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To write a book is not an easy thing; not least when the subject is Nigeria. It is a labyrinthine undertaking; after all, there is good reason to believe that the challenges we face on our journey to national self-actualisation have lingered for longer than most expected. It is no simple business to attempt to answer, quite acceptably, the questions that have been with us for so long. I imagine that when the philosopher, Plato advocated the emergence of philosopher Kings for his kallipolitan state, he was directly dictating the job description of generations of men and women that would aspire to occupy political office in Nigeria.
It is to this Platonic ideal that Olusegun Olulade, a career politician who has broken new grounds as the first representative of Epe Constituency II to be elected to two straight terms in the Lagos State House of Assembly has held himself.
He deserves a round of applause. He deserves a round of applause because even as a father of two boys and husband of a wife who’s an engineer, Hon. Olusegun Olulade has paid the price to hit a major milestone in national discourse, undertaken in 201 pages and 23 chapters of Eleniyan Perspectives, a panoramic collection of essays in our recent political history.
Eleniyan Perspectives,: Thoughts of Honourable Olusegun Olulade is a good book, a proper modern book. Its design is a commanding blend of aesthetic and technical finesse, leaving us with a final package that is a hardback learning resource fit for sale in any book market in the world, except that the editing and proofreading could have been more thorough.
As I noted earlier, Eleniyan Perspectives is Olusegun Olulade’s answer to Plato’s call and it is invaluably elevating that a personage of no less the standing of the undisputed bellweather of contemporary politics in West Africa, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, took the time to bless the effort with a foreword.
Original cerebration in memoir-writing is not easy to come by in Nigeria. Very few have even ventured, but seeing this effort by a relatively young mind is in every sense a refreshingly welcome intervention.
Reading Eleniyan Perspectives is enlightening because of the critical political issues the author, a politician himself, has chosen to address devoid of political correctness!
I’ll begin from his verdict on his own political constituency, the legislature:
“Legislature is the heartbeat of the nation…so a responsible legislative house means everything to the people.”
Hon Olulade identifies this all-important fulcrum that provides democracy with its very livewire but notes sadly the “pebble” that rose to obstruct and ruin the well-meaning policies and programmes President Muhammadu Buhari had intended to bring to the table after his historic election in 2015. You would have to get your copy to put a name to this pebble. But there is more: there is a detailed offering in riveting prose, the deep, behind-the-scene details of all the intrigues that amounted to a national spectacle between 2015 and 2019.
From Eleniyan Perspectives, the place of party in deciding who becomes the leader of the NASS should not be overruled. He at the same time enlightens his reader on the fact that ‘Debate is a part of legislative agenda’, so, they should see whatever rancour that must have ensued in the house as a feature of the National assembly, as long as it is positioned to elicit development.
He posits that countries like Ukraine, Georgia, Argentina, South Korea, Pakistan and Taiwan are known for heated parliamentary debates far beyond what Nigeria has experienced but laments that “while sharing something mostly causes brawls in Nigeria, other countries legislators fight or argue over policies”. He feels being called an honourable or distinguished should not be taken for granted; rather, it should be dignified.
Olulade’s insights into Nigeria’s delicate power-sharing dynamics are something even fellow politicians cannot sweep away. And this is the foundation upon which politics in Nigeria rests. It is also where he wisely traces his journey in Eleniyan Perspectives.
I am sincerely excited to see a politician who not only participates in the political process but also reflects upon it.
The first chapter of the book, “The Yoruba Race: Tinubu and Nation building”, looks at the leadership of the country from the outset and how all regions have had their fair share of the taste of leadership. The impact of South West leaders, who, over the years, have emerged with significant impact on the nation’s polity and how Bola Tinubu has contributed to national development, come to light here.
