“Oro Ahmed yi nikan na ni o un ba mi leru” (I’m simply concerned about Ahmed’s situation). That was the apprehension stated by the late Alhaji Lam Adesina, a former governor of Oyo State, over the possibilities of the then-governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, winning the 2003 governorship election. Adesina, a longtime Tinubu supporter, was concerned that the governor would not be re-elected due to his opposition to then-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s overtures and frolics.

That was at a period when all the other governors in the South West, including Chiefs Bisi Akande of Osun, Segun Osoba of Ogun, Adebayo Adefarati of Ondo, Otunba Niyi Adebayo of Ekiti, and Adesina himself, were following the dictates and dancing to the false song of then-President Obasanjo. The governors were not alone in the spectacle; the pan-Yoruba group Afenifere, led by the late Pa Abraham Adesanya, incited them.

Obasanjo persuaded the governors and Afenifere that he (Obasanjo) would be “soft” on them and make their victories easy in exchange for their support for his second term in office. The five governors fell for Obasanjo’s theatrics and openly supported his second term in government.

In fact, in the run-up to the 2003 general elections, Obasanjo’s second term attempt received significantly more attention than campaigns for our gubernatorial and national assembly candidates did.

Despite being members of the opposition party, the Alliance for Democracy, we enthusiastically campaigned for Obasanjo’s second term and, indirectly, his Peoples Democratic Party candidates, who ultimately defeated us. As the AD candidate for the Oluyole Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, I was victimized.

With loud music and exquisite lyrics, we created a new dimension, a new terminology to our politics: Aremu Oke and Aremu Isale, or vote dividing. Vote for Aremu at the top (Obasanjo for President) and Aremu at the bottom (Alhaji Lam Adesina).
But, at the end of the day, Obasanjo thrashed us with every trick and theatrics imaginable.

However, in Lagos, Tinubu, in his wisdom, refused to join his fellow governors or Afenifere in endorsing Obasanjo, instead answering his father’s name. He campaigned exclusively for his party, the AD. He advised voters to concentrate all of their votes at the top, where AD appears on ballot sheets in all elections.

While we were dancing to the exquisite melody of Aremu Oke and Aremu Isale in the South-West, from Ibadan to Saki, Ogbomoso, Tede, Idere, and so on, especially in Oyo State, the people of Lagos State were ‘eating to the top’ (won un jeun soke).
And, in reality, they ate well, as seen by the wide gap in income and wealth between Lagos and other regions of Yorubaland.

Tinubu turned Lagos around in eight years by utilizing all of his resources, including wisdom, knowledge, intelligence, boldness, exposure, relationships, and so on. Tinubu grew Lagos’ economy, politics, and sociology, and the city’s current stability is the product of his effective leadership. Lagos has been the model for almost all development projects and concepts in Nigeria today.

Lagos has made steady development under (Babatunde) Fashola, (Akinwunmi)Ambode, and the current (Babajide) Sanw-Olu, while other Western states are struggling to survive. Tinubu has established himself as the best and most dynamic leader and politician of this generation.
With the enormous powers of the Presidency, particularly under the leadership of Obasanjo, who was said to have held and exercised more authority during his tenure, Tinubu destroyed Obasanjo in all facets of government. He attacked Obasanjo on legislative issues and won; he contested Obasanjo’s judicial position; and Tinubu succeeded in Obasanjo’s frantic attempt to acquire Lagos State and other Yoruba states.

For decades, Nigeria’s main issue has been a lack of leadership. Following the departure of the Balewas, Azikwes, and Awolowos, Nigeria has seen a string of unlucky rulers. All former leaders that we are still admiring till today performed successfully because they were properly equipped for the posts they inhabited and while serving they got the best people for all the assignments.

During his tenure as governor of Lagos State, Tinubu collected the brightest minds in Lagos to improve the state’s social, economic, and political situation. Tinubu, with his team of financial gurus, increased Lagos’ domestically generated earnings from approximately a billion naira to more than N20 billion before leaving office in 2007. Tinubu propelled Lagos far ahead of other Nigerian states, notably in the South-West, by making it the center of interest in almost every aspect of life.

Tinubu’s tale is one of someone who is naturally gifted at leading and who is always improving himself and others in order to make leading and leadership functional, with profound outcomes.
The former governor of Lagos State was able to do all of this, including standing firm with the Lagos people on the creation of local councils, due to Tinubu’s ability to select and engage the proper individuals for the roles. Tinubu went after the sitting Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, without knowing him and appointed the Ogun State-born Osinbajo as Lagos State’s Attorney General. Tinubu appointed Osinbajo with precision, leading him to victory in the legal battle against the all-conquering Obasanjo while serving as President of Nigeria.

It is an open secret that the country’s major difficulties now stem from a lack of adequate knowledge, appropriate policies, and directions. Thus, to overcome the problems, Nigeria requires a person with  adequate knowledge about Nigeria, her challenges and prospects. 
The country requires a somebody who knows Nigeria inside and out, without pretense or primordial baggage.

Second, Nigeria requires a leader who is educated and knowledgeable about all parts of life in order to develop effective policies ranging from the economy, education, health, employment, and security. The individual who can rally the best among us to create insightful policies and programs that will generate riches and decent jobs for our burgeoning youth. Certainly, Tinubu is the best qualified Nigerian for the post. It’s not about saying, “I can do it.” What Nigeria needs now is that I have done it before and am ready, mature, experienced, and clearly prepared to do it again.

It’s not about how I worked or learned under Tinubu because it’s a well-known fact that no one can do anything like the original, especially if the teacher is still alive, strong, and eager. You can’t beat experience.

As I congratulate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Jagaban of Borgu, a happy 70th birthday, he is almost set to celebrate his 71st birthday as President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He possesses a remarkable, uncanny ability to triumph against all odds, as he did in 2003, despite the late Alhaji Lam Adesina’s warm expressions of concern about his chances of returning to the Lagos Governor’s Office for another term.