to General Babangida and loathed General Abacha. Indeed, it was said, that it was Soyinka who gave Gen. Abacha the moniker “deaf and dumb.”
Mr. Soyinka's style tends to be a little heavy on grammar but overall it is a great book, one that you will love to have bought.
Moment of Truth: The Compelling Story of Pastor Tunde Bakare
Tunde Bakare is a Nigerian Prophetic-Apostolic pastor. He has received national and international attention for his televangelism, which has sometimes been critical of the Nigerian government. He presides over Global Apostolic Impact Network (GAIN) - a network of churches, ministries and kingdom businesses committed to advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. Dr. Bakare is also the President of Latter Rain Ministries, Inc. (Church Development Center) in Atlanta, GA, USA.
Samuel Ladoke Akintola: In The Eyes Of History By Hon. Femi Kehinde ESQ
Femi Kehinde’s Samuel Ladoke Akintola: A Biography and Postscript is a credible addition to the historical reconstruction of that “fierce and howling storms,” again apology to Mr. Awolowo. The storm swept off peace from the prosperous and hitherto peaceful Western Region and eventually became the fire that burnt into ashes Nigeria’s first, and I dare say, only successful practice of an appropriate system of governance fit for her plural peoples – federalism.
Divided into nineteen chapters, the book, which apparently set out to be a biography of one of the most misunderstood, yet most formidable politician in the history of Nigeria, unwittingly became the rendition of the history of Nigeria’s immediate post-colonial government and the most incendiary political turmoil that engulfed Nigeria shortly after the lowering of the Union Jack. Scholars have posited that the years between 1962 and 1966 could unarguably be said to be the most politically tumultuous for the Western Region. Nigeria eventually partook of the turmoil, with the overthrow of the First Republic by the military and since then, in the words of John Keats, things have fallen apart for the country as the centre has found it difficult to hold.
The 19 chapters of the book are divided into themes like, the growing up years of the young Ladoke, Ogbomosoland, the people and society, Mr. Akintola as teacher and youth activist, his early political career, his voyage into politics and sojourn at the federal parliament, his time as Premier, the crisis in the Western Region, among others.
Divided into nineteen chapters, the book, which apparently set out to be a biography of one of the most misunderstood, yet most formidable politician in the history of Nigeria, unwittingly became the rendition of the history of Nigeria’s immediate post-colonial government and the most incendiary political turmoil that engulfed Nigeria shortly after the lowering of the Union Jack. Scholars have posited that the years between 1962 and 1966 could unarguably be said to be the most politically tumultuous for the Western Region. Nigeria eventually partook of the turmoil, with the overthrow of the First Republic by the military and since then, in the words of John Keats, things have fallen apart for the country as the centre has found it difficult to hold.
The 19 chapters of the book are divided into themes like, the growing up years of the young Ladoke, Ogbomosoland, the people and society, Mr. Akintola as teacher and youth activist, his early political career, his voyage into politics and sojourn at the federal parliament, his time as Premier, the crisis in the Western Region, among others.
Lest I Forget : Memoirs of a Nigerian Career Diplomat: By OLADAPO OLUSOLA FOWORA
Ironically, the recently released memoirs of Ambassador Oladapo Olusola Fafowora titled Lest I forget: Memoirs of a Nigerian Career Diplomat reflects a degree of forgetfulness and inaccuracy of recollection.
Ajayi Crowther: The Triumphs and Travails of a Legend By Femi Osofisan
SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER was born in 1809 in the little village of Osogun, now in the southwestern state of Oyo in Nigeria. Captured by slave-raiders in 1821, he was freed by British war ships and settled in Freetown. There, he became educated, was baptized, and the first student enrolled at the famous Fourah Bay College. He became a priest of the Anglican Church, was posted to Abeokuta along with others to start the mission there and, having participated in some expeditions up the Niger River, was eventually appointed as the first black Bishop for West Africa...Ajayi Crowther was initially commissioned by The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Nigeria, City of David Parish, and is one of Osofisan’s most recent plays
I'll Be Gone in the Dark One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.
Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it has been hailed as a modern true crime classic—one which fulfilled Michelle's dream: helping unmask the Golden State Killer.
In the Blink of an Eye: By EUGENIA ABU
In the Blink of an Eye is a tapestry of life itself, evoking memories of times past, re¬visited in today's climes. Social justice, love for humankind, need for resilience, and interviews with achievers to lift our spirits, are the threads that run through this beautiful book, woven carefully by the author with wit and elegant language to make the reader feel at home. Using language at its brilliant best, Eugenia Abu brings us to tears in tributes, gives us joy in humour and looks us in the face in dealing with social issues. Eight chapters of non-stop enchantment take us . through a tease of men, gender .advocacy, literary reviews, personal joys and tragedies; re-uniting us with our inner souls and mirroring the society for the good of all of us. There is unparalleled Nigerianness, history and intellectual rigour. Then there are quotations to enlighten, and wisdom from far¬flung places, as well as critical analyses of national and world issues.
