Dear Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa: Re: Open Letter To His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President, Federal Republic Of Nigeria.
I extend my warmest and most sincere greetings to you, accompanied by heartfelt wishes for your continued good health, mental clarity and overall well-being.
Like you, I am deeply interested in the progress of our nation and in the success of the democracy we have worked so hard to build.
It is in this spirit of constructive dialogue and patriotic commitment that I write to you today, not out of malice, but out of a firm belief that your recent open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu contained several misrepresentations, misjudgments, and misplaced expectations that require a careful examination and clarification from a neutral and patriot respective.
Alhaji Bafarawa, I respect your decades of political experience and your service to Nigeria, and I acknowledge your right to express concerns about the current state of our dear country.
However, as an elder statesman, your role ought to be one of guidance, based on fairness and objectivity, rather than engaging in narratives that do not align with the realities on the ground.
Unfortunately, your letter to the president veers into the latter, as it ignores the efforts, policies, and significant progress made by this administration in less than two years, despite your foreknowledge of its power transition.
I would like to begin with your implicit suggestion that President Tinubu’s government is somehow stifling opposition or tilting towards authoritarianism. This assertion, with all due respect, is not only misleading but also dismissive of the political inclusivity that has defined his administration from day one.
For the record, no Nigerian democratic president in history has demonstrated as much commitment to inclusivity as President Tinubu. This is evident in his carefully assembled cabinet; a diverse representation of the country, not just in terms of geography, but in professional expertise and competence.
Your Excellency, Alhaji Bafarawa, from the appointment of ministers to key agency heads, Tinubu has broken from the past by prioritising capacity over blind loyalty or ethnic considerations.
Unlike previous administrations that leaned heavily on sectional interests or partisan allegiances, President Tinubu has set a standard that ensures that the best hands—regardless of political, ethnic, or religious backgrounds, are given the opportunity to contribute to national development. If there was ever a government that embraced the principle of Nigeria first, this is it.
This inclusivity is also reflected in his economic policies, security initiatives, and diplomatic engagements. I strongly believe that a man who governs with such broad-based participation cannot be accused of intolerance towards the opposition. The very foundation of your argument collapses under the weight of this simple and obvious truth.
The Nigerian economy we knew, was not merely “battered”; it was on life support. The fiscal policies of the past administration left the country with unsustainable debt levels, a crippling subsidy regime and a foreign exchange system that encouraged arbitrage and corruption.
Insecurity, which you, Alhaji Bafarawa, rightly highlighted, has become a hydra-headed monster, with banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping reaching unprecedented levels.
However, you fail to afford Tinubu the patience required to systematically address these deep-rooted issues. No sincere observer of Nigeria’s governance landscape would dispute that the country was in dire straits when President Tinubu took office. These are not excuses but facts that must be acknowledged to appreciate the magnitude of the task before President Tinubu.
The insecurity that has plagued Nigeria, which ranges from terrorism in the North-East to banditry in the North-West, IPOB insurgency in the South-East and oil theft in the South-South, did not begin under President Tinubu. The previous administration, despite its best efforts, struggled to fully contain these threats. Insecurity had become deeply entrenched, requiring a more strategic and long-term approach to dismantle its structures.
Moreover, since assuming office, President Tinubu has undertaken crucial reforms to strengthen the nation’s security architecture. He has revitalised the leadership of the military and intelligence agencies; provided them with improved operational capabilities and encouraged regional collaborations to curb cross-border criminal activities.
The fight against insecurity is ongoing, but significant progress has been recorded. Attacks have been repelled, terrorists have been neutralised and territories once under siege have been reclaimed.
I would boldly say that it is disingenuous to expect Tinubu to eradicate a decade-long security crisis in less than two years. Such an expectation is not only unrealistic but also undermines the collective patience required from all Nigerians to allow these reforms to take full effect. If you, an elder statesman, cannot provide this patience, how do you expect the average citizen to?
