By Nnasom David

Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and National Publicity Secretary of the City Boy Movement, has called for President Bola Tinubu to be compared with former South African President Nelson Mandela and Ghana’s former leader Jerry John Rawlings.

Audu made the call in an article examining Tinubu’s political career, controversies surrounding his biography and the economic reforms introduced by his administration.

She argued that historical assessments of political leaders should consider their achievements, decisions and contributions alongside controversies surrounding their personal and political backgrounds.

According to her, Tinubu’s political accomplishments should not be disregarded because of questions surrounding aspects of his biography.

“His certificates may be questioned. His biography may be contested. But his political accomplishments cannot simply be written out of history,” she said.

Audu cited Mandela’s transition from an anti-apartheid revolutionary and political prisoner to South Africa’s first Black president as an example of how political leaders’ legacies evolve over time.

She also referenced Rawlings, whose political career spanned military leadership and elected constitutional government in Ghana.

The PEBEC director-general, however, acknowledged that Tinubu’s political circumstances differ significantly from those of the two former African leaders.

She said the comparison was intended to illustrate how history considers different chapters of consequential political figures’ lives rather than establish equivalence between their experiences.

“History rarely evaluates consequential political figures from a single chapter of their lives,” Audu stated.

Addressing questions surrounding Tinubu’s educational qualifications, Audu said Nigerians had the right to scrutinise the President’s biography but urged that allegations, disputed facts and established facts be distinguished.

She referenced the 2023 litigation involving Chicago State University, during which the institution’s registrar confirmed that Tinubu attended the university and graduated in 1979.

According to her, the controversy also involved the provenance and authenticity of a particular diploma copy submitted to Nigerian electoral authorities.

Audu maintained that questions about documents attributed to public officials should be addressed based on available evidence.

She also argued that political achievements should neither be used to dismiss legitimate scrutiny nor disregarded because controversies exist.

The City Boy Movement spokesperson pointed to Tinubu’s political journey, from his service in the Senate during the aborted Third Republic to his election as Lagos State governor in 1999 and subsequent re-election in 2003.

She also cited his involvement in opposition politics, the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his eventual emergence as Nigeria’s President.

Audu argued that the trajectory reflected decades of political alliances, negotiations, electoral contests and organisation.

She further questioned whether the absence of conventional educational credentials, even if assumed for the sake of argument, would automatically invalidate a politician’s record of political accomplishments.

“I dare say President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may be a genius,” she said.

On the President’s economic policies, Audu highlighted the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign-exchange regime as significant decisions taken by the administration.

She acknowledged that the reforms had imposed substantial costs on Nigerians, citing inflation, food insecurity and the rising cost of living.

However, she referenced assessments by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which recognised the structural significance of the reforms while also raising concerns about poverty, food insecurity and social protection.

Audu said Tinubu’s administration should be assessed based on both the economic implications of its policies and their impact on ordinary Nigerians.

She argued that economic reforms could be consequential while still imposing hardship, adding that political durability did not exempt leaders from public scrutiny.

The PEBEC director-general urged Nigerians to avoid what she described as hagiography and reductionism in evaluating the President.

She said supporters should not dismiss controversies surrounding Tinubu, while critics should not assume that disputed aspects of his biography automatically invalidate his political achievements.

Audu also described Tinubu as Nigeria’s greatest president to date, urging that his biography, government and achievements be subjected to scrutiny and assessment based on evidence.

“History is not acquittal, history is accumulation,” she said.

She maintained that the President’s political record and controversies should remain part of the historical assessment of his leadership.