The past endsars protest was a delicate page in the nation’s history that noone ever wants a revisit. It was a youth movement that many feared could have led to a revolution. The youths were determined; they came all out with full force to send a powerful message to the political class that when they are pushed to the wall, they truly can bite.
Lagos state was the worst hit. It got to a point, especially after Lekki Toll gate invasion by the Army, that the whole thing went completely awry. Public and private properties were being destroyed in retaliation; but only a selected political figure was the target, and that was Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Although an APC stalwart, Tinubu, at that time, was not holding any political office. He didn’t command the Army nor the Nigerian Police, yet the youths vented their anger solely on him. Some of his properties were destroyed even as they kept hurling verbal missiles at him.
They alleged him to be the one who ordered the army to lekki toll gate under the false assumption the he owns Lekki toll gate. But that was a misconception, extremely far from the truth. In actual fact, Lekki toll gate does not belong to Tinubu. It belongs to LCC, the Lekki Concession Company wholly owned by Lagos state government.
Tinubu also frowned at the invasion of the Lekki toll gate, but many seem not to know about this.
Condemning the invasion, Tinubu said: “This allegation is a complete and terrible lie. I did not order this or any assault against anybody. I would never want such a vile thing to happen nor did I have any prior knowledge about this sad event. The slander aimed at me is based on the untruth that I own the toll gate concession. The hate mongers prevaricate that I ordered the Lekki assault because the protests had caused me to lose money due to the interruption of toll gate activity. I ask people to thoroughly investigate the matter of my alleged ownership of the toll gate. By seeking facts, instead of being swayed by gossip, you will find I have no ownership interest or involvement in the toll gate.”
He stated further that “there is no rationale that can adequately explain why I would order soldiers to repel peaceful protesters from the toll gate where I have no financial interest, yet, choose to do nothing to protect my investments in the Nation and TVC.
Truthfully, how could Tinubu leave the Nation and TVC, which are his properties, for the youths to destroy, but rather choose to use soldiers to protect the toll gate? This begs for a serious reasoning! Tinubu isn’t the president or the Vice-President nor the Chief of Army Staff who have the constitutional authority to order the army. Tinubu at the time of the lekki protest was just a private citizen, and not even once did his name came up or got mentioned in the Lagos State Judicial Panel that would later be set up to investigate the invasion.
In the course of the investigation by the judicial panel, Lagos State Head of Service, Hakeem Muri Okunola, told the panel that Lagos state owns the Lekki toll gate, and that, being the owners of the firm that operates the Lekki Toll Gate, the state government appoints all its directors and makes significant input in its daily operations. This was a flagrant deviation from the general and false belief that Tinubu owns the lekki toll gate concession company. But the revelation came a little too late.
In fact, at the heat of the protest, there came a moment when Tinubu’s mobile number found its way into the public space. Visibly angry youths started calling him to vent their anger; ridiculously cursing and also hurling abuses at him on what he actually knew nothing about.
They were young, so young that he is old enough to be their father; still they talked to him on phone as if they are his contemporaries. They blamed him for everything that were, at that material time, beyond his direct control. Nonetheless, the great leader was not upset, held on to their calls, and, at each moment, only tried to explain things to them.
Most political leaders of today will not stay on call to listen to people that way. Unlike Bola, most of them would tell the agitating youths off and end the call rightaway. But Tinubu never did that. He instead took his time to listen to them and appeal for calm, while telling them he didn’t control the Army.
This shows the kind of personality Tinubu is. He has got listening ears and he is accountable to the people. A leader like Tinubu is very rare in the present day Nigeria.
A rare leader remains relational, doesn’t focus on the problem, but rather keeps their relationships bigger than their problems. In the face of provocation, he acts like himself and has a consistency of character. And that is exactly what Tinubu is.
If Nigerians need a President that listens to the yearnings of the people, Tinubu is the one. He has all it takes to provide the kind of leadership that Nigeria has been lacking in a long time
The video below shows one of such calls to Asiwaju Tinubu. you may please listen:
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