Chief Nanga just like every other Nigerian politician, is a ruthless embodiment of everything wrong with the political class. But how fitting then, that we now see Achebe’s prophetic vision fulfilled in Tinubu.
At the time Chinua Achebe wrote one of the parts of his trilogy “A Man of The People” back then in 1966, Achebe was not writing about the Nigeria of then, he was writing to the future Nigeria - the present Nigeria, and the acclaimed “Man of the People” in the novel Chief Nanga is the present President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Commander -in-Chief.
Chief Nanga just like every other Nigerian politician, is a ruthless embodiment of everything wrong with the political class. But how fitting then, that we now see Achebe’s prophetic vision fulfilled in Tinubu.
When Achebe said "a man of the people," it was a tongue-in-cheek remark especially when it comes to politics. So, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is hailed as "a man of the people," one must pause, scratch the chin, and ask, which people exactly?
Tinubu, affectionately called “Jagaban” by his loyal followers, is the quintessential political veteran. With decades of political experience, he has seen it all - from running Lagos to being crowned President of Nigeria. But in this vortex of power, posed the question: is he really a man of the people, or merely a man of “some” people?
When President Bola Tinubu took the reins of Nigeria, few would have predicted just how quickly a nation of 223 million people would rediscover the essence of the word "oops." As a man of the people, Tinubu embodied the Nigerian hustle spirit. He was resourceful, cunning, and, most importantly, omnipresent in every political corridor for decades, which earned him the title “Kingmaker” by his packs. But like a delicious jollof rice dish that’s gone slightly overcooked, his presidency seems to be leaving an aftertaste nobody expected.
Tinubu’s rise to power wasn’t exactly shocking. After all, he had mastered the political game like a seasoned owambe partygoer mastering the dance floor. And yes, he’s a man of the people, he’s just not the kind of man people were planning to hand over their country to. Nigeria, we said, needed change. What we got, however, was a reminder that sometimes, change is just old wine in a new agbada, a cliche of what I got versus what I ordered.
Let’s take it back to memory lane, to where it all started to go wrong.
At the beginning of the year 2022, multiple conspiracy theories were circulating around regarding Tinubu’s presidential political ambition, before the former Lagos state governor, formally declared his intentions to run for Nigeria’s presidential political office in 2023. On January 10, 2022, Tinubu, while he was still APC National Leader, met with then Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja, where he made his intentions known in a closed-door meeting.
“I have informed the President of my ambition but I have not informed Nigerians yet, I am still consulting. There’s nowhere in the world where a kingmaker cannot himself be king. So, whatever you write is your own opinion. Me, I want to pursue my ambition without the title of a kingmaker,” Tinubu told reporters
June 8, 2022, after an in-house voting poll (Primary Election) among All Progressives Congress party members, President Tinubu emerged winner of the party’s presidential primary. With his victory, he got the party’s ticket to run for Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential General Election, having received the majority of the votes cast by the delegates.
After so much anticipation, political campaigns and political promises, the February 2023 election came with so much nostalgia and unpredictability, and by the end of the electoral process, Tinubu was named the winner of the 2023 presidential election and Nigeria’s president-elect. But you would want to ask why him. Afterall, the only hope that the people of Nigeria held onto was the election of a new and more credible government, and Tinubu was their ideal “Man of The People,” not until 15 months after when Nigerians started to finally realize what they had done - when things begin to look dicey after putting in office an ambitious man with no clue or agenda as to how to transform the country or at least to manage the country. I nstead, he’s only there to claim the title “Commander - in -Chief” or for the added prefix “President” while the country perishes.
Being a man of the people means you have to cater for the needs of the masses, right? President Tinubu, in his own wisdom, has embarked on numerous “people-focused” reforms. Fuel subsidy removal? Check. Currency devaluation? Double check. Yes, these are bold moves, but for the everyday Nigerian, the question is whether these decisions are ‘for’ them or ‘at’ them. Because, while these reforms might look impressive on paper, they tend to hit harder than a sack of cement on the average citizen’s wallet.
