BELLO AKINKUNMI YAKUB
Both the North and South West have similar historical societies governed by organized pyramid shaped kingdoms headed by traditional leaders with chiefdoms that have made us indoctrinate hierarchical succession and delayed gratification towards leadership aspirations in our political systems. The South East were historically age grade communalists and after the Biafran civil war doubled down on it’s protectionist politics and narrow interests concave strategy as against the convex strategy of the North and South West, same has given the South East advantage in business but is undermining them politically. The South South is a mixture of both historical societies so they can easily cope and blend with any political situation and arrangements once their interest is aligned – natural resources and it’s due rewards and compensation for their people.
Just like the unusual ticket of MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe in 1993, this Asiwaju Tinubu and Kashim Shettima joint ticket is another historical amalgamated descendance and renaissance of both great and enlightened kingdoms of the Oyo And Kanem – Bornu Empires. It is not just historical that such a special ticket is seeking leadership of the country at this important juncture of our national journey, it is also vital for the shift from entrenched primordial sentiments that has always bespectacled our vision politically through sentimentalism like religious divides and tribal cleavages.
This is a ticket that represents and reflects the value system we clamour for – competency and character. Same value system that has built and sustained great societies and economies to outlast the men who envisioned them, surmounted the challenges and obstacles they confronted while entrenching such values in future generations through investing in the sustainable development of humanity and society.
The Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima ticket is Nigeria’s chance to cross the rubicon and accelerate the transformational development needed for the country to take it’s rightful place amongst the comity of developed nations going by the trajectory of both men in the offices they held previously in both public and private institutions, the character they exemplified in such capacities, the excellence they entrenched by sustaining a process of succession that bequeathed competent leadership after office and the transformational development they put in place at both subnationals they governed has made this joint ticket our best bet to the great country that Nigeria is destined to become and as envisioned by our founding fathers.
– *Bello Akinkunmi Yakub is a Development Economist and Political Strategist.*