TINUBU WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT ME. Written by KEMKA S. IBEJI

One particular thing I can tell all Nigerians is an exact repetition of what I have been saying from the first day I heard that Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu wants to run for election as the President of Nigeria in 2023. Again, after the presidential primaries of all major political parties, especially the APC, PDP, LP and NNPP, which produced Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr. Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi and Engr. Rabiu Musa as major alternatives for Nigerians in the 2023 Presidential Election, I repeated the same statement.

The major assertion is that whoever emerges the president of Nigeria in 2023 among these four front-runners will be, by far, better than what we have had in the past eight (8) years with Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the president. So the first point which is a good news is that Nigeria will be better in the next four years, at least, than what we have had in the last eight years.

Tinubu is a greater politician, he knows how to use power and he is a better public service manger when compared with Buhari. Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu may not go into so much borrowing, he will bring in the private sector into governance and the system will regain some strength in dying or already dead sectors. Tinubu will be more proactive and will save money far more than Buhari. 

Again, I also told the reading public that if Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu wins as the President of Nigeria in 2023, Nigerians should brace up for something very spectacular. Among the critical signposts of his government will be; excruciating taxation, tribalism and sectionalism, unbridled avarice and acquisition, subjugation of the masses, insensitivity to the wishes and views of the citizens, and national policy flaws, among other things. He will also take over the media. But essentially, the money he saves and the resources he creates will not be seen elsewhere but in his personal pockets openly hiding.

Now let us paint his few days in office with words here;

1. On subsidy removal, he has shown that he knows how to use power, he can save money and that he is insensitive to the masses. 

2. On appointments so far, he has portrayed classical tribalism and sectionalism. 90% of already sanctioned appointments are from his tribe. One thing I kept saying when people said he has a national coverage and has built bridges across Nigeria is that he is limited in relationships within Nigeria. Tinubu is, at best, a Lagosian or a Yoruba man who lacks national exposure but will have international experience. Bringing American or British experience will fail in Nigeria because politics is local, as they say.

3. On Labour Unions quibbled and suggested strike, Tinubu showed mastery of power, public service management and uncompromising carefree stance to Nigerians.

4. On the impending or rumoured electricity tariff hike, and I dare say it must be true, he will clear your doubt that he does not give a hoot about the feelings of the poor masses. He will treat Nigerians like he treats the touts in Lagos. I pity those who argued with Lagos as an example of successful political leadership. He throws peanuts, crumbs and coins at those louts like poor dogs and less humans. He will treat the ordinary citizens with utter levity and disregard. Only those who have self-worth will understand what I mean here. We are equal humans who should be treated with dignity irrespective of our class, education, background and more but I assured you that Mr. Tinubu will use the other route. The electricity tariff will be raised in price and let me tell you what is in Mr. Tinubu's mind; nothing will happen! Heavens won't fall!

5. On the oncoming 114% raise in the salaries and payments of elected politicians including Tinubu and Shettima themselves, let me tell you this; you ain't seen nothing yet. Tinubu only knows those at the top. Common and ordinary people mean nothing to him except he wants to please his godlike ego by coming out to throw verbal jabs and dole out few coins to the jubilation of the ignorant number.

6. Did you also notice that the judicial officers have gotten more years in service? Mr. Tinubu knows the game. He is already taking his time to take those that matter to him to sumptuous lunch. The masses will starve like orphans and I bet you to wait and see. 

In the coming months, Nigerians will begin to understand and know whom he is and many of the people who supported him with everything in them will begin to cry. But mind you, irrespective of his chase for worldly wealth, a lot of people will still gain and many new millionaires and billionaires will emerge. Do not make any mistakes about this. One fact to this is that Nigeria is bigger than Lagos so the number of rich folks under him will broaden. Again, the resources in Nigeria which have remained untapped are so enormous for one man to grub. The number of rich people will definitely increase under Tinubu but what about the poor? I leave you to your imagination. 

He will run into absolute power and will be dastardly drunk in it that he will make nasty mistakes. One of such mistakes will be how he handles the agitations in the Southeast. There are a few other places waiting for his mistakes but I will let you know them in subsequent writings. He will also want to run Nigeria like he ran Lagos and this will be his undoing; Nigeria is a plane of unequal equals and the complexity of its form is its uniqueness. He will run towards restructuring when he feels the national heat and by then it would have been too late for an escape route. 

Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also started showing his prowess in the the use of power by issuing subtle threats to the judiciary in his statements and actions. Remember his Democracy Day speech where he openly threatened the judiciary? Now his versed sacking, suspensions, seizure of offices and suchlike are targeted at some quarters as nonverbal threat and those he is targeting are already complying. For those who are following the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, they will affirm that the tone of the judges are already beginning to change since few days now. Tinubu's messages are being received accordingly and his expected feedbacks are being attained. The only thing that will save the day is "balance of terror", in diplomatic parlance, from the masses. If the judges see equal or more threats from the masses, then they will do the right thing else, forget about the cases at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

Now keep these for a reminder;

Taxes will rise, levies will heighten, the rich will get richer while the poor gets poorer, the masses will never matter for Tinubu and those in power will laugh throughout. He will harvest important people for himself and deal with those who won't come over but who will not join him, if I may ask?

In and on all this, I can tell you once more and once again that Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu will never disappointed me.