Tinubu’s Last Hurdle, by Muyiwa Adetiba

 

Bola Tinubu 

The last time we checked, Lagos State was supposed to be the ancestral home of our President Bola Tinubu. Some dispute that, insisting he is from Osun State. But none, to the best of my knowledge, has ever linked him to Ogun State. Yet, it seems the gods of Ogun River and the ancient gods of Lisabi have adopted him as their son. In a mystical and deeply spiritual way, Ogun State played a prominent role during the run-in to the Presidential election.

It was during one of his ‘pilgrimages’ to Ogun State, that he received the courage and clarity to make the famous ‘Emilokan’ statement. To the uninitiated, I confess I am one of them, that statement seemed a sign of a meltdown – an apocalyptic meltdown to quote a mutual friend. As the English would say ‘What was he smoking? Or sniffing? Or drinking’? It however turned out instead to be a coded message to those he had a pact with, a succession pact of sorts. I still have a problem with the ‘Emilokan’ statement though.

 

It suggests entitlement. It suggests a high-stake, turn-by-turn alliance, it suggests horse trading with Nigeria as the prize. Whatever. Those to whom the coded message was sent understood it.The message unlocked their hearts. It reminded them that the time to pay back some I.O.Us for old favours and promises was nigh. As a result, the many obstacles strewn on his path during the journey to the party’s primary began to clear. He won the primary with a clear margin. It was an important victory no doubt, but not the main prize.

The Kingmakers and pretenders to the throne would however not let go easily. They threw everything including the kitchen sink to stop him from attaining the much coveted crown. He too counter-strategized, stoking the discord within the main opposition party. When the odds were mounting and it seemed the anti-people policies of the ruling party were meant to cause disaffection among the electorate towards him, he made another ‘pilgrimage to Ogun State.

Again, he received courage and clarity to pitch a fight with some State and non-State actors in the presidency. After all, ‘if the gods cannot help you, they should leave you as you are’ according to the saying among his people. (Orisa bi o le gbe mi, se mi bi o se ba mi). It was there that he denounced the contrived fuel scarcity and the currency swap. (‘Whether you hide fuel or hide money, we will vote and we will win’ he said). It worked, again. Immediately after the statement, help came from some powerful State actors and the structures were eased. He did not exactly coast to victory thereafter but he did enough to win the coveted crown.

After a month in the saddle as President, it was time for another ‘pilgrimage’ to the Ogun gods. This time it was a celebratory one. The race has been won and it was proper to thank the gods. After all, gratitude is the food of the gods. But this didn’t stop discerning minds and attentive ears from expecting another defining statement; another moment of courage and clarity. What I heard though was a little disconcerting. It was self-adulation. Like a lizard which, after performing a feat, nods its head as if to say ‘if no one praises me, I will praise myself’.

In the case of the President, many Nigerians had praised the courage and clarity he had shown in the past month to take difficult decisions. He didn’t need to praise himself and in the process, throw some brickbats at his predecessors as if they were weaklings. Removal of fuel subsidy was a decision whose time had come. Simple. It wasn’t that much a question of weakness or courage any longer. After all, the three main presidential aspirants promised to remove the subsidy.

Eight, ten years ago, it was a different proposition and we all know the side he was on and the role he played during the subsidy removal agitations at the time. Besides, it is not the time to gloat for as long as the consequences of subsidy removal have not been addressed let alone, ameliorated.(And if he doesn’t do something soon to ease the growing hardship in the land, he might need another visit to the gods of Ogun State).

But what jarred my listening ears was the absence of inclusion in his Ogun State speech. Most leaders would use the ‘royal we’ when referring to policy decisions and projects. It is deferential. It is inclusive. What I heard in places was the pronoun ‘I’ which to me sounds exclusive, arrogant and even imperial. Worse, it suggests a dictatorial, rather than a collegiate mentality which is contrary to what I hear about him. Everybody knows where the buck stops in the presidency and Nigeria needs a strong President at this time who will have the courage of his conviction and be able to resist the self-serving demands of Kingmakers.

But we certainly don’t need, or want, an emerging dictator however benevolent – what has happened at the National Assembly and within the APC top hierarchy, suggests a consolidation, rather than a sharing of power. It might seem early in the day, but President Tinubu has to wean himself of manipulation; of hubris; and of grandstanding. The circumstances of his victory call for humility and sobriety. Many souls are still hurting from the last election that put him into power. He needs to win them over. I would suggest an effective but low key administration. I would suggest reconciliatory attitudes and demeanor. I would suggest sticking with prepared scripts to avoid the unintended consequences of unscripted utterances. Finally, it may not have been intended, but that triumphant entry into Lagos last month grated many nerves given the belt-tightening circumstances in the country.

President Bola Tinubu scaled many hurdles on the way to the presidency. Outside the court, the last important hurdle now is himself. The times call for simplicity. They call for empathy. I don’t see enough of both. As necessary as they have become, his major policies in the past month are painful. They have further depleted the already meagre earnings of the people. That is the truth and they in no way call for chest beating of any kind. The purpose of governance is to raise the living standard of the people in a secure environment. Until that is done- and the welfare needle begins to inch northwards- the times call for sobriety and self-effacement, not hubris. It is certainly not the time to preen.