Presidential Sunshine: Inside The Oluremi/Bola Tinubu Partnership

By Keem Abdul

It is winter in France, as it is in much of the Northern Hemisphere. And these days, with the extreme weather patterns globally, and especially in temperate climes, the cold is even fiercer than usual.

By contrast, the reception Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR and his wife, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, OON, CON received at the Elysées Palace in Paris from French President Emanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte during the Nigerian President’s and First Lady’s official visit to France was very warm indeed.

But the chilly weather was not far from people’s minds.

The subject soon came up during the Nigerian President’s conversation with the press, when a reporter for Arise News, a leading Nigerian TV network, asked Tinubu how he was coping with the biting cold. Referring to his wife, the President replied, “I brought my own sunshine.”

Unbeknownst to many in his audience, the Nigerian leader had, In one single witty sentence, encapsulated the essence of the relationship he shares with his wife of over 36 years. It is an intimate yet public relationship that has seen the First Lady holding the fort during her husband’s often tumultuous odyssey in the murky waters of Nigerian politics (a journey that has seen him run the gamut of roles from a pro-democracy activist, an exile, a Senator, a Governor who metamorphosed into the most influential kingmaker in the country’s history, and now President) and the supportive role he, in turn, has played during his wife’s own political career, and especially her tenure as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Recall the heartfelt tribute the President penned to Mrs. Tinubu on the occasion of her 63rd birthday last year, and you get a sense of the strength of their union. Calling her ‘my trusted partner in every venture,’ Tinubu praised Oluremi for standing by him despite the “uncertainty of dangerous, but principled stands against tyranny.” He called her “the one special person who has consistently filled my days with joy and laughter over 36 amazing years…Today is a beautiful reminder of the journey we have embarked upon together… Many can not fully appreciate the sacrifices you made for us during that harrowing, dark era, but I do and always will. We have experienced adventure, love, and laughter. We have celebrated victories, and we have wrestled down the monster of defeat, and we have done all in an inextricable bond. Our bond has only grown stronger through thick and thin, and our love and commitment to each other has only deepened with time… Thank you for being the ever-present sunshine that brightens my darkest hours. Your kindness, your wisdom, and your inner and outer beauty continue to amaze me more each and every day…”

It is not every time that Mrs. Tinubu travels with the President on his journeys abroad – and there have been quite a few trips since he took office in May last year, as he seeks to entrench Nigeria’s existing business relationships with countries around the world, as well as build new partnerships, including with the international investor community. That she was on hand for this three-day visit to France speaks volumes.

Maybe it’s the French connection. The French are a famously romantic people, which makes them the ideal audience for Tinubu’s ‘sunshine’ comment regarding his wife.

More importantly, gender equity is a big thing in France, with women historically playing a major role in politics since the advent of modern French democracy. Although the country is yet to produce its first female President, two women – Segolene Royal and Marine de Pen – have come real close to winning the job in recent elections. And in Edith Cresson, France has had a powerful female Prime Minister in the past. One of the country’s most powerful political offices, that of the Mayor of Paris, is currently occupied by a woman, Anne Hidalgo.

But beyond the optics, there is no denying that Mrs. Tinubu’s role in her husband’s administration has been more than just cosmetic. In many ways, her often understated but very tangible authority has helped in no small way to complement and mitigate her husband’s rough edges and his flamboyant, larger-than-life persona. As both a political spouse and a political player in her own right, she has done a good job of balancing the hard and soft aspects of her power, attributes that are so essential to success in democratic governance and other forms of stakeholder engagement.

Though it is still relatively early in the life of her husband’s administration, a growing number of Nigerians are beginning to sense that even in the face of the harsh economic conditions they currently face (partly as a result of the tough reforms instituted by this administration), Mrs. Tinubu represents a silver lining of hope in the midst of their angst. In her actions, words and engagements with various groups in the land so far, she has embodied the ‘Renewed Hope’ mantra of the administration; indeed, she is proving by the day that it is more than just an election-winning mantra.

A number of her engagements in recent weeks serve the buttress this conviction – on account of which a growing attitude of goodwill towards her is beginning to coalesce among Nigerians who are aware of what she’s doing behind the scenes, as well as the impact of her engagements (especially among vulnerable groups in various parts of the country) and in various other areas of national life.

Sen. Tinubu has also established herself as an icon of peace. Without unity and peace, the cliche goes, there can be no meaningful progress. The quest for national cohesion among Nigerians in the face of the country’s staggering cultural diversity is one that has engaged patriotic citizens of this great country since the dawn of political independence. Unity, it has been shown, is built on common purpose, and cemented on the principles of shared values, shared responsibilities and shared benefits.

This understanding has led the First Lady, in her bid to contribute her bit to national unity, to lend her weight to various initiatives aimed at cementing the bond of understanding among Nigerians, irrespective of their background or partisan affiliation. One of such recent initiatives, earlier this year, was the #OneNigeriaUnityFabric competition. Announcing the contest some months back, Sen. Tinubu revealed that the purpose of the unity fabric contest was to showcase the uniqueness of Nigeria among the comity of nations, and the diverse cultures and ethnic nationalities that make up the rich tapestry of Nigeria. The competition, which is open to young people aged between 15 to 25 years, would, she said, demonstrate the critical nexus between artistic creativity, inter-cultural understanding and national greatness.

With interventions like the above, and others too numerous to recount here, Nigeria’s First Lady has demonstrated that she intends to use her position – as both a political spouse and a political player of no mean pedigree – to influence positive outcomes in the life of her country, and in the fortunes of her fellow-citizens.

In a country where good governance is still at a premium, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu’s example of leadership, and her ability to provide a counterpoint to the President (even while doing her utmost to advance his agenda) is worth of emulation.

In the midst of our present gloomy (but hopefully temporary) economic circumstances, the President’s wife is clearly a ray of sunshine.

• Keem Abdul, publisher and writer, hails from Lagos. He can be reached via +2348038795377 or Akeemabdul2023@gmail.com