Periodicals
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Baba Akande: Politician Of Exemplary Qualities Guided By Accountability
By Ojo Emmanuel Ademola As Nigeria navigates the complexity of its political landscape, characterised by an overriding need for reform and an increasing clamour for leaders of integrity, the celebration of Baba Akande’s 85th birthday stands as a beacon of inspiration. Often referred to affectionately as Baba Akande, his life and career encapsulate the qualities so earnestly sought after in today’s public service arena: accountability, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to the common good. Chief Abdul-Kareem Adebisi Akande, a name etched in the annals of Nigerian politics, has traversed the many waves of the nation’s political tides with the finesse of a skilled mariner. His political odyssey, coloured by the…
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Akande: Of politicians’ occupational hazard
It is not just that politicians are the most distrusted group of professionals in the world, being a politician in itself is a nightmare as it carries a stigma of being an unprincipled, corruptible double-dealer. And as if to justify this, their zero-sum struggle for power is often anchored on the belief that ‘the end justifies the means’ or as John Lylys puts it in his novel Euphus: The Anatomy of Wits, ‘All, is fair in love as in war’. Ironically, we need politicians more than they need us. We owe our survival as organized society to their brinkmanship and skillful exploitation of our infirmities. In a world where it…
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Akande’s leadership burden
In the past few days, the Nigerian public domain has been awash with the celebrations of the 85th birthday of a pan-Nigerian progressive, a Yoruba nationalist and an epitome of selfless leadership, Chief Adebisi Akande. In his country home Ila-Orangun, Ila Local Government Area of Osun State; in Ibadan, the capital city of the new and old Oyo State where his political career had blossomed and glowed; and in Abuja where he had in exemplification presided over the affairs of Africa’s largest ruling political party, the All Progressive Congress, he was celebrated the same day by a wide spectrum of his political followers, friends, allies and even the political foes he had…
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Tinubu Celebrates Long-time Political Ally, Bisi Akande, At 85
With a heart full of joy and gratitude to God, President Bola Tinubu has celebrated his long-time confidant, Chief Bisi Akande, as he marks his 85th birthday anniversary on January 16, 2024. Chief Akande was the governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003 and the first interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). President Tinubu, in a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, on Monday, extolled Baba Akande’s defining principles of integrity, loyalty, truth, and justice, recalling his exemplary leadership odyssey and selfless service to Nigeria. “Baba was a principal actor in the founding of our great party, the All Progressives’ Congress. He has always been a…
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Bisi Akande at 85…a life worthy of celebration
Tuesday January 16, 2024, would go down well in history as one of the days when who-is-who in the country, across ethnic, religious and professional divides, gathered to celebrate not just the birthday anniversary of an individual but also a life well lived in integrity, commitment and loyalty. At 85, the lifestyle and relationships of Chief Bisi Akande, former interim national chairman of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Osun State (1999-2003), spoke as dignitaries across Nigeria gathered at Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to celebrate him. The personalities that graced the event, which the Board of Trustees of Adebisi Akande Foundation titled, ‘Celebration of Grace, 85th Birthday of…
