Tinubu And The Burden Of Governance

By Jacob Edi
Governance, in its truest sense, is no tea party. It demands
courage, clarity, and the moral stamina to make hard
choices—even when those choices are unpopular. Since
assuming office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come
face to face with the full weight of that reality. The
honeymoon of campaign promises is over, and what stares
him in the face is the burden of governance — raw,
unfiltered, and relentless.

Unarguably, Tinubu, inherited a nation on the edge, fractured by insecurity, weakened by economic
haemorrhage, bruised by years of inconsistent policy
direction where corruption was almost a directive principle of
state. But where others dithered, he has chosen to confront
Nigeria’s demons head-on.
The abrupt removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the
naira were not populist moves at all but they were
necessary, painful, and perhaps overdue… little wonder all
the presidential candidates made these neccesasry policies
a campaaign promise. Yet, for many Nigerians, these
policies have been the hardest pills to swallow.
There’s a peculiar loneliness that comes with leadership.
Tinubu now bears that loneliness. In a country where
sentiment often overshadows sense, where people want

change but resist the cost of it, leading becomes a paradox.
Nigerians want progress, but not pain. They want reforms,
but without disruptions. Governance, however, does not
bend to such emotional economics.
Still, one cannot ignore the irony that Tinubu, the political
strategist who built alliances and empires in Lagos and
beyond, now faces the toughest opponent yet—governance
itself. Lagos was his experiment; Nigeria is his final test. The
scale is different, the stakes higher, and the consequences
more immediate. Every policy has ripple effects that touch
millions, every delay widens the trust deficit, and every
misstep becomes amplified in the national consciousness.
His decision to reshuffle the military hierarchy, for instance,
came at a time when whispers of a coup had begun to float
through the corridors of speculation.
With military dispatch, the military dismissed this rumour.
Still, Tinubu acted.
For all intents and purposes, the decision “to streghten the
nation’s secuirty architecture” is a demonstartion that as
important as loyalty may be to the state apparatus, it
supersedes regional or political sentiment. The men in
uniform must be inspired, equipped, and accountable.
National security cannot afford complacency.
He understood that leadership isn’t about waiting for crisis to
mature before taking action. Unlike his immediate

predecessor, who often hesitated in moments of national
insecurity, Tinubu demonstrated the presence of mind that
defines statesmanship. In a season of political unease, he
chose decisiveness over dithering.
For a nation built on a very fragile federal equilibrium,
rejigging the nation’s security architecture could spark
delicate and dangerous insinuations that might reignite old
suspicions that national cohesion is giving way to sectional
dominance. But it is instructive that, on matters of security,
emotional analysis takes a back seat when the safety of the
nation is at stake. And for those who glory in conspiracy
theorization to suggest that Mr. President acted in panic,
would they rather nothing was done? The consequence of
inaction would not just be grievous but incalculable.
This is not to romanticize Tinubu’s leadership. Governance
is not judged by intent alone but by impact. The question
remains: are Nigerians safer, more hopeful, and better off
than they were a year ago? The answer is complicated.
Inflation bites, the naira flounders, and insecurity still stalks
communities from the North to the South. The hardship is
real and deepening. Truth is, nations are not rebuilt in
comfort. The first stage of reform is always chaos before
order. Tinubu’s Nigeria is still in that inchoate phase, where
pain precedes progress and where every gain comes with
resistance.

Those who compare him to past presidents often miss the
point. Tinubu’s burden is heavier because the rot runs
deeper. Buhari’s administration, while cloaked in anti-
corruption rhetoric, left behind a hollowed-out economy, a
fractured security architecture, and an exhausted citizenry.
Jonathan, for all his calm demeanor, lacked the will to
confront Nigeria’s entrenched dysfunction. The Otueke born
politician procrastinated till the end. Tinubu, however,
appears determined to face these challenges by
reengineering the system, even if it means burning political
capital rather than deploy the use of rhetroucs.
The burden of governance is not just about fixing problems;
it’s about restoring faith. Nigerians have been lied to,
disappointed, and left hanging by leaders who promised
reform but delivered excuses.. remember the rice pyramid
arrangement ? This is in our recent history. Tinubu’s
challenge, is psychological and this beyond policy. He must
convince a weary nation that this time, the pain is worth it.
That this time, the sacrifice will yield fruit. That this time, the
government is not bluffing. Whether there was attempted
coup or not, Baba is not joking.
It is commendable that Tinubu recognizes that leadership
requires more than political dexterity, it demands the
presence of mind to act decisively when the nation’s pulse
weakens. But presence of mind must evolve into presence
of results. Nigerians are impatient, and rightfully so. They

have been promised greatness for too long and delivered
mediocrity instead.
In the end, Tinubu’s burden is not unique. Every leader, at
some point, confronts the limits of their myth. The power
that once seemed all-conquering becomes a daily struggle
to survive the expectations it created. That is the nadir of
power… when the cheers fade and all that’s left is
responsibility.
As echoes of another presidential election gets louder,
President Tinubu and his team must make a clear choice:
either rise to the moment and etch his name in the annals of
statesmanship, or succumb to the weight of Nigeria’s
perpetual contradictions. The burden of governance is
heavy, but it is also the only path to redemption for both
leader and nation.
As Nigerians endure the turbulence of reform, one thing
remains clear: the days ahead will test not just Tinubu’s
capacity to govern, but his courage to stay true to his
convictions. For a man who has waited decades for this
moment, the real question now is whether he can bear the
burden he so passionately sought.
The cheers fade.
The applause becomes muted.
And suddenly, every decision is questioned.

Herein lies the burden of leadership.

*Jacob Edi, the Kakaki Bassange and convener of the Northern Nigeria Minorities Group wrote in from Abuja