Out of Stock
₦3,000
Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous By Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
In Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has written a primer for those working to root out corruption and disrupt vested interests. Drawing on her experience as Nigeria’s finance minister and that of her team, she describes dangers, pitfalls, and successes in fighting corruption. She provides practical lessons learned and tells how anti-corruption advocates need to equip themselves. Okonjo-Iweala details the numerous ways in which corruption can divert resources away from development, rewarding the unscrupulous and depriving poor people of services.
Ayinla Omowura: Life And Times Of An Apala Legend By Festus Adedayo
This book is a narrative of the life and times of one of the most profound and unarguably, one of the most original Yoruba musicians of post-colonial Nigeria. Murdered in a barroom brawl in Abeokuta, Ogun State in 1980, Ayinla Omowura, forty years after his untimely passage, has refused to die, both in the consciousness of the people of southwest Nigeria, even elsewhere, as well as in the hearts and on the lips of the people.
The book plots the graph of Omowura’s youth, his musicality, family, the fatality of his early departure, and events that led to his death. From the lens of family, friends, his songs, and relics of people who interfaced with him while alive, a narrative is constructed here about the short life of music and society that Ayinla lived. He was a lay scholar, an ombudsman, autodidact, and carrier of the cultural burden of his Yoruba people. Having tasted life in pre and post-colony, the latter being a time when there was beginning to appear noticeable conflicts between traditional life and modernity, Ayinla taught with his music that the latter could only exist if the values of the former are embedded into it.
Having lived a rough life at youth and now, thrust to the top of society by fame and cash in his later life, Ayinla never recovered from the conflict this posed. He didn’t really realize the enormous roles expected of his catapult to the top of high society. This, in part, was responsible for his early tragic exit.
The book plots the graph of Omowura’s youth, his musicality, family, the fatality of his early departure, and events that led to his death. From the lens of family, friends, his songs, and relics of people who interfaced with him while alive, a narrative is constructed here about the short life of music and society that Ayinla lived. He was a lay scholar, an ombudsman, autodidact, and carrier of the cultural burden of his Yoruba people. Having tasted life in pre and post-colony, the latter being a time when there was beginning to appear noticeable conflicts between traditional life and modernity, Ayinla taught with his music that the latter could only exist if the values of the former are embedded into it.
Having lived a rough life at youth and now, thrust to the top of society by fame and cash in his later life, Ayinla never recovered from the conflict this posed. He didn’t really realize the enormous roles expected of his catapult to the top of high society. This, in part, was responsible for his early tragic exit.
Who Really Is General Muhammadu Buhari? By Professor Tam David-West
I have over time written a lot about General Buhari. This includes two formal works: “Who Really Is General Muhammadu Buhari?” and “The Sixteen ‘Sins’ of General Muhammadu Buhari.” The first was launched publicly at The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island on March 9, 2009. The second book was launched in Kaduna (29 July, 2010) and Port Harcourt (14 March, 2011). Both events were crowd-pullers. I must mention that General Buhari was kept in the dark about both projects. I only informed him some two weeks to the launching. I don’t have to consult him to tell the truth about him.
- Professor Tam David-West
- Professor Tam David-West
Accidental Public Servant By Nasir El-Rufai (Paperback)
This is a story of Nigeria, told from the inside. After a successful career in the private sector, Nasir El-Rufai rose to the top ranks of Nigeria's political hierarchy, serving first as the privatization czar at the Bureau for Public Enterprises and then as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In this tell-all memoir, El-Rufai reflects on a life in public service to Nigeria, the enormous challenges faced by the country, and what can be done while calling on a new generation of leaders to take the country back from the brink of destruction. The shocking revelations disclosed by El-Rufai about the formation of the current leadership and the actions of prominent statesmen make this memoir required reading for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of power politics in Nigeria. For many Nigerians, the Accidental Public Servant (APS) will be a gripping story about politics, power, friendship, ambition, greed, fear, betrayal, leadership and love, all set within running the affairs of government. It will provide insight for many with little knowledge of the pretences that passes for governance and for others, it will be an affirmation of legends told and heard– made personal by knowing the characters as intimately as citizens can know their leaders from afar.
