In Memoriam: Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, 1961-2009
May 25th, 2009
Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, the most irrepressible Pan Africanist of his generation, died in Nairobi on 24 May 2009. His friends and colleagues are stunned at the loss of a man who was so full of life and humour, such a determined Afro-optimist, and such a devoted father to his children, Aisha and Aida. Africa is impoverished by his untimely death.
Tajudeen was born in Funtua, Katsina State, Nigeria, in 1961. His commitment to his home town and family remained undimmed throughout his life. He was educated at Government Schools in Funtua from where he went to Bayero University, Kano, where he graduated with a first class honours degree. He was winner of the Nigerian Government’s Merit Award as the best student of Political Science between 1980-82 at Bayero University.
After his National Youth Service, Tajudeen applied for a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford. He challenged the selection committee by dressing in traditional style for his interview and exam and demanding why they should want to associate someone like him with the name of the grand imperialist, Cecil Rhodes. To the credit of the Rhodes Scholarship, they selected him and Tajudeen spent three years at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, writing his DPhil degree in politics. While there, he invigorated the Africa Society (serving as president) and injected his unique mix of humour, anecdote, sharp political analysis and enthusiastic optimism into the university’s African debates.
Tajudeen was engaged in an astonishing range of African and anti-imperial activities including the Pan African Movement, the All African Anti-Imperialist Youth Front, the Movement for Awareness and Advancement, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, the Save the Sharpeville Six Campaign and several magazines including the Africa Research and Information Bureau (ARIB). 
Tajudeen was an energetic journalist and writer, commenting regularly on contemporary Africa in newspapers, magazines, journals and radio. Those who knew him cannot forget his rapid one-fingered typing, bold and articulate and immediately dispatched into the public realm without a spell-check. He was fearless in denouncing hypocrisy or abuses wherever he encountered them, from whatever quarter. He was as resolute in condemning the violations of Africa’s dictators and warlords as he was in pointing the finger at the double standards of international agencies and the shortcomings of Africa’s would-be liberators.
Tajudeen’s candid lack of guile and good humour enabled him to say things that for many others were unsayable, and to ask the most difficult questions without provoking defensiveness. At the time of the constitutional referendum in Zimbabwe, he demanded of the government, “what happens if you lose?” and of the opposition, “what happens if you win?”, discovering that neither had planned for this. He castigated his Pan Africanist allies in government without hesitation when they fell short. When told that Kofi Annan had won the Nobel Peace Prize he famously retorted, “For what?” Tajudeen broadcast for the BBC’s World Service Programmes on Africa both in Hausa and English and Voice of America (VOA). He was editor of the journal, Africa World Review and edited the book Pan Africanism in the 21st Century (Pluto Press, 1996) which included contributions from the OAU Secretary General, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Professor Horace Campbell and other leading figures in the Pan African Movement.
Tajudeen wrote many academic and specialist journals, including Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE), Journal of African Marxists (JAM), Southern Africa Political Economy Monthly (SAPEM), New Internationalist, and International Journal of Development. He became widely known for his regular column Tajudeen’s Thursday Postcard for Uganda’s largest selling national newspaper, The New Vision, which was syndicated in a number of other African newspapers such as The Weekly Mirror (Harare), The Daily News (Harare) The Weekly (Dar es Salaam), The Weekly Trust (Kaduna) and occasionally in the Business Day (Johannesburg). Tajudeen was also a columnist for the journal, Democracy and Development, published by the Centre for Democracy and Development, of which he chaired the International Governing Council. 
Tajudeen lectured at a number of colleges including the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London and Goldsmith College London and several universities in the USA. He was a visiting UNESCO professor at the Centre for Global Studies, University of Trier, Germany. Beneath his exuberant public persona and wit, he levelled incisive analysis and a sound elaboration of the political economy of African crisis.
Tajudeen’s lectures were always unforgettable due to his refreshing honesty, command of language and superb sense of dramatic timing. Speaking to a human rights conference in the UN conference centre in Addis Ababa in 1996 on the then-unfolding war in Zaire, the electricity suddenly went off and he declaimed, “Even speaking of Mobutu makes the lights go out!” In the same hall a few years later he challenged Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, noting that European and American delegates to the conference could get an Ethiopian visa at the airport—but not Africans. “How can this happen in the capital of Africa?” he demanded. Prime Minister Meles said that no answer could match the passion of Tajudeen’s questioning. A couple of weeks later the Ethiopian government waived visa regulations for African delegates to international conferences.
In 1992 Tajudeen was appointed General-Secretary for the Secretariat organizing the Seventh Pan African Congress in Kampala, Uganda. Held in 1994 with delegates from 47 countries, this was the largest Pan African gathering for twenty years. The theme was ‘Africa: Facing the Future in Unity, Social Progress and Democracy’. But the Congress was overshadowed by the unfolding genocide in Rwanda. A delegation from the Pan African Movement travelled with the RPF to Rwanda, falling into an ambush near Kigali from which Tajudeen was lucky to escape unscathed.
Thereafter, he was closely involved in the Pan African mobilization to respond to the crisis in the Great Lakes and Zaire—though he became critical of the record of the liberation movements in power and at the time of his death was working on a historical account and political analysis of the liberators and where they had gone astray. Tajudeen often bemoaned the fact that so many of the giants of African liberation had passed away without writing their memoirs, and that the treasures of Africa’s history, as forged by Africans and written by Africans, were passing without record. It is a sad irony that much of his own life will remain insufficiently recorded, though still vibrant in the memories of his innumerable friends. 
Tajudeen was a Director of Justice Africa, Chairperson for the Pan African Development Education and Advocacy Programme (PADEAP) and Chair of the International Governing Council of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD). He joined the United Nations as its coordinator for outreach on the Millennium Development Goals in Africa, and was living and working from a base in Nairobi in recent years. Tajudeen never allowed his critical sense degenerate into cynicism or disillusion. His confidence in Africa and Africans to resolve their problems, whatever the setbacks, was always undimmed. His untimely death leaves a vacuum of human energy and hope that will be difficult to fill. Tajudeen was married to Mounira Chaieb and has two daughters, Aisha and Aida, to whom he was completely devoted. Our thoughts are with them in their inconsolable loss.
Justice Africa invites you to leave your thoughts and messages below.
Pambazuka News are also collecting tributes to Tajudeen at www.pambazuka.org
President Paul Kagame has sent his condolences to the UN Millenium Campaign, which can be read here
May 25th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I am shocked by the news of Dr. Tajudeen. He was simply a fully paid up member of the human race and will be sorely missed by anyone who has been priviliged to know this learned , humble and no-nonsense scholar and proud son of Africa. My heart goes out to his family.
May 25th, 2009 at 11:57 am
The tragic death of Dr. Taju is truly devastating. Words cannot express the emotion at this time.
It is with a deep sense of grief that I write to send my condolences to Dr. Taju’s family, PADEAP, Global Pan African Movement, Justice Africa and UNMC, Africa office.
We can take solace in the fact that he lived all his life fighting for African Justice and as a voice for the voiceless. He was a great inspiration to myself and numerous other African young adults. He would never be forgotten.
May Almighty God grant him eternal rest
Experience Nduagu
May 25th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Tajudeen Abdul Raheem: a giant is lost on African Liberation Day
25 May is Africa Liberation Day. What a day to learn the terrible news that one of the leading proponents of Africa’s liberation – Tajudeen Abdul Raheem – should be so tragically lost in a senseless car accident in Nairobi. Messages have been pouring in from across the world as we all fail to hold back our tears at this loss.
Tajudeen led Justice Africa’s work with the African Union since its early days. He combined this with his role as General Secretary of the Pan-African Movement, chairperson of the Centre for Democracy and Development, the Pan-African Development Education and Advocacy Programme, and was a fighter in the struggle to get the UN’s Millennium Development Campaign to support meaningful programmes. There was hardly a pan African initiative that took place without Tajudeen’s inimitable presence, support, humour and perceptive political perspectives. Quite how he managed to combine all of this with writing his weekly ‘Pan African Postcard’ that were published regularly in Pambazuka News and in several newspapers including The Monitor (Uganda), Weekly Trust (Nigeria), The African (Tanzania), Nairobi Star (Kenya) and the Weekly Herald (Zimbabwe), has always been a mystery to us. You could always rely on Tajudeen to draw our attention to the most significant aspects of the latest political event in Africa – just as you could rely on him to provide guidance and encouragement during hard times, restoring in us the courage for the longer struggles ahead for emancipation of the continent.
