In Nigeria’s heated political climate, opposition voices have mastered the art of demonisation—painting the leader in power as the nation’s problem. But the attempt to villainise President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has clearly failed. Nigerians are beginning to see beyond propaganda and acknowledge a leader willing to confront decades of economic decay with uncommon courage.
Tinubu did not create the problems confronting Nigeria; he inherited them. The nation’s economy was already weighed down by years of poor management, reckless subsidies, and policy somersaults Where others played safe, he chose reform. Like Donald Trump’s “America First” MAGA Doctrine, Tinubu’s approach places Nigeria first above politics.
The removal of fuel subsidy was not an act of cruelty but of bravery. It halted a system that drained the treasury to enrich a privileged few. His reforms in the exchange rate system, power, and fiscal discipline are already yielding gradual results in higher allocations to states, renewed investor confidence, and greater transparency in public finance.
Nigerians must therefore keep their eyes on the sparrow—the goal of national renewal—and not on political labels or parties. Leadership should be measured by courage and integrity, not partisan noise. And Tinubu is clearly showing the way in leadership.
Economic hardship is a global reality. From Washington to London, economies are battling inflation, high energy costs, and post-pandemic instability. Within this storm, Tinubu’s steady resolve to reform a troubled system is remarkable. If anything, he deserves an award for courage, not condemnation.
If the first term is about painful but necessary restructuring, a second would be the period of consolidation. The reforms being laid today will mature into jobs, stronger institutions, and a more self-sustaining economy tomorrow. True reform always demands patience.
The opposition’s campaign to demonise and villainise Tinubu has failed because Nigerians now recognise substance beneath the smear. The president is confronting problems others merely debated. History will remember him, not for the noise of critics, but for the courage to act.
•Mukoro is a Port Harcourt, Rivers State-based non-political journalist who writes in recognition of courageous leadership in difficult times.
