By Sam Amadi
Definitely, this is not the end of Tinubu. Tinubu is too big to end just like that. Definitely, this is a tough time for Tinubu. But tough times never last. Who knows? He may fight his way back to dominance.
But, one thing is sure. in my view, Nigeria does not need a Tinubu or his likes going into 2023. This is a time for real redefining leadership. And its beginning is almost saintliness in the public morality sense. That is, at this time of proposed rebirth, Nigeria does not need those who face strong allegations of forgeries or corruption and those who have divided Nigerians and are severally accused of hatred for other Nigerians. Whether these allegations are true or not, they are not good template to rebuild Nigeria. It is also for this reason that the likes of Atiku are not good for the nation now.
I was a lawyer with Gani when the saga of Chicago and Toronto played out. These narratives undermine the quest for a new beginning of a moral Nigerian public leadership. Nigeria’s state failure is as much a function of governance incompetence as public immorality. Most Nigerian leaders since 1999 (in executive and legislative positions) have been persons of plain criminality or at least questioned pedigree whether in their educational, professional or genealogical profile. As a Newsweek Magazine columnist once said, ‘Nigerian leaders are indistinguishable from its criminals”. At every level, persons who ought to be serving terms and governing. That’s one cause of our likely state failure. We must exit that route of incredibility and chart a new beginning.
The Tinubus are rich and capable. They are also very generous and patriotic. They should assist their beloved country make a new beginning with new leaders with different and credible stories. This will be their greatest service to Nigeria.
Nigeria in 2023 needs a President who has GEJ’s humility and generosity, OBJ’s cosmopolitanism; Yaradua’s probity, sincerity and honesty, Murtala’s radicalism and M.I. Okpara’s managerialism.
I agree that it will be difficult to find a politically realistic proposition that satisfies all these qualities. But, the minimum we can take for 2023 is a mixture of probity, sincerity and honesty plus humility and generosity. Tinubu and his co-contenders fail the integrity test. The next Nigerian President should not be a capon or a warlord.
In the political firmament of the two leading parties and amongst those who are often mentioned as possibilities, the best two so far are Peter Obi and Yemi Osinbajo. And may be Tambuwal. Until then. (The choice of Obi is that no one has challenged his prudent and developmental governance in Anambra. The choice of Osinbajo is based on the civility and decency he has managed the office of Veepee since 2015 to the best of my knowledge). The equity and justice and managerial variables tilt more towards Obi. But definitely, not Tinubu.
Politics is the art of the possible, Therefore, there are many far better persons who could be great President for Nigeria but have no political gravitas and not considered at this time. As these great presidential materials make their way to relevance and visibility we focus on them.
*Dr. Amadi is a law lecturer at the Baze University and lives in Abuja.
