Please note that that the answers were given by Olatokunbo Akinremi, a Nigerian Journalist and the assignee of “Freedom from Servitude”, his late father’s memoirs of 32 years’ experience in Nigerian Public Service. The author who was also a professional Journalist in Nigeria passed on in 1998 and the responsibility of publishing the manuscripts of his works automatically fell on his son’s shoulders. His son gave the following responses to my five questions based on what the author and himself discussed together when the author was alive and also on his perceptions to his idiosyncratic views about life.
Today we talk about FREEDOM FROM SERVITUDE, a book by Folarin Olufemi Akinremi published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing Olatokunbo Akinremi, on behalf of Folarin Olufemi Akinremi to get to what was the moment that brought the author to write his book FREEDOM FROM SERVITUDE, as well as the authors of the present and/or the past Mr. Akinremi took as models.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What is the moment that brought you to the writing of your book?
Late Folarin Akinremi, the author found himself in the Nigerian Public Service as an Assistant Press officer in 1954 after an unsuccessful experience as a Reporter and Sub Editor of some Colonial Nationalist newspapers. He had been forewarned not to seek employment in the Civil Service because of his independent nature by his dad who also passed through the Colonial Customs Service. The author recalled to me how his father told him that the Nigerian Civil Service is not meant for independent minded people like him. He also added that his father explained to him further that it is arse kissers and bootlickers who make progress in Nigerian Public Service. The author expatiated further to me that his father bluntly told him that he would be frustrated out of the service if he eventually gets in. But as fate would have it Folarin never succeeded in getting gainful employment in the Private Sector as wished by his father. He joined the Western Nigerian Civil Service in 1954 and later moved on to Lagos State Civil Service and finally Federal Civil Service where he was subjected to over three decades of painful ordeal as predicted by his father. He was eventually kicked out of the system when he had a disagreement with a female colleague who was alleged to be in intimate relationship with his boss. This painful experience amongst other things like ethnic discrimination through quota system, mediocrity and several other factors which were used to stall his career progress spurred him to write his memoirs so that the coming generation can correct these anomalies which are hindering the efficiency of the organisation and stalling the growth of Nigeria our country.
- What are the crucial themes of your book?
The book focuses specially on the evils bedevilling the Nigerian Public Service like corruption, nepotism and so many other malfeasances. The author gave a good account of all these cankerworms in all the three tiers of government that he worked for at Regional, State and Federal levels. The book exposed the ordeal that hardworking Nigerian Civil Servants might have to pass through in the Public Service during their career such as bootlicking and boss worshipping to gain advancement. The book also exposed the influence of illicit affairs for career advancement between bosses and junior officers of opposite sex. Another issue that the book exposed on Nigerian Public Service is forceful retirement without statutory consideration. Some career officers in the Nigerian Public Service sometimes get retired on the whims and caprices of their bosses under flimsy excuses. Finally, the book also exposed the ordeal retirees go through in Nigeria to get their benefits and emoluments after spending their youthful years to serve their fatherland.
- What is the message you want to communicate to your readers?
The author in his lifetime wanted to draw world attention to all the evils he highlighted in the book “Freedom from Servitude” so that they can be corrected for the coming generation of Public Servants in Nigeria his country. He felt really bad that the Nigerian Public Service the country inherited from The British during Colonial rule got bastardised by Nigerians who took over the leadership of the country after independence in 1960. According to him the Colonial Public Service which was run by the British was merit propelled and officers who worked under it assiduously, got to the peak of their careers without recourse to doing all the negative things introduce to the system by Nigerian leaders to earn progress and advancement for their careers. To this effect, the author also made some recommendations to reform the Public Service in line with what is obtainable in civilised societies all over the world.
- Which authors of the present and/or the past do you take as a model?
The author had a very rich personal library at home which had books on several topics of human existence such as Politics, Science, History Literature, Lifestyle, Journalism, Business, Religion, Mysticism etc. He was a voracious reader who was more fascinated to Leftist writers like Karl Marx, Lenin, Walter Rodney and several others who used their writings to champion the cause of the common man in their societies. Because of his Leftist disposition to life, some of these writers can be regarded as his role model and source of inspiration. The author’s unfulfilled life ambition according to what we discussed together when he was alive, was to use his books to effect a revolutionary change in Nigeria just as Karl Marx, Lenin and several other writers did in their various places. He seriously abhorred the unjust oppression and injustice which pervade the economic, political and social lives of the country. He tried to use his personal experience in the Public Service which is a microcosm of Nigeria to begin his revolution by writing and publishing freedom from servitude for the whole world to know about the evils plaguing the system and Nigeria the most populous black nation. He also read books of great men who influenced the world both positively and negatively like Adolf Hitler, Oliver Cromwell, Mahatma Ghandi, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and several others.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
The author left the following unpublished works;
- Professional Information – A didactic publication on journalism profession (completed work)
- Cry my Beloved Nigeria – A litany of how Military Governments destroyed Nigeria. (unfinished work)
- Lone Ranger –Autobiography (unfinished work)
Europe Books thanks Olatokunbo Akinremi once again for taking the time and answering our questions on behalf of Folarin Olufemi Akinremi. We are really pleased to have published his book FREEDOM FROM SERVITUDE.
To you, my readers, I hope this story will captivate you and allow you to reflect on what the author, throughout his life, wanted to emphasize and recommend for the improvement of civil societies throughout the world.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!