Ex-minister Bolaji Abdullahi launches memoir on loyalty, power in Nigerian politics

A memoir by former Minister of Youth Development and Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, was presented to the public on Tuesday at a colourful event that brought together leaders of the new opposition coalition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

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Mr Abdullahi is the party’s national publicity secretary.

ADC leaders at the event included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President David Mark; former Governors Peter Obi (Anambra), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); and former APC National Chairman John Oyegun.

Drawing on his experiences as a journalist, media aide, commissioner, and minister, Mr Abdullahi’s book provides an account of his two-decade journey through Nigerian politics, offering insights into the workings of government at the state and federal levels.

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“Over the course of two decades in public life, I have had a front-row seat to the promises, pressures, and contradictions of Nigerian politics,” Mr Abdullahi said.

From his early years as an aide in Kwara State to his tenure as a federal minister, Mr Abdullahi chronicles his triumphs, betrayals, and lessons in the book.

“The Loyalist is my attempt to reflect honestly on that journey as an exploration of what power, loyalty, and ambition demand of those who choose to serve,” he said.

“I began writing this book almost six years ago, sometime in late 2019. Not because it necessarily takes six years to write a book, but because some stories insist on being wrestled with slowly. There were moments I considered abandoning it altogether, weighed down by questions I didn’t yet have answers to,” the author said at the event.

“In this book, I set out to write about a relationship that shaped my politics, my career, and how I am seen, a story about power, subordination, and loyalty.”

In his opening remarks, Mr Mark described the author as “frank and straightforward” – attributes he said were rare for young people close to power.

“He is firm and says the truth to you, no matter what you feel about it,” Mr Mark said.

This point was echoed by other associates of Mr Abdullahi at the event.

“I like the author’s courage, and I am fascinated by his power of retention and how he was able to recall events and compellingly tell them,” said Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti State. “The book explores the underbelly of human nature.”

In his speech, Atiku said the book invites readers to examine loyalties to country, community institutions, and personal moral compass vis-a-vis personal loyalty.

“In a time of rapid change and competing narratives, the book offers a principal lens for deciding truth from rhetoric. It challenges us to consider how loyalty can unite us in the service of a shared, just future,” the former vice president said.

He recalled personal experiences with loyalty, stating, “I have personally faced exile as a result of loyalty. I have personally survived an assassination as a result of loyalty.”

“So, an apology for what you have gone through is not anything unique, but it is part of the price of loyalty. Loyalty should strengthen the common good, not narrow the circle that belongs to it. It requires accountability, transparency, and humility to listen and learn, especially with those with whom we disagree,” Mr Atiku said.

He added that true loyalty embraces diversity of thought and protects the dignity of every citizen.

“I think as leaders and aspiring leaders, this is what we should bear in mind. Loyalty begets loyalty. Institutions endure when they run out of tradition, while boldly pursuing reform that serves the loyalty of the people. Courage in leadership means making hard choices, sometimes extremely hard. Communicating openly and sincerely means standing vulnerable and uncomfortable,” he said.

The book reviewer, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and former adviser to President Bola Tinubu, said the book captures the essence of major elements of contemporary social and political character.

“It reminds us of days when publicly funded education was good enough to prepare young Nigerians with what they required to take up positions in society without a note or phone call from powerful people. It speaks of days when journalism spoke to power; when journalists shaped the polity and when power respected the media,” Mr Baba-Ahmed said.

“The Loyalist chronicles the journey of a Nigerian child growing up under very humble circumstances. His social and political environment was significant in shaping his character and disposition as an adult who was human enough to be kept awake by challenges and threats, and man enough to walk through them, even at some well-paid-for risks. Yet it is more than a narrative of an outstanding journalist, an active member of a circle designed by history in Ilorin long before he was born, and a key player in Nigerian political circles with unforgiving conditions and demands.”

The reviewer described the book as an essay that speaks of the enduring value of intellect and character; the weaknesses and frailties of the individual when confronted with entrenched traditions and institutions, and the ephemeral nature of systems and power.

“The Loyalist is a study in the phenomenon and dynamics of the most powerful family in Ilorin, a city itself with a rich, challenged history, and many special places in at least three decades of today’s Northern and Western parts of Nigeria. It is an informed commentary on the life and times of Abubakar Olusola Saraki, the Waziri of Ilorin, or as he was fondly referred to, Oloye. It provides a fascinating insight into an almost unique phenomenon of a man and his family that wielded awesome powers in manners too difficult to comprehend by ordinary standards,” he said.

Mr Abdullahi said at its core, The Loyalist is a meditation on integrity, identity, and the difficult choices that confront those who try to remain anchored to principle in moments of uncertainty.

“I hope that the conversation it sparks will resonate beyond politics and speak to anyone who has wrestled with the tension between loyalty and conscience. Your presence at the launch would be a great honour, and your perspective would enrich the dialogue the book seeks to encourage,” he said.

In his concluding remarks, Mr Baba-Ahmed encouraged Nigerians to read the book.

“The book has been written with courage, candour and compassion for a Nigeria that should be a lot more than it represents for all of us,” he said.

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“The Loyalist is written in a compelling and simple narrative, the type that keeps you awake way beyond sleeping hours. It is not fiction, but people unfamiliar with much of Northern Nigerian culture and Nigerian politics may find parts of it difficult to ascribe to reality. It is a story told with courage and candour, the type that leaves you open to enlisting more friends and enemies in equal proportions.”

Mr Abdullahi said he hopes that readers find in it honesty, restraint, and perhaps a mirror of their own complicated journeys.