Dr. John Ekundayo, author, researcher, newspaper columnist and pastor tells Gboyega Alaka why he wrote the book, ‘Tinubu: Trajectory to the Throne’ on the All progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He also shares his conviction on why he thinks the man one of the greatest leaders of this era.
The title of your new book on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu titled: ‘Tinubu: Trajectory To The Throne’, portends a certain conviction that the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate will get the coveted top job. What gives you such assurance?
Looking at his antecedents as an elected senator representing Lagos West under the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and when he was Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007; the indelible footprints he left behind, building sustainable institutions, mentoring people, raising them up…. These are the things that give me the confidence that all things being equal, the elections being conducted appropriately, fair and square, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of all the leading aspirants – whether Abubakar Atiku of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party or Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP- has the unique value propositions to take him to the throne.
What, therefore, inspired this book? You could have your conviction and still not bother to write a book.
I’m a columnist, I’m an author; I have written books; this is my fifth; and as a Leadership researcher and analyst, I have noticed that there are not many literatures on Leadership in Africa, not just in Nigeria, especially in the digital format. In fact, when I was doing my PhD research in Malaysia and studying the leadership style of the former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, I discovered that when it came to Africa, you only see outdated materials. And your supervisor would tell you, ‘I don’t want outdated materials’. Even works on Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, were not many in the digital format. So I purposed to write a book on Leadership in Africa. This book is in three formats: paperback, hardcover, and the E-format, which is very easy to buy on Amazon.com. This book is therefore not just about me wanting Tinubu to win or having sympathy for his leadership; I want something to be put there, so that in years to come, somebody can look at it and say, ‘ Oh, a researcher wrote something about Tinubu’. It also has a reference section, so that people can read further to corroborate or controvert my perception.
Basically you see Asiwaju as one of the great leaders of this era.
Yes. After the avatar in Yorubaland, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, I see Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a titanic politician. In fact, I see him now as a stormy petrel of Nigerian politics. In the days leading to the First Republic, Herbert Macaulay was referred to as ‘Ejo n gboro;’ he was the man with the bow-tie and moustache; whenever he mounted the podium to speak, his voice and message reverberated. Asiwaju is in that mould. Anytime he speaks, everywhere shakes. Remember his speech few days before the APC primary in Abeokuta. You would recollect too that it was in the same Abeokuta that he again spoke against the chaos of the unending scarcity of fuel and the new naira notes; you can see how attention has shifted to these issues.
Here you are, a Christian, a pastor; aren’t you bothered that he settled for a Muslim running mate?
I stayed three years in Malaysia, an Islamic country and that changed my orientation. Prior to that, I resided in Singapore for four years. These two nations, at the press of a button, almost everything works. But you know what? Whether in Malaysia or Singapore, when you come to work, you put your religion at home. We should get to a place where the lines of religion are blurred. We need somebody like Asiwaju, who though a Muslim, instituted the annual thanksgiving at the Lagos State Secretariat, where Pastor Adeboye has been preaching till date. We need somebody like that to reset the thinking of Nigerians, so that we can begin to look at values, irrespective of religion. If it is an atheist who can bring out the value of integrity in the country, why not put him in position? In Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew would not even want to hear anything about religion. But he wasn’t against it either. I pastored there, I started a mission work there; the same thing in Malaysia. In fact, there, they would tell you to sound-proof your place of worship, so your noise does not disturb others. And it is making their society to grow and have peace and progress. Not for us to bring religion into politics and have it divide us further and lead to killings, annihilation and arson.
The man Asiwaju, also has a lot of smears around him- too many to mention; is it that you don’t believe these things?
It was the astute politician in Ibadan, Late Lamidi Adedibu, who said if you want to aspire to lead, think very well- because you will hear the story of the person who had immoral affair with your mother while she was married to your father. So, even when you’re very clean, prepare for people to smear you. Be that as it may, for somebody who has been this and that, and who has been to code of conduct bureau and been taken before this and that court, it’s all meaningless noise. The Yoruba call it awuyewuye. If you’re so sure of any of these allegations, then go to the court of law with facts and let these things be proven. For all the cases ever instituted against Asiwaju, the man has won – whether it’s the case of corruption, drugs…. If you would recall, in 2003 when the issue of drugs was brought up again, he said the allegation is as dead as dodo.
