Birthday amidst party faithful

Looking at party politics since 1999 among the top political actors, Tinubu appears the most consistent, and the benefit for him, is his very large followers. He has the uncanny ability, unlike his contemporaries, to carry the majority of his followers with him, on his political trajectory. While leaving the Alliance for Democracy (AD), for the Action Congress (AC), he moved with the entire political machinery in Lagos State, and even beyond. When that party metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the boat didn’t leave any member behind.

By the time the coalition of parties joined to form the All Progress Congress (APC), the present national ruling party, no member of his political family opted to be left behind. So, the president has a large political family, which naturally attracts friends, well-wishers, and even scallywags. As he celebrates, his political family are trying to outdo each other, pouring encomiums on the birthday boy. Of course, the president would not miss any chance to remind them that every hand must be on deck, to achieve success in the 2027 polls.

As president, Tinubu is adroitly pushing his Renewed Hope Agenda, forward. He has not forgotten that as Lagos State governor, he fought many battles in furtherance of strengthening states, as the cornerstone of the federal republic of Nigeria which we profess. While there is no derivation principle on the federal table yet, and the sharing formula of the federation has not changed, Tinubu’s economic policies have put a lot more resources into the hands of the state governments.

For example, Executive Order 9 mandates the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, to remit all oil and gas revenues, including royalties and taxes to the federation account, and the state governments, would be the better for it. No doubt, that bold fiscal policy would have far reaching impact on the economies of the state governments. As the president said recently in Abuja during his interaction with media executives after the breaking of fast, the governors need to be held to account, for the use of the several revenue windfalls, under this administration.   

Of course, the difficult, but necessary policy of the removal of fuel subsidy, already gave all the states in the country an opportunity to engage in capital projects, without resorting to borrowings, as witnessed in the recent past, when fuel subsidy was in place. Again, many of the states, who were already in debt peonage, have been able to exit the trap, with the huge resources accruing into their treasury. Furthermore, the accruals from the new national tax policy would further empower the states, such that the state governors, who are willing to engage in developmental projects, would have even greater resources to do so.

Luckily, the president now has 31 state governors in his political party, the APC, at the last count. The governors of Abia and Anambra states, though not in the same party with him, appears to speak similar economic language as the president, and therefore can also be regarded as president’s men. With the capacity to influence nearly all the state governors, who are in control of the local governments in the country, Nigerians expect a quantum, social-economic renaissance for a nation, which has been misgoverned for many decades.

With APC in firm control of both chambers of the National Assembly, Mr. President and his party members would have no excuses to offer Nigerians if they fail in executing their party manifesto. The president’s effort to decentralize political power is also evident in the creation of development commission across the six geo-political zones. With all the zones having a platform to synergize, the much sought after cooperation amongst states within the six geopolitical zones would gain some traction.

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Of course, as this writer has argued on occasions, on this page, there are developmental projects that economies of scale amongst states in each of the regions, would benefit from. One urgent responsibility which the president and the governors must tackle is how to get electricity into our homes. There should be no more excuses. The Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2024, which empowers states, companies, and individuals, to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity is yet to turn on the light. While some states have taken control of regulation, Nigerians can’t wait to see the impact on availability of light, in their homes and work places.

The birthday boy has been up and about, with respect to foreign policy and economic diplomacy. He has successfully restored confidence in the national currency, and stabilized the exchange rate. The result is that multinationals which left the country in the years of uncertainty, are looking backwards again. Shell which has divested from its onshore operations, due to operational challenges, over the years, is massively investing offshore, in gas and deep water projects. And there is the potential, for Shell’s $20 billion, Bonga Southwest project, being pushed by the Tinubu administration.

The recent state visit by President Tinubu, to the United Kingdom, and the royal reception accorded him by King Charles III at Windsor Castle, reputed to be the first by a Nigerian leader since 37 years has gained Nigeria a lot of diplomatic mileage, within the international community. Within the West African sub-region and the African continent, Tinubu, has within less than three years, effectively filled the big shoe that Nigeria represent.

This column joins other Nigerians to wish Mr. President, a happy birthday.