Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu is no doubt a political asteroid. He blasts through every “obstacle-sphere”, leaving awe and daze in his wake.
Asiwaju, as he is famously called, was born on March 29, 1952 in Lagos. He had his early education in the state, before he went to the United States for higher education. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Chicago State University in 1979.
He had chalked up experience in the cloistered corporate world before he made a brave leap into arid terra firma of politics.
The Jagaban of Borgu – a title conferred on him by the late emir of the kingdom in Niger state – has even become a pop symbol. Yes, he has a “sexy” appeal.
His title “Jagaban” has been conscripted into popular parlance to mean “greatness and indomitability”.
A song so titled and done by YCee (That Omo Alhaji) accents this popular appeal.
Crafting a befitting tribute for this colossus is really an astronomic task. Yes, because he looms large on every stratus, and he is imponderable to sufficiently describe.
However, an attempt will be made to outline those specifics that have etched him on the minds of Nigerians as a political icon.
HE DARED OBASANJO AND “LIVED”
Tinubu, as a governor of Lagos state, was one of the few governors elected on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) who challenged former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he was at the acme of his “power and majesty”.
In 2003, Asiwaju created additional 37 local government councils to the existing 20 councils, but his action spluttered Obasanjo’s bile.
Obasanjo’s contention was that Tinubu’s creation of more local councils did not tread the constitutional route.
He, afterwards, withheld statutory funds for all the local councils in the state. Even when the supreme court declared Obasanjo’s action as illegal, he still refused to release the funds to the state.
In the face of this challenge, Tinubu trudge on -for four years – in developing the commercial centre of Nigeria. His achievements in the state endeared people of “consanguinal” states to him. Yes, “he dared Obasanjo and lived”.
Soon he became a rallying point for all the governors of south-western Nigeria.
A forgiving comrade, Jagaban has now put the old grudge where it belongs – in the past.
In March 2015, he attended Obasanjo’s 78th birthday lecture in Abeokuta, where he praised the former president for his wisdom.
“If I could tell you several events that occurred between the two of us in the interest of the nation, I would write an epistle but today is not for that. But how do you celebrate truly and honour a man who has kept you on your toes? Between Baba Olusegun Obasanjo and myself, what I can say is gratitude from me because you kept me on my toes,” he said.
HE PUT A NAIL IN PDP’S COFFIN
Tinubu, is perhaps, the most dreaded politician in the hierarchy of the “war-torn” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Since 1999 has he stood against the PDP behemoth matching it wit for wit, and guile for guile.
He had played a pivotal role in the existential expansion of the AD, which merged with the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats and a few splinter parties to become the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
And under his breath, the ACN had political control in five south-western states of Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Ekiti.
In February 6 2013, Asiwaju, a master strategist in “political merger”, hyphenated his party with two other ones – the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
The three parties became – the All Progressives Congress (APC). Tinubu sacrificed his personal ambition to give life to the party.
To this day, he holds no official position in the party or in the government despite his mammoth contributions to the deracination of the PDP.
The APC went on to win the 2015 presidential election, throwing the former ruling party into a quicksand.
Indubitably, Tinubu put a winning touch to the APC. Today, the party has control at the centre, in 22 states, and of the majority seats in the legislature.
Even President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged his contributions “to unseating an incumbent government”.
In a goodwill message on Tuesday, Buhari described him as a great leader.
“President Buhari joins all members of the APC, political and business associates of the Asiwaju of Lagos, his friends and family, in celebrating another milestone in the life of the great leader, whose foray into politics ushered in a better understanding of building consensus to achieve historical feats, like unseating an incumbent government,” a statement issued by Femi Adesina said.
A MASTER OF CONTROVERSIES
So many things have been said about Tinubu. He had been accused of dealing in drugs and doing time abroad. He had also been accused of corruption, and of stealing Lagos state government funds. But in all these, he sashayed through.
In 2007, he was brought before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for allegedly operating 16 foreign accounts while he was governor. But he was not found guilty.
In 2009, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) cleared him of allegations of corruption, money laundering and abuse of office in the sale of V-Mobile Network shares of 2004.
Jagaban is an enigma, and he will remain so even after we exit this quotidian plane.
He turned 65 on Wednesday.
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Happy birthday sir Jagaban of Borgu.