Mimiko: Falae’s Autobiography Captures Nigeria’s Political History

Former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has described ‘The Triumph of Grace,’ the autobiography of elder statesman and former Secretary to the Federal Military Government, Oba Olu Falae, as an important contribution to Nigeria’s political and historical literature.

Mimiko, who reviewed the book at its presentation in Lagos on Thursday said the autobiography offers rare first-hand insight into many of the major political, economic and ideological developments that have shaped Nigeria over the last five decades.

The book chronicles Falae’s life from childhood to the peak of public service, politics, business and traditional leadership.

According to Mimiko, the book is far more than a personal memoir.

He said, “This is not merely a memoir, but a window into some of the defining political, economic and ideological currents that have shaped modern Nigeria.”

He noted that Falae’s career intersected with several critical moments in the nation’s history, including post-independence development planning, the civil war era, the Structural Adjustment Programme, the June 12 struggle, the 1999 transition and the 2014 National Conference.

Mimiko said the autobiography traces Falae’s early life, including the loss of his mother at the age of eight, and how he was raised by his grandmother while his father remained committed to his education.

He also highlighted Falae’s outstanding academic record and early involvement in student activism, particularly his participation in protests against the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact, one of the first major student uprisings after independence.

The former governor said the book also reflects a period in Nigeria when discipline and merit still defined the school system.

He recalled Falae’s account of how the late Ooni of Ife, Sir Adesoji Aderemi, and the then Minister of Education, J.O. Odebiyi, were once denied access to their children because it was not a visiting day.

On Falae’s civil service career, Mimiko said the autobiography provides rich details of the standards that defined the public service in the early post-independence years.

He cited Falae’s role in drafting the Mid-West Regional Development Programme as a young planning officer and his eventual rise to the rank of Permanent Secretary before the age of 39.

Mimiko further said the book revisits some of Nigeria’s major political and economic crises, including the Western Region crisis, the 1966 coups, the civil war and the post-war cement armada.

He noted that Falae later chaired a committee set up by former Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo (retd.), to tackle the ‘cement armada’ congestion crisis that once left hundreds of ships stranded at sea.

The former governor said one of the strongest themes in the autobiography was Nigeria’s failure to sustain sound economic planning and long-term policy implementation.

He pointed to Falae’s reflections on abandoned proposals, including plans to invest Nigeria’s foreign reserves through a sovereign investment vehicle and projected power sector expansion that could have transformed the country’s economic fortunes.

Mimiko also referenced Falae’s account of his time in the military government and his response to the long-held belief that he was one of the architects of the Structural Adjustment Programme.

According to him, Falae clarified in the book that the conceptual framework for SAP had already been developed before his appointment adding however that Falae promoted and defended the initiative with all his might.

On politics, Mimiko said the autobiography gives fresh details on Falae’s role in the Babangida transition programme, the June 12 struggle, his detention during the regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha and his eventual emergence as the presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy-All Peoples Party alliance in the 1999 election.

He added that the book also sheds light on the internal political manoeuvres that led to Falae’s emergence as candidate and the divisions that followed within the South-West political establishment.

He also described as significant Falae’s account of the 2014 National Conference and the work of the Southern and Middle Belt Forum in pushing for restructuring and fiscal federalism.

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He further drew attention to the chapter on Falae’s kidnapping on September 21, 2015, describing it as one of the most dramatic sections of the book.

According to him, the autobiography presents Falae as a man whose life and career were defined by discipline, competence and integrity.

“In the final analysis, The Triumph of Grace is not merely the story of one man’s life. It is a narrative interwoven with the history of modern Nigeria — its struggles, its missed opportunities, its achievements and its enduring hopes,” Mimiko said.

He added that the book would be of value to students, scholars, historians and younger Nigerians seeking lessons in leadership, public service and national development.