For a long time to come, it may be impossible to discuss the book and its contents without discussing the author. Perhaps there is no removing the man from the book and the book from the man but after the emotions ebb and the shock of oxygen igniting exposed secrets abates, the book will still hold value and lessons for historians, political scientists, policy wonks and people who want to understand Nigeria once upon a time, the better to appreciate where Nigeria is. Books are hard to review because every story is personal in its telling and in its interpretation. There is no topic today more delicate, complicated, emotional, scary, polarizing and energizing as the 2015 general elections and the book is a gift for all Nigerians who wonder why progress is slow and dream of doing things differently. By sharing his story in order to ‘make the case for public service’ there are clear lessons for anyone thinking of public service and how to navigate the problems and opportunities with governance and politics in Nigeria.
Despite the 489 pages, there are still topics and issues which could have benefitted with more analysis, more insight from an insider who co-held the reigns of power and lots of questions have been and will continue to be raised by the book. And this is precisely why this book will endure and hopefully encourage more honest discussions about public office. As the gloves come off and attacks on the book and the author commence, a common complaint will be that those who come to equity must come with clean hands. But if that were the only way to look at books that document a personal narration of history, then none would be eligible to write. The balance between sharing for posterity and upholding codes of silence is a delicate one which few have to straddle and decide for what purpose they want to keep silent. If we do not have the opportunity for honest discussions about what takes place in government, Nigeria and Nigerians will be worse off. If there are three sides to every story: my side, your side and the truth, then between the telling of ALL, the truth will emerge.
Excerpts from the Book:
“President Obasanjo chose Umaru Yar’Adua whose ill-health, among other challenges, was known already constituted a serious impediment to the possibility of any inspired and energetic leadership. The view of many well-informed Nigerians is that Yar’Adua and his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, emerged for no other discernible reasons than being ‘weak’ governors sympathetic to the ‘Third Term’ project and therefore handpicked as payback.
“The subsequent electoral imposition of Goodluck Jonathan as president in 2011 via military occupation and rigging has been unhelpful in raising leadership quality. Jonathan went into a presidential contest without a campaign manifesto, boasting of no experience, merit and any track record of previous performance other than wearing no shoes to school and his ‘good luck’".
“The political brinkmanship got so bad that Obasanjo had to visit Atiku’s residence unannounced to plead for Atiku’s support. Upon arriving at his deputy’s residence, he reportedly knelt before Atiku and begged the Vice-President to remain onside, thus guaranteeing the support of the 17 PDP governors. In return, Obasanjo had to agree to retain Atiku as his running mate (he was rumoured at the time to be considering an alternative)”
What are People saying about the Book?
"Just the first few pages of the book and I can't stop. The book starts hard....tough! The story of the Nigerian government from a perspective inside of government is sure to be hot; well, I think this one is explosive! I am reading and relating with what is going on now in the Nigerian government and whoa....!!!!"
"The sample is really exciting. The narration in the book has really exposed many Nigeria's dark secrets.”
“If there are three sides to every story: my side, your side and the truth, then between the telling of ALL, the truth will emerge.”
About the Author:
Nasir El-Rufai is a prominent Nigerian leader who in the past served as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja as well as Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises. As a prolific opinion columnist and public policy advocate, El-Rufai has become well known as one of the country's most outspoken voices on issues of governance, leadership, transparency, and social justice. El-Rufai studied at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, University of London, Harvard Business School, Arthur D. Little School of Management in Massachusetts, Georgetown University School of Foreign Services in Washington, D.C. and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He holds a first class honours degree in Quantity Surveying (1980), a Masters Degree in Business Administration (1984), a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science (1985), a Bachelor of Laws (2008), Master of Public Administration (2009), and has attended several programs on Privatization and Leadership. In 2005, he was conferred D.Sc (honoris causa) by the University of Abuja, Nigeria. Before entering the public service, El-Rufai ran a successful consulting practice, El-Rufai & Partners, between 1982 and 1998. He also held management positions with two international telecommunications companies, AT&T Network Systems International BV and Motorola, Inc. In October 2001, he was conferred a national honour, OFR (Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) by the Federal Government of Nigeria. El-Rufai lives in Abuja, Nigeria, and is happily married with children.
This is a book to present as a gift to your Boss, Friends, Colleagues, Business Partners and Family, to always be in their good book.
For a long time to come, it may be impossible to discuss the book and its contents without discussing the author. Perhaps there is no removing the man from the book and the book from the man but after the emotions ebb and the shock of oxygen igniting exposed secrets abates, the book will still hold value and lessons for historians, political scientists, policy wonks and people who want to understand Nigeria once upon a time, the better to appreciate where Nigeria is. Books are hard to review because every story is personal in its telling and in its interpretation. There is no topic today more delicate, complicated, emotional, scary, polarizing and energizing as the 2015 general elections and the book is a gift for all Nigerians who wonder why progress is slow and dream of doing things differently. By sharing his story in order to ‘make the case for public service’ there are clear lessons for anyone thinking of public service and how to navigate the problems and opportunities with governance and politics in Nigeria.
