By Adémólá Òrúnbon
Visioning is a major factor in governance. Purposeful leadership comes with well articulated vision and mission. To bring about and effect positive change, especially that which is sustainable, leadership must set up goals that are smart, measurable, achievable, reliable and tangible with effective time line.
In addition, it behoves a visionary leadership to remain focused, determined even in the face of odds and challenges. The path to success may be thorny, as it is often, but the ultimate goal is its result – good and enduring result and a good leader must not be found wanting when decisions to move from point A to point B are desirable, all in the interest of the masses – the majority.
And it is a timid and impotent builder, originator, reformer and strategist, welfarist that will shy away from executing its policies due to it possible unintended consequences on some of its people. For any action oriented reformer, performer and originator, it rings true that eggs have to be broken to serve omelet now and in the future.
The above perfectly explains the philosophy behind the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the generalissimo, reformer, performer and political strategist, which of his brilliance and strategy were benefits of all and sundry, especially the poor masses and hopeless Samaritan of this Country.
Indeed, he won the election to be the sixteenth (16) President of the country on merits and his performances as a former Senator elect in 1993 and former Lagos State Governor between 1999 to 2007, and also to promote peace, unity and progress of the country irrespective of tribe and race, as the first Executive Governor of the state to appoint an Igbo man as Commissioner for Budget and Planning in person of Ben Akabueze, a Chartered Accountant, now at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Planning
The brain behind this powerful and sensitive promotion and elevation of an Igbo man, Akabueze likewise too, Joe Igbokwe is no other person than Tinubu………the new Obafemi Awolowo of our time “it is time we save the land of Awo from men and women without vision, mission and focus. The present anomie, so palpable in the political south-west- and indeed, in the rest of the country- is what you get when you steal the people’s votes.”
As a stalwart and de facto leader of the Alliance for Democracy, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and later become All Progressive Congress (APC) after merger with other political parties, likes of All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in February, 2013, which he also co-founded, Tinubu’s politics is often informed by profound analysis, a clear vision and well structured objectives. As a pro-democracy leader, he has always fought for the downtrodden and as an individual he has played his part and played it well. He clearly transcends the sum of his individual parts when he was the Executive Governor of Lagos State.
It is well known that Tinubu, through ardent convictions and mastermind, championed the present status of Lagos State via the creation of additional 37 LCDA’s; bringing governance closer to the people of the grassroots level, which many Nigerians believes that he will replicate the gesture and giant strides recorded in Lagos to the entire country, when he resume office on May 29, 2023. He will use his brilliance and competence to unite and make Nigeria to one entity, as a united Nigeria.
After an emerging and impact-filled political career spanning over two decades, its only reasonably expected that people of Lagos State, Nigerians and beyond would seek to tap from the repository of wisdom, knowledge, commitment, zeal, focus and humane disposition of this great Nigerian.
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Like Awolowo, as I said, the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu stubbornly insisted on welfarism, more than ever the return to foundational principle. He attempted severally to form a sanitary cordon around the south-west and to reposition Yoruba within the context of post-military politics in Nigeria, as he was elected as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he would use is ideology and political strategist to reposition other regions, like of South-East, South-south, North-west, North-east and North-central, so as to reduce IPOB agitations, Militancy and issues of Boko-Haram and other banditry that holds the country into ransom.
Asiwaju’s philosophy consistently tackled dictatorial leadership and by extension, the skewed Federal structure of Nigeria. On several occasions, he has articulated his view on Nigeria, insisting that Nigeria needs true federalism and it is time for Nigerian to have the taste of true federalism and make Nigeria restructured in his tenure.
As strategist who possesses the combination of intellectualism and politicking, it was he who embarked on a new moral re-engineering which put every APC members on their toes, now APC as a political party has won up to 23 states out of 36 states of the federation. It is now his birthday time, all Nigerians need to celebrate the strategist, reformer and performer, Happy birthday our next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Jagaban Borgu and the Asiwaju of Nigeria.
An organizer per excellence acknowledged for his political sagacity, Tinubu, it was, who singularly forced the pace of democracy and spread the reach of progressive governance to south-west Lagos, Ekiti, then Osun, Edo and Oyo, now won by PDP but in Ogun even now beyond Sokoto giving hope for the resurgence of a dynamic west, north and others. Of course, it was not by happening stance that Tinubu, who has been regarded as a moderating voice in the country, had it all figured out since 2003, now become Nigerian 16 president.
To some, you are the leader. To some, you are a patriot. To some, you are a nationalist while some, you are simply ASIWAJU. Whatever ways you are being described, you handsomely deserved the accolades that come your way, as a proven leader of men and resources, a patriotic and reasonable leader of our time and unborn generation.
Asiwaju, you have created freedom spaces and nurtured bright ideas to blossom while you have been a well litted candled who provide lights to illuminate the lives of others. You are not known to be selfish but always striving for the common goods of the masses.
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Let’s beam the torch of the good will to the East, the North, the South and the West, as you become next president of the country, your political academy have produced and still producing many disciples who are blazing the trails of uncommon achievements in their respective fields; while your school of ideology is growing in leaps and bounds with strong followership.
In all of these, Asiwaju deserves praises. He did not court it, yet he has earned his epaulets as the political Generalissimo of the south-west, no, even Nigeria and he rumbling political machine stationed at the gates of Aso-Rock, as we are patiently waiting to be sworn-in as Nigeria President on May 29th, 2023, also our party had claimed several state government houses around the country.
What is more, Asiwaju desire a Nigeria that is united, peaceful and stable but, more than this, he wanted a Nigeria that is just, one in which the citizenry, regardless of the tribe or race, get their fair share of its God-given opportunities.
Happy birthday sir, our good leader, our mentor and our role model.
Long life and prosperity, sir.
…Orunbon is a public affairs analyst, journalist, poet and commentator, wrote in from 17, Ajanasi Street, off Ajagannabe Road, Oke-Posun, Epe, Lagos state.