Finally, a man of the people, not a man of the party, has emerged as Nigeria’s president.
Having been diagnosed for many years with the chronic problem of bad leadership, a lot of Nigerians had perished the hopes of having a good leader in their lifetime. The seemingly intractable malaise baffled all the spin doctors, and Nigeria remained in the grip of captive democracy- until the civil rights and pro- democracy leader, nationalist and activist, Bola Tinubu emerged, and Nigeria’s hope has been gloriously renewed.
The fact is, Nigerians have watched in anguish as their country has gone from the vaunted Giant of Africa to the World’s Poverty Capital, and counting. Nigeria since independence has seen the emergence of the Asian Tigers and now the total transformation of the Middle East. Smaller African countries are putting their acts together, but Nigeria’s story has been different.
In specific terms, we can put Nigeria’s problem to the mode of emergence of leadership. It has always been the bigwigs in the big political parties choosing their candidates, later foisting them on the public, before proceeding to rig elections. Nigerians became resigned to the concept of predictable party primaries with only one chosen frontrunner practically running against himself. And with the Nigerian constitution not permitting independent candidacy, the electorate was practically playing what we call “tumbo- tumbo” (blind man’s poker) during general elections.
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, Secretary of the National Peace Committee at a point framed the voters’ dilemma as “the choice between three thieves”. Thus, democracy has in no wise been deepened; voter apathy has.
Indeed, INEC brought some hope with assurances of the use of BVAS technology and electronic transmission of results- but what about the question of who gets the party tickets?
The ruling APC, shocked everyone, maybe even shocked itself with their party primaries, and pleasantly surprised Nigerians, in 2022. With an array of contestants for presidential primaries that included serving and former governors, they finally had an outcome that not even the president could have predicted. Of the initial 23 candidates, seven stepped down and announced their support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State. At the end, he clinched the ticket- and the tide turned dramatically, as a new hope was birthed.
And now after a gruelling process, the man of the people, not a man of the cabal, of the hawks, of the party hierarchy- but a man of the people is president-elect: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
By the way; something remarkable happened in 2002; the Chancellor of the City Colleges of Chigago, Dr Wayne Watson had said something striking about one of their distinguished alumni. He had described Bola Tinubu as likely future president of Nigeria. Two months’ time and 21 years after, it shall be Tinubu’s swearing in to that precise office!
One passion Bola Tinubu possesses is for the youths, and for the younger generation. In a nation and government system that has firmly entrenched gerontology, Tinubu will be coming with a novel style that is both appealing and also needful, considering the population demographic.
I am very happy to assure the whole world that Bola Tinubu is not among those “three thieves option” as enunciated by Bishop Kukah! Right now, the father of modern Lagos is poised to bring about the settings of a modern Nigeria, and Nigerians should get set.
Right now, it’s Tinubu-time!
•Mikky Attah, Calabar, Cross River State.
