Tinubu: The visionary leading renaissance of Africa’s troubled giant

BY SEGUN TOMORI

“Some believe there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills – against misery, against ignorance, or injustice and violence. Yet many of the world’s great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man – Robert F. Kennedy.

Whilst it is customary to assess newly inaugurated Presidents on their first 100 days in office, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, racing against time, makes that timeframe a bit longer than usual. Already rhetorically tagged “Baba Go Fast” by Reuters, an influential UK based news agency, President Tinubu, in 6 weeks, has moved swiftly to implement a rash of reforms. From the economy to security to forex to tax reforms to foreign policy and most recently agriculture, Tinubu has stunned sceptics on account of fast-paced decisive actions, ability to effectively communicate with citizens through engagements with critical segments of the populace, hands-on approach in tackling challenges as they emerge whilst combining these rigours with political sagacity – manifestly seen in the triumph of the ruling party candidates as National Assembly principal officers in the keenly contested leadership elections.

It is still a mystery to most Nigerians how Tinubu has been able to avert labour unrest after the now famous “Subsidy is gone” phrase during his inaugural address triggered an almost immediate 300% hike in fuel price. For several decades, administration after administration have grappled with issues relating to fuel subsidy, unable to rally popular support for its removal, even though the consensus has been it is a disincentive to private sector investment in the downstream sector. President Tinubu, instead of back tracking stuck to his guns, employed high-level diplomacy to directly engage labour unions, royal fathers, Governors, and other critical members of the society to explain the imperative of his action. He followed up with constituting a tripartite committee to engage labour, hinting about the prospect of a new minimum wage and charging the National Economic Council (NEC) – a body made up of 36 State Governors, led by the Vice-President to come up with holistic interventions that will mitigate the adverse effect of the subsidy removal.

Thus far, despite the temporary hardship being faced, the President has been able to build consensus around subsidy removal, Nigerians seem to have resolved to trust their new president – he actually earned it! Unlike his taciturn predecessor, who was largely a recluse, Tinubu has turned out to be a direct opposite. He seems to have adopted the biblical verse, Eccl. 8:4, “ Where the word of a King is, there is power”. He has mastered the art of persuasive communication from the heart – mostly shunning written speeches and teleprompters, that you can literarily feel his sincerity and passion. President Tinubu has deployed his “word” convincingly that even opposition elements are now getting mesmerized.

It is, therefore, no wonder that a Labour Party Federal lawmaker representing an Abia State constituency, Hon. Amobi Ogah hugged the headlines when he described the day he met the president as “the best day of my life. Seeing my president talking, I didn’t know this man is so intelligent, this man is so prepared to serve this country”. it is not all talks and no action. Palliatives for the poorest and the most vulnerable that will reach 12m households are already in the offing. Other initiatives are expected to follow.

Another “big elephant in the room” as the president calls it, that has haemorrhaged Nigeria’s economy is multiple exchange rates, which the president has tackled with the unification of exchange rates. This has spurred a 15-year all-time spike in the Nigerian stock market All-Share index, which has excited the markets and foreign investors. But it is not yet uhuru.

The naira has been on a free fall over the past few days. More needs to be done to stabilize the Nigerian currency. Focus should be on boosting the real sector of the economy through investor-friendly policies, creating a conducive atmosphere for investments to thrive – tackling insecurity and unstable power supply alongside dismantling bottlenecks hampering ease of doing business like multiple taxation and the likes. We also need to urgently move from an import/consumption economy to an export/production one. Fast-tracking the development of major and minor industrial hubs in each of the six geo-political zones based on their area of comparative advantage – a major plank of the President’s campaign promise – will also suffice.

Tinubu’s recent actions suggest he has taken initial steps, using one stone to kill two birds – alleviate the plight of businesses and give some respite to the populace through Executive Orders which suspended “Green Tax”- 10% tax on single use plastics and excise duties on some categories of imported vehicles. A pro-market holistic reform of tax laws and fiscal policy is also in the offing with the constitution of a Presidential Committee on tax reforms and fiscal policy, headed by renowned Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) Africa tax leader, Taiwo Oyedele.

