Garlands for the game-changer at 63

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposi­tion from mediocre minds -Albert Einstein

Words to describe his profound political perso­na come in different shades, but all are com­plimentary. These range from the “ Asiwaju of Nigeria’s democracy” to “ the Master Strategist” and the new one called “the Game Changer”. These are but a few accolades that describe one dogged fighter, who today, stands on a high moral ground to speak about Nigeria’s democratic dispensation -its norms, ethos, mores, codes, evolution, development and sustenance. Such also encapsulate a Nigerian political titan who means different things to various people. That depends on which side of the deepening political divide you stand-the conscienceless class of conservatives or that of the people-friendly progres­sives. But why, you may ask?




The answer is found in his firm belief and the sacri­fice to see to the enthronement of the dictates of a gov­ernment driven by the wishes of the majority. His type is rare. More like a meteor, he blazes the brilliant trail across the hazy political firmament eliciting varied comments from political observers of diverse dispositions.   


It would therefore, be foolhardy for any of his teeming admirers, to expect even those who he has come to rescue from the stranglehold of political oppressors to applaud his noble efforts. Such is the dilemma of the socio-political matrix within which political strategists operate all because they see what many do not.
Simply, he’s a visionary armed with courage, char­acter, candour and charisma, possessed all to the quan­tum level. But as usual, not a few would understand or even identify with his DNA and more so align with his consistent political ideology of people-friendly govern­ance down to the grassroots. Born on March 29, 1952, his political career took off in 1992 when he was elected to the Nigerian Senate to represent Lagos West Con­stituency.  It was during Nigeria’s short-lived Third Republic. After results of the June 12, 1993 presiden­tial elections were annulled, Tinubu became a founding member of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition(NADECO). The well-coordinated group effec­tively mobilized a groundswell of public support for the restoration of democracy and the validation of the elec­tion results. Let it be known that at that material time, he had all the opportunity to sell out as some fair-weather friends did to betray our common cause.

 Tinubu chose and wisely too, to stay on the people’s side while the struggle lasted. Had he been a political turn-coat, we would have no moral ground to identify with him, least of all, celebrate him on this auspicious occasion. It was the democrat in him who called for Resource Control, as a Senator against the vociferous lot who claim to love the country only when it suits their fancies. Today, that clamour re-echoed with greater verve and frenzy at the National Conference. But would anyone remember who belled the cat? That’s the million naira question.

With the Sani Abacha regime baring its blood-thirsty fangs he went into exile in 1994, but returned to the country in 1998 after the death of the military dic­tator. Subsequently, in the run-up to the 1999 elections, Bola Tinubu was a protégé of Alliance for Democracy (AD) leaders Abraham Adesanya and Ayo Adebanjo. As fate would have it, he won the AD primaries for Lagos State gubernatorial elections defeating Funso Williams and Wahab Dosunmu, a former Minister of Works and Housing. He contested the position of Executive Gov­ernor of Lagos State on the AD ticket and was elected in April 1999 .
One reason why he can lay credence to being a true-born democrat is his salutary efforts to redefine the con­cept of party politics in the effervescent terrain called Ni­geria. From the Alliance for Democracy (AD) through the Action Congress (AC) to Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now, the game-changer tagged All Progres­sives Congress (APC), his rare managerial acumen of men and materials all come to the fore.

Another reason is his exemplary style of governance that made governance more participatory in Lagos State. For instance, he introduced measures to increase the In­ternally Generated Revenue. The measures included the Electronic Banking System/Revenue Collection Moni­toring Project (EBS/RCM), which enabled the utiliza­tion of high level technology to create a robust database of tax payers and successfully eliminated ghost workers.

Another was the state’s Board of Internal Revenue (BIR); an outfit that used to be a cesspit of corruption. It was re-engineered to enhance its revenue collection capacity through greater autonomy, professionalism and motivation, the introduction of electronic tax clearance cards (eTCC),which is a fraud-proof and convenient method of keeping tax payers records.

There was also a deliberate policy to sensitize the public on the imperative of paying their taxes willingly, voluntarily and promptly, as a precondition for the de­livery by government of quality infrastructure and social services. In addition was the new Land Use Charge Law promulgated in 2001.It stipulates that once Land

Use Charge Demand Notice is levied on a property, Ground Rent, Development Charges and the Neighbourhood Improvement Charge Law cease to apply. This innova­tion led to the collection of the sum of over N3.5 billion as Land Use Charge between 2001 and March 2007 and the value of this revenue source keeps rising.

His eight-year administration therefore, saw to the revitalization of the machinery of state. All these made the desired impact in “qualitative service delivery in di­verse sectors including education, health, justice, roads construction and rehabilitation, traffic management and public transportation, agriculture, environmental renewal, rural development, housing, job creation, women empowerment, local government administra­tion and poverty alleviation.” To start with, Tinubu as the governor who took the mantle of Lagos State amidst monumental filth that clogged the drainages and the highways, swept it all with the introduction of LASTMA. Other creative organs of government such as LASTMA, KAI, LAMATA that his visionary ad­ministration established brought sanity and safety in the critical areas of public health, transportation, education and massive infrastructural development.