By SUNNY Ikhioya

IT did not start today. We have been at it since 1999, when the fiery lawyer, the late Gani Fawehinmi brought a case of perjury against him. After much huffing and puffing, the whole thing died down and the man went on to do another term of four years as governor of Lagos State, the hub of business activities in Nigeria.                  

Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s fortunes continued to rise, as he maintained a firm grip of the state and, at a time, extended it to other states in the South-West, with the exception of one or two. While he was at it, the high and the mighty in government and politics were busy fellowshipping with him, making  him the leader of the party they formed to unseat the ruling party in 2015. 

The whole frenzy these past months has been baffling, with everyone pontificating about morality, integrity, tribalism and self-interests, as if that has not been the problem with Nigeria. We are a country that boasts of the best of everything, in both material and human resources. What has made it difficult for us to attain our full potential? It is the Tinubu in all of us, our recourse to the shadowy and crooked paths as against the straight narrow path that will lead us to recovery. 

Apart from the consistent Pa Ayo Adebanjo, everyone shouting, crucify him now, have been  associates of Tinubu in the past: Dele Momodu, Daniel Bwalya, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Abubakar Atiku and many others. It was Atiku who openly confessed that he saved Bola Tinubu from the PDP tsunami of 2003; so, what has changed? If Tinubu resigns today or is forced out of office, who stands to benefit? Is the whole brouhaha a selfless one or for ulterior motives?

We must ask these questions. I am not a fan of Tinubu and would have preferred either of former vice president Yemi Osibajo or Peter Obi, but you know: the best does not always win in politics. Anyone of them would have avoided these embarrassing situations, but the owners of Nigeria have their own plans, they have decided and we must all face the consequences squarely. How do we do this? It is only a foolish man that will continue to fight a battle he has already lost. 

A more sensible individual will beat a retreat and go back home to strategies. I ask again: who stands to benefit from our frenetic going and froing from Abuja to Chicago? What are the benefits to the ordinary Nigerian? We must all agree that Tinubu has succeeded in dribbling everyone of us to the top. We use to refer to former President Ibrahim Babangida as the Maradona of Nigerian politics; but from what we have seen of Tinubu’s trajectory, Babangida is learning. I am not against all the moves that have been made to expose Tinubu’s past exploits; it is the hypocrisy in the whole episode that is boggling. 

These are people that have wined and dined together and after the whole drama, they will converge again and continue as if nothing has happened. Politicians will always resolve their differences when their interests align. Look around you, observe the politician that is your local representative; what was his position eight years ago? Instead of falling for the hype and frenzy in the social media, I believe we should begin to restrategise on how we can bring out the best of Tinubu to the advantage of the country. It has been a common thing: Nigerians have been known to lie about their age. And that is why, instead of the original birth certificate, what you find in most files are sworn affidavit of declaration of age; anyone that is thinking otherwise is just deceiving himself. 

We have also many diasporans serving in foreign countries with strange names, all in a bid to survive. So, like someone has observed, it is in our tradition to manipulate documents. Tinubu’s case is not the first and will also not be the last. It is left for those coming behind to take note so that they do not fall into the same pit. Looking at the various cases in our election tribunals, many of them are tainted with forgery and certificate racketeering; it has become a part of us. 

Back to the question: what do we do? In the course of our pilgrimage to Chicago State University, we have consciously washed our dirty linen in the world domain and it is not good for our image. We have also succeeded in diminishing the much revered institution of our Presidency. It did not begin today, it has been so since the reign of Goodluck Jonathan, followed by Muhammadu Buhari. We must also note that the issue of certificate has not been taken seriously, especially in the decision of our judiciary to reduce the qualifying grade for the presidency to a mere primary six certificate; constitutionally, it is the secondary school leaving certificate; but the Supreme Court has said the certificate doesn’t matter.

We must know where we are coming from and take cognisance of it as it relates to Tinubu. He has proven to be a very clever man; let us collectively hold him to his promises. Tinubu knows the loopholes in our system, he also is very much aware of the potentials that abound in this country. According to his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, for the family, they already have all that they need, they are not looking to eat but to serve the nation. And, this is the moral burden that Tinubu faces as he glides on as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

 For a man who is so smart, he knows where the bleeding is most felt in our system: Civil Service, NNPC, Central Bank, revenue generation, foreign direct investment, maximising diaspora connections, industrialisation, production, prudence in management, employment generation, poverty alleviation, education restructuring, power devolution, safety of country and citizens, stability of our currency, shared prosperity, agriculture  and many others. 

Let us collectively hold him to his promises and forget about the trip to Chicago; for me it is much ado about nothing. We must use this new found enthusiasm to initiate proper vigilance over our politicians and their excesses. We must begin to hold them to account at all levels, from the local government to the state and presidency. With a focused populace, our leaders will have no alternative but to do the right thing. For me, this is the lesson from the whole Chicago incident: for anyone aspiring to a position of top leadership in the future, his trajectory must be open and transparent to all. 

Maybe, much later, after he has served out his tenure, Tinubu, will oblige us with his memoirs, detailing the deft maneuvers that brought him to the top. 

Ikhioya wrote via southsouthecho