By Kola Odepeju
Victory, they say, is sweeter when it’s a product of a hard fight. Of course there’s no victory that could be as sweet as the one that has the phrase “Against all odds’ accompanying it. No doubt this phrase aptly describes the eventual victory of our president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who emerged victorious in Nigeria’s latest presidential election in spite of all the obstacles placed on his way by his detractors and fake friends alike; chiefs amongst which are unprecedented cash crunch and fuel scarcity aimed at making his emergence as president impossible.
How can we forget also – in a hurry – all the pre-presidential election plots, shenanigans, character assassinations and other negative campaigns exhibited against Mr. Tinubu; as if he snatched their wives or stole their goats?
But against all odds, the enigmatic politician crossed the river and laughed last. And he, who laughs last, surely laughs best, as the saying goes. In fact, no victory can be sweeter than this. For in the words of Thomas Paine; “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph”. This is why Asiwaju Tinubu deserves a thumbs-up for emerging victorious in the most keenly contested presidential election in the history of our country; amidst all the vicious attacks against his personage.
There are lessons to learn from Asiwaju Tinubu’s victory; especially for the youths who aspire to be great in life. Lessons of hard-work, determination, perseverance, self confidence, selflessness, fearlessness, faith and most important, *investment in people* are to be mentioned here. The President-elect had for years imbibed the culture of hard-work and this has made success possible for him in all ramifications viz; professional career, family life, business and political contests. I remember the founder of the Latter Rain Assembly, now Global Citadel Community Church (GCCC), pastor Tunde Bakare, once said of Tinubu as “still working while others have gone to sleep”. This assertion from the cerebral pastor perfectly describes Tinubu.
But Asiwaju Tinubu is not only hard working, he combines hard-work with the aforementioned qualities. He’s determined, focused, persevering, self confident, selfless, faithful and passionately believes in developing people. All these attributes combined, culminated in his recent electoral success. A determined person can move mountain while “perseverance is the key to success in any endeavour; without perseverance, there can be no victory”; quipped the American author, Jocko Willink. The President-elect is also self confident. He courageously quipped that; “Emi Lokan” (it’s my turn) and truly, it has become his turn. There’s power in the tongue truly.
What’s more? Amongst the aforementioned attributes that also worked for Tinubu in the last presidential election is selflessness. The President-elect isn’t a selfish leader. Any leader who is not selfish will naturally command large followership. Not by coercion but by the conviction people have in his charismatic leadership. Asiwaju Tinubu is also a man of faith. He’s always faithful to his beliefs. *Faith*, according to William Hazlitt, “is necessary to victory; if you think you can win, you can win”. Students of political history cannot also forget the “Yes We Can” slogan of former President Barack Obama of the United States. He said so and he succeeded as American President. Thus a fortiori faith is also a sine qua non for success in life struggles. If you believe you can you will definitely secure victory.
Chief of all the factors that aided Tinubu’s victory is his strong belief in *human capital development*. Asiwaju Tinubu has invested heavily in people. He has lifted many people up and assisted them to attain their dreams; either in business or politics. Many who could never have become anything in life; especially in the field of politics, have been assisted to the top by the president-elect. Unlike many selfish leaders whose philosophy is; *Me, Myself and I*, this isn’t Tinubu’s ideology. His own ideology is to teach people how to catch fish but not just giving them fish. This is the hallmark of a charismatic leader. Of course our society would be better and poverty reduced to the barest minimum – if not completely eradicated – if we had many of Tinubu’s ilk in the society. One prays and hopes he will continue toeing this path of compassion as soon as he is sworn in as the president.
Asiwaju Tinubu should hit the ground running immediately he’s sworn in as the president. People’s expectations are high and he should endeavour to meet up to expectations. Given his antecedent of credible performance in public office and the doggedness he does display towards achieving his goals, there’s no doubting the fact that he will take this country to an enviable position by restoring her glory as the giant of Africa she used to be known for. Being a man with a knack for picking capable hands, he’s expected to pick capable team just like he did as the governor in Lagos state. May God help him to succeed in the task ahead-Amen.
This writer therefore use this medium to join millions of people across the length and breadth of this country and beyond to say congratulations to Mr. President-elect while also wishing him a successful tenure of office-Amen.
– Kola Odepeju, newspaper columnist and social commentator, writes from Lagos via [email protected]
