LEADERSHIP IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST — IT’S A COMMITMENT TO LEGACY

It’s convenient for critics to draw parallels between past administrations and the current one, but history requires more than surface comparison, it demands context, facts, and a clear understanding of leadership dynamics.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not walking the path of former President Goodluck Jonathan. He is walking a much tougher path, one that demands real courage: the courage to make unpopular decisions today in order to secure a stable and prosperous Nigeria tomorrow.

Yes, the times are hard. No one in the Tinubu administration has denied this. But unlike previous governments that masked national problems with unsustainable handouts and reckless spending, President Tinubu chose the path of reform, painful but necessary. Subsidy removal, FX unification, and security overhauls are not populist moves; they are structural changes long overdue, avoided by past leaders for fear of political backlash.

Comparing this administration to that of Jonathan’s overlooks one fundamental difference: Tinubu inherited a country already bleeding from decades of fiscal mismanagement, oil theft, mounting debt, and broken systems. His focus is not on instant applause but on long-term institutional change. That is leadership, not politicking.

The “endorsement culture” is no longer the centerpiece of this administration’s re-election narrative. President Tinubu is not bribing his way into people’s hearts, he is working, silently, steadily, and strategically. His investments in agriculture, digital economy, transportation, and power are not media stunts, they are seeds planted to guarantee food security, job creation, and industrial rebirth.

Let’s not forget: the same North being referenced now is where Tinubu secured massive support in 2023, not with cash or propaganda, but with trust. That trust wasn’t bought. It was earned.

The Renewed Hope Initiative is not a campaign slogan, it is a policy-driven commitment to the most vulnerable Nigerians. From grants for women and MSMEs to school feeding programs and direct interventions, Tinubu’s presidency is investing in people, not just politics.

Those calling the administration “politically dead” would do well to remember that the Nigerian people are not gullible pawns in elite political chess. They understand that transformation takes time. They see through the loud outrage and ask: Who is offering solutions? That is where President Tinubu stands out, not as a perfect man, but as a determined leader.

To invoke Obasanjo’s “funeral” analogy is to misread the current pulse of the nation. This is not a funeral. It’s a rebirth. Difficult births often come with pain, but they also bring new life. Nigeria is in labour not collapse.

And come 2027, the people will judge not based on emotion or orchestrated narratives, but on who had the courage to lead when it mattered most.

Signed:

Dr Oke Idawene
National Convener
Integrity Group Of Nigeria
(Ambassadors Of The Renewed Hope)

Hon. Mukhtar Dahiru Gora
National Secretary,
Integrity Group of Nigeria
(Ambassadors Of The Renewed Hope )