BAT@70 ~ Segun Showunmi

From the moment I met you in 1994 during the exile days at the Hilton London Metropole hotel, I have studied you like a philosophical subject, with a focus on the epistemological aspect of your activities. I can say unequivocally that you are true to your beliefs. 

I recall wondering how much the struggle for democracy had cost you as of then? 

I followed your activities from a distance all through the years, as I did not want proximity to distort my study. 

I would like to share on this occasion of your 70th birthday my thoughts of you as I think it is a good time.

You are undoubtedly, the successor of Obafemi Awolowo for the Yorubas, you have done more, contributed more, and raised more Yoruba leaders in our recent history. 

You are no doubt the successor to MKO Abiola for you have invested more, shown more generosity to more, built more alliances, and contributed more money to the political cause of our people, especially in their quest to participate in governance.

You have been stable politically, and I sometimes wonder how you do it in the light of others who cannot stick to a particular political lineage, in your case all that has happened is a change of names, you have resisted the urge to jump about chasing shadows. 

 I was particularly impressed with how you remained when all AD governors lost their states in 2003 leaving just you in Lagos, the hallmark of who you are, was how you slowly but gradually helped the progressive move from just one state to the present; where your political lineage now governs 5 of the 6 states in the south-west save for Oyo, which took a major cross political parties collaboration for the opposition to win in 2019. 

I held my breath when in 2015 you joined others to bring about the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, for with trepidation you have enthroned a government that has done the most disservice to Nigerians and you as a person in terms of disintegration and general failure of state as a nation. 

I wondered how you came to that decision then, knowing the President's history and rigidity, bordering towards the archaic and retrogression. I also observed that despite ill-treatment & disrespect meted out to you, when all others left him, you stood by him in the 2019 election cycle and I had to say to myself that Bola Tinubu is made of stellar material, for you cemented my respect for you as a reliable, consistent, forbearing builder. 

I watched your activities around governance and the social order, the one I disagree with is the elevation of street urchins to royalty status, that, cannot be right, society must not encourage that type of growth for humans,

Education, Enlightenment, and Orientation toward human capital development should be the hallmark of human self-development. 

This needs to be fixed; a reversal of this tendency will do everyone a great good. 

You have made your intentions known to be president of our dear country, Nigeria. 

It is the inalienable right of all humans to aspire, I am somewhat wondering about a few things, the first being; can your physical well-being and wellness carry the arduous task? in the light of walls that have broken down and bridges that have to be built in building trust in governance again by the populace.

I know you have the mental capacities for the job, I am concerned about your wellbeing, this question can only be answered by yourself alone, for one can only be true to himself/herself on the state of one's wellness.

Our immediate history with us losing President Yar'adua and the toil on the nation as a result of President Buhari’s health makes compatriots ask this question. 

Another question is the equity factor in a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi zonal arrangement we have. Our zone, the southwest has had a reasonable opportunity to produce both the President and the Vice-president through Olusegun Obasanjo and your protégé Yemi Osinbajo, some zones have not had that chance, the south-east, the north-east and the north-central. 

I am concerned at the prospect of reducing the space in Nigeria to a baton passing between the north-west and the south-west; other zones might feel alienated, and given our present level of disunity and instability,

I would like you to think about this clearly for what is the point in becoming president if the level of dissatisfaction and agitations will increase, the 6 zonal arrangements were birthed to make us have a more stable country. 

We have gotten to a point where we must tell ourselves the truth as it regards our democratic culture, we have not evolved well and the worst of attitudes has come to define our political parties and space that one is bound to ask,

Is this democracy?,

Or what variant of democracy is this?,

it is excessively monetized, the party organs are also so weakened, it has practically limited our ability to inspire and find younger, resourceful capable and purposeful Nigerians in governance, and this can be felt at the level of voter apathy that now characterizes our variant of democracy. 

I wish you more of God's Abundant Blessings as you reach the respectable age of 70. I pray that the Good Lord preserves you to contribute your quota to birthing a New Nigeria.

Akanni Olode Ide, Asiwaju of the Yorubas, Ahmed Bola Tinubu;

May history be kind to you. I hope you will continue doing more, inspiring more, giving more as a Yoruba man.

 I say very proudly to you today, Thank you and Well done 👏 

Happy birthday to an Enigma.