Beverly Naidoo's novel The Other Side of Truth begins in Nigeria during the mid-1990s. This period in Nigerian history was marked by the savage dictatorship of General Sani Abacha.

General Abacha rose to power in a military coup and ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He was known for his brutal suppression of political opposition and a harsh crackdown on criminal activity. Abacha's government was also marred by rampant corruption and the regular misappropriation of government funds.

This political background is relevant to the plot of The Other Side of Truth because the story follows Sade, who is a political refugee living in London. Sade's father was a political journalist who refused to be cowed by Abacha's government and continued to publish articles critical of the despotic regime. Sade and her brother are sent to England after their mother is murdered by government goons. The novel contrasts Sade's conflicted memories of Nigeria and her experiences of homelessness in a foreign country.

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