The public presentation of Sylvester Odion-Akhaine’s book titled The Next Anarchy: A People’s Analysis of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, brings to the fore the appalling state of affairs in the country
By Alex Akinyele
It was a day of eloquent testimony for Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, former general secretary of Campaign for Democracy and current Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarisation, when he launched his latest book, The Next Anarchy: A People’s Analysis of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, on 31 July. The Osun Hall of Airport Hotel, Ikeja, venue of the launch, was brimming with prominent members of the academic, media, political and literary communities, many of them pro-democracy activists who had faced harassment during the military era.
Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State, who was one of the chief book presenters, commended Odion-Akhaine for coming up with a book that expresses concern for the Fourth Republic. According to Fashola, there is no doubt that Nigeria is passing through a difficult phase in her quest for socio-political and economic growth and development. He described Odion-Akhaine as one of the vociferous voices on contemporary issues in Nigeria’s democratic experience, whose opinions have actually affected the thinking of government and been of tremendous assistance to its policy thrusts.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of the state and Chief Book Presenter, praised the author for his patriotism and courage. He said the fact that the part-time lecturer at the Political Science department of the Lagos State University writes about his own country shows that he has genuine interest in many of the issues that border on leadership problems vis-à-vis democracy in Nigeria. “As a historian and civil rights activist, Sylvester has closely followed the trends of governance in this country and he is pre-eminently qualified to comment on things that are wrong, things that are right and proffer suggestions to guide leaders and perhaps put them on their toes,” he remarked.
More tributes came from different strata of the society, including friends, teachers and colleagues who reflected on his life as a student at the University of Benin and as a pro-democracy activist. Many of them recalled his heroic role in the struggle for democracy and against oppression in the 1990s, when the military held sway. Among them were Comrade Rauf Aregbesola, Prof. Adebayo Williams and Odia Ofeimun, poet and former president of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, who described the author as an intellectual and human rights activist.
Reviewing the book, the doyen of culture journalism in Nigeria, Ben Tomoloju, said it eloquently draws the readers’ attention to the misrule by self-styled political messiahs. Divided into 20 short chapters, noted Tomoloju, the book covers the central issues in Nigerian politics since the inauguration of the Fourth Republic on 29 May 1999.
The Next Anarchy: A People’s Analysis of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic opens with an introductory chapter on the moral ambivalence upon which Nigeria’s politico-economy is structured. Making reference to critical statements by local and foreign authorities, it strips bare the debauchery and sadism of the ruling class, particularly the way its members have looted and wasted the country’s oil resources in the last four decades.
“Be that as it may, The Next Anarchy is a dose of excellent thinking in political intervention. The author approaches the subject matter from diverse perspectives, including the economic, political, cultural, educational and even religious. It is at one and the same time didactic, homiletic and satirical, which makes it an easily digestible and profound piece of literature that evinces a broad-based appeal,” Tomoloju said.
Observing that the publication is further testimony of Odion-Akhaine’s selflessness, patriotism and total commitment to the Nigerian polity, Prof. Itse Sagay, Chairman of the occasion, explained that the book is a viable addition to the stable of progressive literature aimed at engendering a greater Nigeria.
Responding, Odion-Akhaine thanked the guests for the praises showered on him and promised to remain steadfast to lofty ideals. He said the book represents a humble intervention on the side of the toiling Nigerian people and a distant cry from official history. “It represents efforts to speak truth to power without fear of the temporal powers of officialdom. The reality which I convey, in the words of Patrick Wilmot, is like a mirror: breaking it will not change the reality. It is hoped that the ideas travel far into the nooks of many minds and the cause of humanity would have been advanced,” he enthused. Other prominent Nigerians who graced the book launch were Femi Falana, Kayode Opeifa, Special Adviser to Governor Fashola on Transport, and Kunle Ajibade, Executive Editor, TheNEWS.
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