SAM NWOKORO I Wednesday, September 19, 2018
LAGOS, Nigeria – The political tradition of Lagos was recently punctured with the news that Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Jagaban of not just Lagos political and leadership cockpit, but that of entire South West Nigeria—has dumped incumbent Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s second term bid. So far the King-maker has rebuffed all entreaties to change his mind and throw up his symbolic clinched fingers for Governor Ambode, the accountant-administrator, one of the most corporately dressed among the serving chief executives.
Governor Ambode is a famed chattered Accountant and banker. By their orientation, accountants are economical with finance. They are schooled in the nitty-gritty of plus and minus. So they know the consequence of too much plus on public finance and too much minus on same. If they allow an overdose of plus in favor of public purse, they fall short of meeting popular expectation. So why allow sanitation to deteriorate, roads to decay, flood to sweep away city, and other essential services suffer while the coffers brim.
On the other hand, if they allow too much minus at the detriment of public purse, there would be little left over for continuity for the next government. If the treasury is much depleted and what has been done with the funds is visible and of value to peoples’ lives. No problem.
To some analysts, it makes little sense if there is money, and public services suffer—just because the next government must have funds to work with. But some would say that a star does not build on another person’s platform. He must create his own programs and policies and implement them—so that he would be judged on them.
This school of thought in management is however only good for the corporate set-up where the behavior of consumers and markets determine the success or failure of management policies and programs. It is not so applicable in the political leadership sphere where public sentiment shapes a lot of government policies and programs.
Incumbent governor f Lagos state, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode did not fall out of grace with Lagos King-maker on account of non-performance—which ordinarily to the informed—ought to be the major yardstick for deciding any leader’s political fate during elections. For any Lagosian, Ambode has performed. In their assessment, the man is building new roads, new and modern bus garages, increasingly empowering small businesses, and giving them quality health services and innovative security. Since the hoi-polloi, those not in the community of siren blaring movers and shakers and the big automobile flotsams and jetsam are in the majority in Lagos demography, it can be taken on face value that Ambode deserves a second term.
However in Nigerian politics, other factors play critical roles—the godfather who is the big tree whose fruitage nourishes the aspiration of upcoming leaders, and eventually catapults them to power. Good trees, good fruit-bearing trees, not every tree continually drop good fruits in due political seasons which smaller plants sprouting under them feed on to grow into good trees later on. Every Iroko tree germinated and grew from an acorn.
In Nigeria, the Asiwaju has etched his name as a good political Iroko.His records as a champion of democracy, human rights, fairness and justice, is no longer subject to rating. He loves people and people love him. Beyond Lagos, South West and Nigeria, a fraction of his universality personified, the Lion of Bourdilleon has in his about 66 years of existence managed to chalk up some noble antecedents that is difficult to erase. A champion of democracy, a pin in the neck of dictators and oppressive spirits, a man of open conscience with a rare combination of literary fecundity, professorial intellect and detribalized ethos that snubs the insularity of his Islamic faith, the Asiwaju of Africa no doubt is, and deserves to be the determinant of who rules any state in South West Nigeria, if not Nigeria. He, at least has shown that he is good at pin-pointing the best leadership materials for Lagos people since this democratic dispensation began in 1999.
It has not in the true sense of it been made public the main reasons why he swore not to support Ambode’s second term bid. The tumultuous crowd that graced the gubernatorial declaration of Ambode’s later-day challenger, Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu gives credence to this. But does that mean the terminal end of Ambode’s political life? No.
In every clime, the influence of Godfathers are embed openly or discretely in leadership selection processes. Even president Trump of USA was sponsored and pushed into political contest by the ultra-supremacist wing of the GOP ruled by the Bushes, the clique in the billionaire league who rule corporate America in the Republican Party. Hitherto, until 2014, no one knows Trump as a member of the Republican Party. Therefore, it behoves on the anointed sons to manage relations with kingmakers in ways that do not rock the succession order—for in it is the maxim: “government is a continuum “ derived.
Continuity in government programs and policies yields great dividend. This aspect of leadership culture ought to be enshrined in the mind of Nigerian politicians. For all that every Nigerian Knows, Bola Tinubu would not be the kind of leader that would expect Ambode to empty the treasury of Lagos state into the King-maker’s wallet. No, not someone who brought up Fashola,the poster-man of Lagos governance, not someone who brought up Ashafa,or Gbajabiamila that has changed the lives of close to a million youths in Surulere in last seven years as a federal parliamentarian.
In politics as they say, there are only permanent interests, and “temporary enemies”, just political opposites, and not permanent foes.Ambode has done well. Sanwo-Olu, the man of Lagos Homes has done well and is also capable of doing more. Lagos state has a reputation for electing good, visionary leaders—among other states in the country. Their leaders start before others start to copy in policy designing and developmental strategizing. Indeed Lagos remains the centre of Excellence, never mind all the negative narratives of the moment gushing from the mandibles of political hangers-on and drummers who do not know anything about the intricacies of leadership and development—and who are not even in the mainstream of the politics of Lagos. Whether Ambode or Sanwo-Olu, Eko O ni baje.
NB:SAM NWOKORO, a Lagos based journalist wrote via [email protected]
