EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
In his famed military treatise, “The Art of War,” the ancient Chinese military strategist, General Sun Tzu Wu, advocated the deployment of stratagem such as deceit, tactical retreat, and temporary submission in warfare, rather than total reliance on sheer military might. According to the wily General, whose military doctrine has profoundly influenced modern-day politics, economics, and other aspects of society, “All warfare is based on deception, hence when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”
Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party, who has emerged the winner of the February 25th presidential election in Nigeria, may not have read the “Art of War,” although in course of his electioneering campaigns he exhibited the character of an indomitable warrior who had mastered the art of deception enunciated by the Chinese war master-strategist. On numerous occasions, Tinubu, who is popularly known by his traditional title of “The Jagaban of Borgu Kingdom,” or simply the “Jagaban,” chose to beat a tactical retreat amidst attacks from formidable political opponents, rather than attempting a head-on collision even as he plotted their downfall and his imminent victory.
For instance, amidst rumours and allegations that the lingering Naira notes scarcity was orchestrated by his political adversaries, including President Muhammadu Buhari, with a view to jeopardizing his chances at the polls, Tinubu wisely avoided antagonizing the president – a fellow APC partyman. However, adopting asymmetric warfare tactics, he launched some carefully guided verbal missiles in the president’s direction in course of a campaign rally in Ekiti State: “They are hoarding the Naira so that you can be angry and fight. They want confusion so that the election can be postponed. What they want is an Interim National Government (ING). But we are wiser than them. We will not fight. Any rat that eats the rat poison will end up killing itself.”
A day after his “rat poison” insinuation, Tinubu sought to quickly heal any wounds that may have been inflicted by his verbal onslaught. At a campaign rally attended by Buhari in Nasarawa State, he masterfully extolled the cordial relationship between the president and himself: “Those who think there are cracks in our friendship and relationship will continue to be disappointed and have their short-time joy dashed. Ours is not about individuals. It is about integrity and nation-building.” Tactfully, he eulogized the admiring Buhari, while reminding the audience that it was his “turn” to assume the reins of power: “You fought hard and worked hard … we believe because of constitutional democracy, we would have asked you to stay on, but you said no; you are going back to Daura. You said there is more to do, and you will allow other people to continue.”
Undoubtedly, Tinubu will need more than a mastery of political expediency to steer Nigeria out of troubled waters upon assuming the reins of power later in May. To say the least, the country is plagued by a legion of socio-political and economic problems. Chronic unemployment has continued to witness migrant youths risking perilous journeys across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea to European uncertainty. Epileptic electric power supply and a lingering nationwide petrol scarcity highlight the country’s crippling energy crisis. Education, healthcare, housing, transportation, and other developmental issues have receded into the background while national security has assumed centre-stage in national discourses. And, with terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP as well as sundry ethno-cultural groups continuing their campaigns of terror and banditry across the country, the president-elect will surely have his hands full upon assuming office.
Having triumphed in many fierce battles in course of his journey towards the ultimate political office in the land, Tinubu seems unfazed by the enormity of the task ahead. In his acceptance speech on March 1st, following the announcement of his electoral victory by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the President-elect enthused: “My running mate, Vice President-elect Shettima, and I understand the challenges ahead. More importantly, we also understand and deeply value talent and innate goodness of you, the Nigerian people. We pledge to listen and to do the difficult things, the big deed, that put us on the path of irreversible progress.”
Apparently sensing the thoughts of most Nigerians, who vividly remember the legion of unfulfilled electoral promises made by past and present leaders of the country, especially the incumbent president who rode to power in 2015 on a wave of populism, Tinubu quickly allayed any doubt as to his ability to “do the difficult things,” he had promised: “Hold us firmly to account, but please give us a chance first,” pleaded the “Jagaban,” as he declared his intention to “build a brighter and more productive society for today, tomorrow, and for years to come.”
