DEEP DIVE
THE NUMBER ONE MISSION
THE INSPIRATION
These days I wear the hat of an author, but my day job is as the head of Daniel Ford, a Real Estate company. Daniel Ford and I have been dealing with properties in excess of 20 years. But that’s nothing new, there are probably thousands of firms that have done similar things over the past hundreds of years in the U.K. They will not be remembered however for their work, but for their contribution to humanity, because that is far more important and impactful.
We would like to believe that we’ve been moulded by the city we champion - London. London is a city renown for its preservation of history. So it only makes sense, that when you’ve interacted with a citys soul for so long - which we believe is it’s real estate - you start to imbibe some of its better qualities. We see it as the preservation of stories.
I always remark that walking through London is like walking through history. You may find the place where one of America's founding fathers, John Adams, stayed, as well as Albert Einstein and William Shakespeare, and even the home where the musical genius Mozart produced his first symphony - a purchase in which Daniel Ford was happy to be engaged.
But we know and love it because someone somewhere felt it essential and wrote it down, and subsequent generations deemed that information significant enough to be curated, so whenever we read those stories, we are transported back in time.
So that takes me to my journey to the book, the number one mission. We've realized that most things have both negatives and advantages, but the difference is that some people communicate their stories while others remain silent. So we chose to investigate our unique junction of London and Nigeria, telling a story about what we think to be Nigeria's most significant diplomatic mission overseas, the value of diplomacy, and how we are all Ambassadors. This has been a project that has challenged, just like anything done for the first time. The recurring question I’ve been asked is why write this? My response is always and will always be why not?
As an organisation one of the things we thoroughly enjoy is that our work genuinely adds value to our clients and a similar thing happens with the purchase of this book. All proceeds above cost goes towards our affiliate charity A.C.E. In other words, adds value to society.
A.C.E is a charity for charities. It pools the resources of the many and directs them towards effective charities in their various fields. Its primary goal at this time is to assist the mobility disabled, widows, and disadvantaged kids. By connecting with and supporting this book, you are unintentionally benefiting someone's life in some way, thus giving someone a life.
But ultimately I hope this book goes on to inspire you all to write your own stories and maybe even help the next one or the future high commissioners to prepare for the role ahead.
THE DIKKO AFFAIR
Umaru Dikko had been a transport minister in the toppled government of President Shehu Shagari. Dikko had fled into exile but constantly undermined the government from his hiding spot. Being suspected of embezzlement the Nigerian government allegedly co-opted Israeli Operatives to help find Umaru Dikko.
Intelligence sources across Europe failed to locate Dikko.
However, a top Israeli Intelligence operative decided that Dikko was probably in London, which had become a haven for Nigerian exiles critical of the new regime. Israeli field officers, accompanied by Nigerian security service agents led by ex-Nigerian Army Major Mohammed Yusufu, traveled to London. The Nigerian team rented an apartment on Cromwell Road and posed as refugees from the new regime.
The Mossad agents rented rooms in hotels catering to tourists from Africa and posed as anti-apartheid activists. Working separately, the two teams moved among the Nigerian ex-pat community in London, gradually narrowing their search to West London, to the area around Hyde Park, where many wealthy Nigerian exiles lived. They checked the electoral registers freely available in the area’s town halls but found no trace of Dikko.
On 30 June 1984 however, an Israeli agent driving down Queensway, in Bayswater spotted Dikko. He parked his car and tailed Dikko on foot to his house in Porchester Terrace. The lead operative was immediately informed and ordered surveillance of the house. From then on, the house was constantly watched, while Nigeria used the London High Commission as a base for preparing a kidnapping operation.
The plan was for Dikko to be Kidnapped and Sedated and carried out as Diplomatic Baggage on a Nigerian Airways Boeing 707 flight that had come with several “security guards” for this singular purpose. Umaru Dikko’s kidnapping was however observed by his personal Secretary, Elizabeth Hayes who saw Dikko being stuffed into a van and immediately notified the police which led to an all-ports warning.
