For the benefits of all our youths born from 1993 and beyond who have now come of age and ready to vote in 2023, let me try to introduce to you a consistent partaker in the democratic struggle, and someone who is going to be our country’s next President, by the grace of Almighty God, in person of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
As a teacher then, I witnessed his efforts with other people of goodwill to validate the cruelly annulled June 12, 1993 election freely and fairly won by Basorun Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, GCFR and his running mate, Babagana Kingibe, GCON.
Despite being a sitting Senator then, he joined forces with others and they fought the then military government led by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida to a standstill.
He ensured that the tenure of that military Government was cut short, even when he went on exile, he still did not give up. He led others to form National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and Radio Kudirat to continue their agitation towards the release of incarcerated MKO Abiola and revalidation of his mandate freely given to him by majority of Nigerians.
Abiola was clandestinely killed in detention, and his wife Kudirat, another Heroine of Democracy was gruesomely murdered at Oregun 7Up area, yet Asiwaju didn’t give up his beliefs and struggles until democracy was restored.
Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu came back to Nigeria to a heroic welcome in 1998, joined forces with others to form Alliance for Democracy (AD), after the initial PDP and APP which he joined others to form were hijacked by undemocratic elements.
Unfortunately, Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, among others, are beneficiaries of his struggles when the country was returned to democratic governance in 1999.
As a Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, Asiwaju laid a foundation for sustained development of the State such that up till now, Lags State ranks top in every indices of a developing State, unrivaled by any State in Nigeria.
And he has remained in the progressive party since leaving office in 2007 until 2013 when he collapsed his party structure, ACN into the alliance that gave birth to All Progressives Congress, APC which defeated a sitting President in our country for the first time in 2015.
A person can only give what he or she has. None of the aspirants in any party today can match Asiwaju’s resilience, capacity, capabilities and experience.
He has demonstrated that he has meticulously been planning to lead since 1992, waiting for the best opportunity. And now that the opportunity is here, he was quick and determined to grab it and he seized it.
If care is not taken, no one will mention the name of any other candidate apart from Asiwaju by the time election is drawing nearer. Asiwaju is a determined leader who knows how to run the race from the start to the finish without getting exhausted. His eyes are always on the ball without blinking.
Over these years, he had developed human and capital resources to achieve his goals without so much stress.
When others, including those he raised were busy saving money in their bank accounts, he was still busy investing his hard-earned goodwill and resources building more people.
How on earth can such a person lack in time of need? Because while a few will not repay the good deeds, a lot more will pay back and in multiple folds in times of needs.
In the just concluded primaries, we knew he was not able to reach all the delegates in person, but other people who are beneficiaries of his goodwill did on his behalf.
When other candidates were busy spending personal wealth and making moves slowly, in the form of arithmetic progression, Asiwaju ably supported by people he has invested his time and other resources in were making geometric progression, which led to a well earned victory with very wide margin.
In conclusion, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is like a library, while other candidates are like books.
It is good to be good in life.
I wish him success in the coming elections and I pray that Almighty God grant him good health and wellness to deliver a sustainable Nigeria that we will all be proud of to whoever is going to succeed him as our President when he leaves the stage.
Happy Democracy Day to all Nigerians.
