History beckons as Tinubu takes his turn

Today, Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be sworn in as the fifth democratically elected president since the return of Nigeria to civil rule.

He will be succeeding Muhammadu Buhari, who presided over the country for two terms of eight years.

Buhari was first elected in 2015 and won a re-election in 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tinubu was also elected on the platform of the APC. He is therefore, going to continue a government under the political platform of the APC.

The incoming president did not leave anybody in doubt that he had a burning ambition of becoming a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in his lifetime.
His “Emilokan” refrain, which has since entered the nation’s political lexicon, attests to that ambition.

Buhari alluded to the burning ambition in his parting speech on Sunday, when he said: “To my brother, friend and fellow worker in the political terrain for the past ten years – Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu – I congratulate you on the realisation of your dream, which was propelled by a burning passion to put Nigeria amongst the leading nations of the world.”

Buhari also said of Tinubu: “You have indeed worked for this day and God has crowned your efforts. I have no doubt that your passion for excellence, reliance on competence, fairness in relationships, commitment to equity, loyalty to the country and desire for Nigeria to be globally relevant would come through for you, under God’s guidance, as you lead our country to levels higher that I am leaving.”

Today, the age-long ambition will be sealed with his inauguration as Buhari’s successor.

Beyond the realisation of the dream, there is an onerous task ahead of him, which is returning the country to pre-2015 era.
Many observers speak in tandem that despite the claim by the outgoing President Buhari that 2023 is better than when he picked up the mantle of leadership in 2015, it has been a disastrous experience in the last eight years.

Now, having landed the job, all eyes are on him to perform the duty of office. He must acquit himself creditably.

He has also be reminded to resist toeing the path of Buhari, who looked for the power for several years and proved disastrous when he got the opportunity twice.

While addressing the audience at the Inauguration Lecture held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on Saturday, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina reminded Tinubu that the time of ambition had passed but that he must squarely face the mission.

Adesina noted that the President-elect now has an opportunity to make history, by building a resurgent, a united and prosperous Nigeria, adding that “It is Nigeria’s turn” and no longer “my turn” (Emilokan)

He told him that “Nigeria will be looking to you, as President Tinubu, on your first day in office, with hope. Hope that you will assure security, peace, and stability. Hope that you will heal and unite a fractious nation.Hope that you will rise above party lines and forge a compelling force to move the nation forward, with inclusiveness, fairness, equity, and justice. Hope that you will drastically improve the economy. Hope that you will spark a new wave of prosperity.”

The 2023 Presidential election was perhaps, the most controversial since 1999. Although the inauguration goes on today, cases that emanated from the exercise are still going on at the Tribunal.

Observers have also reminded Tinubu that the 8,794,726 votes he scored in the general election in a country of over 200 million people was so unpopular that he should propel him to pursue and execute popular policies that could change citizens’ mindset.

Nigeria is obviously sick and urgently needs a leader that not only knows but has the remedy for the ailment. The country is economically, socially and politically sick. To pretend that all is well and continue the Ostrich disposition of Buhari would be Tinubu’s undoing.