I remember being in an argument many years ago about Dangote being Africa’s Richest Man. It was something I felt was inspirational to know that the richest man in Africa came from my country, Nigeria. It made me very proud because it meant that even though the country was on a steady decline, we were still the Giant of Africa for producing the richest person in Africa (how foolish). I had thought it was common knowledge who the richest man was so imagine how absurd it had felt for there to be an argument that Dangote could not be the richest man in Nigeria/ Africa because people like Tinubu, Atiku, etc were “certainly richer”.
I have come to be very familiar with this line of thinking because it is one held by one too many Nigerians; that our Politicians are richer than those on the Forbes list. Perhaps, sentiments such as this would not exist if there isn’t a history of our government being extremely corrupt and enriching themselves and their families with the “National cake” aka Public funds. One of such instances is the bullion van that was spotted entering the APC 2023 Presidential candidate, Tinubu’s compound in 2020. We might never know why there was a bullion van in the ex governor’s house.
That is not the only mystery that remains unsolved about Tinubu whose official age is 70 (29 March, 1952). There have been multiple allegations about his age, educational records and source of wealth being fabricated, all of which his public relations (PR) team has since come out to label as the oppositions “resorting in cheap blackmail.” It’s undeniable however that Tinubu might not be at peak health as there are multiple suggestive videos of him since his campaign began. He appears frail with hands that are visibly shaking and has lost his balance a few times. At a time when Nigerian youths are clamoring for younger and agile political leaders who are actively involved in the day to day governing of the country as opposed to people who have to take a sick leave every fortnight, what appeal does Tinubu hold?
Age is certainly not a factor in disqualifying any candidate as our constitution has no age limit on individuals above 35 years of age, so; it’s quite redundant to discredit Tinubu’s aspiration because of his age. What we should be scrutinizing is what policies his manifesto tells that he will implement if voted in and his plans to achieve them. However, like with his age, family background, educational background and source of income, his manifesto seems to be an additional layer of mystery.
What has been most consistent about his campaign is his feeling of entitlement to the office, paraphrased in words like “Emi lo kan” and highlighting his generosity and how he has sponsored several people into office. I might be wrong, but I could have sworn that “godfatherism” was not something one publicly admitted to but this is one area that Jagaban AKA City boy is not elusive about.
Perhaps, he wants his legacy as the ex governor of Lagos state between 1999-2007 to speak to his ability to govern Nigeria and bring her out of the shores of destruction it’s headed. But apart from the menace his NURTW minions still constitute in Lagos, there is no real commendable feat he achieved in office to applaud. The BRT system & LAGBUS he pioneered have yet to solve the transportation crisis in Lagos. The mega city dream is still exactly that, a dream. And even if it wasn’t, it is another elitist venture where the rich orgasm to the idea of a Lagos that excludes the working class whilst exploiting the labor of said working class.
Does Nigeria need another President who has an extensive sordid history of crime locally and internationally even if he has evaded conviction thereof? Should the Presidential seat be treated like a reward one receives because they have helped others get it with no verifiable agenda of how to stir the country (Nigeria) out of the economic malaise it is currently stuck in? Do we want a Nigeria like Lagos that’s treated like a family inheritance by Tinubu? Does Nigeria need another President responsible for electing the current President (Buhari) who has been, by all measurable metrics, an abject failure on matters of the ECONOMY-the Dollar to Naira is almost $1 – N800, SECURITY-Bandits, Boko Haram and criminal elements are having their way in the country with no pushback from security forces, EDUCATION-Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for going on eight months.
These are questions that need to be thoroughly debated and examined by the Nigerian citizenry and less with the islamization of Nigeria” because of a muslim-muslim ticket.
