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The Literature of leadership is filled with pieces of advice which leaders who ran aground in the office failed to heed. It starts with ignoring the yearnings of the people when they feel crushed by government’s high-handed policies. Second problem is when a leader surrounds himself with loyalists who tell him only what he wants to hear. How many times should we say this, that President Bola Tinubu is not the right man for the job. He is practising politics the wrong way. And, you may ask, why and how? He has failed to prove critics wrong that he can’t cope with the demands of the office.
We are nearing the end of yet another tough year under his turbulent presidency, and things are looking worse rather than better. The economy is yet to turn the corner. The people are groaning under his harsh economic policies, and he is blaming everyone else other than himself for creating hunger and poverty in the land. The year 2026 will go down as yet another year that the proponents of “Renewed Hope” failed to renew hope.
The Emir of Katsina Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman was spot-on last week, when he said that the so-called ‘Renewed Hope’ has become “Renewed hunger”. That’s a fitting description of the hole Tinubu government has dug for millions of Nigerians. As always, Tinubu likes living in denial. His flipflop policies have stretched Nigerians to their limits. Despair has supplanted hope. This is the worst government Nigeria is having in decades. President Tinubu is presiding over a government that cares only for his own family members and business associates.
As you reflect on the pains that this government has inflicted on you and your household, beware! 2027 may be much tougher than 2026, if President Tinubu gets re-elected. Any responsible, compassionate and listening government, should avoid worsening economic hardship on the people. But not this administration. It’s, therefore, not unkind to say that what Nigerians are going through in the past three and a half years approximates to the biblical story of King Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon.
As recorded in I Kings chapter 12 and 2 Chronicles 10, it is a classic account of how arrogance, hubris, and the rejection of the people’s legitimate grievances can fracture a nation overnight. As you are aware, Tinubu’s government has perfected plans to impose a 5% tax on petrol and diesel that may be implemented from January, 2026. Forget what the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele said, that the fuel tax wouldn’t automatically start in January until the “economy stabilises and the incomes of Nigerians significantly improved”. That’s a deception.
By this policy, Nigerians will pay N500 levy for every N10,000 spent on fossil fuel produced locally or imported. The government says it’s a component of the harmonised Tax Law, which the president signed in June this year. Across the country, small business owners decry the high cost of doing business. With fuel being very important to virtually every aspect of economic life in Nigeria, from transportation to powering businesses, the additional levy will push costs even higher for motorists, transporters, commuters and other businesses that depend on petrol and diesel.
All of this will have multiplier effects on cost of living. Many businesses will struggle to survive. For the government, the bottom line is to generate more revenue and spend as it wishes. For that purpose, Tinubu government has projected to raise N796 billion from the surcharge at the expense of the suffering masses. The question is: where is the N16trn reported to have been saved as a result of subsidy removal? Ordinarily, nothing is wrong with taxes. Government all over the world introduce taxes to fund essential public services like infrastructure, education, healthcare, roads and railways. These are crucial for a functioning society. But in Nigeria, the goal is to fund the expensive lifestyle of political office holders. That’s why he’s ignoring wise counsels to shelve the planned fuel tax. Just as Tinubu did on his inauguration day, May 29, 2023 with the infamous “subsidy is gone”, he is likely to announce the implementation of the fuel tax if he’s re-elected. That’s the kind of spirit that bewitched Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon.
Rehoboam’s story is something every political leader, especially President Tinubu, should learn hard lessons from. That was how the downfall of Rehoboam began. Recall that when Solomon died, his son Rehoboam, went to Shechem to be crowned King over Israel. Before accepting him as their king, the people, led by Jeroboam, came to him with a fair and direct plea: “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and heavy yoke he put on us and we will serve you”(I Kings12:4). Rehoboam asked for three days to think over their solemn request.
He sought two contrasting opinions: First, the Elders’ advice. These are men who served and advised his father Solomon to practice ‘servant leadership’. They told Rehoboam that if he spoke kindly to the people and lighten their load, they would be his loyal servants. Second, Rehoboam sought the opinion of his younger friends who grew up with him. They urged him to project a raw, unyielding power. They told him to reply the people this way: “My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions(I Kings 12:10-11).
Rehoboam roundly rejected the wisdom of the Elders and adopted the harsh advice of his peers.
There’s a strong parallel in Tinubu’s government with that of Rehoboam. As it happened to Rehoboam, the consequence was immediate; 10 out of the 12 tribes of Israel rebelled. They stoned the king’s labour chief, seceded, and formed a rival Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam, leaving Rehoboam with only Judan and Benjamin. History has a canny way of repeating itself if leaders fail to learn from history.
Rehoboam’s downfall offers several sharp warnings to Nigeria under the APC leadership. Democracy rests on a social contract. The desperation of a leader to hound political opponents like Peter Obi, and the coordinated attacks on members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC) across the states, especially in Ebonyi and Enugu, where a supporter of the party, Ifeanyi Christopher Nwolie was killed by political thugs recently, are warning signs of perhaps worse things to come.
President Tinubu has refused to condemn the attacks on opposition party members. He has refused to lighten the burden of the people and embrace good governance and public service. This could result in a breakdown of public trust and the social contract. The clouds are gathering in Nigeria. Under Tinubu presidency, there’s no longer freedom to make choices without intimidation. The lesson for every leader, especially in a democracy is to beware of the echo chamber of ‘yes men’, sycophants and peers who care more about ego and exhibiting raw power rather than the reality on ground.
Modern leaders who surround themselves with bad advisers, who tell them what they want to hear as Rehoboam did, are blind to public discontent. Another #EndSars may be in the offing if Tinubu goes ahead with the fuel tax policy.
Rehoboam thought that threatening scorpions made him strong. In reality, true strength in governance is the capacity to listen to the people, de-escalate and pursue genuine reforms. On the other hand, fragile leaders pursue and overcompensate with authoritarian threats, which often accelerate civil unrest. It always has political backlash. No one needs to remind anyone that Nigeria is at a breaking point right now. Like the Solomon’s golden era of infrastructure and prosperity financed by heavy taxation, Tinubu’s advisers are borrowing from the same pocketbook to justify plans to impose the fuel surcharge. Ignoring the citizens’ cry for relief is an invitation to political polarisation and fragmentation. It hurts. Bad policy choices often bring instability and inflict pains difficult to heal that external forces can exploit. Is President listening?
