Bolaji akinyemi biography of abraham

By Bisi Olawunmi

Prof. Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi is an intellectual who has bestride Nigeria’s political landscape crave over four decades, since 1975, when he made his countrywide debut with an appointment pass for Director-General of the Nigerian Alliance of International Affairs (NIIA), City. He was aged 33.

High-mindedness dynamism of his eight-year lease (1975-1983) brought NIIA into special prominence as a Think Tank.

As the Ilesa, Osun State-born senior lecturer of political science turns 80 on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, (DOB Jan. 4, 1942), elation offers an opportunity for principally insight into this scholar who has remained relevant for 47 years in discourses on socio-economic cum political affairs of nobility Nigerian state.

This makes him an intellectual marathoner. Many a mixture of his contemporaries have lost puff and fallen off the hand over affairs track. What is recognize as his sustaining power go over the intellectual fecundity he brings to the analysis of general issues and his unfazed assurance in postulating innovative but disputable doctrines.

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Serving as Minister devotee External Affairs between 1985 contemporary 1987 during the regime uphold Military President, Gen.

Ibrahim Babangida provided him an opportunity attain project his ideas at probity international level. He had anticipated the Concept of Medium Senses whereby some key Developing Countries, including Nigeria, Brazil and Bharat, are to constitute intervening reason to reckon in their several regions such that the soi-disant Big Powers will not own free reign to stomp study those regions at will.

Academician. Akinyemi’s genteel mien belies king steely disposition as a extend hawk and his belief infiltrate Nigeria’s manifest destiny as expert powerful nation not only encroach Africa but in the field. This informed his advocacy birdcage 1987 as Minister of Cosmetic Affairs, that Nigeria should assign a nuclear power by processing what he dubbed the Swart Bomb.

For him, there requirement be no racial monopoly make a fuss over nuclear capability. He initiated picture Technical Aid Corps (TAC) Ploy under which Nigerian professionals were sent to other African countries and the Caribbean to domestic animals needed services in those countries with Nigeria stipends. This progression projecting the Nigerian flag suggest altruistic presence in those countries, a form of Soft Power.

Perhaps, Prof.

Akinyemi’s pedigree and role created an unintentional projection emblematic arrogance, which irks many. Stylishness had attended ivy league less important schools in Nigeria – Igbobi College, Lagos and Christ Institute, Ado Ekiti – and universities abroad – Temple University, City and Tufts University’s Fletcher Nursery school of Law and Diplomacy, both in the U.

S, upright it with a Ph.D. delightful Oxford University, England. In status of persona, Prof. Akinyemi’s serene nature, in his walk perch in the measured cadence honourableness way he talks, is ofttimes interpreted by many as receipt a whiff of aristocratic shyness and condescension, which do remote sit well with some careful taken as dismissive or unrestricted offensive by others.

I testament choice cite two instances. When Hilarious met Prof. Ibrahim Gambari observe Washington D. C. in decency mid-1980s, the Chief of Pole to President Muhammadu Buhari build up Minister of External Affairs get going Gen. Buhari’s regime as brave Head of State, he narrated how he was treated inadequately and in a dismissive fashion by Prof.

Akinyemi, even bring in his predecessor in office. Honourableness Nigerian Ambassador to the U. S. then, Ambassador Ignatius Olisemaka told me how Prof. Akinyemi, during his visit to U. S. as External Affairs Way, did not show courtesy pre-empt him. He was miffed ahead pointedly noted: Bolaji was excellent classmate of my younger sibling.

I had related these several instances to Prof. Akinyemi who shrugged off Prof. Gambari’s perceive but felt Ambassador Olisemaka was being over-sensitive because he difficult no reason to be ill-mannered to him. I see excellence Akinyemi-Olisemaka spat as a row of egos.

Prof. Akinyemi, as comprise advocate of Nigeria’s ‘Exceptionalism’, sees Nigeria as the major nationstate in Africa and apparently coupled with African countries from consider it vantage power position.

This decrease is drawn from my bump into with a foreign minister refreshing Angola when he came be selected for address a press conference view the National Press Club dull Washington in the mid-1980s at I shared the high food with him. After the trade fair, I wanted an exclusive question period with him. But the clergywoman went into a tirade in respect of how Prof.

Akinyemi wanted prospect impose on Angola and walk he was happy when appease was removed from office. What gratified though, was that Professor. Akinyemi must have projected Nigeria’s power enough for the clergywoman to show respect by hesitation his side from barring understand from taking the elevator pick up again him.

“He is from Nigeria, we cannot stop him”, sand had instructed. I felt good.

Much of Prof. Akinyemi’s views wallop major issues are contained take away his Convocation Lecture titled: African Exceptionalism – Nigerian Quest use World Leadership, delivered at rendering 2016 Convocation of University diagram Ibadan on November 16, 2016.

In that 222-page lecture, dirt had decried the profligacy own up Nigerian leaders, particularly state governors; the cheap access to Statesmanlike Villa Nigerian leaders grant chastise foreign businessmen, many of whom he considered as looters arena the self-denigration whereby African forefront get sheepishly herded to serve meetings with some countries, sensationalist the example of French Acme with African leaders.

Prof.

Akinyemi level-headed a visionary intellectual in birth mould of Dr. Henry Diplomat, the celebrated former U. Severe. Secretary of State in ethics heady days of Super Trounce Cold Ear in the Decennium whose visionary Shuttle Diplomacy thawed U. S.- the Soviet Junction and U. S. -China aloof relations. Just as ‘Henry, Depiction K’ as canonised by blue blood the gentry adulating American press, remains leading as a consultant in worldwide relations, even in his 90s, the prognosis is that Nigeria’s own visionary Prof.

A. Bolaji Akinyemi at 80, will extreme similarly relevant in the age to come.

Dr. Bisi Olawunmi, calligraphic mass communication scholar, is unblended former Washington Correspondent of character News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)