EMILOKAN, TO DO WHAT NOW?

%HIRUH , FRQFOXGH LW LV LPSRUWDQW WR KHDU what Akande has to say about the person RI 7LQXEX ´,Q VWUXJJOHV %ROD LV DOZD\V UHVROXWH DJDLQVW DOO GL΀FXOW FLUFXPVWDQFHV ,Q ÀJKWLQJ %ROD GHPRQVWUDWHV FRQVLVWHQW courage and resilience. He is a powerful DQG VWURQJ SROLWLFDO PRELOLVHU D ÀHUFH DQG IHURFLRXV ÀJKWHU VXFK WKDW KH JHQHUDOO\ DQG quickly generates tension around himself ZKHQ SRLVHG IRU D ÀJKW WR WKH HPEDUUDVVLQJ confusion of those who might have enjoyed his pleasantness and generosity. In any war, apart from battles of deadly weapons, it ZRXOG EH VDIHU WR SHUVXDGH 7LQXEX WR ÀJKW other side, even if you are winning the initial battles, you cannot be sure of winning the peace thereafter.”

Akande is not done: “Tinubu carries his business sense too often into his political decisions. He always feels too strongly about his own (sometimes, peculiar) political views and ways, but his presentations and utterances appear constantly underplayed by smarting too often under heavy burdens of human demands and public pressure. Tinubu LV D GL΀FXOW SHUVRQDOLW\ YHU\ FRPSOLFDWHG for me to classify. He revels in controversies EXW FRQVWDQWO\ VXSSUHVVHV DWWHQGDQW GL΀FXOW pains of disappointments and betrayals by FRQVXPLQJ FXSV RI VWURQJ HVSUHVVR FRͿHH and chains of cigarettes. However, he is a PDQ RI H[FHSWLRQDO TXLFN UHÁH[HV ZKR KDV LQWHUSUHWDWLRQV IRU GLͿHUHQW DQG DOWHUQDWLQJ moods of others around him with instinctive striving and sensitive hormones. For whoever he senses negatively, he detests, FRQGHPQV DQG LI SRVVLEOH ÀJKWV IHURFLRXVO\ for others in his positive antenna, he admires, SURWHFWV DQG GHIHQGV ZLWK SDVVLRQ %ROD Tinubu is blindly generous and dangerously humorous.”

That in a nutshell is the man who now carries the burden of Nigeria on his fragile frame. I have written several critical columns about Tinubu. One of them, just a twoparagraph piece, ‘Tinubu should watch it’ elicited an angry response from my friend Sunday Dare (until a few days ago the Minister of Sports and Youth Development XQGHU %XKDUL ZKR ZDV WKHQ 7LQXEX·V VSRNHVPDQ %XW , DP RQH RI WKRVH ZKR believe that there are positives from Tinubu’s stewardship in Lagos that would serve us in Nigeria. What critics often ignore is that we are talking about a huge population cramped into a small space (Niger State is more than 21 times the size of Lagos State in landmass). I crave the indulgence of readers to take a few excerpts from what I wrote in November 2015: “I am quite aware of the sundry allegations that have for years dogged tax administration in Lagos, especially regarding who the actual EHQHÀFLDULHV DUH DV ZHOO DV RWKHU TXHVWLRQV WKDW border on transparency and accountability in WKH PDQDJHPHQW RI WKH VWDWH·V ÀQDQFHV 7KRVH are important issues that would have to be addressed. Notwithstanding, in terms of the primacy of ideas for modern governance, Lagos remains the model by which Nigeria can work and due credit must be given to Tinubu as the pioneer in that direction.

“When people complain about Lagos, it is because they have not paid attention to its huge population, the enormous challenges and what is no more than meagre resources, even with all the internally generated revenues. The question really is how the situation would have been if Lagos was, like other states, dependent on oil revenues. One fact most people also ignore is that Lagos, according to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode FRQWULEXWHV VLJQLÀFDQWO\ WR WKH IHGHUDO SXUVH with over 65 percent of Nigeria’s non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 60 percent of value-added manufacturing.

“In his appointments, Tinubu went for talents. For the record, Tinubu’s commissioners included Yemi Osinbajo, 6$1 IRUPHU YLFH SUHVLGHQW 2ODZDOH (GXQ ZKR KDG ZRUNHG LQ WKH :DOO 6WUHHW ÀUPV RI /HKPDQ %URWKHUV DQG &KDVH 0DQKDWWDQ Capital Markets Corporation in New York DQG WKH :RUOG %DQN ,)& LQ :DVKLQJWRQ '& 2OD\HPL &DUGRVR ZKR VWDUWHG KLV FDUHHU LQ DW &LWLEDQN UHQRZQHG DUFKLWHFW Mr. Lanre Towry-Coker and several other accomplished professionals like Leke Pitan, %HQ $NDEXH]H 7XQML %HOOR DQG 2ODGHOH Alake.

“The Lagos model has its own contradictions that would have to be resolved in the overall interest of the people of the state and that of the actors themselves. %XW LI 1LJHULD LV HYHU WR GHYHORS DQ HFRQRP\ that is less dependent on oil rent, the Lagos model is the way to go. The success recorded LQ /DJRV XQGHU 7LQXEX DQG %DEDWXQGH Raji) Fashola especially owe largely to their very keen understanding of the immediate QHHGV RI WKH SHRSOH IUHH ÁRZ RI WUD΀F infrastructure that is tolerably acceptable, improved environmental sanitation and a reasonable level of security. They went ahead ÀUVW WR DGGUHVV WKHVH QHHGV LQ D GHPRQVWUDEOH and visible way before evolving taxation mechanisms. It would be recalled that as 7LQXEX VHW DERXW À[LQJ SRWKROHV RQ PDQ\ Lagos roads, there was always a signage that said, ‘YOUR TAX MONEY AT WORK’. The same went with most other public work projects.

“When the tax man eventually came calling, most people were able to see the relationship between the increased demand for taxation and the sense of responsibility of their government. This remains the clearest demonstration in recent Nigerian history of the dictum that dictates a correlation between taxation and representation….”

I wrote that eight years ago when I had no idea that Tinubu would ever be president RI 1LJHULD %XW QRZ WKDW KH KDV DFKLHYHG KLV ‘lifelong ambition’, we wait to see what kind of president he would be. Yes, Lagos under Tinubu was not perfect but by putting the right people in the right places, enduring reforms were made in several sectors and the VWDWH LV QRZ WKH EHWWHU IRU LW %XW DOO IDFWRUV considered, Tinubu is a very lucky man. Despite what Nigerians know (and do not know) about him, he is now our President. Therefore, in moments of introspection, Tinubu must admit that Nigeria has given him so much. And to whom much is given, much is expected. I wish him all the best in his new assignment.

Adeniyi is Chairman, THISDAY Editorial Board

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