Alhaji Bafarawa, sir, you also touched on the economic hardships facing Nigerians today. Again, while you acknowledge that President Tinubu inherited a battered economy, your letter fails to give due credit to the bold reforms he has implemented to put Nigeria on the path to long-term economic stability.
The removal of fuel subsidy, for instance, was not an easy decision, but it was a necessary one. The subsidy regime had become a black hole of corruption, benefiting only a few while draining national resources that could have been channeled into infrastructure, education and healthcare. By removing fuel subsidy, the president took a decisive step that previous administrations lacked the political will to take.
Had previous administrations undertaken these difficult but necessary decisions, Nigeria’s economy would not be in the fragile state it was when President Tinubu took office. Instead, those before him kicked the can down the road, leaving him to bear the burden of unmaking years of economic mismanagement. Criticising him for making tough choices is what I believed to be both unfair and shortsighted.
Your Excellency, Alhaji Bafarawa, as a senior politician with decades of experience, it is crucial that you take off the lenses of political bias and embrace a stance of neutrality. The fight by President Tinubu is not against opposition figures like yourself; it is against corruption, nepotism, incompetence, insecurity and those who have looted Nigeria’s commonwealth for too long.
Rather than casting unnecessary aspersions, this is the time to rally behind the government’s efforts to rebuild Nigeria. Constructive criticism is welcome, but it must be grounded in fairness and a recognition of the challenges at hand. If we truly desire a better Nigeria, we must be willing to endure short-term difficulties for long-term gains.
Alhaji Bafarawa, you have spoken of democracy and the need to protect the opposition. Yet, in your own political history, you have benefitted from and participated in opposition politics without facing suppression. Tinubu himself rose to power through opposition politics. The insinuation that he is now attempting to stifle the opposition is a contradiction that does not stand to reason.
One of the most striking claims in your letter is the insinuation that President Tinubu is scheming to establish a one-party state in Nigeria. This assertion, with all due respect, is not only baseless but also a disservice to the democratic credentials of President Tinubu. Let us not forget that President Tinubu is a product of opposition politics. He has fought tirelessly for the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria, often at great personal cost. To suggest that he would now seek to undermine the very system he helped build is both ironic and unfounded.
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the leadership of President Tinubu, has not taken any steps to muzzle the opposition or stifle dissent. On the contrary, the administration has maintained a firm commitment to the rule of law and the principles of democracy. The opposition parties in Nigeria today enjoy the same freedoms that the APC enjoyed when it was in opposition. If anything, President Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated a level of tolerance and inclusivity that is rare in our political history.
Your reference to the United States as a model of two-party democracy is apt, but it is important to note that the strength of a democracy is not determined by the number of political parties but by the vibrancy of its institutions and the commitment of its leaders to the rule of law. President Tinubu’s administration has shown a clear commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions, and this is evident in the reforms being implemented across various sectors.
I believe that the real enemies of democracy are those who, rather than contributing to national progress, constantly seek to create discord for personal or political gain. If you wish to offer counsel, let it be constructive. If you seek to criticise, let it be fair, and if you desire the best for Nigeria, please let your voice be one that encourages nation-building, and not that which undermines the sincere efforts of a government striving hard and tirelessly to reposition the country.
Alhaji Bafarawa, sir, I implore you to reflect deeply about Nigeria’s current situation. It will take more than a magic wand to fix the massive problems Tinubu inherited. But by taking them on head-on, he has demonstrated incredible dedication, foresight and bravery.
Your role, at this stage in your life, should be to guide younger politicians with wisdom, not to stoke unnecessary division. Let history remember you as a statesman who stood for truth; not as one who sowed seeds of discord when the nation needed unity the most.
Nigeria is on a path to full recovery, and while the journey may be difficult, the destination is worth the effort. President Tinubu is undoubtedly leading that recovery with bold and necessary reforms. Your Excellency Alhaji Bafarawa, it is time to support, not sabotage, these efforts.
May Almighty God guide us all and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Yours sincerely,
•Dr (Chief) Agbese, the Okanga 1 of Agilaland, is a member, House of Representatives, representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency.
