LEADERSHIP
Just like his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, was in 2015 and, albeit to a much lesser extent in 2019, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria is a beneficiary of a heightened frustration, the kind of which easily turns into a determination towards either the creation or facilitation of a process for a fundamental change in the political and governance structures of any country. Tinubu as, arguably, Buhari’s biggest political benefactor and ultimately his immediate successor, has emerged from a situation that still looks, in a lot of ways, like the one that prevailed at the time that Buhari became president.
The incessant outcry over the largely unfavourable social and economic conditions that translated into the recent election of Tinubu as the president perfectly resembled the loud expressions of dissatisfaction over the harsh situation that existed at the time that Buhari was proudly nominated as presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and finally chosen as the country’s leader by majority of Nigerians. Almost the entire scenario that has now produced the current president looked like a repeat of the process that birthed the last government under Buhari.
There is, in fact, a very strong basis of comparison between the Buhari Project and the last one in terms of political platform for contest, nature of politicking and people’s reactions to the pronouncements and actions of each one of them in the course of their campaigns. This means that a lot about the two situations and personalities, which re-enforced the decision to elect them, have remained quite the same.
However, President Tinubu, unlike Buhari whose approach to governance was characterized by a pronounced sluggishness and low monitoring, prioritizes high speed and consistent follow-up as key strategies for the implementation of plans and real attainment of desired results. A lot of Nigerians, either justifiably or not, have an impression of the current president as, even if not more visionary than Buhari, a better goal setter and getter as a result of which they have seemingly developed the expectation for much stronger actions by him.
Even with the contestable fact that the last and the present presidents are, by a very popular judgement, the APC’s very best materials; a consideration that informed the decision of the party to throw them up for the contest for the presidency, there are still some differences between the two in terms of backgrounds, perceptions and approach that make it easy for Nigerians to tell one from the other. It is the clear differences on the one hand and the similarities as already highlighted on the other, which have made one to be like and/or unlike the other that have formed the foundations of the varying conclusions on each of the two personalities and their respective styles.
Although there appears an intensification of the search for Buhari’s faults by those who have continued to believe that he was a failure, the particular conviction that he tried for the country remains strong and therefore an adequate counter to most of the accusations against him. What readily comes out of the growing contention over the performances of the immediate past president is the fact that the new president needs to, even as he tries to show his preparedness for action, exercise abundant caution.
Tinubu’s apparent appreciation of both the enormity of the task ahead and the compelling need for him to act fast and decisively is a source of joy for all those citizens whose yearning for genuine solutions to the crippling problems is justifiably strong. All the right steps he might have taken now or will take in the course of the governance of the country will be duly considered as manifestations of his commitment to the effective resolution of the current numerous crises.
As a prominent politician who is always boastful about his capacity for power-brokerage, he is assumed to have fully comprehended the nature of every challenge and consequently made a resolve to tackle it in a manner that can further strengthen the confidence of Nigerians in the new government. It is, for example, only when the right answers to all the questions about insecurity, inflation, joblessness and corruption are competently sourced and applied that he can be seen to be deserving of special compliments
Just like Buhari did in 2015, President Tinubu has initiated a process of appointment of key officials of the new government, which is an exercise that usually points to the chosen path of any administration. While the appointment continues, a lot of people are continuously struggling to find specific words or terms to qualify the process and their views are being expressed in various ways.
Tinubu repeatedly said that he is a good hunter of brains who believes that a good work can be done only if the right people are engaged and placed properly. He, in fact, always attributes the success of the Lagos State Government he headed (1999-2007) to the involvement of qualified hands in the administration of the state.
Nobody should expect perfection from the president because, even with the best of intentions, he can not do everything perfectly. His noticeable shortcomings will not allow him to fully satisfy the hopes of the citizens, a lot of which were dashed by the last government.
Yet, almost all his initial decisions including the immediate withdrawal of the oil subsidy that has caused phenomenal rise of the cost of goods and services have been accepted in good faith, which is an indication of a huge public confidence in him and the government. This means that Tinubu is now enjoying the kind of opportunity that Buhari got, but squandered.
All such steps that have so far been taken by the president are not strange developments, especially at the beginning of every administration. Sack of some or even majority of occupants of public offices and the appointment of new ones, suspension or outright termination of programmes as well as review of some policies and introduction of new ones are what usually make up the general style of beginners.
Therefore, it takes more than just adoption of such measures for success to be achieved. It is only sincerity of purpose as the virtue that is most required for the design of good plans, review of policies and programmes as well as consistent monitoring and evaluation of same that can make attainment of objectives a possibility.
The earlier President Tinubu realizes that he has come at a time when the patience of the people has almost been completely exhausted, the better for him. Nigerians are obviously unready for the kind of excuses and complaints for which the last government was known and will therefore appreciate only those explanations that will boost their morale and make them a lot more proud of their beloved country.