About him picking a Muslim deputy, the question is when we have been made number 2 in the days of Yar’adua or number one in the days of Obasanjo and Jonathan or even now, for almost eight years, what has happened? For me, when the news broke, the Christian body should have come out and said ‘this is a slap on our face,’ and then institute a dialogue and negotiate. ‘Okay, give us the Senate President; give us the speaker of the House of Representatives. Let one come from the North, let the other come from the South. These are even stronger than the vice president position. Since the days of Atiku, no vice president has displayed the clout to do anything. Except the president allows you, the VP position is just a name.
And then they’ve been talking about his health. Do you think he’s not healthy?
That’s the big issue now, because people will tell you, ‘Oh Yar’adua was like that… but Buhari was even scarier in 2015. But Buhari is alive and kicking well. But let’s look at it dispassionately. Today Asiwaju is in Ekiti, and he may be going to Oyo State or some other place tomorrow. Yesterday, he was in about two states, campaigning, standing, and you hear people talking about his slips and gaffes. Me, I am a pastor and younger, but I make mistakes on the pulpit. And when there is pressure, it is not easy. Even Atiku’s wife who is not under such pressure, we all saw her make a mistake, when she said ‘Vote for APC’. But that does not dictate the state of your health. As we speak; he has travelled the country more than any other candidate. Look at his presentation when he met the business people, especially the Nigeria Economic Summit group; very articulate, fantastic.
Naira scarcity, petrol scarcity; he has accused the powers that be of being complicit in the whole chaos and setting him up for defeat. Do you think this is the case?
I agree with him because on the ballot, there is no Tinubu, there is no Atiku. It is the emblem and name of the party. And that is what the opposition has been using. What he is doing now, is taking his fate in his hands. And I love the way Nasir ElRufai has reacted, coming out boldly, with the wife of the president backing him up, and the governors, all saying, ‘No, we’re not going to go that way.’ Because some few people cannot just be misdirecting us all.
Tell us your Asiwaju story
I had an opportunity to meet him in June 2014, few days after the election in Ekiti State, which Fayemi lost to Fayose. My friend who is a renowned columnist at The Nation, Segun Ayobolu, was asking me: ‘Egbon, what happened in Ekiti?’So I did some analysis. Then Ayobolu said, ‘This thing you’re saying, can you say it in Asiwaju’s presence? Because I’m meeting him this weekend.’ And I said why not? The day came and I saw vintage Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Interestingly, he kept coming out to apologise for keeping us waiting. Around 6pm, he came out and said, ‘You know what, I am hungry, can you all join me to eat?’ On that table, there was Femi Gbajabiamila, there was Femi Ojodu, there was Ambode who was then a governorship candidate. I was the only person on that table who happened to be a public servant. All the others were state actors, senators or big politicians. And as people were speaking, I raised my hand and said, ‘Sir, can I say something?’ And he looked at me and said, ‘go ahead’. And I said, in Africa, we always make a mistake; we don’t allow followers to think, we believe that leaders should be thinking always for followers. And he looked at me and said, all these Ekiti people, when you see them, they dress like a farmer, but they’re full of brilliance. I said you ought to have conducted a research before the election, to feel the perception of the people. And he said, ‘I did my research, and I have my result.’ And I told him, ‘you ought to have done another one a week before the election’. From that brief interaction, I got the perception that this is an intelligent and cerebral person would not suffer fools gladly. We need a leader who can bring people together and fertilise ideas. Look at his cabinet when he was governor – Yemi Osinbajo, Muiz Banire, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Rauf Aregbesola, Ben Akabueze. He is a leader who thinks ahead and carries people along. Aside these people, he also has apostles all over the North.