Continue Reading in the book, the number one mission
A TALE OF ESPIONAGE & DIPLOMACY
REVIEWS
CHIEF WOLE OLANIPEKUN,CFR,SAN
The book underpins the diplomatic role of the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom as a bridge between Nigerians in diasporas and their home country. It offers an educational and enlightening read of the significant roles played by the Nigerian High Commission from its inception till date. Yemi Edun captures the history of Nigeria from a particularly refreshing and alluring perspective, as an insider at the Nigerian High Commission and a Nigerian in diaspora.
Yemi Edun, significantly uses the Office of the High Commission to beacon especially to diasporas, as it represents their ancestral seat in a foreign land. At first, he takes on the task of meticulously/scrupulously outlining the artefacts which underscores the Nigerian High Commission, with Ambassador Ishola as a focal point for the excellence which Nigerians achieve with diplomacy all over the world. In this wise, the author recounts a notable feat of the High Commissioner Ishola when, during the matter of the Red Listing, he audaciously tagged the move as "Travel Apartheid", a term which gained worldwide attention sending ripples across international waters and even earning the approval of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the very conscience of the Church of England, and eventually ensuring the travel ban was lifted.
From the author's description of the properties owned and managed by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the United Kingdom, a reader is left enamoured by the influence and wealth Nigeria wields in the United Kingdom and throughout the world. The author masterfully traces evidence of this claim by taking the reader on a mentally stimulating journey through history - from the pivotal influence Jaja Wachukwu wielded in preventing the death sentence of Nelson Mandela and others at the 1963-64 Rivonia Trial, the effective diplomacy deployed to quell tensions in the aftermath of the Dikko affair threatened the relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, to Ambassador Ishola's gallantry in facilitating the return of Benin Bronzes which had been at the Cambridge University for over 125 years.
Through its pages, Yemi Edun expertly takes the reader through a walk along the rich hallways of history from the author's point of view. With the graceful gait of one filled with pride, the author's word seamlessly flows into an appreciation of the effective leadership of several Nigerian High Commissioners. In one of his effervescent commendations, he describes the restoration of Nigeria's position in the Commonwealth as " ...a testament to strategic diplomacy, effective leadership, and the unparalleled talent and determination of its people"
The Number One Mission is rare, distinctive and unprecedented in its take on history, and the nexus between diplomacy, the Nigerian High Commission and the protection of Nigerians all over the world. Yemi Edun's prowess at passing the important message across is expressed in his elucidation of the significant impacts of some of the actions of the Nigerian High Commissioners which paints a picture of pride; pride in the culture of excellence that many Nigerians (including the author) and several High Commissioners have propagated and the need to raise the bar in the protection and provision for the community of Nigerians all over the world.
The book undergoes a definitive transformation from the past to the present to the hopes for the future. The words of the author nourish the soul, enlighten the mind, but also stir the mind into a state of readiness. In his eloquent demonstration of the significance of diplomacy, the author stages a rousing appeal to Nigerians both abroad and at home, seeking collaboration in the effort to ensure unification and protection of Nigerians in the United Kingdom and at home.
The author's point of view paints the picture of a captivating city of rich tapestry of culture, tourism, real estate, trade, art, education and health. The author succeeded in his mission of providing a detailed description of the Nigerian High Commission but most importantly, of galvanizing more diasporas and future High Commissioners into action, The Number One Mission is a testament to the rich culture and sheer brilliance that underscores every Nigerian. The book is highly recommended to every Nigerian, who has at heart, the tenets/presets of humanity in promoting togetherness, culture, tourism, trade, education, and health. The entire book serves as an exemplary guide to achieving the number one mission of unification.
AMBASSADOR MODUPE IRELE
Yemi Edun’s The Number One Mission belies the stereotypical expectation that a book about a High Commission in the UK can be anything but flat and
dreary; in fact on the contrary, the book makes compelling reading, uncovering the vibrant life that exists inside the halls of the Nigeria’s most visited yet arguably most underappreciated iconic emblem located at 9 Northumberland Avenue London WC2N 5BX: The Nigeria High Commission in the UK.
