Never Retreat before a Bully

By Babafemi Ojudu

History teaches a simple but enduring lesson: never retreat from a bully. The more ground you surrender, the bolder the bully becomes. Bullies mistake restraint for fear, compromise for weakness, and conciliation for surrender.

When a bully advances, stand your ground. If necessary, push back with equal resolve. Courage, not capitulation, is what ultimately commands respect.

The Second World War offers perhaps the most powerful example. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain believed that conceding territory to Adolf Hitler would satisfy his ambitions and preserve peace. Instead, every concession emboldened Hitler. The annexation of Austria was followed by the seizure of the Sudetenland, then the occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia, and finally the invasion of Poland. What began as appeasement ended in a devastating global war. Winston Churchill later warned that those who choose dishonour in the hope of avoiding conflict often end up with both dishonour and war.

The lesson extends beyond international affairs. It is equally true in politics and in life.
This is one lesson Atiku Abubakar never seemed to learn in his long and difficult relationship with President Olusegun Obasanjo. Each attempt at accommodation appeared only to deepen the antagonism rather than resolve it.

Years ago, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu told me that the Oba of Lagos wished to broker a reconciliation between him and Obasanjo. My advice was straightforward: don’t. I believed that an unsolicited reconciliation, under those circumstances, would be interpreted not as magnanimity but as weakness, encouraging rather than ending the hostility.

Bullies are often less fearless than they appear. They thrive when they sense hesitation, but they become cautious when confronted by firmness and resolve. The surest way to discourage persistent intimidation is to demonstrate that aggression carries a cost.

Perhaps there is a lesson here—not only for Atiku, but for anyone who must deal with overbearing personalities in politics, business, or everyday life.

-Babafemi Ojudu is a veteran journalist, a former Senator and  Special Adviser Political Matters  to late President Muhammadu Buhari.