Tajudeen’s departure leaves a massive hole in all our lives. We all need to grieve the loss of this giant of a man. But if his life is to mean anything, we must follow his call in the signature line of his every email – ‘Don’t agonise, Organise!’
Pambazuka News
Pambazuka News are also hosting messages and tributes to Dr. Tajudeen at http://www.pambazuka.org
May 25th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
It is hard to believe that the great son of our beloved Africa DR. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is passed away. I was honored to know him personally while we met together in Cairo, Durban and other places in Africa..I was touched by his smile and sense of humor. I think history will recognize him as a great pan Africanist and liberator. What a coincidence ! Tajudeen’s death on Africa day is full of meanings and symbols. I do express my condolence to his family, friends and everyone believe in his cause . May Allah bless his soul
Hamdy A. Hassan, Cairo University
May 25th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
The sudden and unexpected death of Dr Tajudeen is a great shock and a great loss to all Africa and all the pan-African-friendly world. From all parts of the world people have listened to him. I have read his Thursday postcards for the last few years, celebrating every one of them, toasting to this brave and independent African intellect and the strength and depth of his message. What an inspiration. I really looked forward to several future years with his wise comments. This is a major bereavement for Dr Tajudeen’s large and worldwide audience. So please come forward now, all you other independent African minds and write, reason, comment on the web for the rest of the world to listen and reason. My thoughts are also with his family. They will know that he had many, many admirers.
May 25th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
I would also like to pay my tribute. Have greatly appreciated his Thursday Postcards. Very sad to hear about his death.
May 25th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Dear colleagues,
It is with deep sorrow that I receive this sad news.
I join all of you to express my sympathy to Mr Tajudeen’s family and colleagues. May his soul rest in peace for ever.
Marie-Goretti Muhitira, Bujumbura
May 25th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
In expressing condolences, I join with thousands who would have been touched in some small, but lasting way by Tajudeen the teacher, the writer, the inspiration, the conscious person.
He came all the way to our island, Barbados, in 2007 to take part in the Global Dialogue. He was profound and persuasive, not based on any exceptional skills of oratory, but because of his rare combination of the qualities of knowledge and humility.
In two days he was able to renew our hope for justice and our belief in the cause of Pan-Africanism.
He was a prolific writer and ever since that year, every week I was able to read his insights on a range of political and human issues of import to Africa and Africans everywhere through his postcard.
His untimely and shocking death is indeed a great loss to mankind, but he has fulfilled a lifetime of effort and diligent work.
May I extend deepest sympathy to his wife and daughters who shared him with us for what has turned out to be an all too brief period.
Harold Hoyte
May 25th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
This is sad and shocking news. I had the privilege of meeting Dr Tajudeen two times in 1999 in Dakar and 2002 in Cairo; this is a great loss to the African social science community. Please convey my deepest condolences to his family. May His Soul Rest in Peace.
Entisar A. Hamadein, University of Khartoum
May 26th, 2009 at 7:54 am
I was really saddened to wake up this morning to read the death of a very good comrade. Our friendship began at Oxford when he came up to study on a Rhodes scholarship. We became great comrades after I took over the presidency of the Oxford University Africa Society from him, which he had invigorated to dizzy heights. I will miss him a lot – he always found time, despite his busy schedule, to keep in touch. May his soul rest in peace. Africa has lost a truly great son.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Tajudeen was a great man. A force for good. He was a pillar of Africa and someone to be reckoned with in any good cause.
Modou Coker
May 26th, 2009 at 10:48 am
We Are Proudly Perched on a Rare African Baobab
We are proudly perched on a rare African baobab. Charisma, vivacity and integrity spout from him like water from the Mosi-oa-Tunya. His unforgettable presence, wisdom and brilliance constantly guide us through life.
We are proudly perched on a rare African baobab. His majestic tangle of branches shelters us from self-doubt, and spurs us to fight for freedom, human rights and justice.
We are proudly perched on a rare African baobab. His two heavenly beautiful daughters are far from being his only fruits. From his robust branches dangle millions for whom he is an everlasting source of knowledge and inspiration.
We are proudly perched on a rare African baobab. From his imposing trunk ooze an infinite love for Africa and a passionate belief in its peoples that fill us with strength and courage on all occasions.
We are proudly perched on a rare African baobab. From his mighty Pan-African roots we draw the energy and determination to heed his advice – organise rather than agonise – and constantly shout like him, “Nothing for us without us!”
Sylvie Aboa-Bradwell, Centre for Democracy and Development
May 26th, 2009 at 10:58 am
A tribute to Tajudeen Abdul Raheem (1961-2009) brother, friend and comrade
If you sent a postcard from heaven…
If indeed there is such a place, where all the stars before you went
I imagine that in your eloquent, earthshaking, sensational way
You would convey to us, how you rendered a report of your time here –
The report of a messenger, who carried a vision of an Africa full of promise, which would thrive when its people, once viciously divided, unite in one purpose with one voice
And your new mates would marvel at the ‘new arrival’ from the other world
Who carries the fire of conviction in his belly, the power of his message in his eyes and the hope of his people in his words
Just like the time you were with us, your audience would never be indifferent
Your boisterous presence would leave no soul untouched…
If you sent a postcard from heaven
You would tell us how you unceremoniously but boldly sought an audience
With the ‘King of Kings’ – not Ghaddafi this time but the Rainmaker in your new city
You would state your continent’s case and demand a turn around in centuries of injustices against its peoples at the hands of insiders and outsiders alike…
You would plead the case of Africa’s peoples and ask for a break, for a new dawn…
If you sent a postcard from heaven
It would be the last postcard you would send
For your passionate defence, charm and eloquence wouldn’t be lost on your Host
A new mission for you will await – Another cause to champion
You will again deserve the pass of the city; you would tour its length and breadth
Like you roamed your continent, making a case for your people
If you sent that last postcard, you would assure us that the task at hand was simple – having accomplished your task before vacating the scene
Your simple yet powerful message of one continent, one people, was delivered from Cape to Cairo
And the rest would be up to us… to make the message count.
So long, dear brother
‘Funmi Olonisakin
25 May 2009
May 26th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Please take notice of my great sadness about this news.
Sharon Courtoux.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Dear All,
I have just spoken with Munira, Tajudeen’s widow to express our condolences on behalf of the IGC. His death in a road accident which occurred today, 25 May 2009 (Africa Day) on his way to the Nairobi Airport is both tragic and untimely.
Tajudeen has been the Chair of our Council since its inception and with Kayode Fayemi guided the organisation through its infancy. He was one of Africa’s inspirational young thinkers; an ideas man whose landscape was Pan-Africanism and he ensured that CDD’s conception reflected this. Issues of poverty and social inequality concerned him greatly. He also believed that the dignity of the African cannot be protected if there are no rights or laws. His life was an embodiment of many things, but always about class, solidarity, social justice and fairness. He was a person of prodigious energy; he worked very hard to bring improvement to the lives of ordinary people. He was one of those rare individuals who was able to combine intellect and wit. It was always enjoyable to be in his company. His knowledge of Africa was encyclopaedic. He was concerned with social justice, addressing social inequalities and formulating policies that would practically change lives of ordinary people. Tajudeen was an idealist and a pragmatist, too. He led the IGC with wisdom and enthused members of staff because for him, CDD was a crusade for Africa’s progress. The organisation’s ideal was to be the harbinger of change. We wish you a cheerful journey home, Comrade.
On behalf of the IGC I think this is the appropriate moment to use one of Tajudeen’s favourite phrases, Forward Ever, Backward, Never.
Paul Okojie,
On behalf of the IGC
May 26th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
What a sad day and sad news!
My condolences to all and to ourselves.
We have lost a great, active, intellectual, social and sincere colleague and friend.
Muna Khugali
May 26th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Taju’s death is a proof that life is ‘a tale told by an idiot’, while his life is testament to how life can be filled with seriousness, intellectualism, commitment, love and humour. What is the greater loss, the friend or the leader? The answer is both and a lot more.
A. H. Abdelsalam
May 26th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Chers amis
C’est vaiement triste comme nouvelle, je connais bien Dr Taj pour avoir travaille avec lui dans le cadre de West African Civil Society Forum, c’etait vraiement un homme plein de gentillesse, simple et qui tenait toujours a faire avancer l’Afrique et les africains, a unifier les peuples et a briser les frontieres et le tabous
la RADDHO s’associe aux condoleances adressees a sa famille et a ses amis et regrette grandement cette perte enorme pour toute la jeunesse africaine
Que son ame repose en paix.
Sadikh Niass, WARIPNET/RADDHO
May 26th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Dear Colleagues,
Please accept my condolence. I was really sad indeed to hear of Dr. Abdul-Raheem’s death. It is a very terrible loss. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace (Amen).
Regards,
Bukola Akintola
God loves you…..Bukky
May 26th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I had the pleasure of working in the same offices as Tajudeen a few years back. He was such a joy to work with, however indirectly. He commanded huge respect, knew how to extract a laugh from everyone. I remember him very fondly and have heard so many stories of his generosity and good humour over the years. He will be sorely missed and my thoughts go out to his family and friends.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:24 am
A citizen of the world. A global force for Africa, and the diaspora. A rare African prince of honor and principle. Above all, a true child of God and servant to mankind. With respect, and celebration of an extraordinary life. Thoughts and prayers are also with his family in whom his spirit lives on..
May 27th, 2009 at 7:56 am
My sincere condolences to the family of Dr. Tajudeen.
With great appreciation i remember the fallen intellectual, scholar and Afro-optimist per excellence. I greatly benefited from his Thursday Postcard in the Uganda Newspapers, the Daily Monitor and New Vision, when i was an undergraduate in the the Southwestern Uganda. Though i didn’t meet him physically, i met him in his publications. My tribute is motivated by the fact that my course lacked books in the library, so i found his articles to be ‘intellectual fodder’ for convince lecturers in my course works and research papers. Later as a teaching assistant and graduate student in Development studies, i still find him a reliable reference for my work and studies on Africa’s poor standing in global human rights, poverty reduction and underdevelopment.
Only if Africa can produce great intellectuals and thinkers in our generation…i pray.
Rest in peace. My Intellectual father.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I had the pleasure of working in the same offices as Tajudeen a few years back. He was such a joy to work with, however indirectly. He commanded huge respect, knew how to extract a laugh from everyone. I remember him very fondly and have heard so many stories of his generosity and good humour over the years. He will be sorely missed and my thoughts go out to his family and friends.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:06 am
I am deeply saddened by the untimely death of a great inspiring and aspiring son of Africa. I first met Tajudeen at a Conference in Addis about 10 years ago and quickly fell in love with him, because of his great intellect and more importantly, because of our shared vision – the betterment of the peoples of Africa. I have over the years been one of his greatest fans of reading and saving his weekly contributions on the African Continent.
Tajudeen was selfless and fearless in his attack on the self-styled and corrupt leaders of Africa. His recent contribution to Mwalimu, April 16 2009, was one of the finest. He wrote:
“…….Remembering, celebrating and reflecting on the ideas and example of Nyerere is not about mere hero worship; it is validating African intellectual and political autonomy and it is a rebuttal to all those defeatist and defeated Africans and non-African-Afro-pessimists who see only a weak and weakening Africa perpetually hopeless. Nyerere gives us inspiration that the African leader need not be the arrogant, power-drunk, corrupt, thieving and insensitive dealer that is so common. A different leadership is possible and a different Africa was possible before and is possible today.
There are many admirable things we can learn from Mwalimu’s life and example of simplicity of lifestyle, clarity of vision, honest commitment, but above all the self confidence and inner strength; to be able to say sorry and do so openly!……….
……..It is our duty to speak truth to those former revolutionaries who have now become sit-tight-‘no change’-reactionaries in power just for the sake of it, but still mouthing Pan Africanism, radicalism and anti-imperialism, while happily running our countries either as their personal fiefdoms or as foremen of imperialism, or both, whether in Kampala or Harare, Addis or Asmara, to mention just a few who come from our side of the battle lines.”
Africa has truly lost a potential leader who could have made a difference to the true liberation and development of the continent.
TAJUDEEN. YOU WERE A FRIEND AND TRULY DEDICATED AND COMMITTED TO THE STRUGGLE FOR THE TRUE EMANCIPATION OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT AND ITS PEOPLES. YOU WILL BE SORELY MISSED.
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE!
Kwame Frimpong, GIMPA, Ghana.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Farewell Dr Tajudeen, bearer of the pan-African banner
Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, who died in a tragic car accident on his way to Jomo Kenyatta Airport, Nairobi, Kenya in the early hours of Monday, was a pleasant, colourful and larger-than-life figure. Many will remember his smile and great charm and the gap in his front teeth, which gave his smile a special quality.
He was more than one thing – a consummate conversationalist, thoroughbred intellectual, dedicated father, comrade and a fighter for people’s rights – but above all, he was the frontline carrier of the pan-African banner.
History has a way of throwing up ironies. And Taju’s death – on Africa Day – is one of them. It has left a huge gap in the ranks of pan-Africanists, for Taju took it upon himself to bring together pan-Africanists from across the continent and beyond.
Whenever he was in London, we used to meet almost every Friday evening at Tandi’s, a Cameroonian-owned joint, in the city’s underbelly to dissect African and world politics with a motley of pan-Africanists, including the Liberian Thomas Jaye, the Ghanaians Napolean Abdulai and Zaya Yeebo, the Angolan writer Sousa Jamba and the Kenyan Yusuf Hassan.
The centre of attraction was always Taju – witty, jovial, full of life and with endless stories about the stupidities of the West, of their non-governmental organisations working in Africa and also about the frivolities and criminal activities of some of Africa’s leaders.
He would also be the one to give us the latest news on fellow pan-Africanists, including Horace Campbell in the US, Gamal Nkrumah in Cairo, Jenerali Ulimwengu, Issa Shivji in Dar-es-Salaam and Thomas Dewe in Zimbabwe.
He was always articulate in marshalling his views, usually buttressed with facts, to criticise injustice and highlight the agonies of mankind with fingers pointed directly at the culprits. His only concern was for humanity and whose singular purpose was to make the world a better place, starting from Africa.
“Who would bring us together now?” asked Dede-Esi Amanor Wilks, a fellow dedicated pan-Africanist, when she called me from Nairobi in the early hours to give me the sad news.
Taju was born in Funtua, Katsina State in northern Nigeria on January 6, 1956. I shall never forget his birthday since we shared it and one of my joys of January 6 was to hear his booming voice saying: “Hi, Big Brother happy birthday.”
In Katsina, he attended the madrassa for his Islamic education and it was there too that he attended primary and secondary schools. It was no surprise when he gained entry into Bayero University, Kano, graduating with a first class degree in political science.
Something happened to Taju at Bayero which progressively turned him from a quiet, introspective child into a bubbling, extrovert and radical leftist.
Among his associates in the Nigerian academic circle were A. Sani Indabawa and a fellow classmate Dr Attahiru Jega, former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in the 1980s and now vice-chancellor of Bayero University.
Other associates are Ali Saudi Birnin Kudu, a one-time governor of Jigawa state and Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, the economic adviser of the incumbent government of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
The late radical historian from the Katsina ruling house, Dr Yusuf Bala Usman, was definitely a source of early inspiration to Taju as he was for other radicals of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Another lasting influence on him from those early days has been the Jamaican-born Prof. Patrick Wilmot, who taught sociology at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) for 18 years before he was unceremoniously deported from the country in 1988 for his critique of military rule.
Bala Usman was also a lecturer at ABU – at a time when the institution was the hub of Nigerian political radicalism and various trends of Marxism in the 1970s and 1980s.
Mallam Aminu Kano, the renowned Hausa politician in the 1950s and 1960s, who led the radical northern political party, Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) from which the Peoples’ Redemption Party of the 1980s emerged, was also a source of inspiration for Tajudeen. Later, he was to inspire others with his lectures, broadcasts and writings, including his syndicated Thursday Postcard which had become essential reading to those who wanted to feel the pulse of Africa.
Taju came to international prominence when he went to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar for his PhD on the military in Nigeria. Whenever he came to London from Oxford, he would pass by my house or visit my editorial offices at Africa Events and later at Africa Analysis.
