Category: Bolaji Ogundele

When historians eventually sit down to chronicle President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s years in office, one of the inevitable themes they will encounter is the record of sacrifice — sacrifices of comfort, of health, of personal time, all committed to the singular mission of lifting Nigeria into its rightful place in global political economics. Last week, this dimension of his leadership came into sharp relief. For President Tinubu, it was a week not only of political and diplomatic intensity, but also of physical endurance, as he traversed continents and seas in pursuit of opportunities that will shape Nigeria’s future.

From Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where he first stopped, to Tokyo in Japan for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), and then onward to Brazil for a state visit beginning today, Tinubu’s itinerary was that of a leader driven by urgency. The arithmetic of his travels alone tells a story of grit. He flew about 7,979 kilometres from Dubai to Tokyo — roughly 14 hours in the air. From there, he boarded yet another ultra-long-haul journey of 18,539 kilometres to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, clocking around 16 hours in flight, not counting the 8,810 kilometres between Tokyo and Los Angeles during the stopover. It was, without question, one of the longest and most exhausting weeks of his presidency so far.

But here lies the essence of his leadership style: President Tinubu did not embark on these travels to court personal grandeur, nor were these escapades meant as ceremonial gestures. Rather, they were strenuous undertakings aimed at securing measurable gains for Nigeria’s economy, diplomacy, and long-term development.

There is a side of statecraft often overlooked by citizens and commentators alike: the physical toll of leadership. Statesmen of Tinubu’s calibre, particularly at his age, are expected to make sacrifices that younger men might hesitate to endure. Long-haul flights are not just a matter of sitting back in comfort; they are demanding ordeals that disrupt sleep cycles, put strain on the body, and drain energy that would otherwise be needed for crisp decision-making.

Yet, while many Nigerians slept soundly, their President was airborne, adjusting to different time zones within days, and switching from one high-stakes engagement to another. It is a sacrifice that speaks to his determination not to delegate away the critical opportunities where Nigeria must be visibly represented at the topmost tables of international diplomacy.

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By the time President Tinubu touched down in Tokyo, he had barely hours to acclimatize before stepping into the thick of TICAD9. There, he was not simply a passive participant. He was front and centre, delivering Nigeria’s message with clarity, asserting the nation’s readiness to lead in Africa, and to seize opportunities in trade, investment, and innovation.

TICAD9, hosted in Yokohama, was themed “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa”. For President Tinubu, the platform offered more than speeches and photo opportunities. He defined Nigeria’s mission with unambiguous purpose: to unlock over $1 billion in trade and investment, drive green innovation, expand opportunities for young Nigerians, and position the country as the economic heartbeat of West Africa.

In his own words, Nigeria was at the table, “not as a bystander, but as a leader shaping solutions for Africa’s future”. This statement alone encapsulates why Tinubu braves the rigours of long journeys. The stakes are too high, and the dividends too important, to risk being absent from such platforms.

During plenary sessions, the President underscored a vital truth about Africa’s development: it will not come from perpetual aid dependency, but from bold reforms, trade partnerships, and innovation. He commended Nigeria’s armed forces for their resilience in safeguarding national stability, while also making the case that lasting peace lies in addressing the root causes of terror through inclusive governance and economic reforms.

That message resonated in the conference halls because it was not abstract theory — it was borne out of Nigeria’s lived experience. And in making the case, President Tinubu positioned Nigeria not merely as another African participant but as a continental leader with the courage to chart new paths.

Beyond the plenary speeches, Nigeria’s participation at TICAD9 carried significant diplomatic weight. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, made clear that Nigeria was leveraging the platform to push for reforms in the global financial system, particularly in debt restructuring. This was a move to ensure that Africa’s economies, including Nigeria’s, can thrive without being perpetually strangled by debt burdens.

Nigeria also sought to deepen trade ties with Japan, expanding on the current $1 billion trade volume. This involved not only conventional trade but also agricultural exports, industrial partnerships, and technical collaborations with agencies like the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

Equally important, Nigeria used TICAD to lobby for greater representation on the global stage — from a permanent seat at the UN Security Council to roles in international institutions like the International Maritime Organization. For a country of Nigeria’s size and influence, these are not luxuries; they are necessities for shaping the international order in ways that reflect Africa’s demographic and economic weight.

