DTaj: I suggested earlier that someone should commission a study on the man’s political leadership.
One does not necessarily have to like him, but the following is true about him:
1.He effectively transited from being a Board room professional (he was Treasurer at Mobil Nigeria for almost 10 years, having worked earlier in accounting firms in the US, after obtaining CPA qualification and a Bachelor’s degree Business Administration from Chicago State University, Illinois in 1979, to a street-wise politician on the backdrop of his election as a Lagos Senator, his position as the powerful Chairman of Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Appropriation and Currency, and one of the arrow-heads and founders of the main party to beat at the time -SDP, the other being NRC; his role in the June 12 struggle, closeness to MKO, and one of the main financiers of NADECO, the powerful movement of patriotic Nigerians that effectively led to the democracy we’ve had since 1999.
2.He knows how to attract, and obtain near absolute loyalty of brilliant professionals; the list is endless:
Dele Alake (Ekiti indigene, brilliant journalist of the Concord fame who became his Commissioner of Information & Strategy)
Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti indigene, a former US-based lawyer, now House of Rep. member who was his Commissioner of Information & Strategy too)
Yemi Cardoso (Lagos indigene, Tinubu’s former Commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget, sound professional, Bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Aston University UK, Masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University; ex top Executive at Chase and Citibank, and now Chairman of Citibank)
Wale Edun (Lagos indigene, Tinubu’s former Commissioner of Finance, sound professional, co-founder of a top-rated investment and advisory firm in Lagos, and well sought speaker at company events)
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (Ogun indigene, SAN, author, Tinubu’s Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice)
Prof. Kunle Lawal (Lagos indigene, author, researcher, renowned History scholar, Tinubu’s Commissioner for Education)
Mr. Fola Arthur–Worrey (Lagos indigene, Solicitor General of Lagos under Tinubu, and later Tinubu’s Commissioner for Lands, respected legal practitioner)
Senator Oloruninmbe Mamora (former Speaker of Lagos House of Assembly, brilliant member of the past Senate, owner of a popular hospital)
Dr. Leke Pitan (Lagos indigene, Tinubu’s Commissioner for Health and later Education, well regarded Doctor in the medical circle)
Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi (Oyo indigene, PhD holder in International Monetary Economics, ex Ife lecturer, ex banker, cerebral consultant, Tinubu’s Commissioner for Finnace)
Otunba Akin Doherty (Lagos indigene, pioneer Commissioner for Science and Technology and later Commissioner of Finance under Tinubu, is a forensic auditor)
Dr. Muiz Banire (Lagos indigene, Unilag Law lecturer, PhD holder, Tinubu’s Commissioner for Transport, now CAN National Legal Adviser)
Dr. Lanre Towry-Coker (Lagos indigene, Tinubu’s Commissioner for Housing, PhD holder, an Associate of the UK Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, well-respected, nationally acclaimed architecture guru)
Mr. Tunji Bello (Lagos indigene, Tinubu’s Commissioner for Environment, respected journalist, was the Chairman of the Editorial Board of ThisDay newspapers)
Prof. Idowu Sobowale (Lagos indigene, Tinubu’s Commissioner for Education, pioneer Dean of Communications Faculty at LASU, well-regarded in the academia)
The 6 ACN Governors:
Fashola, SAN (nothing to be added about him, he is well known!)
Ajimobi (former MD/CEO of foremost oil company, National Oil and Chemical Marketing Company, a subsidiary of Shell, having spent 26 years in the oil sector, with multiple degrees from US universities- B.Sc. and MBA)
Fayemi (former Director of the Centre for Democracy & Development, Visiting Professor in the African Studies Programme at Northwestern University, Evanston, USA, University of London Ph.D. holder and well-known activist, brilliant public speaker)
Amosun (Chartered Accountant, FCA since 1996, co-owner of an accountancy firm, Ibikunle Amosun & Co. which he co-founded in 1990, MA International Finance, University of Westminster, Senator)
Aregbesola (Chartered Engineer, Tinubu’s former Commissioner of Works and Infrastructure, one of his most impactful Commissioners, known activist)
Oshiomhole (nothing to be said about him too, he is well known!)
3.His success at defeating OBJ to his own devious game before, during, and after the 2003 election was a master-stroke so much that his fellow AD Governors of the 1999-2003 era are the ones following him all about now and he acts as their Leader!
4.He seems to have a way of making and keeping friends across all parties…I read the statements from Kashim Imam (OBJ boy and current PDP Board of Trustees member) during Tinubu’s recent 61st birthday. He praised Tinubu to high heavens (even to the detriment of his own party, PDP!). Despite his spat with Atiku after the failed Presidential bid, they remain friends; even President Jonathan issued a congratulatory message to him during his birthday last week.
Fashola’s current Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Wale Ahmed, a medical Doctor turned politician, was the immediate past Lagos PDP Publicity Secretary and he was a very loud and extreme critic of Tinubu at the time. When Tinubu attracted Demola Seriki, pioneer PDP member, former Vice Chairman of PDP Lagos, former Minister of State Interior, former Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources, former Minister of State for Defence, under a PDP Government of Yar’Adua, shortly before the 2011 elections to ACN, he gave him a Commissioner slot and Seriki’s well-known acolyte in Lagos PDP, Dr. Wale Ahmed is Commissioner today under the ACN.