Mid-1980s was an interesting time for Nigerian radicals fighting military rule in their country and Taju rose to the occasion when he launched various campaigns against military rule and Gen. Sani Abacha’s human rights abuses in Nigeria. As a result of his activities, he was arrested on December 3, 2002 at the Murtala Mohammed Airport on his way to London and his passport confiscated.
In London, he was the founding coordinator of the Africa Research Information Bureau and editor of its journal, Africa World Review. He was also the founding chairman of the Centre for Democracy and Development and with Alex de Waal, he founded Justice Africa. He was also a close collaborator of the Zanzibari Marxist ideologue Abdulrahman Babu, who recommended him as interim general- secretary of the revived Kampala-based Global Pan-African Movement.
He was subsequently elected to the post and served for many years, before taking up appointment as the deputy director for the Nairobi-based UN Millenium Campaign in Africa.
His sojourn in Kampala enabled him to be a key player in East African politics on first name terms with presidents Yoweri Museveni, Paul Kagame who he was to visit next Saturday, and Meles Zenawi as well as Tanzania’s Salim Ahmed Salim, amongst others.
Ahmed Rajab, New Vision
May 27th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Dear All,
It is with great regret that I read about the death of Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Rahim at such a time when his invaluable contributions are needed as ever. Africa has indeed lost a great son whose toil and sacrifices have always been towards the development and empowerment of our continent and people.
As we mourn his death, we also take consolation from the fact the he has laid good foundation for us to continue from now. The best tribute to this great gentleman will be our collective resolve to keep the flame he lit burning.
On behalf of Outreach Management Services and on my own personal behalf, I wish to convey our sincerest condolences to the bereaved family and the entire staff and members of CDD.
May the good Lord keep and sustain you in this difficult time.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
John Mensah
May 27th, 2009 at 10:20 am
My deepest sympathy. I wish him a restful place.
On behalf of Samuel Davies and Family
May 27th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Dear Colleagues,
I am extremely shocked by this news and wish the widow and family my deepest condolences. I worked with him through IDEG on the African Union Conference last two years and have followed his numerous writings. He was indeed a great Pan Africanist.
Wish him a perfect rest.
Florence Freda Dennis, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition GHANA
May 27th, 2009 at 10:23 am
WE ARE SADDENED, MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE
CHEERS
PROF
Professor Okrafo-Smart
May 27th, 2009 at 10:23 am
REALLY REALLY SAD NEWS!!
Words alone can not express the loss I feel!!
Kind regards
Wangeci
May 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I just heard the incredibly sad news about Tajudeen. Although I only met him briefly he struck me as such an impressive character and my thoughts are with those who knew and loved him better, especially his family.
Alex Crutcher
May 27th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
The loss of Tajudeen while felt most keenly by his wife and daughters will probably be most devastating to the teeming masses of Africa for whom he was a tireless advocate. The Pan African Movement must remember his constant exhortation that forward movement is always to be sought and mourning for the losses of the past should be converted into the fuel for constant revolution. He was a compassionate reformer and will always be an inspiration for good and just leadership in our continent and beyond. Rest well dear brother.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Thank you for a purpose driven life.
Thanks for being here, even now.
KWASI
TheBlackList
May 27th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I just found about what happened and am very sad to hear this news. I spend a summer working for Tajudeen at Justice Africa in London. His integrity and sense of political purpose were an inspiration to me. My deepest condolences to his family and to all his friends and colleagues.
Aziz Rana
May 27th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
LONG LIVE THE AFRICAN NATION!
May 28th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Let’s Continue to Organise – Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem Still Lives with Us
It is with deep and profound sadness that I have learnt, through Pambazuka News, about the most untimely demise of Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem in a car accident in Nairobi.
It is often said that it is not the number of years that a human person spends on this earth that matters, but how those years have been spent. However, such philosophising seems meaningless when a people lose the likes of Dr Tajudeen….
Dr Tajudeen have been at the forefront of selflessly furthering the humanity of humankind, especially in a continent where being selfless is seen as a most daunting enterprise by Africa’s distracters and as exemplified by many of our contemporary political leaders in Africa….
Although, like many of his admirers, I have never met Dr Tajudeen in person, however, we have met many-many times by and through his articles and work which have been significant sources of information and fundamental motivation for a long time.
This is precisely because the knowledgeable and untiring Dr Tajudeen was one of the greatest commanders of the current global revolution; i.e., the information revolution; and the revolutionising of knowledge.
Being conscious of the ordering in internal co-text and intertexual relationships, nonetheless, it is indeed not only difficult, but almost inconceivable for me to write about Dr Tajudeen in historical terms so soon!!!
However, I must assert that I have always looked forward to Dr Tajudeen’s original and ground-breaking perspicacity in his weekly “Pan-African Postcard” in Pambazuka News. In short, his instructive perspectives have been and will continue to be of profound inspiration in….
That, with such selfless giants of liberation and of human thought, such as Dr Tajudeen, tirelessly organising and working on the African continent, the Pan-African dream can be transformed into a reality within our lifetime;
That, after many years of bad governance, a new generation of innovative African leadership, which will ultimately re-construct the economic wellbeing and political dignity of the African person is being constructed;
That, Dr Tajudeen’s astuteness and expertise in contributing to many major fora on the African continent to further rekindle Pan-Africanism, is an affirmation:
That, Africa still has sons and daughters who are ready to re-organise, re-write African history and re-constitute the African reality as was envisaged by the fore-runners of Pan-Africanism (on the continent) such as Patrice Lumumba – despite the reining of the neo-colonial gun-butts and other instruments of torture and dehumanisation which were unleashed on Lumumba and his colleagues, before ultimately been murdered under the Big Tree in Katantga Province;
That, the selfless application of knowledge and skills and the indefatigable spirit to organise for political and economic emancipation, as has been shown by Dr Tajudeen, is the hallmark of the true transformation of the African continent from being the leader of many negative human development indicators, to being the champion of the upholding and safeguarding of the humanity of the human person.
Dr Tajudeen is indeed a most illustrious Giant of African Liberation. Like other such Giants, his glowing sojourn and unflinching cutting-edge-selflessness on this earth to learn and to share and to inspire, teaches us that knowledge is the property of humankind, and organisation is the foundation of political and economic development.
Consequently, let us “not agonise” (to borrow from Dr Tajudeen’s e-mail signature) about Africa, but let us “organise” for and about Africa in order to transform our realities so that we will be the commanders and guardians of the destiny of Africa.
Justice Africa website states that “Africa is impoverished by …[Dr Tajudeen’s] untimely death”. How very true!!!
However, Africa is also inspired by Dr Tajudeen’s life and deeds. As a result, let us continue to live the Tajudeen-spirit as Dr Tajudeen continues to live on! not only in the re-construction of the African reality in particular but also in the re-constitution of the global economic structures and governance ideologies in general.
Abdoulie Jawo
Bradford, United Kingdom
May 28th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Tajudeen Abdul Raheem
Great Minds are motivated by dynamic projects. This is a statement about the thinking of human beings who want dignity and a better quality of life. In our generation of Africans who matured after the period of independence, it was the belief that our dignity would be enhanced by the unity and freedom of our peoples. The project of the unity of the peoples of Africa is one that had energized millions. Tajudeen Abdul Raheem worked tirelessly for the African unity. He worked in the ranks of the people and was present at both the levels of government and at the discussions of the people. His was a voice for the power of the people. As one of our Rodneyite sisters summed up the life of Tajudeen, “he was like an angel sent to us to enrich our lives.”
Tajudeen was born in Funtua, Katsina state, Nigeria in January 1961. Breaking through the repressive culture of the militarists and feudalists, Tajudeen like millions of Nigerian youth yearned for a society where the youth could soar and beyond the civil war that tore his society apart while he was a young person. Excelling in educational system Tajudeen could not be contained. The Nigerian University system produced many fine minds and Tajudeen was one of the finest to graduate from Bayero State University, graduating with first class honors. Tajudeen more than once related the story of the interview for the Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. Despite the challenge to the interviewers about the legacies of Cecil Rhodes, Tajudeen was simply too bright for these gatekeepers to keep him out of Oxford University. It was probably their hope that the rituals of Oxford would tame and intimidate Tajudeen. Instead Tajudeen used his years in Oxford to earn his doctorate in political science and while he was a student built networks of networks working in different formations dedicated to change. Whether it was in the anti-apartheid formations, the formations to support the peoples of Palestine, the anti dictatorial struggles in West Africa or the global peace and justice movement, Tajudeen emerged as a force and a voice for good.