Despite the 489 pages, there are still topics and issues which could have benefitted with more analysis, more insight from an insider who co-held the reigns of power and lots of questions have been and will continue to be raised by the book. And this is precisely why this book will endure and hopefully encourage more honest discussions about public office. As the gloves come off and attacks on the book and the author commence, a common complaint will be that those who come to equity must come with clean hands. But if that were the only way to look at books that document a personal narration of history, then none would be eligible to write. The balance between sharing for posterity and upholding codes of silence is a delicate one which few have to straddle and decide for what purpose they want to keep silent. If we do not have the opportunity for honest discussions about what takes place in government, Nigeria and Nigerians will be worse off. If there are three sides to every story: my side, your side and the truth, then between the telling of ALL, the truth will emerge.
Excerpts from the Book:
“President Obasanjo chose Umaru Yar’Adua whose ill-health, among other challenges, was known already constituted a serious impediment to the possibility of any inspired and energetic leadership. The view of many well-informed Nigerians is that Yar’Adua and his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, emerged for no other discernible reasons than being ‘weak’ governors sympathetic to the ‘Third Term’ project and therefore handpicked as payback.
“The subsequent electoral imposition of Goodluck Jonathan as president in 2011 via military occupation and rigging has been unhelpful in raising leadership quality. Jonathan went into a presidential contest without a campaign manifesto, boasting of no experience, merit and any track record of previous performance other than wearing no shoes to school and his ‘good luck’".
“The political brinkmanship got so bad that Obasanjo had to visit Atiku’s residence unannounced to plead for Atiku’s support. Upon arriving at his deputy’s residence, he reportedly knelt before Atiku and begged the Vice-President to remain onside, thus guaranteeing the support of the 17 PDP governors. In return, Obasanjo had to agree to retain Atiku as his running mate (he was rumoured at the time to be considering an alternative)”
What are People saying about the Book?
"Just the first few pages of the book and I can't stop. The book starts hard....tough! The story of the Nigerian government from a perspective inside of government is sure to be hot; well, I think this one is explosive! I am reading and relating with what is going on now in the Nigerian government and whoa....!!!!"
"The sample is really exciting. The narration in the book has really exposed many Nigeria's dark secrets.”
“If there are three sides to every story: my side, your side and the truth, then between the telling of ALL, the truth will emerge.”
About the Author:
Nasir El-Rufai is a prominent Nigerian leader who in the past served as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja as well as Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises. As a prolific opinion columnist and public policy advocate, El-Rufai has become well known as one of the country's most outspoken voices on issues of governance, leadership, transparency, and social justice. El-Rufai studied at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, University of London, Harvard Business School, Arthur D. Little School of Management in Massachusetts, Georgetown University School of Foreign Services in Washington, D.C. and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He holds a first class honours degree in Quantity Surveying (1980), a Masters Degree in Business Administration (1984), a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science (1985), a Bachelor of Laws (2008), Master of Public Administration (2009), and has attended several programs on Privatization and Leadership. In 2005, he was conferred D.Sc (honoris causa) by the University of Abuja, Nigeria. Before entering the public service, El-Rufai ran a successful consulting practice, El-Rufai & Partners, between 1982 and 1998. He also held management positions with two international telecommunications companies, AT&T Network Systems International BV and Motorola, Inc. In October 2001, he was conferred a national honour, OFR (Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) by the Federal Government of Nigeria. El-Rufai lives in Abuja, Nigeria, and is happily married with children.
This is a book to present as a gift to your Boss, Friends, Colleagues, Business Partners and Family, to always be in their good book.
AWO – The Autobiography Of Chief Obafemi Awolowo
Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1909-1987) was the leader of Nigeria's Action Group party and the first indigenous Premier of Western Nigeria. He campaigned heavily for developmental change and implemented free primary education and child healthcare policies across the Western Region. Awolowo began work on this autobiography in 1957, at a time when Nigeria's request for self-government had been refused. The work was completed in 1960, the year Nigeria gained its long-awaited independence. Accordingly, this autobiography is dedicated to a 'new and free Nigeria', with the trust that its people will enjoy 'a more abundant life'. This determined, self-made leader here describes his youth, education and politics. He writes of his hope that this tale of stubborn perseverance can become 'a source of inspiration' in itself, and indeed, this account will fascinate anyone with an interest in Africa, the history and politics of Western Nigeria, or a love of insightful political autobiography.
