Tinubu and Arewa House

Strategy is a gift. It is a plan of action to achieve a long-term or overall aim. This was what led to the emergence of President Bola Tinubu. This is the alpha and omega of the Tinubu phenomena. I recall some time ago, at the church service to usher in the Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidency, Senator Remi Tinubu, the first lady, made a statement that went unnoticed.

She said, “The secret behind my husband is that there is nothing he cannot give. He listens and does not hold grudges against people. These were instructive words that somewhat explain the confidence of the president.

This piece resulted from an experience in 2021 when I visited Arewa House, the Centre for Research and Historical Documentations under Ahmadu Bello University. As a researcher, Arewa House provided materials that aided my research work. It is a center with a rich library where the history of Northern Nigeria is well documented. It was a lifesaver when it mattered most.

I will share an example. I was researching the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State in the Boko Haram insurgency. I needed access to a rich historical book by Louis Brenner, Emeritus Professor of the History of Religion in Africa. He has published extensively on the history of Islam and Muslim societies in West Africa, emphasizing the dynamics and transmission of Muslim thought and ideas and on Sufism.

Brenner’s work, “The Shehus of Kukawa: a History of the al-Kanemi Dynasty of Bornu,” focused on the nineteenth-century history of a Muslim kingdom in northern Nigeria. I searched in vain for a copy of the book. The late Prof CCC Osakwe, of blessed memory, was my supervisor.

I recall his spirited efforts to get me a copy of the book. But it was unavailable. I stumbled on the email address of Prof Loius Brenner. In a jiffy, I sent an email. I thought luck smiled on me when he responded.

“Thank you for your inquiry about The Shehus of Kukawa. Unfortunately, the book has long been out of print and is very difficult to find, and I have only one copy myself. I gave my last extra copy to someone visiting London from the University of Maiduguri. I assume there must be other copies in university libraries in Nigeria – and elsewhere. Where are you located? I want to be able to help you with this, but I don’t see that I can. My apologies for this. Anyway, I hope your research goes well.”

Guess what? I got an old copy at Arewa House. That is not the catch. The catch is that as a registered member of Arewa House, I was a constant visitor to the library. But on this day, I thought I missed my way. The library at Arewa House in Kaduna has been renovated and upgraded.

The giveaway at the entrance was a plague that read thus: “The Arewa House Library was upgraded and commissioned by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the 13th of July, 2021.”. I learned it took a year for the library complex to be upgraded. I was dazed. I wondered. What was the motive behind it? Why the Arewa House Library? Many thoughts ran through my mind. But it was much later that I realized it was a strategic move.

A few facts about Arewa House would suffice: Arewa House is one of the most critical institutions holding Arabic manuscripts documenting the rich intellectual heritage of the West African savanna. It served as the secretariat of the Northern Province and the official residence of the Premier of Northern Nigeria.

While others were in slumber, President Bola Tinubu was actively working and expanding his frontiers. The Arewa House project is just one out of the numerous across the country. I can bet that President Bola Tinubu did more that were not in the public domain. That was a strategy at work. 2020 or 2021 wasn’t an election year.

The dividends of these strategies manifested in 2022, at the APC primary election and the presidential election. The famous phrase “Emi lokan” gained momentum. Some interpreted it negatively. But it was a strategy, and it worked. How did it work? For seed time and harvest time shall not seize.

While others were sleeping, he was awake. He reached out. He made statements and created indelible impressions across the country. In 2022, it was payback time. Nothing was going to stop him. That explains the arrogance that came with the phrase.

Strategy generally involves setting goals, determining actions to achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. He is the master of this art. Know this and know peace.

The Arewa House example is like a drop in the ocean. It goes a long way to explain why President Bola Tinubu seems invincible. He does not have supernatural powers. He is human. But he thinks ahead. He has an intelligent mindset. Intelligence can grow due to effort and hard work. There is no doubt that President Bola Tunibu is a hard worker. You don’t have to like him or his political affiliations. Just respect him. For the first time, we have a strategist as president. I stand to be corrected.

Ocheja, a military historian and doctoral researcher, can be reached via [email protected]