He was known in all the political circles in London before the Abdul Rahman Babu requested his service within the Pan African movement.
Tajudeen excelled and emerged at the forefront of the international educational, political and cultural arena. He claimed this stage to press forth the claims of the oppressed for emancipation. He was not shy to remind us in his writings that he was the son of a “hardworking woman who was a petty trader.” In his last communication he reaffirmed that he was driven to support the rights and dignity of hardworking men and women from the grassroots. Tajudeen was a living example of what Walter Rodney wrote about when he observed that the task of the black intellectual was to place himself or herself at the service of the people.
Tajudeen was introduced to me from afar as the brightest student to pass through Oxford University. We met soon after in 1990 when he was one of the organizers of the Walter Rodney commemoration activities in London. We reconnected again, a year later at the launch of the African Research and Information Bureau (ARIB). Since those early years we formed a bond and worked on many projects to carry forward the ideas and practices of African emancipation. Tajudeen was a builder and hard worker who threw himself into the tasks at hand. This level of energy was manifest in the organization of the 7th Pan African Congress in Kampala in 1994. It was a meeting that brought out all of the contradictions between the old variants of Pan Africanism, the question of the place of Sudan in the Pan African movement and most importantly, the centrality of the grassroots women in the movement for freedom. It was in Kampala where the Pan African Women’s Liberation Organization (PAWLO) was formed.
The Kampala meeting introduced Pan Africanists to the challenges of transcending divisiveness, genocidal thinking and narrow racial conceptions o who is an African. The Rwanda genocide accelerated on the last day of the 7th Pan African conference and Pan Africanists were forced to take a principled stand on genocide and genocidal violence. This genocide and the ensuing wars that engulfed Central Africa consumed the energies of Tajudeen for many years. He was on first name basis with Laurent Kabila, Yoweri Museveni, Meles Zenawi and other leaders. Working for peace he penetrated the duplicity of these leaders and was quick to discern the hypocrisy and greed associated with the military forays of Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame into the Congo. Although Tajudeen broke early with these leaders he remained in Kampala as General Secretary of the Pan African Movement, in so far as he felt that Pan Africanists had to work from African soil. This was a principled position that he took at the time of the congress in 1994.
Tajudeen was committed to ending the violence and divisions and he dedicated his life to opposing genocidaires. It was a strange twist that Tajudeen was again heading to Kigali, Rwanda on May 25, 2009 to engage those forces in Rwanda who wanted to fight poverty instead of spending money on senseless wars of plunder. Like Shaban (who was consumed by the Rwandan nightmare in 2000), Tajudeen was looking for a solution to the violence, plunder, rape and widespread violation in Central Africa.
In his work within the Pan African movement, Tajudeen was a consummate diplomat. Behind his disarming wit lay a critical understanding of the need to reach the people. Tajudeen knew the social movements across Africa. Within the Pan African movement he had to interface with many of the leaders who had come to power through the movement for change. From Kampala, Tajudeen worked tirelessly with the movement for peace in the Sudan. Opposition to wars and genocide was not an intellectual matter for Tajudeen, it was a matter of urgency that required skilful negotiation of African politics. Tajudeen was as opposed to the senseless war in Northern Uganda as he was opposed to the militarism and genocidal violence in the Sudan. He wanted to ensure that he was able to be effective as an opponent to these violations and betrayals. At times the betrayal was most painful as in the moment of the tragic death of John Garang of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement. The record of the meetings for peace convened in Kampala remains a record to be built upon by those committed to the Pan African principles of peace.
He used his weekly postcard to communicate with all sections of the Pan African World. Whether in Barbados, Guyana, Atlanta, Berlin, Accra or Abuja, those who were active kept connected through Tajudeen. He was like a glue keeping so many of us together.
Servant of the people
The Pan African world is indebted to the family of Tajudeen, especially his widow Mounira and daughters Aida and Aisha. Tajudeen was a devoted father to his two daughters. At a great sacrifice to his family, Tajudeen had served as the General Secretary of the Global Pan African movement for more than ten years. It was service borne out of love for the people of Africa. In the process he paid a great price because the bureaucrats of the Ugandan government sought to starve him in order to break the movement. As this humble servant of people, he could not financially contribute to the support of his family. Yet, Tajudeen persevered and worked to build an infrastructure to keep together Pan Africanists in all parts of the world informed and inspired.
Tajudeen had worked with Abdul Rahman Babu and he carried forward the traditions of Babu to work with a constituency that was not limited to Africa. Tajudeen was part of a wider global peace and justice movement. Promoting the ideas and practices of Babu, Tajudeen and his friend Napoleon Abdulai organized the send off for Babu when Babu joined the ancestors in 1996.
Behind the joyous and jocular exterior Tajudeen carried a lot of pain. This pain soared to new levels at different points in his life. Yet, Tajudeen silently endured the pain and ache that came when he was unable to join in the celebration of the life of his mother when she joined the ancestors in 1997. The military dictatorship of Sani Abacha was terrified of Tajudeen. Their earlier attempts to silence him had failed and Tajudeen did not want to give them another opportunity. Tajudeen was a major figure in the June 12 movement of Nigeria that fought to end the military dictatorship in Nigeria. He was not satisfied with the veiled authoritarianism of Obasanjo and he was a force behind many different formations fighting for democracy and justice in Nigeria. Tajudeen was also opposed to the pseudo anti imperialism of the Mugabe leadership in Zimbabwe.
Taju threw himself into the work of liberation and travelled constantly. In addition to his work in Africa and Europe, the North American, Caribbean and South American branches of the movement also benefitted from Tajudeen’s insights. Tajudeen also worked with us in the Walter Rodney Commemoration Committee in 2005 to celebrate the ideas of Walter Rodney on emancipation and liberation. Tajudeen was passionate about the need for democratic change in his own country. He was involved in the building of a community college in his home community of Funtua.
In the face of the religious intolerance and bigotry against followers of Islam after September 11, 2001, Tajudeen, made a conscious political decision to observe Friday prayers in whatever community he lived in. This religious identification was borne out of the need to make a stand against the persecution of the followers of Islam. At the same time, Tajudeen was a force for peace between Christians, Muslims and non believers in all parts of the world. He was mortified by the fundamentalism that was promoted in the name of religion to demobilize the youth.
He was insistent that peace was a prerequisite for the reconstruction of Africa. He opposed Xenophobia of all forms. Tajudeen wanted to motivate all young people to oppose all forms of tyranny. It was his understanding that the challenge of motivating the youth was not simply a moral issue but an urgent political task in a world where the most conservative and fundamentalist forces mobilized the energies of the youth into directions of death, destruction and intolerance. Tajudeen was involved in a number of formations to build the African Unity of peoples.
In all of his work as a freedom fighter, diplomat, journalist Tajudeen never forgot his humble roots. In the last years, Tajudeen worked for the United Nations as the African Director in the Millennium Development Goals. He did not allow his service as an international diplomat to silence him in relation to the exploitation and impoverishment of the poor. He used this position as another platform to be an advocate for the oppressed.
Tajudeen was my friend, brother and comrade.
Tajudeen lived a full life and exhibited a free spirit, the spirit of an angel who was motivated by more than one dynamic project.We are committed to completion of one these projects, the full unity of the peoples of Africa in a democratic union of the states and peoples of Africa. He was part of a new wave of humans who refused to be restricted and confined. In passing to the ancestors on African Liberation Day, his life and spirit will be forever associated with African liberation and African freedom. It is incumbent upon us to continue his work to ensure the goals of African unity and emancipation and peace for all peoples throughout the world are realized. He will be missed, but never forgotten. We thank him for all that he has shared with us.
Horace G. Campbell
May 28th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Unbelievable!! Simply unbelievable.How could he be dead? This was a great son of Africa and totally committed to the Pan-African cause.I met him a couple of times in Washington and this man had an infectious optimism to the future of Africa which we all shared. He belongs to the ancestors now but his works and dreams will live on with the rest of us.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
It was a great shock to know that Taju is no more with us. I knew him through a friend about seven years ago when I was invited to one his daughters’ birthday party around Seven Sisters Road in North London. Since then he has proved to be a great friend, a scholar of an internatioal repute and and an advocate and campaigner. The last time Taju and I were together, we ate Pounded Yam in my ‘under construction’ living room in London. In his characteristic manner, he was less concerned about the state of the living room, and was more concerned about the state of Africa. He was chewing the meat with all his muscles and simultaneously arguing with clarity of expression, wit and insight on how to move Africa forward. The pepper in the soup made his head to sweat and at the same time he was pouring his heart out about the high level of poverty in Nigeria.
