OPEN LETTER TO ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU
Dear Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Let History Be Your Guide
It is beyond argument that you are a great politician, strategic, calculating, and gifted with exceptional foresight. In over three decades of active political engagement, you have consistently demonstrated your capacity to navigate stormy waters and overcome daunting challenges. You pursued your ambition with determination, and history will always remember your eventual emergence as the President of Nigeria. More than that, you have etched your name into the political consciousness of not just the Yoruba people, but the entire African continent.
However, this letter is not meant to sing your praises or glorify your well-known political mastery. Rather, I write to you as a concerned son of the Yoruba soil, as a fellow thinker who believes that true greatness is measured not by how much power one acquires, but by how that power is exercised.
Asiwaju, as President, you are now the custodian of the fate of over 200 million people those who voted for you and those who didn’t; those who agree with your ideology and those who don’t. In a democracy, legitimacy is not just derived from the ballot but from justice, fairness, and inclusion. The philosopher Socrates once said: “The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” It is in this spirit that I urge you to reflect on the present situation in Osun State.
Since your assumption of office, the posture of some of your party members in Osun has presented you in a manner that does not align with the statesman many of us believed you would become. The ongoing withholding of local government allocations for over five months despite the fact that the funds are meant for primary school teachers, healthcare workers, and traditional rulers is a troubling development. These are not politicians. They are fathers, mothers, and breadwinners. Inflicting hardship on them indirectly, for political motives, is neither democratic nor just.
While some may attempt to convince you that this is strategy, I ask: at what cost? For what shall it profit a leader if he wins re-election but loses the moral support and goodwill of his people? Political philosophy teaches us that the legitimacy of power must rest on justice. Justice, as Plato puts it, is giving each their due not punishing the many for the actions or affiliations of the few.
Governor Adeleke may not belong to your party, but every indication shows that he supports your government. He deserves to be engaged, not undermined. The Yoruba worldview of our Omoluabi ethos does not embrace vendetta. We believe in equity, fairness, and the wisdom of elders who guide all children with an open heart, regardless of past differences.
I fear that those encouraging this political strategy may not genuinely care about your legacy. They are consumed by transient ambitions and fail to recognize the historical weight of your decisions. Asiwaju, history is a strict judge it remembers not only the crowns we wear but the crosses we impose on others. Your name, already cemented in Nigeria’s political history, will outlive your tenure. The question is: what emotions will it evoke in the hearts of the people when it is mentioned decades from now?
We must not forget: you once experienced a similar injustice as Governor of Lagos State, and you spoke passionately against it. What you resist when it affects you must not become what you enforce when it favours you. To do otherwise would be to violate the very principles you once stood for.
Dear Asiwaju, shortly after your victory, I read a column in the Nigerian Tribune by Dr. Lasisi Olagunju titled “Bola Tinubu, oun t’o lọọ da lo da yii o.” It was blunt and insightful. If you haven’t read it, please do. Often, the truth we need comes from those who have nothing to gain from flattering us.
As President, you are no longer a party leader alone you are the father of the nation. The time for partisanship has passed; the moment for statesmanship is now. Osun people like all Nigerians look up to you. Many are still willing to support you. But trust, once broken, is not easily restored.
I appeal to the philosopher in you, the legacy-builder in you, the Awolowo-influenced visionary in you. Let justice prevail. Restore the allocations to Osun’s local governments. End this avoidable hardship. Rein in those who seek to use your name for their narrow aims. Govern not as a victor, but as a unifier.
As the Yoruba say, “T’á bá fi òdodo kọ’lé, ilé náà máa dá gbà.” (If we build with justice, the house will stand firm.)
I pray for your success as President. May your name be remembered not for the pains inflicted, but for the peace restored; not for political conquests, but for democratic convictions upheld. You owe the Yoruba race, and indeed all Nigerians, the gift of fairness and unity. Do not let political convenience rob you of a legacy of justice.
Kind regards,
Otunba Shina Adewoye
Public Policy Analyst
Writes from London, United Kingdom.
