Asiwaju Bola Tinubu – Builder Of Men
It was Thomas Jefferson who once said that ” a politician thinks about the next election but a statesman thinks about the next generation.”. This statement rings through of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Among the political leaders that emerged post independence Nigeria, Tinubu stands taller than most. He has been in the limelight for over four decades in the thick and thin of Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
When he was born on March 29th, 1952, little did his parents know that they had given birth to a child of destiny that will be a leader of men for a long time in service to his fatherland.
The young Tinubu had his primary and secondary education in Nigeria before proceed abroad for tertiary education where after completion started his career. Armed with Accounting qualifications, Tinubu returned and took employment with Mobil where he rose to the pinnacle of his career.
His involvement in politics began in 1992, when he joined the Social Democratic Party, SDP, on which platform he was elected to the Senate, representing the Lagos West constituency in the Third Republic.
Unfortunately, the then military president annulled the 1993 presidential election won by late Chief MKO Abiola thereby aborting the Third Republic.
This was a watershed event for the nation in our democratic experiment as anti democratic forced were out to annihilate democracy from our land.
It took grit from men like Bola Tinubu to confront this behemoth through the creation the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition, NADECO. A founding member, Tinubu at risk of personal danger committed both time and huge resources to the operation of NADECO.
The Coalition was so effective that it became government enemy number one. It’s members were targeted for assassination for five notorious years. But the Coalition prevailed as democracy was returned in 1999.
Tinubu emerged as the governor of Lagos State in 1999 and served two terms.
For many, especially in the south west of Nigeria, political relevance of governors end the day they vacate government House. Not Tinubu. As a matter of fact, his was a transition of more relevance. His blueprint for the transformation of Lagos state to a truly mega city is still being followed by his successors.
Perhaps the greatest strength of Asiwaju Tinubu is his ability to identify young talents. He has always surrounded himself with brilliant minds to execute projects that have direct bearing on the people.
He realises that no man is an island. And a general is as good as his soldiers. It is for this reason that like-minded individuals and groups across the country have come together under the Asiwaju Ahmed Support Group (AATSG) are rooting for him to contest for the 2023 presidential election.
The national chairman of the Group, Otunba Abayomi Odunowo, in a recent chat with journalists said the of all the aspirants across party lines jostling for the 2023 presidency, none is as qualified as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to Odunowo, leadership transcends the individual, “it is about the ability of the leader to scour the length and breadth of the country to bring out the best brains among us, regardless of where these brains come from and help rebuild the country.’
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is that type of person. Check him out. Look at his track record. His greatest strength is people. All his life , he has pulled so many people up the ladder. Lending hands all the time to better people’s lives. Once he is convinced you have the brilliance to man a position, you got it.
“Nothing gets you recognition from him other than your ability to deliver not where you come from or who your parents are. That’s Tinubu for you.
Asked why his group (AATSG) is so interested in a man who has not declared his ambition to contest, the national chairman said, they are only out to put pressure on the APC national leader to contest because he is the best shot for the next election if Nigeria were to get it right.
“I understand perfectly that Asiwaju has not come out publicly to declare his ambition. We are out here to apply a little pressure on this great man to run. We as a group believe strongly that he is the best man for the job at this point of our national evolution.
“Asiwaju has seen it all. He excelled in the private sector. He laid the foundation of Lagos as a mega city befitting the country. His proteges are doing well all over the country. We only need him to give direction as Mr President and Nigeria will be the better for it.”
On the strategy the group intends to use to get Tinubu elected, Odunowo said the Grand Patron of the Group Alhaja Folasade Tinubu Ojo, has promised to give necessary support to achieve their aim of knocking at all doors across the country to propagate the campaign.
He said, “the group’s strategy is to knock all doors in Nigeria. This would be the first time such a feat will be achieved the country and this is required to achieve two things. The first is to have one on one discussion with every household in the country to ask them exactly what their challenges are and secondly to correct the misconceptions of most people about the man Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
“To achieve this feat, our grand patron Alhaja Folasade Tinubu – Ojo has assured us of necessary support.”
Tinubu returned to Nigeria recently after a medical trip abroad and declared that only God decides who lives or dies. This was re-echoed by Odunowo who believes that the president does not need to be a superman. His job essentially is to identify best among us and put them in charge of critical areas and Nigerians will experience fresh air of excellence.’.
According to Odunowo, one of the reasons the country is having serious challenges is that aside from President Olusegun Obasanjo that took over in 1999, nobody who was part of the struggle for democracy has made it to the presidency.
He said, “It’s about time. Since 2007, we have not had a president who was part of the pro-democracy struggle. We have had governors who were part of those in trenches hiding from agents of destruction. We need someone like Asiwaju as president. He was in the thick of the struggle so he understands that preservation of this hard-earned democracy is of paramount importance.”
