2023: Lessons From The #EndSARS And Tinubu’s Presidential Ambition By Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah

The months left for the 2023 presidential elections can be counted on our fingertips, in no time Nigerians would take to the polls to elect its next president to succeed HE Muhammadu Buhari. The political parties have all presented their presidential candidates which now puts the ball squarely in the court of the electorates which happens to be the people.

If we must go by precedent, there will be a slew of conspiracy theories circulating for and against presidential candidates across the major political parties. These theories will be coordinated by numerous interest groups, all with the goal of either promoting their chosen candidate or demonizing their opponents.

As expected the proponents of #Endsars palaver at Lekki Toll Gate have resumed their shenanigans to implicate Tinubu with the Lekki Toll Gate shooting of October 20th 2020, their aim is to once again raise sentiment against the presidential ambition of  Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who happens to be the leading presidential candidate amongst the political parties.

Following the tragic incident at the Lekki Toll Gate that fateful night, evil minds instigated purposeful provocation against the Jagaban, resulting in the public destruction of properties in Lagos, mostly in the interests of Bola Tinubu and the Lagos State Government. The sad reality was a premeditated attempt to make Tinubu appear to be the leader of the Army Troop that ordered fire on the defenseless demonstrators.

Since the public destruction of properties in Lagos, the Lagos State Government has done its best to recover in record time. We all witnessed the heinous burning of BRT buses and other public assets owned by the Lagos State Government.

Tinubu stepped down as Governor of Lagos State in 2007 and has not held any public office since. The military generals who wrecked Nigeria and drove the country to its knees were not targeted, and neither were the party chairmen of the two political parties that have ruled the country since 1999.

Aren’t individuals in charge of delivering electricity to Nigerians? How many of them were targeted even though they kept us in the dark all the time? Tinubu’s presidential aspirations has created a big issue for oppositional forces, and if uncontrolled, could result in a disastrous twist in our democracy.

To God be the glory, the terrible incident has been put behind us, with both the Jagaban and the Lagos State government reclaiming some lost ground as a result of the unfortunate incident.

Now some  miscreants have since began posting multiple articles advising Nigerians that when we go to vote, we should remember the perpetrators of the #Endsars atrocity , as though human beings were sacrificed to unknown gods on that precise night. Unfortunately, their goal is to further incriminate Tinubu in their nefarious deeds.

This same school of thought is promoting the idea that a reenactment of the #Endsars protest would result in the APC’s total disgrace at the national polls; these people believe that the change would be spontaneous, similar to the #Endsars protest, which was unfortunately hijacked by hungry miscreants.

What sparked the #Endsars uprising in the first place? The outpouring of rage, which subsequently metamorphosed into riots across various Southern States, was sparked by police violence against innocent residents and certain scammers known as Yahoo Yahoo boys.

Every difficulty, failure, and heartbreak, as I constantly say, contains the seed of an equal or larger benefit. The #Endsars protest highlighted the cruelty of some of our state governments toward the people; we all saw how some states kept palliatives worth hundreds of millions from the masses during the Covid-19 lockdown. Palliatives that serves no personal purposes to these leaders were nonetheless being hoarded from the same people that the government claims to serve.

If the State Governments that are meant to be closer to the grassroots can hide palliatives worth billions from its citizens then we should as a matter of urgency look inwards and discover the traitors amongst us.

Every four years, we are faced with the reality of changing the previous years of misery and want by electing trustworthy leaders to drive the country’s leadership for the next four years. What have we learned from the #Endsars protest and how can we apply what we’ve learned in the future?

Look at how Lagos State was massively targeted in order to bring the state to its knees, and yet Lagos never showed any signs of being constrained by the massive damage done by the #Endsars protest, which was hijacked by hoodlums and political sentiments as played by forces opposed to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s rising profile.

When it comes to excellence, Lagos State demonstrated its leadership by overcoming the destruction in a matter of weeks with little economic impact on Lagosians; this demonstrates purposeful leadership on the part of the Lagos State Government.

How many states can boast that if they have been through such a traumatic incident, they will be able to recover in such a little time?

The #Endsars problem is a daily occurrence in Nigeria that can be reduced to a bare minimum by electing a responsive administration in power. Lagos which was the hub of the crisis, is at the vanguard of purposeful growth in comparison to other states in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Tinubu is a First Class Accountant who created a career in one of the world’s largest multinationals and whose legacies in Lagos are evident to the blind. Unlike some, you do not need to Google Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s accomplishments. He’s a proven performer with a long list of accomplishments to his name.

Tinubu is only richer politically than them , which he rightfully deserves because he worked hard for it; he is not spiteful, he is focused, he is developmental, he listens to his followers, he respects his leaders, and he discovers and encourages talents.

Politics is like a mathematical equation; you can’t shout and bully your way through it until you obtain a solution, and you can’t get a math solution on Google or YouTube. Before you can achieve the solution, you must first find the proper formula and practice it over and over.

Tinubu is a politician with empathy for the people, which is why his popularity crosses all regions. Tinubu is not going out there to steal, but to build a reputation for himself. And to leave a lasting impression is to do the right thing.
“Oruko rere san ju wura ati fadaka lo,” as the Yoruba’s would say. “A good name is better than gold and silver,” the saying goes.

Tinubu is not an enemy of the people, but a genuine friend, and he would reproduce the amazing accomplishments in Lagos if he were in charge of the nation’s affairs.

My name is Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah and I am the Principal / CEO of Bush Radio Academy.