My Participation By Akande — Everything Bisi Akande Said In His Book

Get an inside look at the My Participation By Akande an Autobiography, by Bisi Akande published in November 2020, by Gaskiya Media Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria, the groundwork for Mohammadu Buhari’s win in 2015, and many events that occurred in Nigeria.

In his new autobiography My Participation, the outspoken 82-year-old revealed how Atiku rejected two Muslims in one ticket with Tinubu in 2007 and how Buhari rejected two Muslims with Tinubu in 2015.

About The Book 

Title of Book: My Participation

Author: Chief Abdukareem Adebisi Bamdele Akande

Rating: 4 stars = Really Good

The Reviewer’s Name: Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu

Review: This is a 618-page book, divided into four sections, with 36 Chapters, an Appendix, and Index. It has a Map of Ila-Orangun and its neighbors at the beginning of the book. Pictures are arranged in two sections of 16 pages each at the beginning within the preface and at the end of Section three of the book.

Who wrote the Bisi Akande My Participation Book?

The Foreword is written by Professor Wole Soyinka and the book is dedicated to Wuraola Abebi and Lawani Akande. 

How many books does Bisi Akande have?

The former governor of Osun State has 18 other publications, including 10 monographs.

Error in the My Participation Book?

Reading through the book, there are some errors. Correcting those errors will improve the quality of the book. On Pages 457 and 458:

• Senator Annie Okonkwo was the Deputy National Vice Chairman South (not North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
• The numbering of pages, spellings, and grammatical errors can be corrected by editing.

Who is Bisi Akande?

Chief Abdulkareem Adebisi Akande was born on January 23, 1939, into the family of Wuraola Abebi and Lawani Akande, with two brothers and two sisters in Ila-Orangun, an ancient city of migrants within the Igbomina kingdom in the defunct Western Region, that is now known as Osun State. At a young age, he decided against going to school but preferred to be a mechanic. He later changed his mind and went to school. 

His progressive and liberal credentials started early in life. Ila-Orangun in the First Republic was a stronghold of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC). Later, it was the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) that had control of the area. Subsequently, it became the stronghold of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). As a child, he accompanied his uncle to church on Sundays. He attended a Methodist Primary School. 

He also tried to get baptized in the Catholic Church. However, the more he tried, the more he failed the Catechism test. He remained a Muslim. He believed that if he had gone to any of the Pentecostal Churches, he would have been converted. It is remarkable that all through his life, he remained a very tolerant man, showing friendship to all.

He kept questioning why his parents were poor. He came to the conclusion that they were poor because they refused to change when the situation warranted it. They remained with their palm wine trade, which gave them money earlier in life when business boomed as the railway lines were been constructed. 

They did not change their line of trade or occupation when that project was completed. They did not acquire the necessary skills that would have helped them diversify into the new economy brought about by British Colonial Rule. No wonder learning from the mistakes of his parents, the author worked to keep acquiring additional skills to adapt to new circumstances. He started life as an apprentice mechanic, then later as a shop clerk, and after his primary school education became a pupil-teacher as one of the pioneer teachers of the historic free and compulsory education program of the then Western Region. 

He had to trek a total of 22 miles (over 35 kilometers), to resume as a teacher in the new school at Ijama-Oke. Then he was regarded and acted as Headmaster of the school. He later attended a two-year program, at the Divisional Teachers Training College at Ile-Ife, where he was the Health Officer. He completed his education, but could not collect his certificate or testimonial because of the money he owed the school.

Chief Akande is a self-made man, he worked very hard and was determined to succeed in life. He did not go to any secondary school. He never saw the inside of any university, except for short courses. Yet, through home study and learning by correspondence, he was able to obtain the certificate of a Chartered Secretary and later became a qualified accountant at the age of 22 years. He taught briefly in a secondary school. He was able to secure a job in a foreign company, the British Petroleum (BP). 

Chief Akande is a man that is used to looking other men in the face. Yet, when it was necessary for him to do so as part of his work schedule, he failed. He was caught sleeping at work, a serious offense that was punishable with summary dismissal. A panel of three was set up to try him. His honesty saved him. He rose very quickly in his job and was promoted to a very high management position in the company. 

He traveled extensively in the country and was able to visit many parts of the country. He was able to visit many other countries for training purposes. When the time came for him to make a change, after fourteen productive and interesting years with BP, he did not hesitate.

Chief Akande is a man with a complex personality. In addition to his ever-smiling face, he is full of jokes, which can at times be very expensive. At one time, he found himself in an awkward position fleeing from the Senior Prefect of his school in Ile-Ife, who pursued him with a cutlass. He can be stubborn. As the Health Officer, in his school at Ile-Ife, he resisted the pressure from his fellow students, which nearly cost him expulsion from the school. He has a principled mind, he makes every effort to stand by whatever he believes in. 

When Chief Meredith Adisa Akinloye, organized people from his area to have a different political interest from Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Akande was not in agreement. He had to pretend to be drunk, to explain why he did not participate in their discussions. However, when the others found out that he was only drinking mineral water, they decided to leave him alone.

His 82 years have been years of service to his fellow human beings. He was elected as a Councillor and became a member of the 1977 Constituent Assembly, which gave the nation the Presidential System of Government. He was appointed the Secretary to the then Government of Oyo State by Governor Bola Ige. In 1999, he won the election as the Governor of Osun State. For several years, he served as National Chairman, of four different political parties. 

He was the National Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). He was the founding and only National Chairman of the Action Congress (AC). Also, he was the founding and only National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). In 2013, he became the Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which was then, an opposition party but now the ruling party in the country. He remains a respected leader of the APC. As National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), he played important role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

The formation of the APC was a major and historic achievement. This was the first time, that political parties controlling government came together in a merger both in Nigeria and also in Africa. It is very rewarding that the APC, soon after it was formed, became a governing party by defeating a political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that had been in power for 16 years. Again, the APC’s victory was the first time that a seating President was defeated in an election in Nigeria.

The author worked closely with the National Chairmen of the other two legacy political parties, the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). The meeting which the author reported that took place in November 2010, soon after the election of the National Chairman of ANPP, was very historic. The author may recollect the discussions between him and the National Chairman of ANPP, as at the end of that meeting when he escorted the National Chairman of ANPP to his car. They both agreed, at the suggestion of the author, to constitute committees for the two parties to start meeting. Continue the reading here.

What is Bisi Akande role in APC presidential election 2015?

He has a role in the selection of the first presidential running mate of the APC, who later became Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

Here’s Everything Bisi Akande Said In His Book My Participation:

Will be updated shortly.