By Musa Bakare.
History does not reward comfort; it crowns courage. Nations rise not by avoiding pain, but by confronting truth. Nigeria’s present moment is one of reckoning, a culmination of deferred decisions, structural weaknesses, and fiscal illusions that now demand urgent correction.
In this defining hour, providence has placed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the helm: a leader forged in struggle, grounded in ideology, and unwavering in his commitment to reform.
President Tinubu did not assume office to manage decline or preside over excuses. He came to govern. Where predecessors delayed the inevitable, he chose action over applause. Where others sought political safety, he embraced responsibility. This is what separates leadership from populism.
True leadership is not crowd pleasing rhetoric; it is the courage to act when silence is easier. Tinubu’s early decisions signaled a decisive break from a culture of denial. Long standing distortions that stifled productivity and rewarded inefficiency were confronted head on. These reforms were never meant to be painless , nation building never is. No country develops by borrowing comfort from the future.
The ideological foundation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has always been clear: reform, responsibility, and renewal. President Tinubu embodies this creed. His Renewed Hope Agenda is not merely a slogan; it is a governing philosophy anchored in realism. It recognizes that Nigeria cannot spend its way out of poverty, nor subsidize its way into prosperity. Growth must be earned through discipline, enterprise, and structural balance.
Tinubu is no accidental leader. He is a product of Nigeria’s democratic struggle, tested in opposition, refined in governance, and hardened by experience. He understands institutions, navigates power dynamics, and builds consensus without surrendering principle. This is the mark of leadership driven by conviction, not governance driven by fear.
Critics are inevitable in a democracy, and dissent is healthy. But history warns against mistaking noise for wisdom. Many who shout today offered silence when distortion reigned. Many who now preach caution once benefited from delay.
President Tinubu has chosen to confront inherited challenges rather than postpone them for political convenience. In doing so, he has demonstrated a rare quality in Nigerian politics: ideological consistency.
Here is a leader who governs with posterity in mind. He understands that today’s sacrifices are the price of tomorrow’s stability. He is willing to absorb political pressure so that the Nigerian state can regain coherence, credibility, and capacity. That willingness to be misunderstood for the sake of reform is the ultimate test of leadership.
Despite the weight of office, he remains grounded, accessible in outlook, deliberate in action. He governs not as a performer, but as a steward. His confidence is not loud; it is rooted in experience and faith in due process.
Leadership excellence is not measured by social media applause or fleeting popularity. It is measured by nerve, endurance, and the courage to stand firm when reforms bite hardest.
In thanking God for President Tinubu, many Nigerians express gratitude for a leader prepared to shoulder the burden of a hard season so the nation may emerge stronger.
History will, in time, deliver its final judgment. But even now, the direction is clear. Under President Tinubu, Nigeria has chosen reform over ruin, courage over comfort, and principle over short term politics. At a time when many leaders seek merely to survive their tenure, President Tinubu has chosen to serve history.
For that, many give thanks, not merely to a man, but to providence, for a leader equal to the moment.
Tinubu till 2031.
– Musa Asiru Bakare
Foundational Member, APC | Political Analyst
Lokoja, Kogi State.
