Well done President Bola Tinubu

Bola Tinubu is more messianic, his daring moves are shutting every enemy up. God knows the dire situation of Nigeria and has specially drafted Bola Tinubu to save the nation.

If there is one reason Nigeria has refused to get off the ground and rise to her destiny, it is the country's lack of gratitude. A country must know to be grateful to her leaders, even if all they have done is to take money from her and spend it on themselves. At least they offer themselves to lead and not to serve and use their own money to bribe their way through in elections. Some of them had to sell their houses or mortgage them to get money to buy the votes that put them in power. Having thus bought their positions don't they deserve some peace and honour to recoup their investments.

One of these very special leaders, now late, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, described by admirers as the stormy petrel of Ibadan politics said it boldly to Alhaji Rasidi Ladoja whom he helped to be governor of Oyo state in 2003, "Rasidi collects 60 million naira monthly as security vote and I have asked him for 15 million naira only of this; am I not entitled to it". Elected governor, Alhaji Rasidi Ladoja thought Adedibu was not entitled to it, he didn't accede to this request and he suffered for it. Promptly according to Adedibu, "I distributed guns to the boys," and with them he removed Rasidi Ladoja from government and installed Alao Akala. Nigerians always prefer it the hot way. It took an unenlightened Court of Appeal judge to reinstate Ladoja three years later on December, 12, 2006. Those who thought Adedibu will be tried for illegally removing an elected governor were shown the crude way: things don't happen that way in Nigeria, leaders are above the law, they are gods that must never be questioned. The earlier Nigerians of today realize that concerning Emperor, sorry President Bola Tinubu, the better for them.

Today, Thursday, 29th May, 2025 is the second anniversary of the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as president of Nigeria. Nigerians ought to roll out drums to celebrate this huge success but regretfully they won't and if Tinubu did, they will criticize him rather than give him the worship he richly deserves. Just as he promised, he has continued from where his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari had left off. Buhari served the nation with his Fulani people as his kitchen cabinet. Tinubu has done the same, he has filled government with his Yoruba people. Ungrateful Nigerians call Buhari a northern irredentist, and they have called Tinubu the same. But the president was only fulfilling a promise. Stupid! One of them is Nasir El-Rufai who is another great god in Nigeria. He thinks there has been no ruler like Buhari who Nigerians follow en masse because he is so good. Buhari knew the best thing to do to move Nigeria forward is to Islamize the country and that the route to do this is to make every Nigerian a Fulani. Fulanis are Muslims. He would do this by closing his eyes to herdsmen bandits who raid every corner of Nigeria first by kidnapping them and raising money in huge ransom which they will use to prosecute the Islamization agenda. Kidnapping will send fear into the hearts of Nigerians, especially those rascals in the middle-belt and the south who because of their unprofitable western education delude themselves that they know more than everybody else and will not submit to Islamic injunction which is the only way to peace. How peaceful will Nigeria be when everybody becomes Muslim brothers and sisters.

Because of Covid-19, Muhammadu Buhari could not accomplish all of his Islamization agenda. He didn't really trust Bola Tinubu to complete the task and so he would rather have Ahmad Lawan, the Senate president in his administration take over from him. But Bola Tinubu is very shrewd, he out- manoeuvred Buhari, including the promise at every turn that he will continue where Buhari stopped. His wife at a time had to genuflect for Buhari begging to let her husband sit on the throne. Now that Tinubu got the throne, courtesy of his schemings and money which he distributed generously to voters, El-Rufai is not finding him moving at the desired speed and has sworn that Bola Tinubu must be removed. "I despatched Umaru Yar’adua to the grave when he offended me, I sent Goodluck Jonathan back to his village in Otuoke and gave power to Muhammadu Buhari. I will send Bola Tinubu back to Lagos in 2027." El-Rufai has been the kingmaker since 2016. Tunde Bakare, the pastor of CGCC Church in Lagos, his friend, recruited him into it when he travelled to Dubai to beg him having seen his sterling qualities. But to many, Rufai suffers from an ego problem. He makes up for what he lacks in bodyweight and height in a very huge ego; he is of an extremely small stature that former president Olusegun Obasanjo that he worked for called him a "short man."

Don't take El-Rufai for granted, as soon as he announced his intention to cancel Tinubu, some members of Buhari's Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) followed him to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) where he thought he will form a coalition to truncate Tinubu's ambition for a second term in 2027. El-Rufai's threat sent some Nigerians looking for prophets; that tribe of seers that have become prominent in Nigeria’s elections, saying things that usually don't come true. They want to hear what God is saying on El-Rufai's threat. One on You Tube told them they should not worry, his God has told him that Tinubu has come to reconstruct things in Nigeria and he isn't done yet. Tinubu is not a small fry. He's an experienced politician. He needed just a move to send El-Rufai floundering. Trust President Tinubu; when he began to give every kobo he removed from the oil subsidy to the governors, he knew what he was doing. It was not that he loves the governors but he knew Nigerian leaders are money guzzlers and that he could capture the governors by feeding their purses with billions of naira. Contrary to the expectation of El-Rufai who had trusted in tribal politics to appeal to his north and possibly get one region in the south to unseat Tinubu, almost all governors from across Nigeria began to sing the praise of Tinubu. Even the governors of the PDP, the main opposition party, announced that they will not join any coalition to unseat Tinubu, saying the PDP will stand alone. Erudite economics scholar, Professor Charles Soludo, Governor of Anambra state, who is on the platform of APGA, said Tinubu will be the party's candidate in 2027. Tinubu's party APC which he helped put together and got power for Buhari in 2015 met and by consensus said if anybody wants to be president in 2027 that person should not consider APC, because Bola Tinubu will be the consensus candidate of the party. Bola Tinubu is a democrat. He knows how to shut the mouth of lions. For Tinubu's dexterity in party administration and the consequent appreciation by the APC, some ungrateful Nigerians have said Tinubu wants to turn the nation into a one party state. They are merely afraid that a Daniel has come to judgement and Tinubu has told them frankly that nothing is wrong with a one party state. Who needs a bunch of talkers who at the end of the day do nothing. Let an emperor arise.