Those who watch these events on television may see only the ceremonial side: the handshakes, the speeches, the banquets. What they often miss is the hidden labour: the sleep-deprived hours, the endless briefings on flights, the quick switches between policy themes, and the pressure of delivering results in compressed timeframes.

President Tinubu’s week in Japan was capped with a meeting with Nigerians in the Diaspora. In that interaction, he assured them that the rise of Nigeria had already begun. His words carried conviction because they were backed by the sacrifices he himself was making. “Things are stable, the economy is stabilized, the opportunity is immense,” he told them, before urging their contributions to national progress. For Nigerians in Japan listening to him in person, the message was clear: their President was walking the talk.

Even before the jet lag from Tokyo could wear off, President Tinubu was airborne again, this time heading towards Brazil. His stopover in Los Angeles underscored the sheer magnitude of his journey. For most travellers, such transcontinental shifts would demand days of rest. For President Tinubu, there was none. The next set of engagements was already waiting.

In Brazil, the mission is clear: deepen bilateral ties, sign agreements that will expand trade and investment, and anchor Nigeria more firmly as a bridge between Africa and Latin America. His host, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, shares an affinity for South–South cooperation, and Nigeria stands to gain immensely from this renewed partnership.

The agenda includes a Nigeria–Brazil Business Forum and the signing of memoranda of understanding across sectors. Once again, President Tinubu is not travelling for ceremony. He is there for hard work — work that could deliver long-term dividends in agriculture, technology transfer, industrial growth, and cultural exchange.

No discussion of such exhaustive schedules can be complete without acknowledging the elephant in the room: the potential toll on the President’s health. At 73, Bola Tinubu is not a young man. Long flights across multiple time zones, coupled with high-pressure diplomacy, are taxing even for much younger leaders, so the reasons for these efforts must be pressing, for him to be damning consequences.

Yet what shines through is his willingness to make those sacrifices. In for-going rest and comfort, he is sending a message that Nigeria’s place in the world requires relentless pursuit, not half-measures. His critics may interpret the travels differently, but the facts speak plainly: these are not leisure junkets. They are tasking, demanding journeys aimed at extracting tangible gains for the country.

If leadership were only about issuing directives from the comfort of Aso Rock Villa, Nigeria would not need a Tinubu. What makes his style distinctive is his readiness to lead from the front, to shoulder the personal burden of being present at global conversations, and to insist that Nigeria’s voice be heard.

Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, captured this aptly when he praised the President’s personal commitment: “From Japan he is going to Brazil. That tells Nigerians how much personal effort he’s putting in to lead Nigeria’s diplomacy, to ensure that we get investment and to ensure that Nigeria regains its status in its place of pride in the world”.

Bagudu’s observation reflects the essence of the Renewed Hope Agenda: Nigeria must engage with partners who respect it, not as a supplicant, but as a nation of dignity, ready to offer value and extract mutual benefit.

What Nigeria gains from such weeks of sacrifice may not be immediately obvious to the ordinary citizen on the street. The dividends of diplomatic engagement often take months, sometimes years, to materialize. But they are real, and they are cumulative. The deals struck, the partnerships forged, the reputational capital built — these are the foundations of a stronger, more competitive Nigeria.

In Tokyo, Nigeria secured visibility as a continental leader advocating for financial reforms, trade expansion, and innovation. In Brazil, it is poised to strengthen South–South cooperation. Together, these engagements reflect a strategic vision that sees Nigeria not as a local power only, but as a global player.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s long week in the skies illustrates more than his stamina. It captures the philosophy of his leadership: the willingness to endure personal discomfort for the collective good of the nation.

In an era when citizens demand results and critics are quick to dismiss foreign trips as wasteful, Tinubu’s week across continents is a reminder that diplomacy is hard work. It is not for the faint-hearted, and certainly not for those unwilling to sacrifice.

