By Agbonmagbe Kazeem
Before Bola Ahmed Tinubu became president of Nigeria, there was a period when he was a man trying to disappear.
He was a politician wanted by the military government.
His home had been bombed.
Security agents were looking for him.
And staying in Nigeria had become dangerous.
So he fled.
But this was not an ordinary journey into exile.
He reportedly crossed into Benin Republic disguised in traditional clothing, wearing a large turban and travelling by motorcycle.
Imagine that.
A man who would one day become president of Nigeriaβ¦
trying not to be recognized.
No presidential convoy.
No security detail.
No public announcement.
Just a disguise, a motorcycle and a dangerous border crossing.
But escaping Nigeria was only the beginning.
While in Benin, Tinubu returned toward the hotel where he was staying after going out on an okada to get food.
Inside the hotel, two suspicious men were reportedly asking questions at reception.
Tinubu saw them.
Then the receptionist gave him a discreet warning.
A wink.
That was enough.
He understood.
They were looking for him.
He did not walk into the hotel.
He turned around.
And fled again.
Think about the fear contained in that moment.
You have already left your country.
You believe you have reached safety.
You return to your hiding placeβ¦
and discover that the people searching for you may already be there.
Where do you go next?
Who can you trust?
How many times can you escape before your luck runs out?
Tinubu eventually made his way onward and travelled to London on Air Afrique.
But even exile did not completely end the danger.
Later, while in Abidjan, CΓ΄te d’Ivoire, he returned to his hotel room to discover that people had broken in and taken his briefcase and diplomatic passport.
And according to Tinubu’s account, they left behind a chilling message:
βYOU CANNOT BE TWICE LUCKY.β
That sentence is difficult to forget.
Because by then, he had already escaped once.
Then again.
And again.
The man who would eventually sit in Nigeria’s highest office had once needed to disappear simply to stay alive.
There is something deeply human about that part of his story.
History often shows us leaders standing behind podiums.
Surrounded by flags.
Protected by soldiers.
Moving through crowds with sirens and flashing lights.
But before all of thatβ¦
there can be a completely different story.
A man on a motorcycle.
A turban covering his identity.
A receptionist giving a tiny signal.
A sudden turn away from a hotel.
And a journey into an uncertain future.
A TURBAN.
A MOTORBIKE.
A BORDER.
And eventuallyβ¦
London.
Years later, the same man would return to Nigeria and become Governor of Lagos State.
Decades later, he would become President of Nigeria.
Whatever one’s political opinion of Tinubu may be, this particular chapter of his life reveals something that political arguments often hide:
Before power came vulnerability.
Before the presidency came exile.
Before the convoy came the motorcycle.
Before the security detail came the need to hide.
And before the presidential officeβ¦
there was a man who had to disappear.
BOLA AHMED TINUBU
The president who once had to disappear to survive.
And perhaps the most haunting part isn’t that he escaped once.
It is that he had to keep escaping.
How would you feel if you discovered that the people looking for you had already reached the place where you were hiding?
Over to the house…..
“THE HISTORIAN”
