In 1990 throughout the heady days of the political transition programme of the then Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida led Presidency, an unknown’ 38’year old accountant in Mobil Oil Producing decided to throw in the towel to sign up with the dirty waters of Nigerian politics. At the time it belonged to dedicating hara-kiri offered the fickle mindedness of the program with its unbanning and banning of politicians. Political pundits and historians will recall the banning of gubernatorial aspirants like Joe Nwodo, Hyde Onuaguluchi of Enugu State, Atiku Abubakar and Bala Takaya of Adamawa State, Dapo Sarumi and Femi Agbalajogbi of Lagos among lots of others. Who in his best senses will quit a financially rewarding job in Mobil with numerous benefits– fat income, global chances for worldwide travel, significant allowances for the unknown cloak and dagger world of politics? That man was Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In 1991 he contested the Lagos West Senatorial District Election and scored the highest votes in the state understood with the sobriquet ‘Centre of Excellence.’ When IBB annulled the June 12 1993 Presidential Elections, he joined the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and battled the murderous regime of General Sani Abacha from exile in the United Kingdom.

He battled the gubernatorial ticket of the Alliance for Democracy with the Late Engr when democracy returned to the country in 1999. Funsho Williams. The latter won the primaries but was prevailed upon to step down for Tinubu because he wasn’t part of the democratic struggle and was seen as an ally of the military since he worked as the Commissioner for Works under Brig-Gen Olagunsoye Oyinola and therefore could not benefit from the blood and sweat of the democracy ‘martyrs.’

That decision to deny Williams the gubernatorial ticket caused the entrenchment of the Tinubu hegemony which has actually now had a 22 year old stranglehold in the country’s richest state.

On January 10, 2022, Tinubu tired of being the Kingmaker decided to metamorphose into a King by notifying President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to object to the 2023 Presidential elections to succeed him.

It was the greatest news of the day and lots of political experts and analysts are scrambling to air their views on the burning issue.

A few of his pass away difficult advocates throw his credentials as a financial wonder employee in raising the state’s internally created earnings from 600 million naira when he initially entered into office to 10 billion naira regular monthly and guaranteed that the state was independent of the centre when he had a brawl with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo over the funds implied for the city government councils which was denied his administration. He is likewise said to have actually produced numerous leaders– Babatunde Fashola, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Ahmad Lawan, Femi Gbajabiamila etc.

His statement was said to have actually drawn the ire of the Ohaneze Ndigbo who have been clamouring for power to move to the south east. Why no one is rejecting the truth that the Jagaban Borgu deserves to contest for the presidency which he stated is his lifelong ambition, specific concerns begging for responses require to be asked.

There is a great deal of debate about him: who are his genuine moms and dads? What are his real names? Which primary and secondary schools did he go to? When was he born? Did he really school in the University of Chicago given the scoop that the News Magazine did on him which declared that he didn’t go there which saw the late extreme attorney and human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi heading to court before the story was infamously killed?

These responses are essential for Nigerians to make a highly informed decision as we are still battling with whether President Muhammadu Buhari fulfilled the constitutional requirement of having a secondary school certificate. The office of the President makes him a public property of all Nigerians and we deserve a satisfactory answer to the unpleasant questions raised above.

I watched in disgust the other day the Arise News Interview where among his vocal advocates, Abdulmumunin Jibril nauseatingly prevented the repeating question of how he made his stupendous wealth and whether a bullion van was in fact in his well-known Bourdillon house in the 2019 elections. He didn’t answer the concerns that made Rufai ask him twice before the intervention of Dr. Reuben Abati who counseled his media associate to let sleeping pets lie. That was arrogance on the part of Jubrin as Nigerians should have to understand the responses on how Tinubu a non business person prior to he ended up being Lagos State Governor is now allegedly a dollar denominated billionaire. In a country pestered by so much corruption, is this the best prospect we can use with the variety of star studded candidates particularly in the Diaspora?

Another grey area is his health that a cross section of Nigerians has actually raised questions about. A few of his critics contend that he looks frail and is far from being fit to deal with the rigours of the highly demanding workplace of the President of the most populous black country in the world. They likewise believe that his ideas particularly on battling the hydra headed beast of insecurity and insurgency are anachronistic. We remember that he promoted that fifty million Nigerian youths be prepared into the army to assist fight Boko Haram prior to his media group withdrew the funny synthetic pas which ended up being the butt of jokes in nationwide and global circles. He also discussed that he wants to build on the accomplishments of President Buhari and one questions what are truly the accomplishments of the ill fated Buhari routine? Is it the huge youth joblessness at about 33% with the figure much more if you include underemployment? Is it the wrecking insecurity which sees the insurgents get more pushed every day with kidnappings even of pregnant women and babies now making the news daily? Is it the scorn that foreign investors hold the Nigerian State as the last place to invest? Is it the media clampdown which saw Twitter being banned for months now in spite of the financial importance in the lives of the youths of the bird app? Is it the comatose health sector that has seen even Buhari leave to the land of our erstwhile colonial masters for his health requirements? Tinubu himself got away to France and the United States for his knee surgery. Couldn’t he have developed world class hospitals in Lagos having managed the rich state directly and by proxy for over 20 years? Lagosians remember with gusto that the late Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande almost developed a metro line in 1983. Why didn’t Tinubu do so when he remained in office or get his successors to do so in 22 excellent years?

Nigerians who have actually been at the getting end of misrule and terrible leadership because the Union Jack was lowered ought to be wiser next year and look beyond empty rhetoric to vote rightly. If they permit sentiments and emotions to becloud their sense of thinking or hinder their judgement, they will only have themselves to blame.

For the length of time will we be a sleeping, crippled giant? For how long will we be a beggar nation on the edge of a pariah status? For for how long will our youths dream, live and breathe of a much better life in exile faraway from household, good friends and their loved ones? Allow me to seek a response from the popular tune– ‘The answer my good friend is blowing in the wind’.

Over to you my fellow compatriots!

Tony Ademiluyi is the Co Founder of The Vent Republic Media and can be reached on [e-mail protected] and 08167677075.

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