A BREAK IN THE SILENCE : LT. COL. VICTOR ADEBUKUNOLA BANJO by F. Adetowun Ogunsheye
A Break in the Silence narrates the lifetime of one of Nigeria's foremost nationalists who never played to the gallery for sycophants to hail but was guided by personal convictions, patriotism, and intellectualism. The author chronicles late Lt. Col. Banjo's family setting; military career; involvement in the Nigerian Civil War; the terror unleashed on his family by the then ruling government; his trial by a Kangaroo tribunal and his spirited defense of himself and others; and his subsequent execution by lesser mortals than him.
The book, therefore, is aimed at 'breaking the enforced silence' imposed on the family by time, and deference to Victor's mother, who believed that her son was still alive and could not be so treacherously treated by those he pitched his tent with against all human calculations. Lt. Col. Victor Banjo's actions, which were thoroughly misunderstood especially the side he took during the Nigerian Civil War seem strange in history but his beliefs and speeches were like prophecies; they have come to pass and will continue to be relevant in Nigerian, African and world history. Though Lt. Col. Victor died unsung and unmourned, he is still remembered by those who knew him as a man without prejudices, who came to offer his outstanding conduct, the tenacity of purpose and enduring dreams to humanity.
About the Author, Professor Adetowun Ogunsheye hails from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. She is the elder sister to late Col, Victor Adebukunola Banjo. She had her secondary education at Queen's College, Lagos and University education at the Cambridge. University, Great Britain, 1949-1952. She was the founding principal of St. Margaret Secondary School, Ilesha.
The author was the past president of the Nigerian Library Association, 1969-1971 and Nigerian Association of University Women, 1971-1975. Professor and Head of Department, Library Studies, University of Ibadan, 1972-1987 She is also the President of Ogunsheye Foundation. A geographer, educationist, and teacher, she is the first Nigerian Female Professor. A retired Professor has over fifty educational and professionalpublications to her credit. She also writes for children
The book, therefore, is aimed at 'breaking the enforced silence' imposed on the family by time, and deference to Victor's mother, who believed that her son was still alive and could not be so treacherously treated by those he pitched his tent with against all human calculations. Lt. Col. Victor Banjo's actions, which were thoroughly misunderstood especially the side he took during the Nigerian Civil War seem strange in history but his beliefs and speeches were like prophecies; they have come to pass and will continue to be relevant in Nigerian, African and world history. Though Lt. Col. Victor died unsung and unmourned, he is still remembered by those who knew him as a man without prejudices, who came to offer his outstanding conduct, the tenacity of purpose and enduring dreams to humanity.
About the Author, Professor Adetowun Ogunsheye hails from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. She is the elder sister to late Col, Victor Adebukunola Banjo. She had her secondary education at Queen's College, Lagos and University education at the Cambridge. University, Great Britain, 1949-1952. She was the founding principal of St. Margaret Secondary School, Ilesha.
The author was the past president of the Nigerian Library Association, 1969-1971 and Nigerian Association of University Women, 1971-1975. Professor and Head of Department, Library Studies, University of Ibadan, 1972-1987 She is also the President of Ogunsheye Foundation. A geographer, educationist, and teacher, she is the first Nigerian Female Professor. A retired Professor has over fifty educational and professionalpublications to her credit. She also writes for children
Conscience and History – My Story, by Peter Odili (Hardback)
HOW IT ALL STARTED: THE PLOT - THE GREAT GANG UP I, DR. Peter Otunuya Odili, became the elected Governor of the new Rivers on the 29th day of May, 1999, after a well contested and won election against a strong opponent Chief Ebenezer Isokariari who was the then immediate past Secretary to the State Military Government under Gen. Sani Abacha regime.
Read Peter Odili’s expose on his 2007 presidential adventure in a must read Autobiography entitled ‘‘ Conscience and History – My Story”.
Read Peter Odili’s expose on his 2007 presidential adventure in a must read Autobiography entitled ‘‘ Conscience and History – My Story”.
In the radiance of the sage: The life and times of HID Awolowo By Dr Wale Adebanwi
The outstanding biography of HID Awolowo as presented by Dr. Wale Adebanwi follows reality as it shapes a narrative in the meaning of a constructive life. Though Ikenne is home and in its soil is where the placenta of Miss Hannah Idowu Dideolu was buried and to that city her life, times, and eventual demise revolves; places like Ibadan, Ikeja, and Apapa also feature in this story of many hills.