President Tinubu understands the nexus between security and economic prosperity. This came to the fore as one of his first acts as president was to read the riot act to security agencies – the era of inter-agency rivalry is over! He followed up with an on-the-spot assessment of facilities at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) that also houses the National Counter-Terrorism Unit. Not a few analysts have asserted that the composition of service chiefs should reflect Federal Character. The briefing a president receives on security issues should be varied in perspectives, worldviews, and backgrounds, especially in a multicultural country like Nigeria.

This fact doesn’t seem lost on the president as the newly appointed service chiefs have representatives from five out of the nation’s six geo-political zones. The new Inspector-General (IG) of Police recently hinted about the establishment of a specially trained and equipped 40,000 elite Special Intervention Squad (SIS) that will be deployed to fight organized crime across the country. In line with the “Renewed Hope” manifesto, a major overhaul of our security architecture that will include the decentralization of the Police force and revitalization of forest guards, amongst others, is also anticipated

With the recent signing of the 2023 Electricity Bill into law, the coast is clear for states, companies, and individuals to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity. By the provisions of the new electricity act, states would also be able to issue licenses to private investors who have the ability to operate mini grids and power plants within the state. In essence, the era of the obsolete national grid holding the nation to ransom is coming to an end. Perhaps, the student loan bill which was also signed into law that makes provision for funding the tertiary education of indigent students, after which they pay back when employed is a fulfilment of Tinubu’s campaign promise which featured prominently in the “Renewed Hope ” manifesto.

In his 48 days in office, Tinubu’s most landmark action that has seemingly been under-reported is the historic declaration of State of Emergency on Food Security. The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) put food inflation rate for May 2023 at a whooping 24.82%. Citizens already groaning under the yoke of skyrocketing food prices amidst depreciating purchasing power will soon heave a sigh of relief if the Presidential Emergency plan is faithfully implemented. Highlights include immediate release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households; 500,000 hectares of land to be cultivated for mechanized farming; all year-round food production instead of seasonal farming; establishment of National Commodity Board to review prices of foodstuff, ensure affordability whilst maintaining a strategic food reserve; Inclusion of food security and water availability in the purview of the National Security Council; 5 to 10 m new jobs to be created in the process amongst others. Aside from ensuring Nigeria achieves self-sufficiency in food production, the President’s plan has also factored strengthening exports of our farm produce, which, apart from generating the needed forex, will also help to stabilize the naira.

Asides giant strides on the home front, Tinubu’s voice reverberated around the world with his stern, business-like speech on assumption of office as the new Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) chairman. Tasking leaders of the sub-region and world leaders on the sanctity of democracy, Tinubu declared the era of incessant coup d’état in the sub-region is over. “ We will not allow coup after coup in West-African sub-region. We will take this up seriously with African Union and extend ourselves to European Union, Britain, and America. Democracy is very tough to manage, but it is the best form of governance. We equipped our military to defend our nations’ sovereignty, not to turn guns on legitimate governments. We must bite back. We can’t sit as toothless bulldogs in ECOWAS”, Tinubu thundered! The President also seized the occasion to assert that Nigeria is back to take its position in the comity of nations as the giant of Africa, promising to work in collaboration with other heads of state for economic integration of the West-African sub-region.

If indeed “The morning shows the day”, like the ancient adage would say, President Bola Tinubu has hit it off with a spectacular start. His agility, hands-on approach, and even communication skills have left detractors gaping. A prominent activist in the major opposition party recently accused the President of suddenly possessing the oratory of “Queen’s English” on assumption of office whilst sounding incoherent during the campaigns, whatever that means.

But more importantly, we have seen the power of vision and how the vision of one man can lead a nation in the right direction. While we wait with bated breath for the constitution of his cabinet which will assist to sustain the momentum and even surpass it, if he gets it right, we can say for now that Asiwaju Tinubu has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he has “the vision, the competence, and the capacity, to rule”!

Tomori is the Executive Director (Communications) Redpole Media, member of the Strategic Communications Directorate, APC-PCC 2023. SMS only: +234 806 267 2869.