From you, Taju, I learnt some of the best anecdotes of the Nigerian politics: how a non-Nigerian wrote President Shagari’s Inaguaration Address in 1979. Your life exemplied hard work, integrity, respect for others, leadership by example and fun. Taju, your shoes are too big for us to carry and they are too small for us to wear. Above all your good works live on.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem lives behind a shining example of defending African Unity as it was always sincere and consistently unprejudiced. Thank you!
May 29th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I met Tajudeen while I was working for the Centre for Democracy and Development about 5 years ago. I remember his laugh, so contagious, his loud voice, his straight talk, and that he was at ease with anybody, while being such a great and inspirational man.
He used to take his two beautiful girls into the office during school holidays and they would spend time chatting to me. I remember that one day Aida saw a postcard of Che Guevara on my desk and said: ‘I know that man! He is my dad’s hero!’.
It’s very sad to hear of his death. My thoughts go to his children and wife.
Romina Vegro
May 30th, 2009 at 8:56 am
My condelences to Taju’s wife, his daughters, and his family and friends all over the world.
I met Taju in 1997 when I was posted to Kampala to take up a USAID job in the then Coop Bank. As a Pan Africanist myself, I met up with a few like minded people who took me to meet the man, who incidentally was my neighbour in the Muyenga neighbourhood. We hit it off from the first hand shake and he would always be introducing me to his friends as Ndugu Chen, a label which I wore with pride, having being baptized such by my close comrade in the struggle of the African peoples. I was always amazed by Taju’s sharp intellect, his immense sense of humour and wide smile, his Afro optimistic outlook, his love for his family and village, and also his unending hospitality. I have lost a close brother and friend and I want to pass my most sincere condolences to his family (wife and 2 kids who I never actually met but whose images are in my mind as Taju never failed to boast with their pictures). Africa has lost a beloved son and Pan Africanist.
Two things come to mind from the mass of memories that are bombarding me. One incident was when I was considering taking up a job in Juba, Southern Sudan and I called Taju for his thoughts on the matter. He told me that as a Pan Africanist, he was saddened that he was actually considering the merits of the Sudan becoming two countries, as Southern Sudan seemed set on separating from the North. The second incident was the last time I was with him in Nairobi. I had called him just to say a quick hello and he insisted that we meet at his office later, then go to his house for a meal, then go to meet some of his family that had recently arrived from Nigeria, and then go to a presentation of the Kenya Human Rights Commission…all in one sentence. That was Taju’s MO, to be direct and inclusive.
Aluta continua my beloved brother. May the Almighty grant you a rest in eternal peace.
JahLove,
Ndugu Chen
May 30th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
30-05-09
Tajudeen was a political, and idological son of Abdul Rahman Mohamed Babu, i remember when Taju told me about reading Mzee Babu’s book, African Socialism or Socialist Africa? in the 70’s at school as a young man in Nigeria. Mzee Babu, also saw in Taju a future leader of the Pan African goal, and he was 100% right. Taju was simply a good man, God’s gift for African’s to learn from may his soul R.I.P. Our condolences to Munira, the Children and the whole family. We have lost this two great men physically but spiritualy, they are with us. The way Barack Obama became the first descendant of African to become President of U.S.A. One day, one day, Africa will unite and peace will descend on mother of all the continents, i strongly believe it will happen in our TIME. Have Differences but a Common Goal. David Kankam Boadu and Salma Abdul Rahman Mohamed Babu. The Late A.M.Babu’s Family.
June 1st, 2009 at 6:12 am
This is a tragic news to hear. This is one great loss to Africa and humanity. Dr. Taju will always be remembered for his mastery of African socio-political problems and solutions to them; penetrating and engaging articles on Pambazuka sites, his erudition, articulation, boldness and commitment to African ideals. He lived and died for Africa. Africa should immotalise him
Dr Azeez Olaniyan, University of Ado Ekiti, Nigeria.
June 1st, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Dr. Tajudeen Abdul Raheem who happens to be a big cousin of mine is a rear gem and the most illustrious son of Africa who I can likened to Kwame Nkrumah who he adore so much in his life time. We his family knew he was full of humor and humility and will always asked about our educational progress. The last time I saw him was in 2001 after my youth service, he was excited on learning that I studied computer science and maths, he lectured me on how information is the key thing now and how powerful and successful I can be if work hard diligently and honestly.
Your death is painful, may you rest in peace and may Allah make Aljahnah your permanent abode.
Prince Kolapo Bello
Laide Bello’s Family
Ogbomoso.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Let the Youth of Africa Know that we have all lost one of the most respectable comerades of our times. We were not prepared for this irreparable loss. His shoe will not be stepped into for long time.
Dr. Tajudeen Abdul Raheem who happens to be illustrious son of Africa who follows in the footstep of the father of Pan Africanism Kwame Nkrumah. He is gone but will never be forgotten even though your death is painful, may your resting place be peaceful heaven and may God allmighty receive you in his bossom.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem has been a Father to me. Since working for Pan African Movement in Uganda to Nigeria to London, I have learnt a lot from him. I spoke to him just five days before he passed on and I could remember his laughter…and he promised to ring me back asap. The ring back I got was about his death. Roughly two months since my mother passed away here in London…it was too much for me to bear…the pain…the loss…
You can imagine! The great people in my life:
My mother passed away on Mothers Day -2009
Dr Taju passed away on Africa Day – 2009
My dear Dr, what can I say? Your loss is deep. Words are inadequate to describe the emptiness I feel; you have always been my Idol.
If life were smiles, yours would be the broadest,
If life were making impacts, you’d have more than the Atomic bomb,
If life were jewels, you’d be platinum, diamond and gold mixed together,
If life were stories, yours would make the strongest of hearts melt…
Dr. Taj, you are never far away because you live in our loving hearts
It is not goodbye but goodnight to an amazing YOU>
Name: Rachael Ebun Oke
Email: ebun_oke@yahoo.co.uk
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Tribute to Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem (1961-2009)
By Anthony Akinola
TO have to write this tribute to Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is perhaps the most necessary but painful task I have ever imposed on myself. It is necessary for me to do it because he was my great friend and confidant, and arguably, the most vibrant human being I have ever known in my life. It is, however, a painful assignment for me because Tajudeen was many years my junior – though, now, one of my ancestors.
When Taju, as he was fondly called by all, was hospitalised in London sometime last year I told him to shake off his illness because if anyone was ever going to write my obituary it would be him. Alas, death has its own devious ways of bereaving us because it snatched Tajudeen away in a ghastly motor accident in the morning of May 25, 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Taju and I became instant friends when we arrived in Oxford some time in 1983 to study politics and law respectively. He came in as a Rhodes Scholar on the background of First Class degree from Bayero University, Kano and a National merit award to prove that his achievements were to fluke. I had been a political animal of some sort and the first political issue I threw at Tajudeen was the idea of a rotational presidency as the panacea for Nigeria’s inter-ethnic disagreements over leadership. I had been trumpeting this idea from Howard University where I took degrees in Political Science and it had become something of an obsession in my discussions. Taju agreed with the logic of my arguments but was of the view that Nigerians should be able to elect their political leader without having to resort to “zoning”.
Out of my deepest regard for his intellectualism and in spite of our divergent views on an opinion I adhered to religiously, I requested him to review the booklet I published in 1986 advancing the case for rotational presidency. Being the honest scholar that he was, he competently outlined the merits of my arguments but highlighted his criticisms uncompromisingly. Impressed by his honesty, I requested him again in 1996 to write an introduction to my essays on rotational presidency. Taju would later concede that in spite of his and others’ objections, the reality of Nigerian politics was in the direction of leadership rotation.