The book of nine chapters (excluding the epilogue and prologue) opens when the subject is a grown woman and the following chapter presents her as a woman growing up in different cities. As you well know, most cities are confluences of history, politics, commerce, religion and other concerns of life that help (re)shape the lives of natives and residents who call the place home. To really know a person or a collective, a researcher must open the innards of the various spaces and places that gave birth to, and nurtured the person and the group she identifies with. This preposition is not too far from DmitiriKalugin’s injunction that “[a] particular challenge for the poetics of biography is the peculiar character of the constitution of the biographical subject. It evolves through the interaction between textual strategies and the realm of social facts such as the workings of institutions, models of behavior, notions of success and recognition, etc.” None of these elements as enunciated by Kalugin is absent in In the Radiance of the Sage.
AWUJALE
THAT every man has a story to tell is a notorious fact. The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba S.K. Adetona has now told his own in an autobiography, Awujale (275 pp) which was launched in Ijebu Ode on Saturday, June 26, 2010 to coincide with his 50th coronation anniversary. The Oba rejected a commissioned biography about ten years ago, saying “I knew it was not my story”. And then one night he had a dream, and “I saw the book, my book with the title and the various chapters, I woke up in the morning and I started to write the book. Here is the book”, the Awujale is quoted as saying. If this is a way of whetting the readers’ appetite, I think it is quite smart.
The Awujale of Ijebuland is one of those few obas in his category whose opinions are respected because they can be trusted to be forthright even when they are wrong. He gives the impression in this book that only he, and a few of his friends including the Oba of Benin, Erediauwa II, the Akija of Ikija, Oba Adekoya, and Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi III have demonstrated exemplary integrity in the face of pressures. This may be debatable but the truth is that since 1960 when the present Awujale ascended the throne of his forefathers, so much has happened to discredit the traditional institution.
Many traditional rulers have become notorious for their lack of decorum, victims of the politicization of the traditional institution, the collapse of values, and the transition from a tradition to modernity, and of course, their own hubris. As recently as last month, one oba in Akure, one fellow formerly known as the Deji of Akure, threw his crown into the gutter when he went to the home of an estranged wife to take the law into his own hands and behaved like a thug. There have been reports of traditional rulers who have been found to be patrons of armed robbery gangs, traditional rulers who were caught pants down with the wives of their subjects or were struck down by thunderbolt, what the Yorubas call magun, that is “don’t climb,” a traditional voodoo method of eliminating male adulterers. In his account, Oba Adetona offers additional instances of traditional rulers turning themselves into “boys” under military rule, and of the same so-called highnesses and royal majesties betraying their people in order to be accepted by the politicians or soldiers in power. Awujale is a strong defender of the traditional institution and its continuing relevance, and of the need to modernize it and for its principal figures to be upright.
You can read more about the review of this book from HERE
The Awujale of Ijebuland is one of those few obas in his category whose opinions are respected because they can be trusted to be forthright even when they are wrong. He gives the impression in this book that only he, and a few of his friends including the Oba of Benin, Erediauwa II, the Akija of Ikija, Oba Adekoya, and Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi III have demonstrated exemplary integrity in the face of pressures. This may be debatable but the truth is that since 1960 when the present Awujale ascended the throne of his forefathers, so much has happened to discredit the traditional institution.
Many traditional rulers have become notorious for their lack of decorum, victims of the politicization of the traditional institution, the collapse of values, and the transition from a tradition to modernity, and of course, their own hubris. As recently as last month, one oba in Akure, one fellow formerly known as the Deji of Akure, threw his crown into the gutter when he went to the home of an estranged wife to take the law into his own hands and behaved like a thug. There have been reports of traditional rulers who have been found to be patrons of armed robbery gangs, traditional rulers who were caught pants down with the wives of their subjects or were struck down by thunderbolt, what the Yorubas call magun, that is “don’t climb,” a traditional voodoo method of eliminating male adulterers. In his account, Oba Adetona offers additional instances of traditional rulers turning themselves into “boys” under military rule, and of the same so-called highnesses and royal majesties betraying their people in order to be accepted by the politicians or soldiers in power. Awujale is a strong defender of the traditional institution and its continuing relevance, and of the need to modernize it and for its principal figures to be upright.
You can read more about the review of this book from HERE
Path of Destiny: An Autobiography By Jimoh Mosobalaje Oyawoye
I am descended from four major Yoruba royal families. Through my father, I am descended from Ajase-po royal family on the one part and Offa royal family on the other. Through my mother, from Ila Orangun and Ikirun royal families. Importantly, Ila was the Head of the Igbomina as Offa was the Head of the Ibolo. I have thus been blessed to have descended from four Yoruba dynasties.
