The year was 2005. At that time he had absolutely no inkling he would be seeking elective office in future. Writing in the maiden edition of Fegocowosa, the official magazine of his Alma Mata’s alumni association, he rallied old students of the school to give back to the institution that had given them so much. In his words, “We must see to it that the Fegocowosa journal is adequately supported as an effective communication link that will not only bond us together but will become a useful tool in communicating the need to revisit the ideals of Unity Schools by the relevant authorities as well as serve as an inspiration to members to address the compelling subject of leadership challenges in the country”.

In year 2006, he had no notion that he would one day be at the very centre of partisan politics. In his column in that year’s edition of the journal, he wrote passionately: “Nigeria is in dire need of people who will appreciate its very abundant human and natural resources; people who will appreciate its strength in diversity, people to whom places of birth (a coincidence of which none of us actually had a choice) should be inconsequential in making national decisions; people, who as brothers and sisters, would naturally elect to aid weaker siblings to greater heights without any feelings or cries of being drawn back…Nigeria at this moment more than any other time needs leaders who love the country and whose utmost desire is to share this love among the children of Nigeria”.

His column in the 2007 edition of the magazine was even more soul stirring, patriotic and impassioned. His essay in that edition was titled ‘The Future Is Now’.  In his words, “It seems to me that we are on the threshold of another independence; this time not from a colonial master, but from a culture of decadence, corruption, mediocrity, dishonesty and tribalism. We are the new founding fathers of a nation of new hope; a Nigeria of honesty and unity; a Nigeria of brotherhood and progress. A Nigeria that is ready to make sacrifices to ensure that all those who previously bent their heads in shame can hold their heads up high, hand on heart and proclaim, “Yes, I am Nigerian and proud to be! I invite you to be part of the great and positive future, the time is now!”

In the 2008 edition of the journal, the subject under consideration posed several questions bothering his mind in his column.  In his words “why do we have such hopelessness on our streets? Why do we see such unpatriotic behaviour, such naked sabotage permeating every strata of society? Why have we let go of optimism? Why have we traded faith for greed? Why have we dropped the ball? Why have we jettisoned service for self service?…when we find ourselves in or  with less than perfect circumstances, what we are meant to do is to make the best of a bad job. Easier said than done but thank God for the storms of life, thank God for the floods, for the traffic, for the lack, all these things are designed for us to come into our own; to serve, to help our brothers and sisters get up, to rise, to step up to the plate and be counted”.

When he expressed these thoughts, Mr AkinwunmiAmbode, the leading candidate for next week’s governorship election in Lagos State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not seeking for votes. He had no idea he would one day be running for the governorship of the most important state in Nigeria. We can thus see that long before his foray into the turbulent terrain of politics, Mr Ambode had imbibed and was a fervent advocate of such values as patriotism, love, commitment, loyalty, compassion and, above all, selfless service. He did not just wake up to propound these values in an opportunistic manner to achieve his electoral ambition.

By the way, the acronym Fegocowosa stands for Federal Government College Warri, where Ambode obtained his Ordinary and Advanced level certificates. Under Ambode’s leadership and guidance, the old students Association of FGC, Warri, has expanded to encompass alumni of other Unity Colleges both within and outside the country, including the U.K. and U.S. chapters. His efforts led to the incorporation in 2006 of the Unity Schools old Students Association (USOSA) made up of Alumni of 100 Unity Schools in Nigeria. Their main purpose is to revitalize and nourish back to health the concept of Unity Schools which had been allowed to fall to the lowest nadir along with the decay of the entire society.

To the best of my knowledge, Ambode is the first, or one of the very few aspirants in this dispensation who have taken time to methodically and meticulously document in book form, the story of his life from childhood to the present. His biography, ‘The Art of Selfless Service’ is the source of this column’s title today. I am unaware that Mr Akin Ambode’s main opponent, Mr Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has a comparable document apart from what can be gleaned from his website. OtherwiseI would have been duty bound to compare and contrast the two documents just like I did with their respective CVs a few weeks ago.

Next Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State will no doubt be the most important in the country after the presidential election. This is because of the position of Lagos as the economic, commercial and industrial hub of the nation. I have heard the argument that just as there has been change at the centre, there should be change in Lagos where the progressives have held sway since 1999. This kind of argument delinks the concepts of change and continuity from concrete existential realities. The necessity for change at the centre was predicated, not on the long duration of the PDP in power but its utter mediocrity, impunity and degeneracy that has set the country backward particularly in the Jonathan years. In contradistinction, Lagos has made visible and undeniable progress in virtually all sectors under the progressives making continuity imperative in the state for continued progress.