Taju and I were two of a kind; we were obsessively passionate about politics beyond the mere study of it. He, however, had an extra edge over me because he was the great political activist that I am not. We wrote vigorously, along with other Oxford scholars, on the pages of West Africa, and African Concord – two useful magazines that are now, sadly, defunct – as well as in Nigerian dailies. We did our best to attempt to discredit the military regimes that were milking our economy to death. The military boys could be tolerant of opinions expressed on the pages of newspapers, not least because they hardly read them. However, what they could not stomach was some articulate scholar lambasting them on radio, BBC for that matter, and that was how Taju became their “marked” man. He travelled from England to Nigeria about 1989 in what was supposed to be a very short visit but his “friends” at the State Security Service were too excited to whisk him away for days. He was, however, not deterred by that experience, as his pro-Nigeria activities continued into various protests, especially those for the actualisation of what is now historically known as “June 12″.
Honestly, Nigeria was more or less a mere distraction for Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem. A good Muslim by all accounts, his life was neither predominated by religion. His passion and greater commitments were towards the continent of Africa. He was an Nkrumahist who passionately believed that the boundaries that divide Africa into nations were artificial. He was president of the African Students Union at Oxford and was always into one conference after another. His face was ubiquitous with protest rallies, particularly over the liberation of South Africa from the jaws of apartheid. The happiest political day of his life was when Nelson Mandela was released from jail. We, his friends, were not surprised that he continued into African affairs after he took his doctorate in Political Science from Oxford.
Tajudeen was indeed a decent human being. In the 1980s you would forgive the ambition of a young Nigerian lady who assumed that someone from the north of the country (Taju’s parents were from Ogbomoso, but he was from Funtua) with a degree from the University of Oxford provided the ticket to the very top. Some of the young Nigerian ladies studying for their A levels at Oxford at that time wanted Taju desperately but he was never the type to be distracted.
Taju entered into a serious relationship at the very tail end of his studies with Munira, an intelligent and well mannered Tunisian who became his wife and had their two beautiful daughters, Aida and Aishat. Munira deserves the commendations reserved for special women because the man she married was, by virtue of his mission in life, an absentee husband and father. Taju was more likely to be found in an airport waiting to catch a flight from one country or another, than at home. Munira wanted her husband to work in the United Kingdom and see more of their young children – I personally intervened to sort out their disagreements – but neither of them ever suggested the other could have been cheating because of Taju’s absentee culture. They were both good Muslims who embraced the ethics of their religion.
Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem will remain forever in our memories for his vibrancy, kindness and generosity. I had thought of myself, until the news of Taju’s death came, as someone who could approach the worst of tragedies philosophically but it was all tears in my home. A young daughter of mine was to attend a birthday party but without any prompting she phoned her friend to say she would no longer be able to go because “my uncle has just died in a motor accident”. This kind of gesture coming from a 13-year old girl is tribute and testimony to the influence of Taju’s charisma on all of us.
Even in our desperate pursuit of the worldly, a stroll in the graveyard offers caution. The tombs of the newly-dead with flowers are warned by those that have become derelict with age, their occupants seemingly being forgotten. So William Shakespeare could be right in comparing life to a tale told by an idiot “full of sound and fury signifying nothing”. But the great Shakespeare himself also talked of the “good” and “evil” that men do and it is in this context that the individual’s existence may not be in vain after all. Posterity will remember Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem for his good deeds to the individual and society.
Call me “Sir Tony” or “The Chief” as you used to, your beloved friend and his family say goodnight and rest in peace.
* Dr. Akinola lives in Oxford, England
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Is Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem gone?
By Said Adejumobi
THE venue was Addis Ababa, and the issue on hand was convening an African Governance Roundtable on, “Towards the United States of Africa: Issues, Problems and Challenges”. I could not think of a better person to lead the discussion than Tajudeen Abdul Raheem, the irrepressible pan-Africanist and an incurable optimist on the African project. I sent an email to Taju, but mistakenly attached Prof. L. Adele Jinadu’s invitation letter with it. Taju replied, “Said, you never intended to invite me, you wanted to make me a substitute for Jinadu who probably had declined your invitation”. I responded apologising to Taju that it was an oversight and indeed, he was on the slot and to lead the discussion. Taju could not make it down to Addis Ababa for the roundtable on May 7, 2009 but sent another passionate comrade, Thomas Deve from Zimbabwe to represent him. That was the last conversation I had with Taju before the chilly but wicked hands of death snatched him away from mother earth! Africa has lost a gem, an illustrious son and someone ahead of his time!
Taju lived and died for Africa. Tajudeen was the Secretary General of the Pan-African Movement, and before his death the Deputy Director of the UNDP Millennium Development Goals office based in Nairobi, Kenya. What made Taju thick and different were his abiding faith, commitment, struggle and complete dedication to the pan-African project. Taju believed that another Africa is possible, and it is something that can be achieved through intense, even if rebellious struggles. Articulate, convincing and bright, Taju always puts on a colorful side of life. When friends are depressed and despondent about the course of events in Africa, Taju would counsel, “we will get there, we must not agonise but organise”. He courted friendship among the leaders, the rich, poor and vulnerable in society, but always weighed in on the side of the weak and the vulnerable.
He speaks with absolute confidence, carries his message with the tone and vigour of a missionary and never had any regrets for whatever he says. He chided leaders in their presence; speaks truth to power in the most direct way, aligns with progressive forces across the continent and foresaw a future that works for Africa. In one of the meetings of the African leaders, Taju was granted the floor to speak. Directing his attention to the leaders present, Taju enquired, “Why do we have to restrict our people from moving around? If it is difficult for us to enter the capitals of Europe, why is it that it is also difficult for us to enter our continental capital – Addis Ababa? Addis Ababa is Africa’s political capital, and we should be free to come here”. Turning his attention to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Taju beckoned for a response. Meles Zenawi, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia responded in a swift policy move few weeks after, making it possible for Africans to obtain visa on arrival at the airport in Addis Ababa.
Taju was an unrepentant advocate of a borderless Africa. Echoing Kwame Nkrumah, Taju would argue, “what unites us is far greater than what divides us, let our people move and move freely”. For Taju, the borders have become barriers to our lives; borders which in the first instance we did not create. From the Kikuyus in Kenya, to the Yorubas in Nigeria and the Ndebele’s in Zimbabwe, we all share a common past, heritage, problems, challenges and the same future. Why should Africa therefore not be united? Taju always insists. Taju was not a rabble rouser; he was a well educated and intellectually grounded mind. With a Ph.D. from Oxford University, Taju had the best academic background any sound mind could possess. But he deployed his mind in the service of the people. For Taju, Africa cannot be free, until its people were free.
An untold story about the formation of the African Union (AU) relates to Taju. Taju was a key personality in the process of the formation of the AU, though undocumented. Taju in canvassing support for the idea toured several African countries and met with many political leaders and public opinion moulders in those countries to convince them on it. Working closely with President Mummar Ghaddafi, who was a leader on board the idea, Taju was upbeat that it would be possible for Africa to move on the integration path. Taju in his life never saw problems, he always sees challenges. When asked whether forming the African Union was not a mere dream, or wishful thinking as the OAU itself was not very successful, and filled with rancour and conflicts, Taju would cheerfully reply, “let us dream dreams, the World is built on dreams, we shall move on”.
Taju was a core anti-imperialist and very unequivocal about it. Taju cherished his voice and used very platform to make a case for Africa against imperialist attacks. Even when it had become unfashionable to use the term, “imperialist’, Taju would use it freely in public platforms and fora no matter how high profile, it may be. Taju did not restrict himself to countries and multinational corporations; he did not spare the ‘merchants of Africa’s misfortune’ – the humanitarian NGOs and aid agencies, whose business thrives on the misfortune and poverty of the people. On one of such occasions, Taju was approached by an international NGO working on humanitarian intervention and poverty issues to help review its 10-year strategic plan for Africa. Taju returned it back to them with a response that, “would you like my plain advice to you?” The organisation insisted on having his view. Taju told them bluntly, “I look forward to the day when you will no longer have a strategic plan in or for Africa; when you will no longer work in Africa, when my people will be out of poverty and misery, when you will have no place or business in Africa”. Taju never reviewed any strategic plan!