Intuitively, I see myself as an avatar of a sort; embodying all the virtues and nuances of these royal blood. Easily, this story of my life could carry the title: Alade Merin, but my journey through life has been inexplicably tied to several other factors that have overshadowed my royal beginnings. There is a slice of my life that is far more profound or do I say, that has remained vivid as it flickers in my subconscious. A chance meeting with that great American poet, Robert Frost while doing my Ph.D in the U.K. and even earlier before, my encounter with his most prominent poem The Road Not Taken (as an undergraduate in the U.S.A.), which purportedly ponders on the choices we make, or refuse to make, as we wade through the seas of life, provided a veritable interpretation of my life. In this wise, this memoir is a PATH OF DESTINY.
In this compelling and forthcoming account of his life, Professor Oyawoye demonstrates the values and principles - loyalty to his family, friends, and community; a strict adherence to professional integrity and excellence - which have made him respected and highly admired among his peers, his immediate community and the nation at large.
Intuitively, I see myself as an avatar of a sort; embodying all the virtues and nuances of these royal blood. Easily, this story of my life could carry the title: Alade Merin, but my journey through life has been inexplicably tied to several other factors that have overshadowed my royal beginnings. There is a slice of my life that is far more profound or do I say, that has remained vivid as it flickers in my subconscious. A chance meeting with that great American poet, Robert Frost while doing my Ph.D in the U.K. and even earlier before, my encounter with his most prominent poem The Road Not Taken (as an undergraduate in the U.S.A.), which purportedly ponders on the choices we make, or refuse to make, as we wade through the seas of life, provided a veritable interpretation of my life. In this wise, this memoir is a PATH OF DESTINY.
In this compelling and forthcoming account of his life, Professor Oyawoye demonstrates the values and principles - loyalty to his family, friends, and community; a strict adherence to professional integrity and excellence - which have made him respected and highly admired among his peers, his immediate community and the nation at large.
Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh : in time and space (1912-1966)
It is fifty years since Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh, CMG, MP, Federal Minister of Finance, was assassinated by a group of soldiers rebelling against the constituted civilian government of Nigeria
Gandhi - An Autobiography: Or The Story Of My Experiments With Truth
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Western India in 1869. He was educated in London and later travelled to South Africa, where he experienced racism and took up the rights of Indians, instituting his first campaign of passive resistance. In 1915 he returned to British-controlled India, bringing to a country in the throes of independence his commitment to non-violent change, and his belief always in the power of truth. Under Gandhi's lead, millions of protesters would engage in mass campaigns of civil disobedience, seeking change through ahimsa, or non-violence. For Gandhi, the long path towards Indian independence would lead to imprisonment and hardship, yet he never once forgot the principles of truth and non-violence so dear to him. Written in the 1920s, Gandhi's autobiography tells of his struggles and his inspirations; a powerful and enduring statement of an extraordinary life.
From grass to grace : an autobiography
"From Grass to Grace is a summary of Emeritus Professor Ayo Bamgbose life's journey. Through various setbacks and unfavorable circumstances, predating his birth and to adulthood, that appeared destined to truncate his destiny. Ayo Bamgbose emerged strong and stood tall and still stands tall. In this autobiography, Ayo Bamgbose attributes the reversal of challenges and his overall success solely to grace. From Grass to Grace is a story of hard work, faith, humility and tenacity that culminated in laudable achievements".
Gowon: The Biography of a Soldier-Statesman By J Isawa Elaigwu
In 1966, a soft-spoken 32-year old man emerged from relative obscurity and humble background to become Nigeria's Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. His name was Lt Col (later General)Yakubu Gowon. He emerged as the compromise candidate following the political crisis that engulfed the country after the July 1966 military coup that had led to the assassination of the country's first military Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi. At the end of the Civil War in 1970, General Gowon's doctrine of 'No Victor No Vanquished' greatly endeared him to many, and he was variously dubbed 'Abraham Lincoln of Nigeria', 'a soft spoken but dynamic leader' 'a real gentleman' and 'an almost faultless administrator'. However, after he was overthrown in a military coup in July 1975, long knives were drawn out for him, with the hitherto friendly press and public crying 'crucify him', and now variously vilifying him as 'weak' and of managing a purposeless administration that had led to the 'drifting' of the nation. In this book Professor J. Isawa Elaigwu attempts a scholarly political biography of someone he believes has rendered great services to the Nigerian nation despite his weaknesses as a leader. He rejects the notion that Gowon's nine years in office were 'nine years of failure' as the General's ardent critics posit, arguing that if it is possible to identify a number of thresholds in his administration, it is also possible to identify the approximate point in time when the strains of his administration became visible to observers and the public in general. He poses and methodically seeks answers to a number of fundamental questions: Who was Yakubu Gowon? Why and how was the reservoir of goodwill and credibility which he had accumulated by the end of the Civil War expended? What image of Nigeria did he have when he came into power? And did he ever achieve his objectives? The book, first published in 1986, has been revised and expanded for this edition
Destiny Anchored On Faith (The Story Of Gen. Oladipo Diya) By Oluranti Afowowe
Destiny Anchored on Faith: The Story of Gen. Oladipo Diya is an insightful discourse on the issues and events which characterised the involvement of Gen. Diya in the political process of Nigeria. This book presents the chronicle of events that forced the General to offer himself as the sacrificial lamb for the preservation of the integrity of the Nigerian Armed Forces; the consolidation of the corporate existence of Nigeria; and more importantly, the advocate of fairness, justice and equity for all ethno-religious groups in Nigeria.