As he begins his state visit in Brazil today, Nigerians should reflect not only on the policies and agreements he will pursue, but also on the quiet sacrifices that make such opportunities possible. For behind the handshakes and speeches lies a leader who is paying in the currency of his own comfort to secure the promise of a prosperous, respected, and globally competitive Nigeria.

Tinubu’s Week: From Solemn Condolences to Bold Reforms

Even as President Tinubu devoted much of the week to high-level engagements in Yokohama, Japan, he found the time to speak to Nigerians at home, balancing celebration with moments of solemnity.

The week began on a note of reflection as the President mourned two prominent figures: veteran politician and businessman Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim, and the Emir of Zuru, Major General Muhammadu Sani Sami, describing both as national losses of enduring significance. Yet in the same breath, he celebrated longevity and leadership, felicitating former Military President Ibrahim Babangida on his 84th birthday and commending his imprint on Nigeria’s political and socio-economic journey.

Politics remained at the heart of his domestic attention. Tinubu congratulated winners of the August 16 by-elections across 16 constituencies, praising the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting what he termed smooth, violence-free polls. He saluted the All Progressives Congress (APC), which swept 12 of the contests, and applauded his party’s new National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, for the emphatic victory. Days later, however, the mood turned sombre as he commiserated with the same chairman on the passing of his mother, Mama Lydia Yilwatda.

Similarly, the President extended condolences to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State over the death of his father, while also celebrating milestones such as the 50th birthday of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku.

By Friday, Tinubu, who was represented by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, returned to reformist zeal. In Abuja, he charged graduands of the National Defense College to champion strong institutions and reaffirmed his push for indigenous defense manufacturing. Later, on his verified X handle, he unveiled an income tax calculator, assuring Nigerians that the recently signed tax recform laws were crafted to protect the vulnerable while ensuring fairness in redistribution.

In sum, Tinubu’s week, aside the tasking outing in Yokohama for TICAD9, was a mosaic of grief, gratitude, and governance—an emblem of a leader carrying the burdens of the nation while still pressing forward with his Renewed Hope agenda.

It was a week that neatly summed up President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s governing style: deliberate in planning, bold in execution, and clear in his long-term development vision. Before boarding his flight on Friday for a tightly scheduled two-nation visit to Japan and Brazil, with a strategic stopover in Dubai, the President packed in a series of activities that reflected the method behind his leadership.

At the heart of the week was Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, where the President set out his next-phase agenda for moving Nigeria from a consumption-driven economy to one rooted in productivity, savings, and investment. It was not the usual roundtable of routine approvals. Tinubu came to the Council with a challenge, a roadmap, and a sense of urgency.

“This is not just an economic target; it is a moral imperative,” he told his ministers as he laid out the path towards a $1 trillion economy by 2030, anchored on a minimum 7% growth rate by 2027. For Tinubu, economic reform is not an abstract policy exercise — it is the direct route to lifting millions out of poverty, creating decent jobs, and securing Nigeria’s place in the global economic order.

The President was unambiguous about the progress made since his administration embarked on difficult but necessary reforms. Removing longstanding distortions, restoring macroeconomic stability, rebuilding investor confidence, these were not small victories. But Tinubu’s message to his Council was that stability is only the first chapter.

What comes next is acceleration: attracting both domestic and foreign private investment, reviewing existing policies to unlock productivity, and ensuring that the gains of reform translate into real prosperity for all Nigerians — in every ward, every local government, and every state.

This is where his recently launched Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme comes into focus. Designed to cover all 8,809 wards across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, the programme’s ambition is deceptively simple: empower active grassroots economic players through a micro-level approach to tackling poverty. It is Tinubu’s way of making sure that national growth targets are not just about GDP figures, but about households that can feed their families, send children to school, and build wealth from the ground up.

“This programme is close to my heart,” the President told his ministers. And it is easy to see why. It is the clearest link yet between the macroeconomic reforms his administration has pushed and the microeconomic realities that define everyday Nigerian life.