Taju was much an internationalist as well as a localist. Taju never left the struggle at home – Nigeria. Taju was part of the pro-democracy movement in Nigeria in the dark days of the Abacha junta. He played a key role in the formation and running of Radio Kudirat – that guerrilla underground radio station which Wole Soyinka and Kayode Fayemi were part of, and was also central in the establishment of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in London. CDD was formed as the intellectual civil society resistance movement against autocracy and dictatorship in Nigeria and West Africa. Taju chaired the board of CDD till he passed away. Taju also never left his kith and kin and his local community in Funtua. Since the return to civil rule in 1999, Taju comes home regularly, visits families and friends, undertakes projects in his local community, and enjoys life the way he understands it. While in Abuja, Taju hangs out with friends at the “isiawu’ and “fish” joints, takes his cool beer and talks away the problems of the country. He is hardly angry, always reflective and sober, but ever determined that we must continue the struggle, no matter how hard or difficult it may be. For our generation and the younger ones, Taju was an inspiration. Defiant, strong willed, but always ready and willing to hear alternative views.
Taju was the greatest living pan-Africanist before he passed away a few days ago. As I received the news of Taju’s death in far away Stockholm, I was filled with complete shock, disbelief and sadness, the kind of which I have never experienced since my father died some 31 years ago. Could it be true? Can Taju be dead? Let someone tell me it was a joke! In contact with Addis, there was grief over Taju’s demise. Even heads of multilateral and regional institutions could not hold back their tears on it. Taju touched all who knew him in one way or the other! Taju stood for decency, integrity and African dignity. Taju cannot and must not die. The ideas and ideals, for which Taju lived, must live on, and ultimately give birth to a new Africa.
Goodnight, and goodbye, Taju! Africa would miss you, friends would miss you, families would miss you, and we will all miss you. Find sleep and rest in the Lord, sleep well, and may ALLAH grant you peace!
* Dr. Adejumobi lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Taju Abdulraheem: Humble Entry, Triumphant Exit
Saturday, 30 May 2009
This is the story of a great friend, Tajudeen Abulraheem, who passed away on Sunday, May 24, 2009, in faraway Nairobi on his way to Jomo Kenyatta Airport to catch a flight to Kigali, Rwanda. The death was reported to us with a bang, not because we are not used to losing our dear ones but more so because Taju, as he was fondly called, was vibrant and his brains were certainly at the peak of the creation and recreation of ideas for the betterment of mankind at the time of his demise.At the Abuja airport on Tuesday morning, along with friends while waiting for Taju’s body to arrive from Nairobi via Lagos, we pondered over the reality that life expectancy of a Nigerian man is 49 years. Our lamentation was that we thought that is the reality with mainly the rural folks who are uneducated in the western sense and therefore bitten by the ravages of poverty and underdevelopment.
The death of Tajudeen is really a great loss to humanity because of the depth of his thoughts for the development of the human person. Throughout his life, despite his intellectual prowess which would have fetched him the best jobs anywhere in the world, he rather preferred and remained within the informal circles and arenas where the focus has been on the uplift of human standards and integrity.As the secretary-general of the Pan-African Organisation in Kampala Uganda, Dr Abdulraheem laboured so hard to see the possibilities of the integration of the continent of Africa – a dream which several other leaders at the point of independence thought was possible to actualize and which is, at the moment, being revisited by some and heavily resisted by some other leaders on the continent. I have always known Taju from his debut in the early 1980s, but the reality of how close we became was in the last 10 years. I heard the name several times, especially when brilliant political scientists were mentioned. He was one among the very few in Nigerian universities that ever scored a first-class degree in Political Science.
This we know, by all measure, is an exceptional achievement because it is what very few of them have been able to achieve.As a scholar, his involvement in pro-democracy activism pitched him against the government of General Abacha, maybe because he was seen as one of the very vocal Nigerians in Diaspora who were well-connected with the international media and was reasonably listened to and read through his commentaries on radio, television and the columns that he wrote in several other newspapers across Africa and the world.When I realised that Taju was a columnist with about 12 different newspapers across the world, I was only humbled the more because I thought I was doing something extra by writing for only two Nigerian newspapers. Taju was writing for one paper in Nigeria, two in Kenya, two in Uganda, three in South Africa and several others across the UK and America, thus contributing immensely to the dispensation of knowledge in the continent of Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.Anytime I was with Taju – and I did tell him on several occasions – I was fascinated by the degree and quantum energy that the gentleman was made of. He was as strong as he was vibrant, always on top of the situation and at the top of his voice. You would always hear his voice towering over all other persons’ else in either at social or even intellectual meeting.No doubt, the world of activism and civil society especially will miss Dr Abdulraheem for this energy, intellect, motivation and intellectual zeal with which he pursued all businesses of life. His common catch-phrases were “Forward ever, backward never”; “Don’t agonise, organise”. These simply define the character very aptly. He was moving and forward always until death came at a time when he was at the peak of service to humanity.A few years ago at a function in Abuja where I sat next to him, some thoughts which I thought were by the way struck me when Dr Abdulraheem was making some analyses that were brilliant on certain issues of discourse and I became so fascinated and took a closer look at him, and immediately wondered what would happen if God suddenly withdrew this brain from us. I immediately removed myself from that mood of thought, but the meaning of my thinking was reflected basically in the inability to transfer brains from one person to the other. The thought, as I did say, went away immediately only to resurface early morning Monday when Salihu Lukman’s call came in with the news of the passing away of Taju.A couple of times while at home in Nigeria, Dr Abdulraheem came in with quite a few friends who went with us to the university in Gwagwalada and spoke on several areas of interest regarding Africa and its international relations.
During the visits, Taju had established friendships with young people who have since seen a model to emulate. A great guy that he was, he was equally a hard worker. He was a good friend, trusted fellow and an example of humility in success.When Taju was born in 1961, he came in humbly, but by the time he was going back to mother earth on Tuesday, May 26, 2009, it was a triumphant exit even by the testimonies of the number of people who attended his funeral prayer and took him to the grave. A friend murmured in shock, “Kabir, can any of those looters called leaders really have this much affection in death?” I don’t know, but what I do know is that my friend, our friend who didn’t labor for material cash and position of arrogance, who served humanity in local and international dimensions was cheered to his grave by tens of thousands of people in his native Funtua.
The pains of the loss of Taju were visible on the faces of these teaming numbers who lost a great pillar and member of their community, who through sheer hard work and perseverance showed the way.Taju once pondered about the behaviour of friends we grew up with who find themselves in positions of political authority and power. He bemoaned why they stayed away and became incommunicado. His position was, “They don’t know that they need us, we don’t need them.” This is the truth and that is Taju for you. Reading through the tributes written by great scholars like Mahmud Mamdani, Okello Ocui and Jibrin Ibrahim, the magnitude of the loss even becomes more daunting.
Certainly, one of the few things that mortals have yet failed to unravel is death and how, when and where it comes. For us living, the loss of Taju was a shock that we have continued to make do with till our death come knocking.Born in humility, he lived a life of service, died on the line of duty and was buried triumphantly – reminiscent of how great kings cherished and loved by their people are sent off. For Tajudeen Abdulraheem, it was a life well spent. May God forgive his sins and reward him with everlasting peace. Adieu Taju, till we meet to part no more.
Written by Kabiru Mato, PhD
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:05 pm
What an irreparable loss…. IT IS APPOINTED ON TO MAN TO DIE……..but the most important aspect of life is to MAKE AN IMPACT on the people, the community and the society at large…..Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem has actually ATTAINED and ACHIEVED this. May his enviable soul rest eternally. FROM HIM WE COME and UNTO HIM IS OUR RETURN.
DONT BLAME DEATH, DONT AGONISE…. JUST ORGANISE LIFE AND SOCIETY
Sulaiman A. ATINSOLA
..doing it sameway will lead to same result… and the way of our forefathers must not neccessarily be our way……
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:06 pm
The Death of Dr Tajudeen is a great loss to the African Continent particularly the women and children whose impoverishment is major concerns for the departed son of Africa and others. The struggle for humanity in Africa has by this death suffered a major blow.
We sympertize with his widow and family and his immediate colleagues.
On the behalf of the women and children of Africa
With heart felt sympathy
Alice Ukoko
June 5th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Justice Africa
l exprress my deepest condolences to his family and all,colleaques,friends and is a great loss for africa
particularly for all africans . for his struagle for humanity,peace,unite, and his dreams is that he strongly believe one day it will happen to see africa has united as one (united state of Africa) ,may the Lord give his soul lnternal rest and peace
from – Dr.F. AJI. Executive President of voice of women in Africa
July 27th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
A great loss for the African continent. I’m sure Justice Africa has solid foundations and that it’ll survive the death of Tajudeen. A luta continua.