HAIL TO THE PRESIDENT

 ATOYEBI BAMIDELE pays tribute to President Tinubu at 73

Some men are born great while some achieve greatness but no word can accurately describe a combination of the two lived in adroit consistency.

Love him or hate him, he exhibits the traits of water as he silently navigates the toughest of terrains, and in the end he turns out victorious in all his endeavours. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is like a proverbial hunter that counts his seven arrows before striking and seldom misses any target.

When he, after making several Presidents, discovered that none could pluck the low hanging fruits of development and setting the country on the path to greatness, he decided to take up the gauntlet. The process to his heading the highest office in the land is now an open secret as well as how the establishment unleashed all kinds of machinations against him.

 He neither complained nor sought for sympathy but took all with philosophical calmness. He got the prize and today, those that opposed him now bow before him. He silently applies the rule that superiority asserted is less effective than superiority felt, and he is showing class in rulership.

A man of peace who never forgets or fails to reward loyalty, he has trained and serviced generations of loyalists who cling to him, though without compulsion but remain obligated.

During the time of the locusts, when the situation was tight under military regimes, Tinubu fearlessly spoke out where others were silent and when driven into exile, he established and maintained cells through which they were chased back to the barracks. A prominent member of National Democratic Coalition who fought and lost a lot in both cash and men kept pushing till he realised the objective – enthroning democracy over totalitarian rule.

Fast forward to 2025, where he watched, advised, counseled, mediated as a man with experience but the protagonists in the struggle would not heed his wise counsel nor concede to superior knowledge of events, so the fight raged on.

On noticing that the disagreement in Rivers State was endangering public good and safety, he as usual, consulted both the constitution and senior lawyers whose positions aligned with him and he took a preemptive measure by suspending the governor and the legislature who he reasoned had ceased from playing their constitutionally assigned roles and in their places, appointed a sole administrator.

Like some of the senior lawyers had submitted, section 305 empowers him to declare a state of emergency but would have to within 48 hours, seek the approval of the National Assembly failure of which the declaration would be invalidated.

Section 305 provides: (1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution the president may by instrument published in the official Gazette of the Government of the Federation issue a proclamation of a state of emergency in the Federation or any part thereof.

After securing the approval of the National Assembly, then the operation of the State of emergency would be running on the mandate of the National Assembly which representatives come from all the constituencies of the federation which imbues the action with approval of the nation.

For Asiwaju whose love for democracy transcends rhetoric to resort to the emergency rule, people reasoned that there were reasons ripe enough to do so. This is more so as he has access to security reports to the extent that he has foreknowledge of what most won’t guess are possible. He laid down his life and businesses to fight for the democracy and won’t turn a blind eye to avoid criticism while everywhere goes up in flames.

The number of oil and gas pipelines blown up within days of the altercation and the President’s intervention points to the fact that he was right in garrisoning the state. Threats by some groups have only abated now that over 10,000 troops have been deployed there to protect national assets.

His actions in Rivers State which serves to warn others is to ensure that people would not for primordial interests, indulge in actions that would be inimical to peace and harmony. The best quality of a leader is the capacity to take strong actions when the need arises as the President has done.

To those saying that he ought to rein in his minister they think is meddling in the dispute, a simple question they need to answer is who the chief security officer of the state is: the minister or the governor? If the person in incharge allows himself to be distracted, then leadership has to be held accountable.

With the policies and programmes being churned out by Asiwaju, things have turned the bend and the economy which was adjudged damaged beyond repair by past regimes has bounced back. So this is not the time to watch idly by in order to be adjudged politically correct while things go wrong.

He has restored a sense of belonging to all sections of the country so as to attain even development. An example is the development commissions. Each zone in the country have theirs to ensure that peculiar problems are so handled. He completed the round with the signing into law of the South West and South South Development Commissions for which he should be commended. It is only under his administration that no section of the country is shouting marginalisation.

He has proved himself the father of the nation and as he turns 73, we ask the Supreme Creator to preserve and give him more time to replicate his Lagos magic across the federation.

Comrade Bamidele is a social commentator, philanthropist and activist and of the BAT Ideological Movement. He writes from Abuja