It is an account of audacious efforts of a first-class Military officer, unrepentant nationalist and uncompromising intellectual who unknowingly found himself within the intrigues and conspiratorial web of self-centred political contractors. At the cost of his life, he chose to combat the pervasive, insidious and dehumanizing political machinations that characterised the later years of the Abacha regime.
It is an account of audacious efforts of a first-class Military officer, unrepentant nationalist and uncompromising intellectual who unknowingly found himself within the intrigues and conspiratorial web of self-centred political contractors. At the cost of his life, he chose to combat the pervasive, insidious and dehumanizing political machinations that characterised the later years of the Abacha regime.
Memoir of Mixed Blessings By Theophilus Oluwole Akindele - HardBack
The memoirs of Theophilus Oluwole Akindele tell the story of a man whose life took many interesting twists and turns to bring him to the pinnacle of the telecommunication industry in Nigeria. …he joined the Colonial Civil Service as a principal telecommunications engineer in charge of the Lagos territory. He rose through the ranks to become Director-General of Communications. Akindele’s account of key events in the political history of Nigeria, being close friends with Ademulegun, Ironsi, and Ogundipe in particular, bring new insights to the turbulent events of the first republic and the subsequent military regimes (Aguyi-Ironsi, Gowon and Murtala Mohammed’s). His role in telecommunication during the civil war gives us fresh insight into important events of that period. Most interesting, however, was the battle of wills that occurred, when he was pitted against Murtala Mohammed, over the signing of the ITT/Radio Corporation of Nigeria contract. This saga eventually cost him his job and could be said to be one of the factors that precipitated the coup of 1976.
A Profile of Courage By Major General Paul Chabri Tarfa
A Profile of Courage is the memoir of Paul Chabri Tarfa, retired Major General of the Nigerian Army. In lucid prose, he recounts his upbringing in Garkida, his choice of a career in the Army, his role in frustrating the January 15, 1966 coup at the Federal Guards, Lagos, and his active participation in the military through the Civil War, coups and counter-coups until his retirement in 1988. Revised in view of restating his truth to today’s Nigeria, A Profile in Courage channels the lives of Birma Bata, Usman Vidau, Paul Tarfa himself, Yakubu Gowon, T. Y. Danjuma, Ahmadu Kurfi and many others faced with decisions requiring courage in times of extreme emergency.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Chabri Tarfa was born in Garkida, Adamawa State of Nigeria, in 1941. A member of NMTC Course 5, he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in October, 1963, and retired as a Major General in January 1988. General Tarfa has served in many units, including in the UN Peacekeeping forces in Congo, at the elite Federal Guards (now Brigade of Guards), as Provost Marshal of the Corp of the Military Police (MP) and as Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
A career Infantry officer, his actions at the Federal Guards in 1966 led to the frustration of the January 15 military coup; he served as Battalion Commander during the Nigerian Civil War and was military administrator of Oyo State from July 1978 to October 1979.
Following his retirement, he was appointed MD/CEO of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and later headed a nine-man panel to reorganize and restructure the Nigerian Customs and Excise. An avid golfer, General Paul Tarfa lives in Kaduna where he enjoys the company of his grandchildren and works on his poultry and citrus farm. He holds the traditional title of Yeriman Garkida.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Chabri Tarfa was born in Garkida, Adamawa State of Nigeria, in 1941. A member of NMTC Course 5, he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in October, 1963, and retired as a Major General in January 1988. General Tarfa has served in many units, including in the UN Peacekeeping forces in Congo, at the elite Federal Guards (now Brigade of Guards), as Provost Marshal of the Corp of the Military Police (MP) and as Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
A career Infantry officer, his actions at the Federal Guards in 1966 led to the frustration of the January 15 military coup; he served as Battalion Commander during the Nigerian Civil War and was military administrator of Oyo State from July 1978 to October 1979.
Following his retirement, he was appointed MD/CEO of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and later headed a nine-man panel to reorganize and restructure the Nigerian Customs and Excise. An avid golfer, General Paul Tarfa lives in Kaduna where he enjoys the company of his grandchildren and works on his poultry and citrus farm. He holds the traditional title of Yeriman Garkida.