It is plainly stated how the South West assisted to allow other regions to attain leadership of the country; exemplified in the activities that produced former President Goodluck Jonathan and now President Muhammadu Buhari. Eleniyan looks at how an imminent Civil war was averted in the political permutation. The roles played by Bola Ahmed Tinubu in raising leaders is indubitably highlighted in more than one chapter of the book. Chapter 11, “Bola Tinubu: A deserving man of the year”; Chapter 13, “The making of Iconic leader for the Yoruba race”; Chapter 16, “Who stands with Asiwaju”; and Chapter 19, “Tribute to Asiwaju Tinubu at 65”. These Chapters paint pictures of the strategic contribution Asiwaju Tinubu has selflessly made in raising leaders from the South West and identifying talents from other regions who are in Lagos and are ready to make their marks in Nigeria. Eleniyan calls on the Yoruba nation to leverage on the leadership prowess of Asiwaju in taking the region to an enviable height nationally and beyond. Little wonder then that his hankering for positive change in the society is unhidden.
Hon. Olulade explores the challenges faced by a country considered the giant of Africa and proffers solutions from his perspective. The issues cut across ethnic, national, political, economic, health, youth development and leadership to mention but a few.
Chapter 3, ‘Why The Phones No longer Ring’, is an article that states the fact about a shift in attention when one leaves public office and how it should be handled in a mature manner. This article is in reaction to Reuben Abati’s published article after leaving office as the spokesman to Nigeria’s immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan. To him, the respected columnist should have looked for a more humorous way to stage his comeback rather than by attacking people.
Chapter 4, ‘Jail, who goes first’, Chapter 7, ‘Yes, Mr President can go slow’, Chapter 17, ‘The goons in the other room’ and others beam the searchlight on how President Muhammadu Buhari plans to fight corruption and why he should be allowed to deploy the strategy he thinks will make him achieve his goal. He posits that those who complain are capable of distracting the President from going after the corrupt people in the society. Chapter, 14, ‘Nigeria will be fantastically great’, lends credence to the fact that corruption is a global issue and David Cameron who accused Nigeria of being ‘fantastically corrupt’ was also involved in corruption and charged to court. Who then is a saint? It is indeed Eleniyan’s perspective that Nigeria will be fantastically great, if each of plays his part.
Chapter 12, ‘The scourge of Drugs: at what cost?, shows how drug abuse has eaten deep in our land, snatching our youth from us. Eleniyan Perspectives raises this concern and calls for more attention from the government through stricter laws; as well as from religious institutions and the community at large. He wants the youth to be rescued from drugs. A corresponding chapter is Chapter 15, ‘Nigerian youth in the sustainable future’. Eleniyan’s perspective here is for the country to capitalise on the strength of the youth. He charges the youth to be proactive in contributing to the development of the country.
It is in chapter 13 that the example of one leader who personifies the qualities of worthy Nigerian leaders is put in focus. Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ile-Ife, climbed the throne of his forefathers in December 2015 and proceeded to immediately unite Yorubaland’s biggest traditional rulers.
For his efforts, the Ooni gets positive mention in this book.
‘The Blood Stains on Our National Flag’ is the last chapter and this is a review of the killings happening in the north and other parts of the country. He believes:
“We must have challenges as a nation, but those challenges must be seen as propelling us towards our collective destiny as a nation filled with hope and glory, not a nation drifting backward by its history”
Ladies and gentlemen, this review is not to let out all the juicy parts of the book but to prepare your mind for a rich collection of articles dated between 2015 and 2019. This will make us keep record of the political activities that took place within the span and how Olusegun Olulade feels those issues should have been tackled to enhance our growth as a people. I recommend this book to students of politics across tertiary institutions and everyone who longs to enrich his pool of knowledge.
There is something on Kogi politics in it too. Also, somebody became the Lord of the ring within that period, you can find out yourself and Eleniyan’s Perspectives to it including the various controversies surrounding the issue on chapter 6. Stop guessing, the book will be made available to you all, just pick a copy.
Hon. Olusegun Olulade is his name but Eleniyan, the one with a heart for fellow men is what he is fondly called. The author has added to the body of knowledge. I congratulate him.
