The book, '7 Conspiracies of Power: Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail', was presented recently in Abuja at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre.

The event was attended by Prof Jerry Gana, OON, as the Chief Host, Prof Anya O. Anya, OFR, as Father of the day, Mrs Dere Awosika,MFR, as Chairman, Senator Ibrahim Ida as Guest of honour and Dame Dr. Patience Jonathan was the Special Guest of Honour who unveiled the book amongst several other distinguished Guest who graced the event.

A special highlight at the Book Presentation was the book review. The book was reviewed by Mr. Dapo Oyewole, Special Adviser to the Speaker on International and Interparliamentary Affairs, House of Representatives, National Assembly,Abuja reviewed Conspiracies of the Aides and Conspiracies of Foreign Relations ,Ms Sa’adatu Falila Hamu, Esq Principal Partner, Hamu Legal reviewed Conspiracies of Clan and Conspiracy of Ego and Dr. Okey Ikechukwu,Mni reviewed Conspiracy of the Elite, Conspiracy of Religion and Conspiracy of Environment. The reviews were enlightening and had robust applause from the audience.

Guests spoke enthusiastically on the imperative of the book in Nigeria’s current political trajectory, made purchases and pledge as their commitment towards nation building and commended the Author, Dr. Ike Neliaku for his brilliant well researched masterpiece which unveiled the intricacies of Power as success or failure indicators amongst leaders.

In 7 Conspiracies of Power: Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail, Dr. Ike Neliaku embarks on a more comprehensive treatise of power play that applies to all times and climes and backing them up with practical instances. The work is indeed a seminal work that will for a long time to come, be a valuable companion to all who wish to have a better understanding of power relations – policy makers, students of political science and international relations, public analysts and anybody interested in power and politics.

This 668-page compilation, published by Plummet Publishing, Lagos, Nigeria is divided into thirty-five chapters, arranged under nine sections. Section one, comprising of chapters 1 to 5, serves as the prologue.

In sections two through eight, spanning chapters 6 to 33, the author lays out the factors that interplay to determine the outcome of power, which he terms conspiracies, seven of them. These include:

• (i) Conspiracy of the Elites, which comprise the Aristocrats, the Intelligentsia, the Military, the Media and the Judiciary;
• (ii) Conspiracy of Aides – self-appointed, third party-appointed and internationally-appointed, further classified into the Articulate, the Hesitant, the Docile and the Backstage;
• (iii) Conspiracy of Religion;
• (iv) Conspiracy of the Clan, comprising the family, clan, community and ethnic group;
• (v) Conspiracy of Foreign Relations, comprising interference from individual countries, multi-lateral and international organisations as well as multinational companies;
• (vi) Conspiracy of Ego – the ‘me, I and myself’ syndrome where the ‘big man’ take ascendancy over the ‘big institution’;
• (vii) Conspiracy of the Environment, the interplay of nature and nurture.

In the last section, the epilogue, spanning chapters 34 and 35, Dr. Neliaku discusses how the mix of Knowledge, Morality, Courage, Experience and skills as well as Mentorship-Discipleship can bring about optimal result in leadership.

By PRNigeria