National leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, and former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, has stated that the merger of coalition of parties into APC in 2013 could not have been successful without the valuable effort of former interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande.
Tinubu, however, described Akande as an hero, a selfless leader and self-disciplined, who rose from grass to grace through dint of hardwork and determination.
Tinubu made the remarks at the official launch and Public Presentation of Akande's autobiography, titled: "My Participations," which had in attendance President Buhari, governors, senators, party chieftains, and host of others, at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Tinubu, in his five minutes speech, read: "Every now and then, we come across a person so exemplary and excellent that one word seems to fit them perfectly: Hero.
"Chief Bisi Akande is such a person. Our lives are better because of the selfless public and private contributions he has made to this national family we call Nigeria.
"Thankfully, he decided to make a written record of the events, ideas and lessons of his profound life so they may serve to enlighten and educate both the present and the future.
"This remarkable book- MY PARTICIPATIONS- written by this remarkable man is being unveiled here today. Baba Akande knew he had essential things to tell us. In his straightforward way, that is what he did in this book.
"Being a key light in our political firmament, whatever Baba says about his life also doubles as an intimate account of the political story of Nigeria.
Baba Akande represents what a public figure in Nigeria ought to be. He is what many should aspire to be.
"From humble beginnings, Baba Akande rose through hard work, intellect, courage, perseverance, sacrifice, dedication and what he called ‘self-tuition’.
"Baba did not walk the easy road. He earned things the hard and principled way. Nothing deterred him. Though easy-going in demeanor, he was always strong of character. Without seeing the four walls of a university, Chief Akande tutored himself so well that by age 22, he had become a qualified accountant.
"Chief Akande's political career began with his election into the Constituent Assembly in 1977. Since then, he has not looked back. His skill and abilities catapulted him to becoming the Secretary to the State Government and Deputy Governor of old Oyo State. He then served as the second democratically-elected governor of Osun State.
"People saw in him the rare combination of the gifts of fairness, tolerance and vision. Because of this, he was chosen as chairman of the AD, AC and ACN. As a crowning achievement regarding to party leadership, he served as the APC interim chairman, helping to shepherd the historic merger of several major parties into one.
"Without Baba Akande’s sage guidance, that merger might never have come to pass. We owe him deep gratitude for his singular devotion to consummating the complicated merger in such a positive manner that then Candidate General Muhammadu Buhari was able to demonstrate his popularity by achieving a monumental victory in the 2015 election.
"The connection I share with Chief Akande is longstanding and broad. We have been fellow travellers in the struggle for democracy and progressive governance. We also shared similar backgrounds in Accounting and Finance. We both honed our accounting skills in oil companies, Baba in British Petroleum, me in Mobil, before our forays into politics.
"The book ‘MY PARTICIPATIONS’ is razor-sharp. Apart from giving valuable insights into the makings of this great Nigerian, it provides a view of our political intricacies through the gifted lens of one of our foremost public figures.
"A constant theme of the book is Chief Akande’s unwavering devotion to the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. On Page 17 of this 534-page memoir, Baba writes: “It was not surprising that as I was growing up and becoming more knowledgeable, I became totally indoctrinated and began to study everything about Awolowo and his Action Group. I read all his books and vowed to emulate him in self-discipline, fearlessness, dignity, courage and patriotism”.
"After his first encounter with the late sage in November 1977, the young Akande felt further inspired, pointing out again in the book that, “Awolowo can be rated indeed as one of the greatest intellectuals in the politics of his time.”
"Among important issues highlighted in the book is the historic merger of the ACN, CPC, ANPP and a faction of APGA in the APC. Writing on Page 445, Chief Akande gave the background to the alliance. He wrote: “In the new year of 2013, Bola Tinubu began to engage me consistently on the need for the Yoruba in the South-West to work politically together with the Hausa and Fulani of the North-West.
"He suggested and encouraged me that we both visit Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna. It was my first time of meeting Buhari in his home and I was attracted to his personal values and austere life. We joined him at lunch, chatted heartily and agreed to work together again. Things began to happen quickly thereafter.
"Chief Akande writes frankly. He does not sugar coat or obscure. He says what he sees. Some people wished this book never to see the light of day because they received the words of his sharp pen for their negative roles in key events. Given his kind nature, however, there are many others who won his admiration. As author Amit Kalantri quipped, “an honest man speaks truth; don’t expect him to speak sweet.”
"Indeed, Prof. Wole Soyinka’s Foreword declares: “This is one historic reckoning that will make many uncomfortable. Many will be reminded of roles played by them which they would rather the nation, indeed the world, forgot.”
"The book truly affirms that Chief Akande places high premium on integrity and truthfulness. It could not be otherwise. Indeed, many say President Buhari and Chief Akande are two of a kind: honest, resolute, patriotic and committed to their beliefs. I concur in that comparison.
"We thank Baba Akande for sharing the richness of his experiences in hope that this book will enhance the national political discourse and the democratic journey born of that discourse.
"We thank President Buhari for taking time from his unrelenting schedule to be here today. It shows the mutual affinity the President and Chief Akande share."
"I thank you Baba Akande. You have done Nigeria proud."