‘Biographies have an eternal place in life’

Bookshelf: Sir, what inspired you to write ‘A Life Shared,’ a biography of Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim (9SAN)?Prof. Yemi George: I first met Baba when I was in the Ministry of Justice as Special Assistant to the Attorney-General of the Federation. Before then, I had heard so much about him. He’s highly respected and people talk […]

Bookshelf: Sir, what inspired you to write ‘A Life Shared,’ a biography of Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim (9SAN)?
Prof. Yemi George: I first met Baba when I was in the Ministry of Justice as Special Assistant to the Attorney-General of the Federation. Before then, I had heard so much about him. He’s highly respected and people talk about him with so much veneration and delight, including my boss then – the Justice Minister whom he had also mentored. So I had that desire to know him better and do some research on his life. But the opportunity did not come until when I was invited by a committee in 2010 headed by Hon. Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, former Chief Justice of Nigeria. I was interviewed and commissioned to do this work and consider myself privileged. The committee decided to undertake the project because they believe a quiet man that he is and an achiever should be known so that others can emulate him, both within and outside the legal profession.
Bookshelf: What did it take to bring out a good work?
Prof. George: Actually, this is the second major biography that I have got involved in. The first was that of Hon. Justice Kayode Esho, one of the foremost justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria has ever produced. I worked under the leadership of emeritus Prof. Ade Ajayi, a Professor of History, former Vice Chancellor of two universities and a national merit award winner to produce the official biography of Hon. Justice  Esho. One of the things I learnt in the process of the work is that the purpose of a biography is not just to sing the praises of an individual, but to undertake a contextual study of how that individual was influenced by his environment and how he has impacted on the community. It’s a kind of sociological approach to that study and not just a historical approach – the circumstances and environment that produced the man. So, the methodology we adopted was empirical. We had to conduct field research and of course interviews. In his village, Okaba, for example, we interacted with people within the community – traditional and religious leaders, youth, his primary school mates and friends. He was the Attorney-General to the transition government of General Abdulsalami Abubakar. He played an important role in the transformation from military to civilian rule. He was also the Attorney-General during the Bakassi case and they did a lot. The book shows what Nigeria gained from the Bakassi case. It’s not all about legal defeat. We gained a lot, including a new relationship with Equatorial Guinea. The reason we are not at war today is because of the way the matter was solved.
We had prepared and forwarded questionnaires in advance to enable people prepare for interactions. We also had focus group discussions where we spoke to people in groups to elicit their comments. We produced more than 10 drafts before publication. He himself read it over and over again. Members of the committee also read through the entire manuscript. I then set up a sub-committee of the technical committee to review it. So the whole process went on for over three years. But ultimately, we had to defend some of the things we put there because we were the ones who conducted the field research. I also had support from my wife who is also a lawyer and some of my colleagues in the chamber – they drafted some of the chapters which I took responsibility for in fine-tuning. 
Bookshelf: Did you have a team working with you?
Prof. George: Yes. I had research assistants and I was also supported by some committee members. So, with the support of all these people, and my colleagues in my practice, we travelled to his village in Okaba in Kogi State, Ankpa, Kaduna, Lagos and other parts of the country to interview people. So, this book is a product of years of research.
Bookshelf: What makes this biography unique?
Prof. George: Its uniqueness lies in the uniqueness of the biography. He is highly successful and yet humble. He prefers to associate with the lowly. That’s why we call his biography ‘A Ahared Life’. He does not believe in exhibitionism or extravagance. He lives a life of modesty and likes to share. One of his principles is ‘if we care to share, we’ll have enough to go round’. His life is worthy of emulation to young people.
Bookshelf:  How were you able to finance the book project?
Prof. George: It wasn’t a commercial project, not like a legal brief that you would bring to my chambers. We had understanding with the committee. They provided logistics; all our trips were funded by them – my hotel accommodation, flights, printing of the book also, all done by the committee. I don’t know how the committee was funded. They were able to organize themselves and raise the funds. Alhaji Abdullahi enjoyed goodwill. Wherever we went, the reception was always very warm. Everybody wanted to participate. In fact, at a point, we had to draw the curtain.
Bookshelf: There are biographies written by those who have not attained your level of education or status. What do you think qualifies one to become a biographer?
