Every so often, these questions are asked: Do nations really get the kind of leaders they deserve? Why do citizens of some countries suffer while their leaders live in obscene luxury? Why has good leadership moved other nations forward, but Nigerian political leaders have become a huge disappointment? Is Nigeria jinxed or is it in our stars? These questions are some of the front-burner political issues that are being asked every single day. They are also critical questions that historians are still working overtime trying to find answers to. There are many books on the power of Leadership, but I very much fancy, “No Bullsh!t Leadership”, by Martin G. Moore, former CEO of CS Energy, an Australian-based electricity generating company.
Moore didn’t complain about inheriting a massive debt from his predecessor. He grew the company’s earnings from $17 million to $441 million, a compound annual growth rate of 125 percent. According to him, a leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go but ought to be. Moore says strong leadership is defined by the value it delivers and how a leader is able to maximize the use of resources entrusted to him. Steve Jobs, the iconic American businessman, inventor, and co-founder of Apple, who left a lasting impact with many vital lessons on success, put the issue of leadership perhaps more succinctly. For him, spotting someone with good leadership comes down to one word: trust.
As Gerald R. Ford(36th U.S.President said, “trust is about leveling with the people. It’s not being all things to all people but being the same thing to all people”. Can you, in all honesty, say that the present administration can be trusted? One of the fundamental reasons for leadership failure in Nigeria is lack of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Sadly, it has become a recurring decimal in our political history. But rarely have we had this level of leadership failure as we do now. That’s why every successive administration appears worse than the one it replaced. Simply put, every government is reflective of the values, priorities and active engagement of its citizens through their actions and inactions in the political process. However, the difference between Nigeria’s democracy and elsewhere, is that ordinary Nigerians are not responsible for the type of governments we have had over the years. The absence of good leadership cannot lead to any legacy worth talking about. Truth is, leaders who have made their countries great, often see a direct link between politics and service. They are passionately motivated by no concern or special privileges for themselves.
Our political leaders don’t see public service as ultimate sacrifice, or a lifetime opportunity to serve their country. For them, it’s an entitlement to enrich themselves, their family members and business associates. For great leaders, service means good governance, an inclusive definition of patriotism of loving one’s country and serving the people selflessly. Again, sad enough, that ‘golden’ era seems far gone now in Nigeria. Today, there is a near absence of politics of ideals, principles or conscience among our politicians. Conscience has since taken a flight. That’s why, in 15 months of his presidency, Tinubu has not proved to be a presidential-level talent. No moment of good performance that is principled and presidential. Almost every step his administration has made has turned into a misstep.
His policies have made millions of Nigerians orphans and impoverished tons of millions. Hundreds of people are dying every day. Cost of living is unaffordable. No silver lining in the last 15 months. To borrow the words of elder statesman and legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola(SAN), Tinubu’s policies ‘are turning Nigerians into beggars with crumbs of palliatives’. Also, Ola Makinwa, a renowned professor of Dramatic Arts and a doyen of the film industry, in a recent interview with TheNiche, a respected online newspaper, described most of the government’s policies an “eyesore”. These may look like unkind comments, but that’s the reality of Nigeria’s situation today. It draws a sharp contrast with what leadership ought not to be.
Is there any hope renewed? It may not be compared yet to what happened during the infamous military regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha, but the situation is really grim, making some critics to conclude that Tinubu administration is insensitive to human suffering. Former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido may not be far from the truth when he said last week, that Tinubu has become an “emperor” and may be difficult to dislodge in 2027. For me, one consoling fact is that politics is not given to simple theorising. In other words, nobody can predict tomorrow with certainty. Haven’t you heard the allegation swirling around that President Tinubu has succeeded in making his family, cronies and business associates super-rich, far beyond their wildest dreams. The angry reactions are still coming. If you think these criticisms have put the president’s family in a box, they are not struggling to break out. They seem not perturbed. Two weeks ago, former Vice President Atiku Abubukar lobbed a barrage of jibes against the President, alleging that he(Tinubu) has cornered the resources of the country to help himself, his son, nephew and friends.