In the President’s view, no serious growth can occur without disciplined savings and investment. Public investment as a share of GDP, he noted, stands at just 5% — a figure he wants increased by rethinking how government money is spent and retained.

He was direct in his instructions: review deductions from the Federation Account, reassess the cost-of-collection rates of revenue agencies, and take a hard look at the 30% management fee and 30% frontier exploration deduction currently applied by the NNPC under the Petroleum Industry Act.

The Economic Management Team, chaired by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has been tasked to bring back actionable recommendations. This is Tinubu’s hallmark, identifying structural inefficiencies and assigning clear responsibility to fix them within a set timeframe.

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His broader philosophy is that every naira must work harder for Nigeria. This is not austerity for its own sake, but a call for smarter spending that can sustain the momentum of reform even in the face of global liquidity constraints.

If Wednesday’s FEC meeting was about charting the course, Thursday brought a powerful endorsement from one of the world’s most respected economic voices. Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, met with the President in Abuja and emerged to tell journalists that his reforms had done what many thought impossible: stabilise the Nigerian economy in a period of immense global and domestic turbulence.

“You cannot really improve an economy unless it’s stable,” she said. “The President and his team have worked hard to stabilise the economy. The reforms have been in the right direction. What is needed next is growth.”

Her words could not have aligned more perfectly with the President’s own message to FEC the day before. Stability as the foundation, growth as the next imperative, and in both cases, the importance of building in social safety nets so that the most vulnerable can withstand the temporary hardship reforms often bring.

Okonjo-Iweala’s visit was not just ceremonial. She came to brief Tinubu on the launch of the Women Exporters Fund for the Digital Economy, a WTO–International Trade Centre initiative supported by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Nigeria stood out in the selection process, with 146 women entrepreneurs chosen from over 67,000 global applicants. Sixteen will enter an intensive 18-month scale-up programme, while another 100 will receive $5,000 grants plus a year of mentorship.

“This is just the beginning,” she assured. “We will all work together, WTO, ITC, the Ministry of Trade and Investment, and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, to make sure these businesses expand, employ more people, and put more money in both households’ pockets and the nation’s pocket.”

It was a practical example of the kind of inclusive prosperity Tinubu speaks of, where targeted support to grassroots entrepreneurs, particularly women, becomes part of the growth equation.

One of the most striking aspects of Tinubu’s presidency so far is that none of these initiatives appear haphazard. He is working to a calendar — a structured rollout of reforms, programmes, and investments designed to build on each other.

The removal of distortions in the first months. The macro-stabilisation measures that followed. The ward-level development programme to anchor grassroots prosperity. The call for savings and investment discipline. The ongoing push to integrate private sector capital and innovation into public policy goals.

Every step is part of a sequence, each unlocking the conditions for the next. This is why the President’s trips abroad, like the one now taking him to Japan for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) and then to Brazil for a state visit, are not merely ceremonial. They fit into the same calendar.

In Yokohama, Tinubu will pitch Nigeria as a prime investment destination to Japanese business leaders already active in the country and those considering entry. In Brazil, he will consolidate economic cooperation agreements and open new trade corridors with one of Latin America’s largest economies.

By the time he returns, the follow-up mechanisms at home, driven by ministers, the Economic Management Team, and agencies, will already be working to convert those international engagements into measurable outcomes.

What comes through most clearly in Tinubu’s language is that, for him, growth is not just an economic statistic. It is a moral obligation, the only sustainable way to solve Nigeria’s poverty challenge. The President frames the target of 7% annual growth by 2027 not as a political slogan, but as a duty to the millions who depend on the state of the economy for their survival and progress.

This framing matters. It signals to his team that the work of reform is inseparable from the work of inclusion. It also resonates with external partners like Okonjo-Iweala, whose own career has been defined by efforts to link macroeconomic soundness with poverty reduction.

In Tinubu’s own words, “Let us continue to work together with unity of purpose, guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda, to build a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Nigeria.”

