At 33, Prof. Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi was appointed Director-General of the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs (NIIA). It was a rare feat then for a young person to be given such a plum job. Cynics thought he could not stay long in that office, but he ended up spending eight years at the NIIA. He subsequently became External Affairs Minister. Akinyemi has come a long way – from the classroom to governance, politics, diplomacy and activism. Last week in Lagos, he was honoured with two books written by his colleagues, Precious IGBONWELUNDU reports.
It was an impressive gathering. The movers and shakers were there. They all came to honour a man to whom honour is due; Prof Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi, former External Affairs Minister. Two books: Perpectives on Nigeria’s National and External Relations: Essays in Honour of Prof. A.Bolaji Akinyemi and Nigeria and the World: A Bolaji Akinyemi Revisited were presented in his honour at the Bolaji Akinyemi Hall of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos last week.
Akinyemi was Director-General of NIIA before he became Minister under former Military President Gen. Ibrahim Babaginda.
Akinyemi was described as “a man who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk.”
Some called him a hero of diplomacy, who left his mark in the academia and socio-political spheres. Others called him an astute scholar; a colossus of knowledge and more.
Babangida described Akinyemi as “an enduring factor in Nigeria’s foreign policy”. His presence at the event, he said, was a demonstration of the services Akinyemi rendered to the nation.
“That he was my first External Affairs Minister is an established fact. That before then he was the director-general of this Institute for eight years is also an established fact. The fact that as part of today’s programme, there is a symposium on the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme, one of Akinyemi’s enduring legacies in government, is ample demonstration of the relevance of Prof Akinyemi to Nigeria’s foreign policy, a relevance that has lasted for over 40 years.
“That it is not just one but two books that are being launched in honour of Bolaji Akinyemi is a testament to him being an enduring factor in Nigeria’s foreign policy. If I say that he is often controversial in his views, I am only stating the obvious. He is controversial because he is years ahead of his time in the ideas he articulates. Some people pass through offices and leave nothing but their portraits on the wall. Akinyemi passed through this Institute and the ministry and we are witnesses to his achievements. My presence here and I am sure that your presence here is a demonstration of a grateful nation for services well rendered,” he said.
Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko described Akinyemi as his hero. He noted that Akinyemi is among the few Nigerians who left academia for governance and exited both with his integrity intact. He said his first encounter with Akinyemi gave him a different view of life entirely, noting that his respect for Prof. Akinyemi cut across all spheres as he remained one of the “true heroes of the country”. He said the prof’s perspective on issues which he canvassed over 40 years ago were needed in today’s Nigeria. Mimiko praised the authors “for honouring a great man in his life time”.
Mimiko said: “The first time I ever met Prof. Akinyemi was when he was DG of NIIA. I came to interview him as an undergraduate and he offered me a stick of cigarette which I rejected. Talking of dialogue and not revolution like the people from the other blocks we were used to, you made an impression of someone moderate in his thoughts. My encounter with him that day changed my perception of issues.
“Prof Akinyemi is cerebrally engaging. For him, dialogue is a religion. Even at that time when the rest of us thought revolution was the solution, he believed and still believes there is nothing that cannot be achieved with dialogue.”
Abia Governor Theodore Orji, who was represented by Secretary to State Government, Mpa Mpa, said he has always admired and respected “Akinyemi’s enthusiasm, commitment to public service, keen intellect and never-ending drive for new ideas that made the difference”.
Akinyemi’s ideas, he said, helped in building the many legacies the prof is known for. He listed these to be Akinyemi’s idea and intellectual thoughts on Nigeria’s global and regional policies as a middle power.
He said: “Akinyemi’s legacies have also been evident in the number and quality of his scholar disciples and the human capital that he raised in the area of scholarship in our nation and beyond; his ability to build durable and dependable support institutions for the country’s foreign policy-making and participant elites; and his giving of vibrant life to such institutions, including this great centre – NIIA, where he once held sway.
“He has proven to be a colossus in more than half a century of Nigeria’s academic history as a leading scholar, teacher, technocrat and philosopher in the study and practice of Nigeria’s international relations and domestic politics. These books’ presentation is a worthy and eloquent testimony to the world that Akinyemi’s legacy will continue to propel our foreign policy elites and scholars-modelling their thoughts and writings and those of the younger generation of scholars. We can through his works, further confirm the creative force of bold and relentless ideas in changing this nation and the world for good.”
He described Akinyemi as an inspiration, adding that the occasion was a celebration of the power of knowledge and investment in human resources. “For me in particular, I have always been inspired by Prof Akinyemi to know that in leadership and public service, there is no greater attainment we can make in life that is worthier than building memorable foundation legacies that make the difference; legacies that seek to introduce meaningful and sustainable changes and legacies that focus on changing lives. It is a celebration of one man’s resilience to make a difference and of the value of staying strong to the end in defence of knowledge and excellence in public service,” Orji said.
