By Bolaji
Tunji
Soon and very soon,
the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari would be two years
old. The two years is the midterm of his four-year mandate. As Nigerians, we
have all seen how the past few months have been, but because I am not
God, I can not say what the outlook would be in the next two years. But God has
given me the faculty (brain)to project and take a leap into what the next two
years would be based on happenings in the preceding months and the present
situation. Without being too pessimistic, the outlook is not too rosy
especially on the political front.
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| *Obafemi Awolowo |
My concern is how the South west will fare in the coming years.
There is leadership undercurrents in the south west. How will this play out in
the coming years such that the Yoruba nation will still be relevant in national
politics.
Most importantly, what is the manner of leadership that the Yoruba
nation requires at this time. Today, it is not in doubt that the South west can
lay claim to installing the present government. It is the first time that the
Yoruba nation would be taking a major leap, without prodding, by any of the
ethnic groups, to promote governance at the national level. Forget the fact
that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a president of Yoruba descent was
there for eight years. We all know at the time he was put forward that he was
not the candidate of the Yoruba race. He was “coerced” into the race by those
who felt it was the only way the Yoruba race could be assuaged following the
annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections and the death of the man believed to
have won that election, Bashorun MKO Abiola and ideally fit into their agenda.
The story has always been the same from the first republic to the
present. The Yoruba race has never progressed to where it was able to promote
and subsequently help instal the president as we have today. Not only that,
this is the first time the progressives would be in charge of national affairs,
all thanks to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos governor and leader
of APC.
It is not in doubt that he practically assured the presidency of
President Muhammadu Buhari who had to contend with former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar, former Kano governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, Imo state governor,
Rochas Okorocha and founder of Leadership newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah, even the
present Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki had actually signified his
intention to also vie for the ticket. It is thus clear and straightforward that
Asiwaju actually took the Yoruba race to the centre through the alliance he
coupled with the Hausa-Fulani. In one fell swoop, he achieved what late Premier
of Western region, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola was unable to achieve. For the
records, Akintola had favored an alliance with the North at the time. It never
worked. Tinubu brought the West and the North together and helped instal the
Buhari presidency. For all that is worth, he is responsible for whatever the
Yoruba race has to contend with today.
But where does that take the Yoruba nation? There have been
speculations that Asiwaju has been sidelined and has been made irrelevant in
the present administration. Is that really the case? Is it really true that he
has been sidelined and if that is the case, how did this come to pass? What did
Asiwaju do, or did not do that led to him being sidelined, in an administration
he helped installed. And most importantly, if he was actually sidelined, what
would be the position of the West in the build up to 2019? Lastly, how relevant
would Asiwaju be in the general equation as 2019 gathers momentum?