Now, what was responsible for the close margin of votes between the APC and PDP in the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Lagos State and what will be the implications for next week’s election? First, was the humongous amounts of money (dollars) poured into the state by the centre in the weeks preceding the election. The second reason was the active instigation of non-indigenes in Lagos against indigenes by the divisive Jonathan Presidency. Third, was the complacency of the APC, which took it for granted that massive victory was already in its hands given its popularity in the state and the appalling non-performance of the Jonathan administration.

The result of last week’s election will, no doubt, energise Jimi Agbaje’s fledgling and stuttering campaign that never really got off the ground. His performance this time around is a far cry from the creative, vigorous and vibrant campaign he ran in 2007. The outcome of the presidential election should now demonstrate to the good pharmacist that the PDP, on which he seems to have pinned all his hopes is a giant with feet of clay. On the other hand, the APC will most likely be jolted out of its complacency and fully mobilise its cadres to come out massively in the next election and demonstrate which party actually controls the electoral space in Lagos. It will be an interesting election. I wish the contestants best of luck.

NOBEL laureate Prof Wole Soyinka has said “there is a moment when we must put the past aside, most especially when what presumes to the present becomes intolerable and continues and threatens to prolong itself, then we have to be more pragmatic.”

He said Nigerians must show a Nelson Mandela-like ability to forgive president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s past as an iron-fisted military ruler.

“I criticised him for certain acts during his stint as a military dictator,” the 80-year-old playwright and poet, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV Africa on Wednesday.

He spoke in his hillside country home, Abokuta, Ogun State.

His words: “But I also insist that it’s about time we try our best to be mini-Mandelas, to learn there’s a moment when we must put the past aside.”

The legacy of Buhari’s 20-month tenure as the military head of state included the introduction of the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) campaign.

By voting in Buhari, a 72-year-old Muslim, who has described himself as a “converted democrat,” Nigerians have shown an ability to look past his earlier misdeeds, Soyinka said.

Gen. Buhari, who defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in last Saturday’s election, has denied having ever perpetuated human rights abuses.

“Mandela had a faith in the capacity of the Boer, the masters of apartheid, to reform,” Soyinka said in his booming voice in a living room filled with wooden carvings.

He went on: “There’s a moment when we must put the past aside, most especially when what presumes to the present becomes intolerable and continues and threatens to prolong itself, then we have to be more pragmatic.”

The victory of Buhari, a three-time loser in presidential races, broke PDP’s 16-year monopoly on power.

“I think more in terms of the APC winning the election,” said Soyinka, who has some of his allies and admirers in the APC.

Soyinka said reports from APC members and his own observations suggest Buhari was “struggling to be a party man.”

Responding to claims that there  was nothing substantially different between the PDP and its rival because members of the ruling party defected to the APC, Soyinka said: “Neither party is filled with angels, there are corrupt figures on both sides.”

Insisting that the March 28 elections were the most money-fueled in the country’s history, the literary giant said: “Some of them I don’t even want to see anywhere near this building. Others, on the other hand, have sat here, these very chairs, eaten and drunk with me.”

On why the PDP did not move early enough to dislodge Boko Haram insurgents from Northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, the Nobel laureate said: “Nigerians have a right to be resentful of the fact that that kind of measure was not taken early enough

“That this disease was allowed to fester leading to the traumatisation of swathes of Nigerian landscape and society and humanity.”

On the rare sportsmanship displayed by President Jonathan, who conceded defeat, Soyinka said: “He could have easily tried to do a Gbagbo.”

He was referring to Laurent Gbagbo, who sparked post-election violence in Ivory Coast when he refused to step down after an election defeat in 2010.

With Buhari’s victory, Soyinka, who has not felt this optimistic since the end of military rule in 1999, hopes he will not be disappointed again.

“Against my rational instincts, I believe that we have here a genuine case of a born-again democrat. The real heroes of this exercise have been the Nigerian people and that gingers me up.”

Commonwealth Secretary- General, Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, has congratulated Nigeria’s President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in last weekend’s election, noting that history had been made with the retired army general becoming the first Nigerian opposition leader to be elected through the ballot box.

Mr. Sharma expressed admiration for the statesmanship and democratic spirit with which President Goodluck Jonathan congratulated President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on his victory, even before this morning’s official announcement of the result.

“The people of Nigeria have demonstrated their deep commitment to democracy by exercising their right, recognised in the Commonwealth Charter, to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections, in shaping the society in which they live.

“ It was particularly heartening to see the active participation of young people in this election process,” Mr. Sharma said.

He also acknowledged the pivotal role played by the Independent National Electoral Commission, under the leadership of Professor Attahiru Jega, in delivering a credible election.

The Secretary-General thanked Dr Bakili Muluzi, Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group to Nigeria’s elections. In a letter to the former President of Malawi, he said: “My appreciation also extends to the entire Group that you have led so ably.

Through your exemplary leadership you have shown a deep commitment to promoting the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values.”

Mr. Sharma added that the Commonwealth remains ready to support Nigeria in the postelection phase.