by Tunde Salam
In politics, Tinubu neutralised the political power that was heavily concentrated in the hands of the Northern Nigerian oligarchy.
During the 2023 presidential election campaign, majority of Nigerians, most especially those from the southern part of the country believed that Tinubu cannot be president without the support of the Godfathers in Northern Nigeria region, but he proved them wrong by defeating the Northern candidate to win the election.
Prior to Tinubu’s presidency, for any
Southern-Nigerian to hold any powerful political or business position in Nigeria, the person must know, have connections or have a Northerner Godfather who will sanction it.
On coming to power, Tinubu eradicates the mediocrity in the system and introduces let the best person do the job policy.
Still on politics, in 1999, a SouthernNigerian Olusegun Obasanjo was released from prison by the Northern led military administration to come and join a Northern controlled political party (PDP). And despite the fact that he didn’t win in his ward, constituency, and his Southwest region, OBJ still won the presidency, courtesy of the Northern-Nigerians to become a two term president all because he had the Northerners support and Northerners connections. However, Tinubu has now changed this to…’let the best candidate win political syndrome.
Towards the 2023 presidential elections, what was in the mind of many Nigerians, most especially the southern Nigerians- Yoruba, Igbos, Ijaw was that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu would not win the election or be allowed to be president by the Northern hegemonies, but Tinubu played a discerning politics, and won.
Nigeria would probably have been developed beyond where it is now if not because of what is called the ‘Exclusive Legislative List’, that was enshrined in the country’s constitution.
The legislative list means, no other government institution, state governments or authority has power to do anything without the support of the federal government that was controlled by the Northerners.
For instance, the issue of electricity in Nigeria which was in the exclusive legislative list. Although, this was debated by the legislature, and passed into law to remove the clause from the list in the Buhari’s administration but the bill was signed into law by the present Tinubu’s administration.
Another barrier to the Nigeria’s development, which was also in the ‘exclusive legislative list, before Tinubu came to power, was that foreign investors who wanted to invest in Nigeria need the federal government approval before investing anywhere in the country. Although this has not been removed from the exclusive list, but the Tinubu administration has told the investors to come and their investments will be protected.
The stabilisation of the economy is another masterstroke of the Tinubu’s administration.
Before Tinubu administration floated the Naira, Nigerians and foreign investors need to know somebody in the Central Bank of Nigeria who will assist them in getting the foreign currencies they will need to execute their projects. However, now that the Naira has been floated, what the investors need is their own Naira to buy the foreign currencies they need from the central bank of Nigeria by themselves.
On infrastructural development, Tinubu administration has completed and is constructing thousands of highways road in under three years of his administration. Among the roads is the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road which is first of its kind in West Africa, third of its kind in Africa and 14th of its kind in the whole world.
The administration is also rehabilitating the Nigerian first and Nigerian busiest international airport (Muritala Muhammad, Airport, Lagos) to a world class standard that is to be completed in October 2027.
Kudos to the man who knows the road.
Leave a comment