REVIEW: Wounds, stabs and stabbers: Inside Bolaji Abdullahi’s The Loyalist

Bolaji Abdullahi's recent literary work has sparked considerable reflection within intellectual circles across West Africa, offering a sophisticated examination of how political systems operate when loyalty supplants institutional frameworks. For European investors and entrepreneurs operating across African markets, understanding these cultural and political narratives is increasingly critical to risk assessment and stakeholder relationship management. The examination of political loyalty—particularly its transient nature and the problematic elevation of individual leaders—reflects structural challenges that persist across many African governance systems. These patterns have direct implications for European businesses operating in the region, as they influence everything from regulatory stability to contract enforcement and political risk exposure. Abdullahi's thematic exploration highlights a phenomenon familiar to development economists and political analysts: the tension between personalistic political systems and the institutional frameworks that multinational enterprises require for stable operations. When political loyalty becomes the organizing principle of governance rather than institutional rules or constitutional frameworks, foreign investors face elevated uncertainty. This manifests in unpredictable policy shifts, sudden regulatory changes, and inconsistent application of business law—precisely the factors that European financial institutions assess when determining country risk premiums. The "transformation of political principals into demi-gods," as framed in this literary analysis, describes a real governance challenge.