President Bola Tinubu likely has something in his Chicago State University records he isn’t proud of, for which he is stonewalling legal efforts by his one-time ally Atiku Abubakar, to have detail of his sojourn in the institution, in public space.
Proverbs 28:1, in part, says, “The righteous are as bold as a lion”. A Yoruba proverb supports it with, “eni ti o sa iboti ki beru ojo”, (only the guilty are afraid).
Considering how desperate the President is trying to ensure his academic file remains sealed, there are two broad possibilities that can be read into this extraordinary continuation of the Buhari-era certificate saga in Aso Rock.
The first and more probable, is that as a student, the Nigerian leader engaged in some acts, which if cross-examined by the Constitution he swore to uphold, will disqualify him, from further holding the office of the first citizen.
That would explain the President’s obvious flustering, throwing the kitchen sink at the overseas trouble, at least, to fend Abubakar off the records, until every ligation shadowing his election, is resolved, almost given, in his favour, by the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Once the election disputes are concluded, it would take Abubakar securing a disgruntled opponent that primaried Mr. Tinubu for the APC ticket, to secure the locus standi, to use whatever smoking gun from the US against the President at home. Then, there is the statue-barred shield, erected by the Court of Appeal, on the drug money forfeiture, which may be elasticized, to cover alleged crimes of the university years, from hurting the President. While a earth-shaking revelation will hurt the Tinubu brand, it may not, his election, as President.
The second probability is that the records, if and when released, could shatter the aura of brilliance, already crafted into the persona of the President, to aid his politics. The academic records may prove as a mere myth, the curated ingenuity of the President and claims of being an A-lister, from school. No doubt, being given away as olodo (unbright student) will be shameful, especially when one has been packaged as a luminescent brain from the cradle, but the bright side, after weathering the initial opprobrium, is the records showing how much the President has reinvented self from the olodo rabata of his university years. In practical politicking, with evident milestones and wins, that have turned his erstwhile contemporaries and even “leaders” to his boi-boi (trainees), Tinubu is an Emeritus Professor, even when he wins ugly, which is often, in his years in the game.
An older friend of mine who retired as a state director in ICPC, overseeing countless investigations around the country, particularly in Abuja and Southern part of the country, has a cliché; ‘everybody has a secret’. He should know, because he has had the privilege of shining probe klieg-light on supposed sacred places and assumed saintly personalities. During my active reportorial days, the only issue he had sharing secrets of public office holders and well-heeled private citizens in public businesses with me, was the worry I would always write exclusive reports on them. So, he had this style of starting on findings without concluding on conclusions. Then, he would round off with, if someone prays for you that your secrets would not blow open, you should say a strong amen, because everyone alive, has got one secret or the other.
On Thursday, the first son of the United States, Hunter Biden, was officially charged with federal felony that could see him do time. You want to hail a justice system that would be prosecuting the only surviving son of the sitting President of the country that deems itself, towering above the rest of humanity. Fair is fair, this rarity isn’t even close to any contemplation in any part of Africa, including Nigeria. Imagine Seyi, the beloved son of our President, being invited for ordinary questioning by any anti-graft agency when the head is holding his job at the pleasure of his Dad? That would be the day.
Though POTUS is also the appointing authority for heads of federal agencies, including the very powerful Attorney General, whose Department of Justice (DoJ) coordinates the justice sector, they still try to give their system an outlook of functionality and independence, though poll after poll, shows majority of Americans, continuously losing confidence in the system, deemed partial and broken. The rain of indictment on Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, now considered the most famous face alive by bookmakers, despite being at the touching distance of White House again and the initial widely-panned “sweetheart deal” framed by the DoJ to keep Hunter Biden out of jail, have further reinforced the convictions and optics, that the America justice system is Janus.
As President now for close to four months, I want to believe President Bola Tinubu has had greater intimacy with America’s diplomacy, beyond how he was feted as a prominent opposition leader and the national leader of the ruling party.
Then, despite his expansive political, regional and economic influences, he had no executive power, to speak and sign on behalf of the most populous black nation on the earth and one of the emerging markets for future global trade. I say emerging, because Nigeria’s population isn’t likely to slow down or recede. Cultural and religious beliefs would see to that. Any deliberate government policy to arrest the dangerous percentage of Nigeria’s population being 2.78% of humanity’s total, will likely be resisted as official incursion into private lives. The only thing I see, slowing down our raging population is pervasive hunger. A hungry woman/man is rarely libidinous. However, it would take an extremely wicked leader to weaponize hunger in persuading his people, to slow down on “fruitfulness and multiplication”.
But a beholden leader may have no choice, even when not wickedly. Recent revelations from America’s Disease Control Agency, proved the suspicions that narrative about COVID vaccines’ efficiency and side-effects, was manipulated, to favour what US wanted the rest of the world to buy. Countries, especially in Africa, were willy-nilly loaded with both drugs and skewed information. Any kind of resistance or vacillation, around Africa, was swiftly met with arsenalized pummeling by US mainstream media and donor agencies which survive on Washington’s handouts. Careers were wilfully destroyed to keep the messaging from America to the rest of the world, in shape and intact. Now, the truth is unraveling, but the rest of the world, is being distracted from the Fauci fraud.
America political bureaucracy thrives around the world, engaging in wheeling and dealing. Leaders, who stand in its way, including its own, like Donald Trump, the Washington outsider who disrupted the power equation, are swiftly moved against.
American dollar is at the heart of the economic battles Nigeria has been combating for decades. President Tinubu promised to put the country first, but most of his major policy pronouncements suggest worrying pandering to the West, notably America and France. The Niger coup, was a blatant pointer. For a famed political battler at home, the Nigerian leader is looking so captured abroad, always scheming photo ops with Biden and others.
If Tinubu is being accused of a god complex today, the fault is mainly with his supporters who revel in his demonstrable political courage for results. If such a fellow is now cringing in governance, it means there is a sword of Damocles hanging somewhere.
Like all mortals, everything points to the President hiding stuff from his exuberant years in US. But he can’t continue under the shadow of threats to have his whatever dossier released in episodic docuseries. He would have to come clean on the bad calls and poor judgements of yesteryears, for the cup to pass from him, once and for all.
In Luke 8:17, Jesus says there is nothing hidden that won’t eventually be exposed, anyway.
The President should remember he’s the leader of the sixth most populous country on earth. The brave die only once.
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