Presenting a lively chronology of the people who shaped the evolution of the mission, Edun liberally sprinkles his narrative with titillating titbits about events that influenced Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with the UK. A fascinating read for older, new, or intending visitors, the colourful descriptions of the internal processes and incidents offer a tense balance be- tween the frustrations people have experienced and the explanations that somewhat mollify them.
Whatever the case, there is much insight to be gleaned about Nigeria and Nigerians, particularly about the outgoing Ambassador whose work to transform the Mission has done much to cement its status today as the number one Mission with a human face! A read of The Number One Mission, will arouse pride in all Nigerians and stimulate the curiosity of foreign visitors who want to know more about Nigeria and the Nigerians who live in and contribute to the diversity of the United Kingdom’s social fabric.
PROFESSOR BAMITALE OMOLE
THE NUMBER ONE MISSION: NIGERIA’S HIGH COMMISSION IN THE UK, is undoubtedly not an academic thesis nor a pedantic research work for publication in a rarified academic journal. The author of the book, Mr Yemi Edun, in the prelude stated that he set out to achieve two things. Firstly, to document as a record of history, the neglected essence, the leit motif and activities of the Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom since its inception and the contributions of its former Ambassadors.
Secondly, is the contextualization and interrogation of the remarkable and consequential tenure of the Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola within the vortex of diplomatic activities, bilateral relations, culture, public engagements, innovation, and the place of leadership and personality in changing for good, the fortunes of a slumberous and leviathan institution.
Without any equivocation, the author has brilliantly achieved these objectives and should be commended for keeping faith with his set goals. Written in very flowing prose and felicity of language, the author’s capacity for record tracking, details, and information about the High Commission since its inception, is highly commendable.
No doubt, many books have been written on Nigeria-UK relations. However, this book, I believe, is the first that has been written specifically on the Nigeria High Commission in the UK and on the achievements, footprints, and legacy of any Ambassador that has ever served at the Nigeria High Commission.
The book is not voluminous, yet contains many valuable historical pictures, and it is very rich in details. For these reasons, it is very easy to read through in a short period. Therefore, I will highly recommend this book for academics, international relations scholars, historians, and the general public at large.
PROFESSOR RAFIU AYOOLA AKINDELE
The author shows familiarity and intimacy not only with the political landscape in which Nigeria’s High Commission in London is situated and operates but has also demonstrated abundant information on the High Commissioners who had presided over the conduct and management of Nigeria's diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom concentrating largely on the performance of Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola
Professor Rafiu Ayoola Akindele is a retired Professor of International Relations who was the Director of Research of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs from 1978 - 1984 and later became Acting Director General from 1999 to 2001.
MICHAEL EKPE
As a 41-year-old Nigerian immigrant who has called the UK my home for over two and a half decades, delving into the pages of this book detailing the Nigerian High Commission has been an eye-opening experience. This book has not just been a read; it’s been a rediscovery of my roots, a journey through the layers of history and connections that bind my two worlds.
As someone who has straddled both British and Nigerian cultures, this book has given me fresh insights into the profound ties that have shaped my identity. It’s more than a historical account; it’s a personal voyage that resonates deeply with my experiences and aspirations.
The author’s unique role as a confidant to the High Commissioner strikes a powerful chord with me. It vividly reflects the bridge we, the Nigerian diaspora, construct between our beloved homeland and our adopted country. The book eloquently captures the hopes and dreams of our community here in the UK, and I wholeheartedly endorse it for anyone seeking to understand this intricate tapestry.
In many ways, this book acts as a mirror reflecting my own odyssey of self-discovery and identity, a testament to the enduring ties that bind Nigeria and Britain, and a poignant reminder that my heritage is an integral thread in the rich multicultural fabric of the UK. It’s not just a historical account; it’s an integral part of my story.