The Nigerian In Asiwaju Bola Ahmed TINUBU (BAT) And the Quest for 2023 Presidency
By Prof. Ojo Emmanuel Ademola
Scholars from the political fields have affirmed that a political leader who builds bridges among socio-cultural and ethnically diverse people stands a better opportunity to unite the nation for national development and growth. In the current dispensation, non of the arrays of political leaders could match the sterling qualities of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) in this regard. Talk of a classic example of a Nation builder across the divides of geo-political zones in the Country, Asiwaju is foremost, and it seems evident that he will robustly achieve his renewed hope agenda for the tasks of Nigeria’s economic reconstruction, security, and other deliverables under his presidency.
The complexity of Nigeria’s diversity requires that neither religion nor ethnicity will bring about the desired socio-economic progress. Rather, competency, vision, and a sincere sense of purpose for fairness, justice, and equity among the confederacy will be a necessary impetus for cohesion and growth. My initial assertion remains valid that a person’s equation for becoming Nigeria’s next president is more deeply quadratic than anything a third party can rush to solve. Although I am not a politician, Asiwaju and the APC are, in my opinion, fundamental algebraic and quadratic solvers of democratic equations in Nigeria’s progressive politics! For the benefit of all Nigerians, BAT will unquestionably solve the governance equation correctly. Nigerians quickly connect with the planned contours of his massive achievement movement in Lagos and his ability to replicate and exceed expectations when Nigerians elect him as the next president of our federation in 2023 by God’s grace. His strategies remain all-encompassing. In the national interest, Asiwaju’s solution to the algebraic political formulation is essentially sound!
The singular desire of leaders of thoughts in the North West (NW), North East (NE), North Central (NC), South West (SW), South East (SE), and South South-South (SS) of Nigeria is not much at variance; but geared towards ensuring a Nation comparable to advance societies. Execution of such a vision requires a visionary leader leadership who has extended hands of friendship across boards. BAT’s leadership configuration and capacity over the years configure accurately to lead in harnessing the enormous advantages of nation-building.
Right from his early entrance into politics at the State level, Asiwaju has seen through a robust vision of building friendships and contacts across the zone in a way that the beneficiaries are the masses. As a man of vision, he believes that building enduring relationships through like minds will deepen the recreation of developmental ideas at all levels.
In the aborted SDP-NRC”s democratic dispensation, Asiwaju teamed up with equal leaders of thoughts, led by the late Chief MKO Abiola, to actualise the practical power of networking among diverse sets of people. The success of the political experimentation produced, for the first time, an acceptable combination of same-faith players who were almost emerging as leaders of a united nation, devoid of ethnicity or religious colouration but truncated by the selfish interest of the Military junta of retired General Babangida in 1993. Undoubtedly, the feat then would have accelerated the developmental goals of nation-building.
Ahead of the 1999 Republic, Asiwaju worked with the leaders of Afenifere in the SW to birth the Alliance for Democracy (AD) party, following closely on the patterns set by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo for the Yoruba race. One political alliance produced the six governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti States simultaneously. The states were seen as variants of the model of diverse elements for socio-economic development in the country as other zonal blocks opted to lean from their administrative and visionary drives. If there is any need to compare the pace of economic advancement of the SW zone to others, Lagos State’s feats during Asiwaju’s tenure cannot be discounted.
At the risk of continuation of the formidable hold of the AD on the SW in 2003, the federally supported People Democratic Party (PDP) led by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo supplanted the progressives in all the States except for Lagos where Asiwaju held sway, exerting his political superiority over the intimidation of the adversaries. Eventually, Asiwaju speedily deployed his networking skills/capabilities to rebuild the remnants of the progressives for a takeover of a section of the SW.
To also demonstrate his desire to play national politics, Asiwaju used his position as a leader of the Action Congress Party (AC) to form a winning political alliance with Buhari’s led CPC/others, which gave birth to the current All Progressives Congress (APC) that wrestled power from the then ruling PDP in 2015. The summation is that all political moves of Asiwaju, right from the onset, have been deliberate, calculated, and planned to achieve formidable cohesion in nation-building for socio-economic advancement.
It will not, therefore, be out of place if, in my many features, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu becomes a focal point because the candidacy of BAT in the coming Nigerian presidential election has many perimeters of robustness in nation-building, which in tapping to, will benefit all Nigerians indisputably. The aim is to point out what makes Asiwaju stands out among the rest, which makes him more deserving of the votes of Nigerians than the others at display in the coming election. The essence is to convince both those who are yet to buy into the phenomenon of the Asiwaju brand and those who have chosen other candidates that we have in Asiwaju, the best, the fittest, the most equipped, the most competent, and most motivated leader to fast-track the development of Nigeria. Such governance essentials provide sound electoral best practices and intrigue the electoral campaign.
In my pieces, I attempted to show Tinubu as an unmistakable forerunner in a jam-packed field of official hopefuls. I have shown his private and public records, which, despite what the records of his co-contestants may be, cannot be compared to them. I have demonstrated his leadership abilities, which play a significant role in the politics of this season. I have insisted with apparent confidence that his rivals do not possess the abundant and spectacular outcomes that have followed his years as a governor. I have replicated his vision, bravery, and creativity in a way that no other candidate in the subsequent election has. I have walked through our recent history to demonstrate his courageous and insightful leadership mentoring standing, which no one else can claim. I have shown his remarkable talent-hunting skills, which set a Nigerian leadership record. I have shown his undeniable capacity for human capital development, which is unparalleled in Nigerian leadership history. Since 1999, Lagos has transitioned from one successful leadership to other thanks to his massively successful leadership development program. I have demonstrated that he has a sound and winning will to understand and deploy the requirements and tools of governance. As a result, he has established a precedent that has helped Lagos achieve a historic turnaround in a time when other states are failing. And a lot more.
