From Ismail Omipidan, Abuja
It was in 2013, just two years before the 2015 presidential election, tensions rose within Nigeria’s political landscape. The then President, Goodluck Jonathan had fallen out with his political godfather, former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the former’s insistence on seeking re-election despite initial understanding that he would not do so.
Apparently positioning Sule Lamido as a potential aspirant from the North, Obasanjo had flown into Jigawa, the same day Jonathan was hosting other leaders in Abuja to mark that year’s Democracy Day event.
From Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, Obasanjo fired a salvo, a pointed endorsement of then-Governor Sule Lamido, describing him as a leader who had demonstrated the capacity for good governance and the competence to lead Nigeria. He spoke while delivering his keynote address at the opening ceremony of a three-day Jigawa State Economic Summit at the time.
In a veiled reference to Jonathan’s poor handling of affairs of the country at the time, Obasanjo said, “You know you can help somebody to get a job but you cannot help him to do it. If somebody cannot do the job, we have Sule Lamido who is competent to do the job.
“Some people are saying one person can’t make changes. This is rubbish; if you have a competent person who knows where he is going to, he can make changes along with his team that would impact the lives of people as we have seen it in Jigawa State.”
According to Obasanjo, good governance is key for any practical and factual economic development plan because “the government is not expected to invest directly but to provide enabling environment for private investors to implement the plan.
“The way Lamido revitalised the Jigawa State education sector, made adequate provision of good roads network, infrastructures, social security, free trade has now made the state to be a haven for investors.”
The morning after the event, the media was awash with different angles to the story, with Lamido’s Jigawa story dominating the headlines. Sadly, that was how the ex-Jigawa Governor entered the political bad book of Jonathan. As a result, he was persecuted, tried alongside his children on “trumped up charges,” and his government was denied legitimate refund from the Federal Government for some of the federal projects undertaken by the state, among other punitive actions against him.
To offer fresh insights into the power dynamics and political intrigues of the Obasanjo administration, including the manoeuvres surrounding the June 12 pro-democracy struggle that preceded it, the former Foreign Affairs Minister has decided to document his experiences in a book titled ‘Being True to Myself’, which is to be launched next week.
Briefing reporters in Abuja on Tuesday, Senator Mustapha Khabeeb, who is the Chairman, Sule Lamido Book Launch Committee, said the book would be presented to the public on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. He added that the book reveals how Sule, an innocent Fulani boy got transformed into a power player whose intolerance of condescending or patronising attitude from anyone brought him close to Obasanjo and other political actors in the country.
He noted that the book will take readers through Sule Lamido’s political journey from the era of the Aminu Kano-led Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) during the Shehu Shagari era when he represented the party at the Federal House of Representatives to the formation of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and later, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998 and the situation today.
“Sule Lamido’s autobiography, for which he gives the intriguing title ‘Being True To Myself’ is a documentation of his illuminating forays through the corridors of power in Nigeria and on the foreign scene; as an elder statesman now, Sule Lamido has done well to document this revealing and remarkable experience, which has taken him to the nooks and corners of our country and beyond.
“The event shall unbundle actual political and other happenings in our great country from the tail end of the 2nd Republic, the military intervention, untold transition arrangements, to the beginning of the 4th Republic replete with all the drama, suspense, intrigues, backstabbing, treacherous machinations which add up to or led to where we are as a nation today,” he said.
Senator Khabeeb, who currently represents Jigawa South-West Senatorial District in the senate, further said it took years of thoughtful introspection for Lamido who served as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Secretary of SDP and as governor of Jigawa State to make up his mind about putting materials together for an authoritative book on various political developments in the country.
“As a passive spectator, initially, and later an active and real participant in Nigeria’s political evolutionary process, Sule Lamido will be celebrated on Tuesday, 13th May 2025 as he publicly unveils his captivating autobiography; this followed years of thoughtful introspection, making this long- awaited autobiography certain to make waves.
“It shall be a day when Alhaji Sule Lamido – a detribalised Nigerian – presents this compendium, which encapsulates his and the nation’s political, democratic as well as governance history, which gave birth to our current situation in terms of development and predicament,” Senator Khabeeb added.
Political heavyweights, including serving governors, legislators, prominent traditional leaders, industrialists, members of the business community and numerous top politicians across various political parties are expected to attend the event slated for the NAF Conference Center in Abuja.
President Olusegun Obasanjo will be the Special Guest of Honour at the occasion with General Abdussalami Abubakar (rtd) serving as the Chairman of the occasion and Dr Iyorchia Ayu, former Senate President, as the book reviewer.
The mere presence of these three eminent national figures, Senator Khabeeb added, underscores the national significance of both Sule Lamido and his book.
According to him, Lamido’s autobiography offers a rare insider’s account of the dramatic twists, betrayals, and power struggles that have shaped Nigeria’s democratic journey, adding that “it is not just a personal narrative, but a political compendium capturing the soul of Nigeria’s governance and democratic history.”
He further noted that the book delves deep into Lamido’s evolution as a radical political actor, public servant, and elder statesman.
While highlighting Lamido’s unwavering commitment to political ideals, Senator Khabeeb noted that his two-term governorship of Jigawa State brought transformative change despite intense opposition and politically motivated legal battles.
“He was tried, alongside his sons, for seven years on trumped-up charges and was ultimately vindicated. That’s a story worth telling,” he added.
With Sule Lamido’s candid reflections, bold truths, and historical revelations, the book, “Being True to Myself” is no doubt poised to resonate with historians, political scientists, and Nigerians who yearn for principled leadership and a deeper understanding of the nation’s complex past and present situation.
“This is not just a book launch. It is a moment of national reflection and an invitation to examine the roots of Nigeria’s enduring challenges through the lens of a man who has both lived and shaped its history,” Senator Khabeeb declared.