A friend who is a top journalist said, hate Tinubu or love him, you can't deny he is a strategist. Nobody can deny that. Even Olusegun Obasanjo who considers himself Nigeria’s messiah has refused to write his usual letter which he read publicly to former president Buhari and with which he hounded him at every juncture. Bola Tinubu is more messianic, his daring moves are shutting every enemy up. God knows the dire situation of Nigeria and has specially drafted Bola Tinubu to save the nation. While Buhari was in power he slammed shut the borders to food importation. Rather than produce, Buhari's rice merchants, mostly from his Fulani ethnic group got loans from Godwin Emefiele's (the former CBN governor who built 753 duplexes for himself with government money)Anchor Borrower's Scheme and put the money in their pockets. It was their reward for their support for their ethnic man, Buhari. So rice only grew in their pockets, the few that grew on the soil had more pebbles than rice grains. But two years ago, exactly on the platform of his inauguration, Bola Tinubu, who said later he was seized by courage, announced that oil subsidy was gone and immediately the price of petrol began to cascade downward . The announcement was no doubt supernaturally inspired. Trust men who are supernaturally endowed like Tinubu, whatever they do succeeds even if it is the most stupid thing. To the consternation of critics who predicted failure, the price of petrol has been falling that today petrol sells for 100 naira per litre. The three formerly comatose refineries in Port-Hacourt, Warri and Kaduna have roared back to life. It was the miracle of Tinubu and the midas touch of Mele Kyari, former MD of NNPCL. Dangote Refinery continues to scale down its prices everyday. Tinubu is after all a messiah fully backed by the supernatural. Rice which had vanished from the tables of Nigerians returned at a mere hundred thousand naira per bag. A kongo of Gari costs 800 naira. A can of shaving powder which lasts only two months sells for 12,500 naira only. When this writer began to shave with it, it sold for 75 naira. Things are really beginning to look up for Nigeria.

Despite this huge success, the usually ungrateful Nigerians are still murmuring. Tinubu's minister of power, Adedayo Adelabu, that man with a rotund cheek has been doing miracles too. He has taken Nigerians to a new English class teaching them the difference between ‘adequate’ and ‘constant’. Nigeria, thank goodness,150 million of them now enjoy ‘adequate’ electricity. He was so sure that with 10 billion dollars annually for the next 20 years Nigeria will enjoy ‘constant’ electricity. You can see efficiency here, Tinubu and his minister for power are not just working for today they are helping children who are yet unborn. By these divine strategies, Tinubu has shamed El-Rufai who is now scampering everywhere looking for something to lean on. He has gone to Atiku Abubakar who he so denigrated at every turn in his book, “Accidental Public Servant”, as corruption personified. He is offering him to Nigeria as the new saviour. El-Rufai is offering Peter Obi again as running mate to Atiku. And check this out, they will run on the platform of African Democratic Party (ADC), a dark horse political party in Nigeria. Immeasurable failure you predict, especially with Bola Tinubu in contention. Still, Tinubu has energetic Nyesom Wike at the opposition party, PDP to keep that party divided until ruin, he has Siminalayi Fubara suspended as governor of Rivers State by Almighty Bola Tinubu who will soon restore him and get for himself both Rivers State, where Fubara is governor and Bayelsa State which is PDP and entirely of the Ijaw ethnic group. Fubara is Ijaw. Meanwhile, Peter Obi is shouting himself hoarse for all to hear that Tinubu is the problem of Labour Party on whose platform he contested the presidency in 2023 but which has become so tattered now. No doubt Nasir El-Rufai is in trouble; Atiku Abubakar's hope again is dashed; great Bola Tinubu again.

Emperor Bola Tinubu sorry, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, huge congratulations. Together with your beloved son in whom you are well pleased, who one ungrateful pen-pusher has dubbed "Ajantala," the Frankenstein Monster, Seyi Tinubu, who is now your travelling companion even when you visit the Aso Rock rest room, and your daughter, the first daughter, the forever Folashade Ojo who reigns as the supreme market leader of women in Nigeria, especially Lagos and your wife Oluremi Tinubu who if you will take my counsel should immediately be drafted as the pastor of Aso Rock, take your deserved rest today. In just two years, two short years, you have done what your predecessors have not been able to do. Declare a one day leave for yourself, travel to France again and enjoy your day. Emmanuel Macron, your friend and the president of France won't be home but Gilbert Chagoury, your good friend and Seyi's business partner will be around, he lives there, you know. You all will have a great time for your deals. You have Nigeria by the jugular, 2027 is yours again, you will win by a landslide. Who can stop this god. Congratulations.

Tunde Akande is both a journalist and pastor. He earned a Master's degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos

Note: The views expressed by the writer are not necessarily those of Metro Newsletter.