The challenge now is execution. The Ward Development Programme must be implemented with precision to ensure funds reach the intended grassroots actors. The review of savings and investment structures must translate into freed-up capital for productive use. The partnerships formed abroad must materialise into factories, farms, and services that create jobs at home.

The early signs are promising. Ministries have begun aligning their budget frameworks to the President’s emphasis on productivity-enhancing investments and food security. State governors, after Tinubu’s address to the National Economic Council, seem to have started exploring joint initiatives with local governments to deepen grassroots development.

And in the private sector, investor sentiment, bolstered by the policy clarity Tinubu insists upon, is beginning to shift. The stabilisation Okonjo-Iweala speaks of is a precondition for the long-term capital Nigeria needs, and her endorsement carries weight with the global investor community.

As the President’s second year in office unfolds, the strategic sequencing of reforms and programmes will be tested by the realities of implementation. There will be resistance from entrenched interests, unforeseen shocks in the global economy, and the ever-present challenge of translating policy into impact.

But Tinubu has made it clear that his administration is not in the business of quick wins for political applause. He is working to a methodical schedule, with a fixed destination in mind.

This week’s events — from the FEC charge to the WTO endorsement to the strategic foreign visits — illustrate a leadership approach that is as much about discipline as it is about ambition.

If the momentum holds, the phrase “moving from consumption to production” may well become more than a policy slogan. It could mark the turning point when Nigeria began building an economy capable of delivering broad-based prosperity, not just for some, but for all.

Appointments that Strengthen the Reform Agenda

As earlier noted, the week under review was not only about President Tinubu’s rousing charge to the Federal Executive Council on moving Nigeria from consumption to production. It was also a week of intense administrative housekeeping, as the President moved to fill key federal vacancies, reconstitute strategic boards, and make targeted appointments designed to strengthen the machinery of governance.

From regulatory agencies to academic institutions, the choices reflected a deliberate strategy: put competent hands in positions that can translate reform policies into tangible outcomes. At the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the President’s praise for retaining the WHO’s Maturity Level 3 status underscored his insistence on world-class standards, especially in health regulation — a cornerstone for both public wellbeing and investor confidence in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector.

The Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre got new leadership in Ms. Rinsola Abiola, while Nasir Bala Ja’oǰi was named Senior Special Assistant on Citizenship and Leadership. The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYREP) saw its governing council reconstituted, signalling fresh energy for environmental remediation in the Niger Delta.

Appointments to the Federal Character Commission (FCC), the boards of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), as well as governing councils of key universities, reinforced the President’s theme of merit-driven inclusivity. The swearing-in of Prof. Dakas C.J. Dakas as NLRC Chairman, alongside Dr. Uchenna Eugene Okolocha, reflected his attention to legal reform as a tool for economic transformation.

Even the nominations of Louis Odion and Ummasalma Isiyaku Rabiu to the FCCPC point to an administration tightening regulatory oversight in consumer protection and market fairness.

In sum, the week’s appointments were not mere personnel changes. They were calculated reinforcements to the institutional architecture required for the next phase of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

It began with celebration and ended with conviction. From the emotional highs of the Super Falcons’ historic 10th WAFCON triumph in Morocco to a decisive week of statecraft in Abuja, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sustained a hectic but profoundly symbolic week of leadership. It was a week where he moved from encouraging sporting excellence to institutionalising grassroots economic empowerment, all while pressing Nigeria’s governors to shift from political posturing to practical delivery.

While Monday was reserved for adulation and joy, Thursday was about reckoning. The President, in full command of both the emotional and policy arenas of governance, met with the National Economic Council (NEC) and did not mince words. He tasked the governors—many of whom had enjoyed soaring revenues in recent months—to match his administration’s macroeconomic victories with tangible action at the lowest levels of society. His charge was direct: let the wealth flow down to the wards, to the very soil of the republic and let the poor breathe.

The outcome was the formal endorsement of the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme—a bold, sweeping initiative designed to drill the gains of Nigeria’s recovering economy directly into the country’s 8,809 wards. This was not mere policy theorising. This was Tinubu forcing the hand of the political class to embrace real federalism through shared economic responsibility.

