To many associates around the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, waking up this day, May 29, is a dream come true because it is a day that the Lord has made for the former governor of Lagos State to become the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
For Tinubu, it is mission accomplished to achieve his age long ambition to lead Nigeria. He has also proven to his doubters that that it is possible for the kingmaker to become king.
He has reaped in abundance, the benefits of having built bridges across many barriers within and outside his political space. In the course of doing that, he has made Lagos a model of good governance and leadership, identified many progressive minds, nurtured them to occupy major elective public and appointive offices at the state and federal levels. Most of them constitute part of his army of foot soldiers consolidating the political dynasty of his era.
Tinubu is the first president of Nigeria that seem to have prepared, set his eyes on the ball and laid his hands on the plough. He had assisted many others to achieve their ultimate political ambitions as individual politicians. He had assisted at least two former presidents to achieve their aim to be the number one citizen of the country.
Many senators, governors, members of the National Assembly claim they owe their success at the election to become what they became to Asiwaju.
It is a mission accomplished for the former Lagos governor who said it was his turn to lead Nigeria, but the road to Aso Rock has not been smooth sailing; it is a difficult journey, such that Tinubu himself would readily attest that he did not relax and could not enjoy all through.
Based on his antecedents in Lagos as governor, his associates, loyalist and followers have promised that Tinubu would unleash and deploy part of the strategies he adopted that repositioned the state in fixing the mirage of challenges confronting Nigeria.
To the City Boy, as he is called by his admirers, “power is not served a la carte. It requires serious hard work to come by.” Indeed, he worked harder than most of his contemporaries seeking to govern Nigeria.
Since 1999, Tinubu has been preparing for a day like this and the day has come for the king maker to finally become the king.
Tinubu is an apostle of the theory of early preparations in achieving his ultimate goal in politics. He moved from being elected a senator to governor and now President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
But, his meteoric rise to fame and influence has not been without controversies. Some of the issues bordered on his background, especially his state of origin, age, academic qualifications, accountability.
Some individuals and groups latched on these issues to challenge his eligibility at the elections but he has consistently secured favourable judgments from courts of competent jurisdiction.
He was arraigned before the Conduct of Conduct Bureau Tribunal over issues pertaining to his assets declaration forms while in public office. His road to becoming the candidate of the All Progressives congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential poll was dogged by a welter of opposition from some powerful forces in the party and the seat of power, just as others tried to stop him by challenging his eligibility in the court.
The odds against him apparently doubled even after he had secured APC ticket, as some elements ganged up to frustrate his bid, which also triggered litigation from main opposition parties, especially on the grounds of alleged drug issues, forgery and impropriety.
Having survived those trying moments in his bid to govern the country, a great task of redirecting the country in the next four years. Many groups and individuals have tried to provide a kind of must-do-list for him in the next four years for a start.
Some advised him to decentralize Nigeria. Others want restructuring of the country while some warned him not to take Lagos style of politics to Abuja.
But Tinubu is akin to that cat with nine lives that is able to fend off all attacks. He has been able to overcome and survive every plot by political opponents to overcome his political machinery before, during and after major elections.
He does not mince words when he engages those perceived adversaries in verbal exchanges over their antics to rubbish his political structures and dominance. Apart from exuding confidence of winning the February 25 presidential election, Tinubu had publicly challenged the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the clique behind the naira redesign at the dawn of the election with grueling hardship caused by the exercise.
Also, he is one politician that seems to have friends across board. He has, at one time or the other, formed political alliances with them, worked together to form parties, been co-conveners of pressure groups canvassing for a radical change and reform in the political circle or shared similar aspirations in the quest to form government at the centre.
With his swearing in as the 16th president of Nigeria, the question remains, is Tinubu ready to approach governance differently and challenge the status quo to put the country on the path of development? Will he reunite the country and shun nepotism and favouritism? Only time will tell.