Inside Nigerian politics via 5 books

The political history of Nigeria is taking a remarkable turn this year. Before now, political parties have merged, just as there are defections   taking place probably as never before. But before now the politics of Nigeria has never ceased to be intriguing as evident in the books that touch on the subject. Such books include […]

The political history of Nigeria is taking a remarkable turn this year. Before now, political parties have merged, just as there are defections   taking place probably as never before. But before now the politics of Nigeria has never ceased to be intriguing as evident in the books that touch on the subject. Such books include biographies, autobiographies and other non-fictional and even fictional works.

Achebe’s ‘There Was a Country’
Chinua Achebe is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated writers. Published in 2012, this book gives an account of how life was during British colonial rule and the dawn of independence in 1960. It talks about the post-war era and what it called “an explosion of political organization” with the emergence of political parties. These included, the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), which later became the National Council of Nigerian Citizens) founded in 1944, created by Nnamdi Azikiwe; Action Group (AG), created by Obafemi Awolowo in 1951 and Northern People’s Congress (NPC) in the late 1940s by Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto. With the existence of these three major parties all preparing towards the country’s independence, Nigeria’s politics was already in motion.
In page 243, the beginning of Part Four, under the title ‘Nigeria’s Painful Transitions: A Reappraisal’ Achebe wrote: The post-Nigeria-Biafra civil war era saw a “unified” Nigeria saddled with a greater and more insidious reality. We were plagued by a home-grown enemy: the political ineptitude, mediocrity, indiscipline, ethnic bigotry, and corruption of the ruling class.    

El-Rufai’s ‘Accidental Public Servant’
Although, as the title of this book suggests, it is an account of the author’s rise to one of the top public offices (Minister of the Federal Capital Territory) in Nigeria. It lends a hand to intricacies in the country’s politics, specifically, the lack of merit and rigour involved in political appointments, which impacts directly on the state of the nation and eventually, its politics. After all, these same political appointees, be they capable or not, eventually use their exalted positions as stepping stones to such seats as that of governors. Nasir El-Rufai, is presently the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State.      

Obasanjo’s ‘My watch’
In this autobiography, former President Olusegun Obasanjo talked about corruption in Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan’s character, Boko Haram insurgency, insecurity, the kidnapped Chibok girls, political party politics and so on.
The author beamed his searchlight on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He wrote about how corruption is condoned and objective critics abused, which may ultimately lead to total ruin of a party which emerged to salvage the nation from destruction. This book is an indispensible material for any country man and woman passionate about understanding the intrigues in Nigerian politics, lapses in governance over the years and how it can be avoided.     

Kukah’s ‘Witness To Justice’
‘Witness To Justice, An Insider’s Account of Nigeria’s Truth Commission,’ is by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah. in the book, Kukah zeros in on the Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission (HRVIC), popularly known as the Oputa panel, (because it had as its chairman, late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, a respected justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court) of which he was a part of. Targeted at reconciling Nigerians, with its focus on the military – the author portrayed the abuse of military decrees, task forces and tribunals to subvert the Judiciary and trample on the rights of Nigerians, groups and cohorts.  
He talks about the activities of the military between 1984 and 1999 and how their regimes served to dominate other parts of the country while it fronted for the Northern political establishment. Also, the roles played by ethnic bodies, such as the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Arewa Consultative Forum before the commission. The details woven into this work reveals the effort put in by a country (under the Olusegun Obasanjo regime) to reconcile its people, thus making it a worthy historical material when it comes to military rule and its role in the political development of Nigeria.

Siollun’s ‘Soldiers of Fortune’
Published by Cassava Press in 2013, this book is a story of Nigeria’s political journey, titled, Soldiers of Fortune: Nigerian politics from Buhari to Babangida (1983-1993). Written by Max Siollun, it shows how the military held the destiny of the country in their hands and shaped and reshaped its history with every successful coup and power play. Unlike in most works where the author is an insider in the narrative, this work was borne out of extensive research of materials and documents backed by footnotes and endnotes.