But even so, Tinubu’s vociferous critics are not convinced that he can walk the talk, as they maintain that his physiognomy portrays him as someone in his eighties rather than his actual 70 years – a sign of failing health, they insist. Tinubu and his ardent supporters dismiss such insinuations, reassuring everyone that the “Jagaban” is as fit as a fiddle. Back in October 2022, a viral video showed him exercising on a bicycle at a gym in the UK, with the related Tweet further telling his audience: “This is the reality: I am strong, I am healthy, and I am ready to serve from Day One.” Earlier in February 2022, he had responded to a query about his health in an irritated manner: “I am not applying for the job of bricklaying or grave digging. I went to school to study accountancy and management … I am applying for a thinking job, and I will do it right.”
Born on March 29, 1952, Tinubu is a 1979 accounting graduate of the Chicago State University. He subsequently worked in some American accounting firms, including Arthur Andersen (Accenture) and Deloitte, before returning to Nigeria to Join Mobil Oil in 1983. His political career began in 1992 when he was elected to the Senate in course of the short-lived Third Republic truncated by General Ibrahim Babangida’s brazen annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was presumably won by Moshood Abiola. In the aftermath of the November 1993 seizure of power by General Sanni Abacha, Tinubu joined forces with some pro-democracy elements who sought to actualize the annulled election. Forced into exile in 1994, he would later return in 1998 upon the death of General Abacha, and then go on to win the Lagos State governorship election in January 1999.
In course of his two-term tenure as Governor of Lagos State, Tinubu had a running battle with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo over his attempt to create Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to meet the developmental needs of Lagos’ teeming population. While maintaining that State governments were not constitutionally empowered to create additional Local Government Areas (LGAs), President Obasanjo punitively withheld the funds due to Lagos LGAs from the Federation Account even as it was clear that Governor Tinubu had not created any new LGAs, but had simply split up existing ones into LCDAs for administrative and developmental convenience.
At the time, Tinubu stridently maintained that Lagos State had been highly marginalized in terms of local government creation, citing the case of Kano State which had 20 LGAs like Lagos in 1979, but whose number had since increased to 44, with Jigawa State that was carved out of it in 1991 also maintaining 27, while Lagos’ remained at 20. Perhaps, as he sits at the pinnacle of political power in the country, there could be no better time to address the issue of imbalance in LGA creation in the country, and also the broader issue of LGA autonomy vis-à-vis State governments.
Tinubu was highly instrumental to the formation of the APC party from a merger of several fractious opposition parties back in February 2013. The party subsequently wrested power from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, when Muhammadu Buhari defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in a surprising electoral triumph said to have been masterminded by the “Jagaban” who, some people say, prefers leading from behind as he cedes the limelight to subordinates and proteges. Acknowledging that leadership quality, Tinubu told Reuters in April 2015 that: “I am a talent hunter. I put talents in office, I help them … I use the best hand, the best brain, the best experience for the job.”
There is no gainsaying the fact that the President-elect’s mentoring qualities and ability to delegate authority will be vital to the success of his administration as he hinted in his acceptance speech: “I thank the Nigerian people for their abiding belief in democracy. I shall be a fair leader to all Nigerians. I will be in tune with your aspirations, charge up your energies and harness your talents to deliver a nation that we can be proud of … Remodeling our precious national home requires the harmonious efforts of all of us, especially the youth. Working together, we shall move this nation as never before.”
Truly, no odds will be insurmountable for the Nigerian state should the quality of leadership promised by the President-elect materialize. Nigerians are a dogged and highly resilient group of people even in the face of debilitating adversities, although this attribute has been exploited to their detriment by various categories of rapacious leaders. Nevertheless, Tinubu must be conscious of one of the indelible sayings of the aforementioned General Sun Tzu: “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood by the soldiers, then the General is to blame. But if his orders are clear and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers.”
Upon assuming the reins of power, Tinubu must always ensure that, in the manner of a war General, his presidential orders are “very clear and distinct.” He must be seen to be fully in charge of the country’s affairs, and must not cede his powers and authority to any faceless cabal, under any guise. The buck must always stop with him as the occupier of the ultimate seat of political power in the country. Backed by a sizeable majority in the National Assembly, and fortified with the will to transcend petty partisan politics, the President-elect can achieve whatever people-oriented developmental agenda he desires. At this point in time, Yours Sincerely can only wish him good luck.
Dennis Onakinor, a global affairs analyst, writes from Lagos – Nigeria. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]