Prof. George: You don’t necessarily have to be a professor, a senior advocate or lawyer. All you need is passion for the project and the interest in finding out about the personality concerned. Also, access is critical, not just to the personality, but his friends and relations. You need the cooperation of the person whose life you are researching. Alhaji Abdullahi was cooperative. But at the beginning he wasn’t that interested. He did not want people to say he’s blowing his own trumpet. But he couldn’t say no to the committee, particularly one chaired by Justice Uwais. They set things in motion from the beginning without his consent. If they had asked for his consent then he would have said no. Several other people have attempted to write about him and he quietly avoided it.
So, back to the question, humility and willingness to learn while writing a biography is very important. Even at my level as a professor and senior advocate, I incorporated people’s suggestions happily so as to improve and enrich the work. I learnt from members of the committee and the technical committee things I thought I had mastered. My memory was refreshed.
Bookshelf: What were your areas of challenge?
Prof. George: The main challenge was deciding what should go into the book. We didn’t want it to be just praise-singing. We wanted it to be a serious intellectual work. At the same time, we did not want it to be high-sounding intellectual work that would be of no use to the common man. So, we had to strike a balance. That was another challenge. In the main body of the work we tried to be down to earth, practical and pragmatic. We wanted a situation where even a primary school pupil can pick the book and learn something from it. So, we had the challenge of selecting materials from an avalanche we had, then saying no to some people who wanted to participate because we didn’t think they were going to add any value. Managing the materials was also a huge challenge. Ultimately, with the support of the committee we were able to do a fairly reasonable work and thus leave the judgment to readers.
Bookshelf:  On a general note, what place do you think biographies have in Nigerian history?
Prof. George: Biographies are some of the richest sources of history and we have not tapped into that aspect of our development at all. Many of our heroes die unsung. I can mention 10 or 15 Justices who did great works, but you can’t find anything about them anywhere. For instance, it is hard for you to find the biography of Sir. Daniel Alexander or Sir. Adetokunbo Ademola who was the first indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria. Many of these people laid the foundation for the legal profession. So, we need to have a funded biographical institute. It is one way in which we can preserve our legacies. Those of them who don’t want to write, others can approach them. When a great man dies, he has a lot of information and it goes to the grave with him. It’s a big disaster and a loss to the country. Successful people who have the resources should set up a fund from which writers and biographers can draw to be able to write more biographies. We need to read more about our heroes.
Bookshelf: If a person dies, does that mean his biography cannot be written?   
Prof. George: It can still be written, that’s post-humus. But of course the work will be more challenging. Now your work will have to rely on secondary sources, rather than hearing from the man himself. When he’s alive, you are able to hear from him directly and compare with what others say about him. It can be done both ways. So, we should not despair. We can write about those who have passed on.
Bookshelf: What place then does the biography of Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim have in Nigerian History?
Prof. George: It is a very useful addition to the existing literature on national leaders. There are no so many of such biographies. Whoever wants to write about the Ministry of Justice must have a useful source to draw from. We were able to bring out all the unique contributions of all the Attorneys-General who had served in the Ministry of Justice. We were also able to tell the history of some of the parastatals that he headed, like the NNPC for instance, Northern Nigerian Development Corporation, the Ministry of Justice of Northern Nigeria – how it started and its founding fathers. We were able to tell a little history of the place of Igala in Nigerian history because he is an Igala man. I am sure all Igalas would like to read that book because Alhaji is one of the foremost indigenes of Igala. He has managed to tell us who a statesman is and what he should be doing.
Bookshelf: Is age a criteria for one being the subject of a biography?
Prof. George: Honestly, age should not matter. What should matter is the achievement. For a man who has a story to tell, his biography can be put down at the age of 40 if he has achieved a lot. But here in Nigeria, when you start writing the biography of such an individual, people start asking what he has achieved. You can write about your first 50 years. When I did this, many where encouraged. If you can’t write it yourself, other people can. Don’t go to the grave without putting something down. That’s why the western countries are better than us in that area, because they will just pass oral traditions from generation to generation and it keeps being distorted. We need to write so that people would be guided. Unfortunately, even journalists don’t write their biographies although they are writers.