• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Tinubu and the seven principles of public life (1)

Till date, the controversy over the educational life of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not been appropriately put to rest. It is instructive to note that Tinubu’s name or any resembling name does not appear in the list of 2,719 students who attended GCI between 1954 and 1979. Neither is the name among the 897 students registered in the school between 1929, when the college was founded and 1954, the year Tinubu claimed as his date of birth.

More importantly, his name is missing among the 87 students who entered the College in 1965 and on the list of 105 who were enrolled in 1968, the year he claimed he left the school after four years. Also, he was not among the total of 475 at the College in 1965 and the 490 students in 1968.

Meanwhile, he claimed in the INEC form he filled in ‘99 to have attended GCI between 1965 and 1968. Though, he did not fill any secondary school in the most recent one because it is alleged he’s trying to cover up his many lies. Tinubu also claimed he audited courses at the University of Chicago between 1972 and 1976 and got a B.Sc in Economics, a claim the school authorities debunked. Not just that, they outrightly denied running a B.Sc in the programme rather than a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

As regards years of birth, Tinubu has two dates; 1952 and 1954. The one he filled in the INEC form CF001 while contesting for Governor of Lagos State and the one he deposed to in the transcript he got at the Chicago State University. That’s one of the many lies of Tinubu. But, between year 1999 and 2000 when Tinubu was being dragged for perjury by Gani Fawehinmi, his praise-singers told us it was an error of omission. Today, because they’re out of lies to be told, his online almajiris are telling the Nigerian people that “in those years when Tinubu attended GCI, scholars write exams from home.” I believe Nigerians are not stupid and the people can decipher between truth and lie.

Tinubu also claimed to have attended St. Paul’s Primary School, Aroloyo, Lagos. As of year 2000, when he was still been dragged for perjury, the school did not exist. In fact, the defence of Tinubu and his admirers against the many lies he is trying to force down the throat of Nigerian people is inadequate.

But, has anyone ever wondered why Jesus said “peace be still” rather than just “be still”? He understands that stillness without peace in a troubled environment is nothing. That is exactly the case with Tinubu and the APC. They are doing everything within their ability for a cover-up, but it is late. Nigerians must reject a fraudulent aspiration shrouded in controversies.

The ethnic agenda being run is frightening and, if that’s what the 2023 election will be based on, as a supporter of Atiku Abubakar, I am very confident that it’ll be to his advantage. But, such a campaign is deflective and diversionary.

However, in addressing this ethnic campaign, the government must expunge the state of origin from documentation which I believe an Atiku Abubakar could address with his restructuring agenda, which places a premium on “State to make laws as component units”.

Read also: Social media gives me high blood pressure, says Tinubu

With the refusal of Atiku Abubakar to descend into the gutters of ethnic campaign with his archenemies, he has displayed a high level of maturity and understanding of the fundamental issues confronting the nation headlong.

As we journey towards 2023, we must forego hatred, revenge, violence, mutual suspicion, bitterness and anger. Yes. As a people, we can disagree. But we must disagree in peace. Our greatest enemies are ignorance, poverty, corruption, and certainly not our beautiful ethnic or cultural diversity, which the APC has so much battered in the last 7 years.

Greed, reckless ambition, betrayal, double-dealings and lack of faith dominate the conduct of Tinubu. My humble advice is for him to remember the fate of those who sought power by all means in the past and he should seek wisdom in the admonition that “let the powerful tread softly, for the earth can be slippery”. His dangerous postulation of “Emilokan” is deeply flawed. It is based on pure fantasy. It violates intellectual reasoning, and it exposes his level of self-centredness.

In the last 7 years since the mantle of leadership fell on them, the APC which Tinubu represents their ideals has failed woefully. The performance on their scorecard is zero. Although they are trying to do away with the Buhari’s factor in their campaign, both Tinubu and Buhari still represent the APC and they have not done a good job in the last 7 years. Even the Lagos they boast of, which is a microcosm of the macrocosm, Nigeria is a failure. It is so chaotic that it is not even on the livability index. That is what they intend to replicate in Nigeria.

The PDP is ready to provide necessary leadership to get the country a proper Constitution that could and would ensure a stable future, most especially addressing secessionist agitation by restructuring the country.

Israel, a social commentator, writes from Ibadan