After he (President Tinubu) claimed his victory, the political grandmaster entered Aso Rock with the swagger of a man who you would think had meticulously planned his ascent for decades. Nigerians, meanwhile, clung to the promises of "renewed hope," certain that this man's experience would surely translate into transformative leadership. But it only took Nigerians fifteen months later before it’s safe to say he’s delivered on exactly what he promised, except that hope, it seems, has been renewed for only a select few. And the rest of us? Well, let’s just say suffering is a virtue.
Perhaps the most iconic hallmark of Tinubu’s presidency thus far has been his swift removal of the fuel subsidy, a move that was as controversial as it was inevitable. Who could forget on the day of his inauguration speech, where, in the blink of an eye, he declared that the “subsidy is gone?” President Tinubu and Co. woke up that day to announce the removal of fuel subsidy, though they claimed doing so was to block the greed and the profits that smugglers and rent-seekers made. Well, the question is- who are the smugglers and who are the greedy?
Like a magician pulling the rug out from under a clueless audience, Nigerians were left gasping at the realization that they would now be paying twice, thrice, or even quadruple for the fuel that barely powers their generators. Even at this rate, the rich have taken to trekking in the urban streets of Banana Island, while they are also trying to cope with the national hardship. Just imagine yourself saying life was good during Buhari’s administration.
President Tinubu, our ideal man of the people, really did something on Naira. You wonder how he turned something as buying a bag of rice into a thrilling, anxiety-inducing gamble? How prices fluctuate so wildly that a shopping trip to the market now rivals the excitement of a Las Vegas casino? Will your salary hold up till month-end? Can you stretch that naira one more week? How many times have you gone to market only to end up adding and subtracting for hours with nothing to show for it?
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the man of the people who vowed that under his government, democracy would flow like jollof rice at a Nigerian wedding and that the voice of the common people would not only be heard but also be amplified. It’s quite ironic how the man of the people has developed the habit for silencing those very same people.
Protesting in Tinubu's Nigeria is a bit like trying to have a party in a library. Sure, you can try to make noise, but sooner or later, someone’s going to come and tell you to be quiet. And by someone, I mean heavily armed security forces. Under Tinubu, the fine art of peaceful protesting has been perfected... into nonexistence. Take, for example, the recent mass protests against fuel hikes. People thought they could take to the streets and express their displeasure. Silly them!
After the August protest, 10 people who took part in the protest across Nigeria have been charged with treason and other serious offenses at the Federal High Court in the capital, Abuja.
Daniel Ojukwu, an investigative journalist in Nigeria who reported on corruption in a widening crackdown was arrested by police and held without charge for over a week.
The Department of State Services arrested the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, on his way out of Nigeria.
Journalist Adejuwon Soyinka, the regional editor of The Conversation Africa, was detained by the DSS and had his passport seized.
A whistleblower, Isaac Bristol, popularly known as PIDOM Nigeria, was arrested by security operatives.
There was the detaining of the #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, and withholding of his passport. However, he was soon allowed to go and his passport was returned to him.
Well, for Tinubu and Co., Sowore is like that one annoying mosquito that just won't quit buzzing in your ear. No matter how many times you swat at it, there it is again, launching a new protest, starting another campaign, or reminding everyone that democracy isn’t supposed to come with a muzzle.
To keep you out of being bored of reading similar stories of mismanagement, corruption and several other draconian crimes, I’d like to rest my case here and save the ink for any gossip next time.
But I guess that at the end, the measure of President Tinubu’s administration will not be his charming speeches or his political hyenas, it will be based on whether the ordinary Nigerian citizens feel his presidency in a way that truly changes their daily reality for the better.
For now, though, as fuel prices climb and naira notes lose weight faster than a crash dieter, we might be left wondering if “a man of the people” is more a title of honor or satire.