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, speaking after the NEC meeting, captured the moment succinctly: “The President came up with a programme that will fast-track the process of this additional money creating a bigger impact on Nigerians by making sure that it trickles down to the grassroots.” That is Tinubu’s central thesis—economic reform means little unless it is felt in homes, farms, workshops, and marketplaces across Nigeria.

To be clear, President Tinubu’s economic reforms are no longer speculative theories—they are validated and praised by global institutions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its 2025 Article IV Consultation, applauded Nigeria’s post-subsidy macroeconomic recalibration. Higher federation revenues, a stabilised naira, and increased oil output are signs of renewed strength. But Tinubu knows what the people feel is more important than what analysts write.

So when he stood before governors last week, it wasn’t to revel in progress—it was to press for delivery.

And that’s where the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme breaks the mold. Anchored by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, this plan targets 1,000 economically active individuals in each ward, empowering them to drive local production, generate employment, and combat poverty from the bottom up. This is the economics of empowerment, not entitlement. This is Tinubu saying: “I have built the runway; now let your people fly.”

As Minister Atiku Bagudu rightly observed, “Having stabilised the macroeconomy, the next step is to drill down development to the lowest levels.” And there’s no lower and more foundational unit in Nigeria’s political structure than the ward. If democracy must serve, let it begin at the roots. This is the constitutional vision that President Tinubu is resurrecting, inspired by Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution which mandates all governments to ensure the prosperity and welfare of the people.

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But Thursday’s NEC meeting was only the climax of a persistent campaign that had begun even before Tinubu became President and recalled just a week earlier at the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. There, President Tinubu spoke bluntly to the governors elected under the ruling party’s platform. “Nigerians are still complaining at the grassroots,” he declared. “You have to wet the grass more”. In one poetic turn of phrase, he laid bare the imbalance between macroeconomic gains and microeconomic experience.

He has been consistent in this. From urging states to deploy new federal revenues more creatively to calling for more state-level investment in food security and security infrastructure, Tinubu has never hidden his view that Nigeria’s true development lies beyond Abuja. It lies in the hinterlands—in places often forgotten once elections end.

Last week, the President took one more step in closing that governance gap. He made it clear that the era of “federated aloofness” is over. Every tier of government must co-own and co-drive development. The federal government alone cannot bear the burden of revitalising the nation.

Yet, amid all the weighty statecraft and strategic reform, President Tinubu did not forget to celebrate national excellence. If his Thursday at the NEC was about lifting people out of poverty, his Monday was about lifting the nation’s spirit.

When the victorious Super Falcons landed in Abuja fresh from their dramatic 3-2 WAFCON final win in Rabat, it wasn’t just a football team returning—it was national inspiration on parade. And Tinubu gave them a welcome worthy of history. Not only did he fulfil his promise to receive them personally at the State House, but he also institutionalised a reward culture that recognises achievement and inspires future greatness.

Each of the 24 players and 11 coaching crew received the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), a three-bedroom apartment under the Renewed Hope Housing Scheme, and the Naira equivalent of $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. That’s N4.5 billion worth of appreciation (for the cash gifts)—not just in cash, but in the value it signals.

“You have inspired millions,” Tinubu told them, his voice thick with emotion. “You have inspired me, too. It’s great for a nation to have assets that are the hope of today, tomorrow, and the day after. You represent that hope”. This wasn’t just a reward; it was a cultural statement. In this administration, excellence is no longer overlooked.

He joked about his own nerves during the match, how he almost couldn’t bear to watch, and how the First Lady nearly abandoned his dinner for the final. But in those light moments, the gravity of his leadership shone through. He had not just celebrated a win; he had elevated the team into enduring symbols of national pride and possibility.

His Unyielding Commitment to Reform and Inclusion

Meanwhile, last week, President Tinubu demonstrated once again that his brand of leadership is rooted not in rhetoric but in deliberate action. From celebrating excellence in sports and youth service to tightening the bolts of institutional reform and national inclusion, the President kept faith with his Renewed Hope Agenda and did much more.