However, I must admit that in getting the accurate, authentic leadership database, I have significantly benefited from Asiwaju’s enormous track record throughout this journey. Lagos serves as an unbeatable example of his capabilities. His age making a long time as a first-class intercontinental corporate player added to the complimenting records he left in Lagos, transforming the state from a deserted, discouraged, rotting metropolitan ghetto in 1999, when he dominated, to one of the focal points of rapid worldwide financial development today!
I must admit that the purpose of these essays is to demonstrate to my fellow Nigerians that Asiwaju is the winning candidate. I expect to show why BAT remains our best applicant, assuming that we want a quick turn of events and development. The selection of leadership, which is the purpose that elections serve, is all about selecting the best options that guarantee the electorate a maximum return in terms of governance deliverables. Therefore, electorates must be guided to choose the appropriate candidate if they are to receive full returns from the leadership they select. The decision Lagosians made in 1999 has had a significant positive impact on their lives today. In the states they ruled, I wish other candidates could proudly display such testimonials.
Therefore, I repeat my claim that Asiwaju is the best candidate for Nigeria’s presidency in 2023. I am stating that his record cannot be matched, as every Nigerian knows. He is Nigeria’s best choice for maximizing national development and growth, something I will say straight up. When I say that Asiwaju has an unassailable advantage over other candidates in the upcoming election, I don’t mumble or stutter. I say this with all of my confidence, the kind of self-assurance that Asiwaju himself exudes when he presents himself for the position! When you are aware that you are the best, you gain confidence! His seriously ill opponents, who have nothing to show or boast about, claim that it is arrogance. Because I know Asiwaju can do the job, I show him off. I brag about Asiwaju because I am aware that he is capable. I extol Asiwaju because I am aware that even his adversaries are aware of his abilities. Because Nigerians are aware that Asiwaju is talented, I promote him. I extol Asiwaju’s abilities due to his outstanding records.
I won’t parade Asiwaju on the off chance that he had bombed in his past office and is currently selling abnormal vows to dupe Nigerians as the more significant part of his opponents are doing. I wouldn’t brag about Asiwaju if he left Lagos in such a shambles because his adversaries made the states they ruled.
I wouldn’t brag about Asiwaju if he repeated the dreadful outcomes that his rivals obtained in their respective offices while they were in power. I wouldn’t have touched Asiwaju with a ten-foot pole if he had failed in his job as governor of Lagos and is now telling us what a colossal eldorado he would build as president of Nigeria. I would not, for any reason, risk my integrity or reputation by recommending him to Nigerian voters.
But when I look at Lagos today, I feel proud to point to Asiwaju as what Nigeria needs to achieve massive and rapid economic transformation. When I look at the gigantic and phenomenal turnaround in every sector of Lagos’ governance, I am incredibly proud to recommend Asiwaju as the only President Nigeria needs in 2023 to not only continue the massive infrastructural investment of the Buhari government but also to harness it for the economic benefits of Nigerians when I look at the substantial infrastructural growth that is taking place in Lagos. I feel so proud that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is the best choice Nigerians will have to make in 2023 when I consider the remarkable improvements in the environment, education, justice system, health sector, security, transportation sector, and other areas that have made Lagos a global economic hub today. I feel proud to announce Asiwaju’s candidacy for the presidency of Nigeria in 2023 when I think back on the orderly, sequential, and deliberate growth that Lagos has experienced since 1999. I feel confident praising Asiwaju as precisely what Nigeria needs to address its economic issues when I consider how Lagos has overcome the significant challenge of financing its growth and development through Asiwaju’s skillful financial engineering.
CNN recently covered fifteen large-scale projects that are reshaping Africa. Nigeria is home to four of these projects, which the global media company believes are key to Africa’s development. They exist; the Eko Atlantic City, the Dangote Refinery, the Lekki Deep Sea Port, and the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway. Lagos is the location of these four enormous projects. When Asiwaju was governor of Lagos, he came up with two of them—the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the Eko Atlantic City. Although a private company owns the Dangote Refinery, it is still in Lagos, where Tinubu was governor and initiated and implemented policies that have made the state a significant investment destination in Africa today. In order to realize Nigeria’s full development potential, the Buhari federal government is working on the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway, which will serve as its hub. These four massive projects are either Tinubu’s creations or designed to capitalize on or benefit from his accomplishments as governor of Lagos. We can safely assume what he would do in Nigeria as President, so who wouldn’t be proud to flaunt such an excellent choice for Nigeria’s leadership?
As a result, Asiwaju stands head and shoulders above the competition for the presidency. He has a massive advantage over them. He bests them on thoughts, guidance, vision, boldness, and administration instruments. He did a great job governing Lagos, which is overwhelming evidence that he will do a great job as president. I praise him and recommend him to Nigerians as our best bet for the presidency in 2023 for these and many other reasons. I proudly proclaim him as my pick for the presidency of Nigeria and am highly pleased with his accomplishments.
In addition, I have observed in his capacity for social networking a man with uncommon abilities to unite an ethnically diverse nation in pursuit of growth and cohesion. BAT represented a cosmopolitan State with, for all intents and purposes, generally Nigerian ethnic Identities coinciding without impediments. Asiwaju stands out clearly from the other top contenders because of this.
By entrusting such a seasoned leader with the difficult task of leading the country’s pursuit of maximum growth, Nigerians should fully engage Nigerians, persuading one another to do the necessary. Because BAT is the best we can boast of and has repeatedly demonstrated it, we should all vote for Asiwaju in 2023 if we collectively desire a nation where we will all fulfill our destiny for progress.
Prof. Ojo Emmanuel Ademola