The books were edited by Thomas Imobighe and Warisu Alli; and Akinterinwa.
Perpectives on Nigeria’s National and External Relations: Essays in Honour of Prof. A.Bolaji Akinyemiwas reviewed by Ambassador Mark Egbe, Nigeria and the World: A Bolaji Akinyemi Revisited was reviewed by Sokoto State University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nuhu Yaqub.
The books were published last year. The former, which is a collection of 22 essays by cerebral Nigerian scholars in honour of Akinyemi, was initially meant to celebrate the prof during his 70th birthday…; the latter comprises 391 pages with 17 chapters, arranged in four parts.
In his review, Egbe said the book gave some insights into Akinyemi’s personality, scholarship, diplomatic exploits and political activism. He said issues ranging from the role of Nigeria in the United Nations, including its quest for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council to regional matters within the context of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were discussed.
Egbe described the “Akinyemi Dream” as that of a greater Nigeria able to deploy its clearly enormous economic, political, socio-cultural and diplomatic resources, to advance its own interest and those of the African nations and the black community globally. He recommended the book to the political class, practitioners of foreign policy and the Nigerian intelligentsia.
In his own review, Yaqub saidAkinterinwa focuses on Akinyemi’s many revolutionary ideas on foreign policy making and its implementation which include the concept of the Concert of Medium Power; Balance of Power; Nigeria’s Africa Centre-piece Foreign Policy; TAC; the necessity of Reciprocity in the relationship of nation-states; Black Bomb; Consultation Doctrine, among others. “All in all, the book is a very solid contribution to scholarship. There are few errors the authors would have to look at, in case there shall be an opportunity to have a new edition of the work in the years ahead,” he said.
Akinyemi said he was humbled by the honour done him by his colleagues. He attributed his success as NIIA’s DG and minister to Babangida’s support.
He said: “I feel very humbled at the same time honoured. In a country like this, it is unusual to be honoured by one’s colleagues. Usually, what you get is jealousy and envy. So, that my colleagues decided to honour me this way, is something I am proud of and it is a trait in our character we should learn to emulate.
“I am also overwhelmed by the presence of President Ibrahim Babangida who was my boss, whom I served, because it has been over 30 years since I served in his government yet, the bond that bounds us together is still there. It is now stale news that I was appointed in 1975 as DG of this Institute at the age of 33 years after several years of turbulent existence of the Institute. I was not expected to last in the post. I was supposed to go the way of the previous DGs. Well, I lasted for eight years…Today, I can reveal that one of the people responsible for that survival is President Ibrahim Babangida. Of course he was not the president then. He was a Lt-Colonel and Commander of the Armoured Corps. More importantly, he was a member of the Supreme Military Council.”
On the state of the nation, Akinyemi said the poor have out of hopelessness, declared war on the middle class and the rich. “The poor cannot sleep because they are hungry and the rich cannot sleep because the poor are awake. The poor feel that their own country has declared war against them. I would have thought this is the time for a robust debate about how to build a more just, equitable and egalitarian society where there will be a safety economic and social net below which no one will be allowed to fall, where the needs of the poor, orphans and widows will command the attention of government; but what I hear, what we all hear, is a raucous debate about whose turn is it to rule Nigeria in 2015. What will it benefit anyone to rule a house whose roof is about to be blown off and whose foundation is in danger of collapse? Zoning, federal character, rotation, marginalisation of the brightest and the best will only make the much prophesied collapse of Nigeria in 2014 a self-fulfilling prophecy. We cannot build a nation on a system that takes care of the few while condemning the many to penury. A system that cannot take care of the many who are poor cannot save the few who are rich,” Akinyemi said.
Among those in attendance were Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido; former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba; former Ekiti State Governor Niyi Adebayo; former Foreign Affairs Minister Gen. Ike Nwachukwu; former Federal High Court Chief Judge Rose Ukeje; former Inspector-General of Police Musilu Smith; Air Vice Marshall Hamza Abdullahi (rtd.); renowned political scientist, Prof. Adele Jinadu; Professors Jide Osintokun, Ben Iwogie and Bolanle Iyinla; late Moshood Abiola’s wife, Dr Doyin; former Director-General NIIA, Prof. George Obiozor; Director-General, Technical Aid Corps Directorate, Mamman Daura, Senior Special Assistant to the President on International Relations Daniel Hart and former Edo State Commissioner for Information, Louis Odion.
