The Insight by Lateef Adewole
There are 37 days to the inauguration of the new administration of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, God’s willing. This is a day that many Nigerians are looking forward to, whichever side of the divide one belongs to. To those who supported him, it is a day they are expecting the beginning of the “Renewed Hope”, which they voted for. To those whose candidates lost out in the election, in truth, they will wish it is their preferred candidate who won and will be the one being sworn-in. Such is life. Only one person could win. You win some, you lose some.
Now that the electioneering is over, though, the court cases are still ongoing, Nigerians are already salivating in the expectations from the coming administration. Although, Tinubu is not yet the president, does not have any authority to take any official action now and cannot take responsibility for whatever is happening now till May 29, 2023, he is still expected to have started doing the groundwork, so that he can hit the ground running, immediately he is sworn-in.
Like the former governor of New York, Mario Cuomo famously said that “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose”. The time for campaigns are over. The time for the hard work of governance is about to begin. With the state of the country today, Tinubu has had his works cut out for him. We are at the precipice. The country is moving to a tipping point and needs urgent rescue. Some of us supported Tinubu because we believe that it is a person like him, with his pedigree in governance, as exemplified in Lagos state in the last 24 years of his administration as the governor between 1999 and 2007, and the backbone of his successors up to date, as it is believed that he has so much influence in their elections, as well as governments.
Lagos has always been seen as a microcosm of Nigeria, with presence of diverse groups from all over country and around the world, with its attendant challenges. It has remained exemplary and a baston of hope to the rest of the country and even many African countries. Many things in Lagos state have become the templates for other states to copy and replicate in their various states, including Federal Government, sometimes. A vision that birthed such reasonable progressive developments in the midst of lacklustre performances across the country, is what our country needs at this time. And who is better to drive such vision than the man who did the same in Lagos? That is why Tinubu is our President-elect today. “Eni m’ona loye ka te le” (we should follow he who knows the road).
One thing the country badly needs now is unity. 2023 elections, particularly the presidential, have put serious wedge among religious groups and ethnic groups. Unfortunately, the presidential election pitched christians against muslims, and one ethnic group against another, based on the rhetorics of some candidates, who depended on such parochial basis in their quest to become Nigeria’s president. That failed woefully. How could those who wanted to use religious divisiveness or ethnic bigotry, unite the country?
The example of religious tolerance is exemplified in the personal life of Tinubu himself. For a man who is a muslim to have allowed his wife of over four decades to practise her faith. He did not compel her to stop or change to his own religion, being the common practice. Not only that, same woman became so deeply religious that she was ordained a pastor in the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), one of the most prominent churches globally. Yet, they live together happily. Is it such a person who should be accused of religious intolerance?
In this fourth republic, the first governor to have allowed, appointed and promoted people of different ethnic extractions from his was Tinubu. They get important party and cabinet positions under his watch. He continued to push them up the ladder, promoted and supported them to as high as national positions. Although, such generous accommodations could be abused.
So, with the depth of division in Nigeria and distrust among various ethnic groups in the country, Tinubu is well positioned to reverse such dangerous trend. And he must. He demonstrated this in his acceptance speech after winning the presidential election by extending the olive branch to his opponents. However, we know that in Nigeria, some people play politics of bitterness, driven by self-centredness, more than for service to the people. He needs to unite the country. He will be the president of the whole, irrespective of whether some people accept or not. That is a task that must be done.
If there is one thing, as a first step, that Nigerians are anxious to see from Tinubu once he takes over, it is the quality of his cabinet. The people that he will appoint to work with him, are the most critical. Like Yorubas will say:”igi kan ko le d’agbo se” (a tree does not make a forest). The quality, competence, capacity and capability of each of these men and women, will project what to expect from the government in the next four years.
Like many believed, Tinubu has the vision, the competence, qualification and the gut already. So, the case of a sheep leading lions, like I once wrote about the usual leadership in Nigeria, does not arise. He is a “lion”. Let him not assemble sheep as surbordinates, is what is important. He can’t do everything by himself alone. He needs people to help actualise his dream, vision and mision for the country. So, they matter most, after himself. Based on his track record, this is one thing he is known and commended for in the past.
Although, appointments in a state that is just a small part of Nigeria, with reasonably homogeneous indigenes; the Yorubas, who own the state, with less diverse interests, are far different from those at the national level, with all kinds of interests to be considered, taken care of and satisfied, either statutorily or for political exigencies. Nigeria is made up of 36 states and FCT, with multi-ethnic and multireligious interests. These interests have become more pronounced with the way the last presidential election went. These fault lines have become wider and a unifying government has to put all of these into consideration. Everyone must be carried along.
Now, there is already the usual debate as to whether he should populate the cabinet with politicians or technocrats. I once wrote an article on this matter few years ago (2019). To be frank, the political actors cannot be sidelined in running the government, while we try to involve technocrats. With my level of interest and involvement in the just concluded elections, sincerely, most politicians deserve their places in any government they helped bring to power.
In Nigeria, election is not a cake. It is so demanding in all ramifications; physical, mental, financial and even spiritual. Politicians go through ‘hell’ to win elections. Forget about all these “paper analysis and postulations” of writers and public commentators who are so aloof from what goes down. One might never appreciate the enormity of what it takes to win elections in Nigeria now except one gets into the game or gets involved directly or indirectly. It’s no joke. “Atari ajanaku ni, ki s’eru omode” (it’s like elephant’s head, that is not for a child to carry).
