President Muhammadu Buhari has described Chief Bisi Akande, a former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as a truthful and perfect public officer”.
Buhari, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the public presentation of a book titled ‘’My Participation”, the biography of Chief Bisi Akande, maintained that the author has retained his “inflexible integrity”, in and out of public office, never accepting or offering bribes.
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He quoted a part of page 400 of the book where Akande wrote that he never gave to or demanded bribe from anyone all his life”; while he emphasised that he was a perfect gentleman and public officer.
The President also quoted a famous Hausa saying, ”Labarin zucciya a tambayi fuska”, meaning “If you want to know what is in a man’s heart watch his face”.
Buhari affirmed that Akande has a permanent smile on his face, reiterating that he is the type “I will go into the jungle with”.
Reflecting on the political history of the author, particularly his bid to seek a second term as Governor of Osun, Buhari declared that
“It is common knowledge that Akande was the victim – along with other AD Governors – of a diabolical double-cross which ended his gubernatorial career. Only the steadfast Asiwaju Bola Tinubu escaped the electoral massacre masterminded by President Obasanjo,”
”Desperately disappointed though he was, and being a good Muslim, he accepted this setback as part of the trials of life. He looked to the future of service to the country.”
Reminiscing on APC’s ascent to governance at the Federal level in 2015, President Buhari said Chief Akande was in the thick of further attempts in 2011 and 2014 to fuse together different groups and dislodge PDP from governance.
”The key to his thinking which coincides with mine is that Nigeria can only be successfully managed by alliances between major groups. Although we failed in 2011 but by persistence and knowledge that PDP was driving the country towards disaster, several major parties were able to finally coalesce into APC in 2014. Chief Akande was unanimously chosen as the first Chairman of this great coalition. Throughout the difficult negotiations, I found Akande truthful, steady and always with an eye to the ultimate goal.”
Buhari, therefore, recommended the book published published by Dare Babarinsa to students of Nigeria politics and the general public alike; describing it as a historical document.
“Students will find this an invaluable source of Nigeria’s politics, notably between 1999 and 2020,” he said.
Chief Akande in his remark thanked the President and all other attendees for gracing the occasion while he stressed the need for Nigerians to be United.
‘My Participations'”, an autobiography by Bisi Akande is a 618-page book divided into four sections with 36 chapters, an appeal dix and index.
It also has a map of Ila-Orangun and its neighbours at the beginning of the book.
The forward is written by Professor Wole Soyinka.
The event was well attended by dignitaries across the country including Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; Minister of Interior represented by his son; Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Senator John James Akpan Udo-Edehe; Senator Tokunbo Abiru; Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; Senator Solomon Adeola; Speaker, House of Rep. represented by Hon. Enitan Dolapo Badru; APC Caretaker Chairman, Mai-Mala-Buni; Dr. Usman Bugaje, monarchs, among other.