With words dripping with anger, Atiku landed a highlight-reel blow on the President. He said, “just as Alpha Beta, Primero and others that act as Tinubu’s proxies in Lagos, managing critical sectors and generating revenue for him and his family, he has begun to replicate this at the federal level”. Former vice president went a step further in his swipes, saying, “the future of Nigerians has been effectively mortgaged to President and his family. “Even after Tinubu leaves office, it will be near- impossible to break these shackles”, Was Atiku crying wolf? Just take a look at some of the lavish spendings the President and his family are enjoying at the expense of Nigeria’s taxpayers’ money. These include a N150bn new presidential jet, N5bn for a presidential yacht, N1.5bn for official cars for the office of the First Lady, N995 million ‘Black Beast’ Armoured Escalade car exclusively for the President, and billions of naira alleged to have been approved for food and entertainment for the presidential villa this financial year.
If these allegations are indeed true, it’s nothing short of a crass and craze failure of leadership. That’s the point former governor of Cross River state, Donald Duke, and many other Nigerians are making the other day. Hear Mr Duke, to Tinubu, “there’s no glamour in saying your people are going through hard times. It’s a failure of your leadership… You can’t have kids who are hungry and you are living lavishly. Provide for them or do things you ought to have done. Buying a new aircraft or yacht is a failure”. Frank talk, isn’t it? Another vocal critic, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister for Education, spoke in similar vein last week. But will the President, his family and cronies listen? The presidency may soon come after them. In many democracies like America, Britain, Israel, Germany, Norway and France, the first family pays for some of their meals. The way the Tinubu administration is going, that’s certainly not how to govern a country. It’s how to run it aground. No wonder, during the presidential campaign, Tinubu called the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, “Mr Stingy”. Nigerians now know who is ‘Mr. Spendthrift’. Recall last year, the president’s wife, Remi, boasted, “our family does not need Nigeria’s wealth to survive”. Really?
Nigerians now know who is deceiving who. What a country! What a hypocrisy!. Atiku’s volley of attacks against the President needs a closer examination, because both men(Atiku and Tinubu) were once chummy friends. They know each much more than we know them. They know how to steamroll business deals. They also can smell sleazy deals even from far off. That is also part of anger been expressed over how the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) sold off its retail subsidiary to Oando Vitol Helios(OVH) Energy, in which the President’s nephew and business entrepreneur, Wale Tinubu is reported to have 49 percent stake. If you are not aware, OVH Energy marketing is now the owner and operator of the downstream assets of Oando. Experts in the oil and gas industry have described the deal as the one of “most ridiculous business acquisitions”.
You can now understand Atiku’s beef with the President. Just few days ago, Oando CEO, Mr Wale sealed $783 million acquisition of ENI, a subsidiary of Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC). Before OVH Energy was acquired by Oando, NNPCL was supposed to build on the existing successes of the firm and leverage on its extensive assets base and commercial capabilities. All of that is now to the benefit of Oando. By that ‘underhand’ acquisition, which NNPCL has denied , Atiku implies that Tinubu’s sole aim as president of Nigeria is to serve his only client(s), in this case – himself, his family members – and business associates. Its been like a revolving door, the more you open, the more startling revelations you will see that could make the mind squirm in shame.
One of the latest revelations contains leaked corporate documents . It involves weighty allegations that the president’s son, Oluwaseyi is a co-owner of an offshore company with Ronald, son of Gilbert Chagoury, the president’s billionaire Lebanese associate. The leaked documents are part of a blizzard of ongoing probe by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), an independent global network of 280 Investigative journalists. The company that Seyi is alleged to have a stake in, is said to have been incorporated in the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. That tiny island is known for its corporate anonymity and a huge veil of secrecy. The status of this company has recently come under a blanket of suspicion and scrutiny following the N15trn contract award to Hi-tech construction company, owned by the Chagourys to build a 700km Lagos-Calabar Highways, which some say, was done without official public bidding as required by law.
No doubt, the Chagourys have made a ‘name’ for themselves. And anywhere they have had business foothold, they have developed a kindred spirit with their business partners, a win-win situation for them. What does all this shady story leveled against the First Family and their associates tell us? From what we have seen from the president’s style of governance, few things have become very clear: first is that power reveals, meaning that when a leader has gotten the power he desperately wanted, then you can begin to see his true colours, what he had wanted to do with that power all along, and how he treats ordinary people. In all, President Tinubu has shown us how skillful he is in amassing and wielding power for personal gains. It’s not unkind to say that maybe, he sought presidential power not to accomplish real goals for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians, but to dominate and bend people to his will. Successful leaders don’t behave this way. Without a vision beyond one’s own selfish advancement, a leader could be paralyzed once that power has been acquired.
