Akintola Benson Oke
“A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.”
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, writer, playwright, poet of the Renaissance period and father of modern political science.
If there was any doubt as to his earnestness and political astuteness, he put such doubts to rest in the 1990s when, in a most admirable fashion, his entry into the Lagos political landscape beautified it with a dazzling and colourful fresh paint of politicking. If any doubted that he means what he says and whether he has the courage of his own convictions, he banished such doubts when, between 1993 and 1999, he led the valiant struggle to dislodge the entrenched Nigerian military from Nigeria’s political space.
If any sneered at the possibility of him going beyond high-sounding political rhetoric to blazing the trail in effective governance, he disappointed such cynics when, as the Governor of Lagos State, he turned around the state’s fortunes, laid the foundations and drew the map that placed Lagos State on the path of excellence, which effort earned him the enduring moniker of ‘the Pathfinder.’ If any branded him as a man who simply wants a fiefdom in Lagos State or in western Nigeria, such a one ate the humble pie when, in a political masterstroke hitherto unseen in Nigeria, he reached out across gulfs and built bridges over schisms in 2014/2015 to build the most robust, most effective, and most enduring political alliance that dislodged the sixteen-year rule of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), thereby scoring a political and historical first on many fronts.
And if any doubted his staying power, his resilience, and his full mastery of the ethos and nuances of the political space in Nigeria, he forever dispelled such unbelief with his masterful leadership of the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and hundreds of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2019 general elections.
Born on March 29, 1952 and thus celebrating his 67th birthday today, here’s an ode to a political titan and historical colossus and my tributes to a primus inter pares.
Indeed, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu played key roles in Nigerian politics long before he became Governor of Lagos State. He was elected to the Senate from the Lagos West constituency with the highest votes in the country in the short-lived Third Republic. In the Senate, he was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance and Appropriations. In that capacity, he initiated a far-reaching probe of the finances of the National Assembly that set him at loggerheads with the legislative bureaucracy and the military regime at the helm of affairs at the time. Asiwaju was also at the forefront of Chief M.K.O. Abiola’s campaign for presidency in 1993. When the June 12, 1993 election, described as the freest and fairest in the country’s history was annulled, he emerged as one of the fiercest opponents of the annulment. As the arrowhead of the struggle to actualize Chief M.K.O. Abiola’s mandate, the military junta reached out to him severally to jump ship and come over to their side. He was offered juicy appointments and contracts to no avail. He refused to betray his principled commitment to the sanctity of a free and fair election.
Exasperated by Tinubu’s intransigence, the military viciously went after him. He was detained. His house was fire-bombed. He eventually had to flee the country for his dear life. His wife, now Senator Oluremi Tinubu and her children had to be smuggled out into exile. Tinubu, while in exile remained steadfast in his commitment to the pro-democracy struggle, making great personal and financial sacrifices towards this effort. A pseudo democrat would rather enjoy the transient benefits of economic and political power rather than risk his life fighting for truth and justice but not Tinubu who remained steadfast.
He started on the path of courage and earnestness early in life. In his youth, and with a heart brimming with unrelenting determination to achieve his dreams, he picked the gauntlet, battled the challenges of his rather traumatic and difficult youth with the type of courage only attributable to the lion-hearted and left Nigeria for the United States of America in 1975 in search of the proverbial Golden Fleece. On his arrival in the U.S. in 1975 and with the support of an ever-adoring mother, this courageous youth, faced with an unflinching zeal to succeed, took on such menial jobs as dishwashing, night-guard assignments and cab-driving to see himself through the initial difficulties of school at the Richard Daley College, Chicago, Illinois.
As proof of his brilliance from early in life, he made the Honours’ List of Richard Daley College. He subsequently transferred to the Chicago State University, Illinois, graduating with honours in 1979 and earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Accounting and Management). During his first year in Chicago State University, young Bola was given the rare privilege to partly teach other students of his Faculty remedial tutorial classes. Most of his colleagues and contemporaries at the university attributed their improved grades to his tutorial lectures. Throughout his undergraduate years, young Bola was on the Dean’s List and was honoured with the Outstanding Student’s Award, the University Scholar’s Award and the Certificate of Merit in Accounting and Finance. He was also awarded the prestigious Sumna cum laude for scoring 3.54 out of possible 4.0 GP.
With his successful academic profile, young Bola contested and won his first political election as the President of the Accounting Society of the institution in his final year at the University. Upon graduation with honours and several awards, Bola Tinubu cut his professional teeth at the American-based Arthur Anderson, Deloitte Haskins and Sells (now called Deloitte Haskins and Touche) and GTE Service Corporation – the largest Communication and Utility Company in the United States of America.
Meanwhile, at Deloitte Haskins and Sells, the young and professional Bola broadened his experience by participating in the auditing and management consultancy services of General Motors, First National Bank of Chicago, Procter and Gamble, International Harvester, GEC and other Fortune 500 firms. On his return to Nigeria and with his international experience in Financial Management, young Bola joined Mobil Producing Nigeria as a Senior Auditor before he retired as the company’s Treasurer.
Dr. Benson Oke is Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions.