- By Omogbolahan Babs
Talk of a man whom providence has always shone on, I will point at no one but the National Leader, All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Talk of one of men whom the legendary William Shakespeare spoke about being born great, achieving greatness and having greatness thrust upon them, one man that came to the man is the son of Iyaloja and father of Iyaloja, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Like I once mentioned in one of my previous write ups, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was not only born great, he was equally lucky to have achieved greatness and at the same time had greatness thrust upon him. Such enigma comes once in a nation’s lifetime. Today, Asiwaju’s popularity and wide acceptance are akin to the telecommunication giant – MTN, Everywhere You Go!
Everywhere one looks at today in Nigeria, we see lot of persons, individuals and groups gravitate towards Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. You see men and women of high political standing identify with the former Lagos State honcho. From the North West to the North East, from the North Central to the South East and from the South South to the South West; the love has always been constant – phenomenal! You see the face of Asiwaju everywhere that even his adversaries keep lamenting why he keeps enjoying such camaraderie from all and sundry. It is never seen in the entire political history of Nigeria. A pointer to the undeniable fact that the man cosmopolitan as Jagaban Borgu may have a date with destiny in 2023. Take a look at each geo-political zone, you will discover that the man has presence however negligible anyone may think it is.
His consultations across the country always raised dust anywhere he visited. Unknown to many, this unprecedented love from array of people may have been a corollary of years of seed planting into people’s lives without a mention by the financial guru-turned Nigeria’s political generalissimo of all times. There is hardly any state in the Federation that Asiwaju Tinubu has nobody rooting for his presidency. We have watched people, nay, political heavyweights speak from the north about their choice of a Tinubu presidency. We have seen people from the oil-rich Delta region speak in glowing terms of the man of the moment. From Senator Kassim Shetimah of the great Borno State, to the audacious former member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jubril. From the reticent Senator Aliyu Wammako of the Seat of Caliphate State to the Senator Magnus Abe of the Garden City State of Rivers. From the egghead legal luminary, Dr. Daniel Bwala of the minority north to the ebullient Babachir Lawal from the north east. It is encomiums everywhere!
From the Elton Onwu of Abia State, to the Joe Igbokwe of Anambra State and to a host of other Igbo sons and daughters. Only days back, a cross section of delegates from the South East were to hold a dinner with the same man who has been on everyone’s lips in recent times. The pages of newspaper will hardly sell these days without a mention of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The media (TV) houses will lose viewership except a story is discussed around Asiwaju. The online portals will not drag traffic unless a story is painted about Asiwaju. Of course, it is an attempt at click-baiting the public. Today, a man from the north central, Hon. James Faleke of the Tinubu Support Group is leading on all fronts to canvass for a Tinubu presidency. That is aside the huge support he gets from Senator George Akume, the current minister for Special Duties and many bigwigs from the North Central geo-political zone.
The youth gather for him. The support he gets from that particular constituency of the country is rather gargantuan. The women folks are not left out. From the market men and women to other women support groups. The other day, I read a women support group, Asiwaju Women Cooperative Society (AWCS) from Bayelsa State under the leadership of a one-time gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress (AC) in Bayelsa State in 2007, Hon. Prince Ebitimi Amgbare did two (2) big billboards in conjunction with other groups of like-mind to support Asiwaju’s presidency in the State that laid Nigeria’s golden egg (oil). The professionals, the artisans, the entertainment industry among other people of varied interests have continued to show their support for the man who laid the foundation of a new Lagos. Such remains unprecedented in the annals of Nigeria’s political trajectory. The love is exceptional. It is like everywhere you go.
As things stand today, there are only two (2) people who can stop Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari. And those two are God, the Almighty and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu himself.
May God make a Tinubu presidency a reality!
OMOGBOLAHAN L.A. BABAWALE
Lead Resource Person
The Think-tank Initiative (3TI)
Omogbolahan L.A. BABAWALE writes from Abuja. He’s the Lead Resource Person, The Think-tank Initiative (3TI). You can reach him via obabawale@tinubuchronicles.com or riches.babs@gmail.com