For instance on Monday, besides honouring victorious Super Falcons, Tinubu also celebrated seasoned Lagos politician, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, praising his decades of dedication to public service. On Tuesday, he gave a historic lift to youth development by awarding automatic federal employment, ₦250,000, and PhD scholarships to 200 outstanding NYSC members—an unprecedented move that speaks volumes about his belief in generational renewal.

Wednesday took a political turn, as the President received Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, an ally of Kwankwaso, in what may be the opening act of a broader realignment ahead of 2027. Yet, Tinubu showed no sign of pausing for political drama. That same day, he activated the leadership machinery for the Ogoni Federal University, empowering a long-overlooked region with transformative education infrastructure.

By Thursday, governance took centre stage. He extended the tenure of Customs CG Bashir Adeniyi to consolidate reforms, chaired a consequential FEC meeting that greenlit ₦213.7 billion in electrification projects, and kickstarted a bold ₦900 billion aviation overhaul. Before these these, he had swore in Hon. Nnana Uzor Kalu as National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) Commissioner and mourned a fallen statesman; Caleb Olubolade, who served at different time, in different capacities, in the Federal Executive Council.

And on Friday, the President turned to Nigeria’s most vocal generation—digital influencers. He challenged them to build, not break; to verify, not vilify. His message was clear: the future is now, and it is theirs to shape—with truth, unity, and responsibility. Tinubu isn’t merely governing—he is leading with purpose.

Indeed, it is this duality—policy reform and human celebration—that defines Tinubu’s governance. He understands that numbers must walk in tandem with narratives. That a government must both feed the body and lift the soul. In one week, he led an economic transformation agenda and made sports heroes of our daughters. That is the balance of leadership.

But now the governors must step up. President Tinubu has opened the door to wealth redistribution by stabilising Nigeria’s macroeconomic landscape. He has secured federation revenues, liberalised forex, and begun correcting the country’s fiscal posture. But if the wards—the beating hearts of Nigeria’s communities—do not benefit, the gains will ring hollow.

The Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme is not just another federal policy. It is a clarion call to state governments: the era of blaming Abuja is over. The President has brought Nigeria to a turning point, but the states must walk the people across it.

No governor, no local council chairman, no party leader has an excuse anymore. The roadmap has been drawn. The resources are flowing. The people are watching.

As the President said “we must invest more. Not just in infrastructure, but in our people.” He is doing just that—one ward, one policy, one celebration at a time.

So, whether it is through rewarding the Super Falcons or realigning national revenue to touch the poor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is proving that governance must be both compassionate and consequential. He has moved the conversation from politics to performance.

And now, the rest of Nigeria’s political class must catch up. The time of excuses is over. The age of delivery has begun.

Dr Leon Usigbe: A Torchbearer Now at Rest

In the often unforgiving world of journalism, where deadlines chase by the minute and truth must be pursued through storms, Dr Leon Habby Usigbe stood tall—a dependable compass of clarity, courage, and quiet conviction. News of his passing on Friday, July 25, at the age of 62, struck a chilling chord through the corridors of the State House and among colleagues nationwide.

‘Dr Leon’, as he was fondly called by those who knew him—whether colleague or President—was more than the Bureau Chief of the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja; he was the embodiment of principled reporting. Sharp-witted and ethically grounded, he chronicled power not to flatter it, but to question it, always in service of the people’s right to know.

He was a familiar and respected presence in the State House Press Corps. One of the oldest among us, yet the fastest on the keys, Leon showed that professionalism never ages. He typed with the urgency of a cub reporter and the wisdom of a newsroom elder. His spirit was undimmed by time.

Beyond the beat, he was a family man, disciplined, health-conscious, and personable—a standard many of us quietly admired. That his departure came amid a perplexing battle with unclear ailments only deepens the ache of our loss.

For me, his death is personal. From Port Harcourt to Abuja, we shared more than bylines—we shared a bond.

Sleep on, Dr Leon. The newsroom mourns, the nation remembers. And we, your friends, will not forget.