Devoid politics, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu would have ranked among the top ten most successful business men in Nigeria. He quickly etched his name in the pantheon of who is who as Treasurer of one of the most viable multinational companies in Nigeria.
But from such Olympian height at Exxon Mobil, Tinubu had his gaze in politics as a veritable vehicle to transform lives of individuals and change the stinking history of a nation. He wanted to affect humanity rather than the allure and pecuniary luxury of travelling round the world as an executive of a multinational group.
The child of destiny, Bola Tinubu left his juicy pay that would have made him as one of the all time greats in business and took a plunge into the risky and troubled waters of politics. Some say, it was a bold decision. But, if you ask me, I would say it was a calculated risk which most managers would shy away from. But Tinubu is too fixated as to run away from a mere shadow as he was poised to take the bull by the horns. It was a clear case of choosing to jump into a raging inferno or into the deep blue sea hoping to re-enact the story of Jonah in the Bible.
Hear Tinubu himself: “I set my goals and objectives in accordance with my vision. I study them and strategically execute them. My detractors discuss my successes and failures because they have nothing to execute.
“I am in the news more because I’m working. Nigerians discuss active men in the field.
Mentioning any negative news about me will double the wealth of any news media that published it. My name today is a financial market for journalist.
“Not even elected politicians get the publicity I am enjoying. My comrades, go and work till mentioning your name becomes a source of increased wealth for someone.
“Even my weakness creates wealth for vendor.”
Since he took this decision in 1993, this political enigma has been a Senator, with landslide victory, scoring the highest votes as a Senator in the country. He was the Chairman of appropriations committee and a position he held meritoriously. When he was in the Senate, he started building friendship across the country and political divides with some of his colleagues dominating the political space till date.
When the military tyrant, General Ibrahim Babangida decided to annul the June 12 1993 general elections despite its transparency, Tinubu became the arrow head of the pro democracy groups popularly called NADECO. They fought like the Trojans against the wicked annulment but they had to run for dear lives in line with ‘he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.”
Tinubu and others, like Pa Alfred Rilwani, journalists, Wole Soyinka and many more, escaped from Babangida and Abacha’s red pellets through the popular NADECO route. They ran into exile but kept on pilling pressure on the military to return to democracy.
In 1998 when Abdusalam Abubakar who succeeded Abacha announced his intention to hand over power to the civilian within 10 months of transition framework, many of the people who went into exile came back to participate in the new democratic programme.
As a student who had taken something from the political fountain of the late Shehu Musa Yar ‘Adua and Bashorun MKO Abiola, Tinubu remained focused and contested
under the Alliance for Democracy as the governor of Lagos State. He won convincingly. He came out with his 25 years rolling plan for the state. Today, the rest is history. History of a total transformer!
After leaving office, Bola Alhmed Tinubu continued to champion the cause of the ordinary people in Nigeria and this philosophy has endeared him to the generality of the populace. He is unarguably the pathfinder of progressive politics in modern history in Nigeria and the loudest voice of democracy and the rule of law.
Another very interesting hallmark of this man is his track records of consistency. He has continued to remain consistent in his progressive ideology which stands him out amongst his peers. He represents democratic reengineering in the history of modern progressive politics in Nigeria. He is a Democrat per excellence!
Unlike many leaders who tasted prisons vile before becoming colossus in their political space, Tinubu ascends to a position of generalissimo of modern Nigeria with sheer brilliance and progressive ideology. He has remained consistent in his progressive ideology which stands him out amongst his peers.
Then, you can now agree with me that this is a case of a political journey from the boardroom to national and global stardom. Or from obscurity to stardom or personality of grandeur.
.Otunba Sola Olatunji, Chairman of Ikale Heritage Development Association, writes from Lagos
