By Gideon Obhakhan
I may be misquoted if I say President Muhammadu Buhari’s image makers have not done enough in the last seven and half years that PMB has steered the Nigerian ship. I’d cautiously choose the option of saying that Buhari has done a lot more than has been celebrated in his time so far, as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is not to say he is perfect, as perfection is humanly impossible.
As the 2023 electioneering campaigns by political parties are now in full gear, politicians and their supporters have started to deploy various strategies that will either promote their candidates or demarket their opponents. This is normal in politics, and I bear no grudge against those who may decide to write a rejoinder to this article in a bid to genuinely critique it, and provide contrary views to my line of argument.
Opposition parties in Nigeria have focused their attention on the shortcomings of the current administration in order to draw voters’s attention to what they refer to as the failure of the Buhari’s administration, and have capitalized on those so-called pain points to demarket Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, candidate of the APC. Their argument is that Asiwaju is the national leader of the party, and as such shares from the so-called failure of the current administration. When interrogated on the issues, they are quick to reference the fall in value of the Naira, the current security situation, as well as increase in cost of goods and services. Every other comment is usually a mere extension of these basic issues.
While not claiming that the Buhari’s administration has met expectations of Nigerians 100%, I must insist that he has done well considering the current global issues as regards falling oil prices, the COVID-19 pandemic that shut the world down for over 2 years, the 16 years of rot inherited from the previous administration, etc. I also believe that any objective assessor will give Buhari a pat on the back. In saying this, I cast my mind back to some headline achievements of the current administration in various sectors: construction of the second Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail line, Itakpe-Warri standard gauge rail line, Anchor Borrowers Programme, school feeding programme, Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), decimation of Boko Haram that were hoisting various flags in many local governments in the Northern part of Nigeria, effective management of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, etc. The list is endless.
To take this developmental stride to the next level, Nigeria needs a visionary leader who has the courage, capacity, and the track record behind him. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated his ability to deliver the dividends of democracy having laid the foundation and structures that propelled Lagos towards becoming the 5th largest economy in Africa today. His “Renewed Hope” action plan to take Nigeria to the next level is in public domain and may not need a detailed reference here. Highlights of the action plan were also recently presented to an international audience at the Chatham House, London, United Kingdom where Tinubu again demonstrated his ability to build solid teams for the task ahead.
The Chatham house engagement has however, generated some noise in both the mainstream and social media space. Some have even gone ahead to reference certain sections of the Nigerian Constitution, which allows a sitting President to delegate his duties as may be necessary, from time to time. Their argument is that, since Tinubu has not been voted in as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he should have answered all the questions he was asked at Chatham House, without assigning any of such questions to his team members that accompanied him to the event.
This argument falls flat on its face for many reasons. Firstly, proponents of this argument have not deemed it fit to also show the public the section of the Nigerian Constitution which forbids a Presidential candidate from attending an event with experienced team members for the purpose of enriching the discourse in such events. Secondly, they have not criticized the setting up of campaign councils where individuals are assembled to handle different aspects of the campaign ranging from public affairs, contact and mobilization, legal, etc. Should the presidential candidate also assume these roles himself simply because he has not been sworn in officially as Nigeria’s President? Thirdly, the naysayers fail to realize that the business of governing the most populous black nation on earth requires the ability of the leader to identify talents early enough and test them long before taking the mantle of leadership. Fourthly, governance is not an ego trip where a candidate must show off his ability to throw around high-sounding words, but an opportunity to demonstrate how to carry people along for a common goal.
What Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu displayed at Chatham house is that he is ready to hit the ground running. Those who are currently struggling to find a way to spin the outcome of the visit against him, are helping to market him. Those who know Asiwaju as a superb talent hunter will have the opportunity of reviewing the Chatham house engagement to see what leadership truly entails. While others are busy showcasing themselves as single trees that make forests, Asiwaju is busy demonstrating his talent hunting ability, and the courage to shine light on the capacity of his subordinates. This shows the strength of his character as a developer of human resources, and an ingenious talent harvester.
Nigeria has reached a point where the risk of going back to the days of impunity is too huge to be contemplated. There is a need to rally round a bridge builder who has demonstrated immense capacity to turn difficult situations around for the common good of all. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu may not talk too much, but through his actions, he has shown that his promise of renewed hope will be fulfilled.
Gideon Obhakhan, former Edo State Commissioner for Education, is the Secretary, Public Affairs, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council