While I also advocate for very qualified and competent people to be appointed into any administration at that, whether federal or state or local government, who are often tagged as “technocrats”, these category of people can also be found among the politicians. With exception of some, majority of today’s politicians have their individual professional callings that they have been involved for years before joining politics, either as elected or appointed political office holders. Many have worked in private sector, as employees and reached top level or pinacle of their careers in some instances, or were in businesses, which they have managed successfully in the past. Joining politics does not automatically take those qualities away from them.
So, when we are looking for “technocrats”, it doesn’t necessarily mean only those ‘executives in suits’, in private organisations globally, who are headhunted. We might find out that “oun ti a n wa lo Sókótó, wa lapo sòkòtò” (what we are looking for by travelling all the way to Sokoto, could just be within reach inside ‘sokoto’, trouser’s pocket). It will be fantastic to have many exceptionally brilliant folks, hired from private sector, to man some critical sectors in the country that might required that great expertise, high-level drill and drive, to transform them.
Such positions could be filled by such people, employed, strictly based on meritocracy. We saw how many of such were appointed in the past. Dr. Okonjo Iwealla, Professor Charles Soludo, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, and so on. Many of them are in full politics now as vice president, governors, lawmakers, ministers, and in other posts. Which technocrats are better qualified than Osinbajo, Fashola, and so on? These are now politicians.
In my opinion, it is not just about appointing eggheads, but the leadership and political support provided for them by the president or governor, as the case may be. That is what matters more. These, Tinubu has in abundance. His team of 1999 cabinet still stands out till date. They went ahead to become ‘giants’ today and dots the political landscape of the country. It will be good to have many fresh hands as a sign of seriousness truly. Nigerians are tired of seeing the same people over and over, with not much improvement in their lives. You can’t be doing the same thing over and over but expect different results. That’s insanity according to Albert Einstein.
I spent much time on this because every other thing from the administration will be shaped by the team that will run it. Tinubu can’t afford to not to get it right.
It can be observed, the resurgence of insecurities in the last two to three weeks. It seemed these bandits and terrorists went on leave as we had our elections between February 25 and March 18. It was shocking, the havoc they have wrecked in just few weeks now in states like Benue, Kaduna, Bauchi, Sokoto and some others. What’s really happening? We thought we were getting over them gradually with their decimation by our military as the elections approached. Was it that our military has soft-pedalled on their assaults on them or the bandits have gone for reinforcement? Like the Yorubas would say: “agbo to f’eyin rin lo, agbara lo lo mu wa”. Whichever is the case, our armed forces cannot afford to drop the ball at this crucial time.
The preponderance of insecurities is the singular biggest challenge that Nigeria faces today as it affects every other thing. So, the coming president’s first concern should be how to end these insecurities or at least, reduce them drastically. Tinubu gave insight as to how he will curb it in his ‘Renewed Hope Manifesto’, though not elaborate, because of the sensitive nature of it. Security strategy is nothing to discuss publicly. However, that is a critical place to start. He mentioned increasing the size of the armed forces, motivating and equipping them adequately. More intelligent strategies cannot be revealed.
Before 1999, Lagos used to be notorious for high level of insecurities. We often woke up to see dead bodies on the roads. Armed robbery, traffic robbery in broad day light, and similar sundry crimes, happened on daily basis. Tinubu’s coming as the governor of the state began a departure from such scary era. The Special Force Units with different code names that we see all over the country today, started from Lagos. The then government re-organised, restructured and renamed the previously existing “Operation Sweep”, which consisted a team of security agents. They were given special training, further equipped and more motivated to combat crimes across Lagos state. That was the beginning of the Rapid Response Squard (RRS) that operates today.
His successor, Babatunde Fashola, also set up Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), managed by some eminent and very well qualified Nigerians, and some other initiatives, to support the security structures. These were were parts of the Lagos Master Plan conceived by Tinubu. There was great improvement in security. This plan has been consistently followed and implemented by his successors. The result was phenomenal.
Even if these crimes still happen in the state, they are not in the proportion of the past, especially when the huge population of the state is put in consideration. This has made Lagos to become the safest place in the whole of Nigeria, including the FCT. This is the reason why people from all other states and regions troop to Lagos daily for their safety, security and survival. He needs to bring such ingenuity to solving Nigeria’s protracted insecurity problems. We cannot continue like this.
As we move closer to the D-day, this is a topic I intend to explore for a few weeks. It is obvious that Nigeria is decrepit. Addressing concerns that need to be attended to urgently, is an endless assignment. The economy, the infrastructure, national debts, fuel subsidy, poverty alleviation, corruption, restructuring, and many more. All these need urgent attention from the incoming administration if Nigeria has to survive and then progress under him. They shall be addressed in future interventions.
May God keep us till that day and beyond. May the coming administration bring forth glad tidings and progress to the country and the citizens. May we experience unprecedented greatness in the life of our country, Nigeria, and all of us as individuals.
May God continue to protect us and guide us aright.
God Bless Nigeria.
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April 22nd, 2023.