By Musa Bakare.
Every nation faces defining moments, times when decisions made in courage rather than comfort determine the destinies of millions. Nigeria is at such a crossroads, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the center of this historic moment. He stepped into office with clarity of purpose and the audacity to undertake the reforms that previous leaders feared.
As President Tinubu endeavors to rebuild a battered economy and reposition the nation, he faces a relentless onslaught from the so-called opposition coalitionists. While they posture as patriots, their actions reveal a group motivated not by genuine love for the country, but by a desperate and bitter ambition to regain power.
From the very beginning of his presidency, President Tinubu has confronted crucial issues head-on. He dismantled the fraudulent subsidy regime that bled Nigeria dry and put an end to the multiple exchange rate situations that benefitted only a select few at the expense of the broader populace. He has initiated reforms that, while demanding sacrifices today, promise prosperity for tomorrow.
These are not easy nor popular measures. Leadership is not a beauty contest; it is a test of courage. History remembers not the faint-hearted but those who confront entrenched interests and take decisive action. President Tinubu has done just that.
Although Nigerians currently experience the pain of necessary adjustments, that pain is not of President Tinubu’s making; it is a consequence of decades of economic mismanagement. He has opted for the path of truth over deception, reform over mere rhetoric, and a focus on future prosperity rather than momentary comfort. This is true statesmanship.
In response, the opposition coalitionists resort to habitual rhetoric they fill social media with propaganda and hope that noise will serve as a substitute for substantive discourse. They appeal to the gallery rather than to the conscience of the nation.
But Nigerians are not deceived, they remember those who held power before. They recall the monumental squander of resources, the reckless accumulation of debt, the entrenched corruption, and the systematic sabotage of domestic industries. Those who now present themselves as saviors are, in fact, the very architects of Nigeria’s economic decline.
What moral authority do they possess to cry foul when they are the ones who rifled through the nation’s coffers ? What innovative solutions can they propose when their hands remain stained by the failures of the past ?
The truth is evident: Their anger is not rooted in concern for the nation’s welfare. It stems from the fact that President Tinubu has disrupted their cartel-like hold on power, broken their stranglehold, and unveiled their hypocrisy.
President Tinubu’s resilience is legendary. He weathered exile, endured betrayals, and built alliances across Nigeria that transcend ethnic and regional divides.
He has nurtured leaders who now occupy significant positions within the government. Many of those now vocally opposing him were once beneficiaries of his goodwill; they were once the ones kneeling at his political table, receiving opportunities he provided.
Now they rise against him. But history is clear-eyed. It sees President Tinubu as a builder, while they are merely opportunists.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not waver in the face of insults nor does he flinch at threats. He understands that the verdict of history is not inscribed in the noise of the present moment, but in the enduring legacies we leave behind for future generations.
History is unsparing towards liars and opportunists. It overlooks their cacophony but remembers their failures. The opposition will not be assessed by their volume but by the vacuity of their offerings.
History will remember President Tinubu as the leader who made difficult but essential reforms, akin to the legacy of Obafemi Awolowo for his contributions to free education, Murtala Mohammed for his bold actions, and Lee Kuan Yew for transformative governance.
History will record the opposition coalitionists as mere political gamblers, individuals who screamed “fire” in a packed market place while offering no solutions; men who sought power for themselves rather than progress for Nigeria.
As the 2027 presidential election approaches, Nigeria faces a critical choice: who is genuinely building the nation and who is merely pretending ? Who is shouldering the burden of reform, and who is merely applauding the nation’s decline ? Who is planting the seeds for a prosperous tomorrow, and who is harvesting the fruits of yesterday without contributing anything anew ?
President Tinubu is undeniably building. He is sowing the seeds of reform that promise to yield prosperity. The opposition coalitionists are pretending, lacking a coherent blueprint, philosophy, or the courage to act; they are characterized only by bitterness and noise.
History will vindicate President Tinubu as a builder after eight years of political reengineering, while his opponents will be condemned as merely noise. The verdict is clear, and the future will remember who truly served and safe the nation.
– Musa Asiru Bakare, member of APC and political analyst, writes from Lokoja, Kogi state.
