Dr. Mo Ibrahim, who endowed the $5 Million Prize for Achievements in African Leadership, has accepted the dedication of Bisi Ojediran's latest novel, THE FALSE TRUTH, to him.

In 2006, Dr. Ibrahim, who sold Celtel, his pan-African mobile phone company to MTC of Kuwait for $3.4bn, launched the world's biggest prize to reward good governance by departing African statesmen, with a host of world leaders backing his landmark initiative. The prize, which will be first awarded in October, 2007, far exceeds the 1.3 million dollars given to recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

The annual Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership will offer a former head of state or government with a five-million-dollar (four-million-euro) prize split over 10 years, with 200,000 dollars annually for the rest of their lives. A further 200,000 dollars a year will be made available for good causes espoused by the former leader.

A Mo Ibrahim Foundation was established last year to support the attainment of good governance in Africa. The foundation is backed by former South African president Nelson Mandela, the former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is also the Chairman of the Prize Committee, former US president Bill Clinton, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, former World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and African Union Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare among others.

Responding to Dr. Ibrahim's decision, Bisi said, " although I had started preparatory work on the novel, I was inspired to finish it upon the discovery that Dr. Ibrahim shares my pain over poor leadership in Africa, and had indeed set up a foundation to support the attainment of good governance."

Dr. Ibrahim said of the award and the foundation, "Nothing is more important to African development than good governance. I'm ashamed that we always have to look to the rest of the world for assistance. It impacts on our dignity and our self-respect. We want to celebrate the guy who managed to take his people out of poverty. That deserves the largest prize in the world."

Bisi explained that upon the request to Dr. Ibrahim for consent over the dedication, his staff asked for a copy of the manuscript, which was read before the approval was given.

"I am delighted to inform you that Dr. Ibrahim would be happy for you to dedicate 'The False Truth' to him," Robert Watkinson who works with the Foundation said in an e-mail to Bisi.

"It is my seventh novel and I am happy about the insight it gives to governance in Africa. Processes to get the novel published in London are on-going," said Bisi Ojediran.