5.He is the typical Nigerian politician, he hammers PDP and other opposing parties during the day, using his foot soldiers, but he remains friends with the same people, who will protect his interest now or in the future!
6.He knows how to distribute patronage across party lines, throughout Nigeria. It showed clearly when the son of Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Tinubu’s ally (who was the Secretary of Lands in Lagos until he became a Senator) got married. Virtually every politician with any clout worth the name was present at the wedding, including PDP, ANPP, APGA bigwigs! And this happened before Ashafa became a Senator… 7.Again, he scored so many firsts as Governor of Lagos that other states in Nigeria have copied and/or copying. The list is endless: LASTMA, LASEMA, LASEPA, LAWMA, street sweeping, LASAA, State Government initiated IPP, e-TCC (electronic tax clearance certificate), expansion of the tax net, etc, etc… At the last count, some of the states that had copied these institutions and practices include Rivers, Cross-River, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Plateau, Delta, Kano, Kaduna. Recently, Plateau State officials, a PDP state, spent some months in Lagos State Internal Revenue Service to study the comprehensive tax system.
8.He is at home with the constituencies that actually vote and not necessarily ‘elites’ and people with access to good ICT like you and I who will run from the polling booth on account of rainfall or biting sun! That was why he is well regarded by the transport unions NURTW, RTEAN, market leaders, artisans, etc, and they take their internal misgivings to him to solve. And for someone coming from the professional background he has, that is telling…
9.He has succeeded in shielding his immediate family (except the wife who is a Senator) from public scrutiny and media harassment.
10.Aside from South-West and Edo state, his party, ACN, actually has elected members in all the other five Zones of Nigeria, as councilors, Local government Chairmen, House of Reps members, Senators, Houses of Assembly members, etc. In fact, it is second only to PDP, the ruling party, in having elected members in every Zone in Nigeria. Some of these people include: House of Reps- Ekpeyong Etim (Akwa-Ibom), Ananiya Francis (Adamawa), Ganama Kurage (Adamawa), Charles Chukwendu Odedo (Anambra), Benjamin Aboko (Benue), John Dyegh (Benue), Matthew Omegara (Imo), Sunday Steve Karimu (Kogi), Idris Ahmed (Plateau).
Senate: George Akume (Benue), Chris Ngige (Anambra).
11.His party’s (ACN’s) National Officers actually reflect the entire country! Check the list:
Chief Bisi Akande National Chairman Osun Mr. Boss Mustapha Dep. National Chairman Adamawa Senator Lawal Shuaibu National Secretary Zamfara Alh. Kalli Al-Gazali Nat. Vice Chairman - North East Borno Capt. Joseph Din Nat. Vice Chairman – North Central Plateau Rabia H.A. Eshak Nat. Vice Chairman – North West Jigawa Dr. Chudi Nwike Nat. Vice Chairman- South East Anambra Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu Nat. Vice Chairman – South South Edo Sen. Kolawole James Olagunju Nat. Vice Chairman – South West Ekiti Barr. Amba Unanaowo Dep. National Secretary Akwa Ibom Alhaji Lai Mohammed Nat. Publicity Secretary Kwara Hauwa Shu’aibu Galma Dep. Nat. Publicity Secretary Kaduna Abubakar Inuwa Kari Nat. Organizing Secretary Gombe Barr. Tonia Adol-Awan Dep. Nat. Organizing Secretary Ebonyi Mr. Kenneth K. Kobani National Treasurer Rivers Samuel Durojaiye Dep. National Treasurer Ogun Mrs Helen Bendega National Auditor Benue Hon. Ngozika E. Ogbolu Dep. Nat. Auditor Delta Hajia Hafsat Moh’d Baba Nat. Woman Leader Kaduna Miriki O.V. Ebikibina Nat. Youth Leader Bayelsa Barr. Ndionyenma Nwankwo Nat. Financial Secretary Abia Umar Yusuf Garba Dep. Nat. Financial Secretary Kano Hon. Uche Onyeagocha Nat. Welfare Officer Imo Antibass El-Nathan Dep. Nat. Welfare Officer Taraba Dr. Muiz Banire Nat. Legal Adviser Lagos Barr. Abdullahi Haruna Dep. Nat. Legal Adviser Kogi
12.There is a legion of politicians and individuals who today, might have not reached the dizzy heights but for Tinubu (and God first, of course!). Such persons include Hon. Abike Dabiri (from NTA Network service straight to House of Reps), Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Muri Okunola brothers- Hakeem and Rasheed, Sen. Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Dr. Muiz Banire, etc. These guys, and many more, are very loyal to Tinubu!!!
Even Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, Lagos PDP chieftain, former Minister of Works under OBJ, who fought Tinubu so fiercely and mercilessly during Tinubu’s second term as Lagos Governor, using FERMA and thugs, said this about the man on February 2, 2013, in an interview with Punch newspaper, in a response to the question: “Now that you and Tinubu are out of government, have you come back as friends?”:
“We have never been enemies. We only disagreed on issues but we must give it to him, Tinubu is a good strategist and it is working for him even if you don’t like him. His strategy is worthy of studying. How was he able to discover a Fashola? He could have pushed for a normal politician and they were many in his cabinet then, about 12 of them, but he didn’t; he must be a cerebral person. If you don’t like him, it’s your business but me, I watch him. Damnnnn Didn’t know ACN was this strong o |