I was privileged to attend the grand finale of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola\u2019s
\nsecond term bid campaigns in\u00a0 2014 in Oshogbo stadium where I saw a crowd
\nthat frightened me. I have been attending campaign rallies since 1999 but
\nwhat I saw in Oshogbo was unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. I was
\nsitting close to a friend and when I sought his opinion on what we are
\nwitnessing he told me that this\u00a0 is no longer rally but a movement.<\/p>\n
After the Ondo Guber elections last Saturday November 26 2016 many
\ncommentators began to celebrate the so-called Buhari boys in Abuja who
\nthey said outsmarted Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I saw a calculated attempt
\nto whittle down the well-deserved honour and glory the man has recorded
\neven from his days at Mobil Producing Nigeria. Many half a penny
\ncommentators said that this may be the beginning of the end of the Asiwaju
\nBAT\u2019s phenomenon. Some said that BAT has been bruised.<\/p>\n
But I know enough history to conclude that success is not an event. I know
\nthat nobody makes it to the World Series overnight. I know the champions
\ndo not become heroes overnight. Throughout history I have known that
\nhistory is not drawn on a straight line. This is the reason why I feel
\nthat those who tried to use the outcome of Ondo elections to get at
\nAsiwaju BAT miss the point. They know nothing about Asiwaju BAT as a
\nmassive movement. They know nothing about BAT as a friend of the poorest
\nof the poor.<\/p>\n
They know nothing about BAT as a bridge builder. They know nothing about
\nBAT as a maker of leaders in Nigeria. They knowing about BAT as a friend
\nof all and sundry. They know nothing about Asiwaju as a strategic
\nthinker, fighter, and achiever. They know little about his committed,
\nvast preponderance and deep-rooted friends across Nigeria. They know
\nnothing about his deep connect with Presidents and leaders in Africa and
\nthe world.They know nothing about the men and women he has brought up
\nacross Nigeria as political leaders, Governors, Deputy Governors,
\nSpeakers, Senators, Reps, Commissioners, Ministers, LGA Chairmen,
\nbusiness men etc including Akeredolu and Alasoadura.<\/p>\n
The low thinkers do not know that in 2012 he brought to the front seat,
\nthe man of history called Rotimi Akeredolu. Ah, Ah, I wish these people
\nknow this saga called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Oh, how I wish they know
\nwhat I know? How I wish they had been close to this working history who
\nshowed me the freeways, byways, subways, highways and low ways of power.
\nHow I wish they know ten percent of what I know about this man of history.
\nWhen it was difficult for people to understand this man he humbly released
\nthis statement to drive home his points.<\/p>\n
Hear ASIWAJU BAT :’I set my goals and objectives in accordance with my
\nvision. I study them and strategically execute them. My detractors discuss
\nmy successes and failure because they have nothing to execute. I am in the
\nnews more because I’m working, Nigerians discuss active men in the field.
\nMentioning any negative news about me will double the wealth of any news
\nmedia that published it. My name today is a financial market for
\njournalist. Not even elected politicians get the publicity I am enjoying.
\nMy comrades , go and work till mentioning your name becomes a source of
\nincreased wealth for someone. Even my weakness create wealth for vendors’.
\nAndy Andrew tells me that \u201cEverybody wants to reach the top of the
\nmountain, but there is no growth at the peak. It is in the valley that we
\nslog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what
\nenables us to summit life’s next peak\u201d.
\nNiccolo Machiavelli teaches us that \u201cThe first method for estimating the
\nintelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him\u201dTake a
\nlook around\u00a0 BAT and see the men and women around him and it is only when
\nyou know this that you will begin to understand this man. Asiwaju is not
\nwithout blemish. Asiwaju is not playing God. Asiwaju did not preach to us
\nthat he is the best God ever created. Asiwaju did not tell us that he
\nknows it all. He never said so. Asiwaju is an ordinary mortal like
\neveryone of us.
\nI pray that the East and the North will try to produce one person each
\nlike Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This country will be better for it. Let me
\nsay it once again that it is difficult for 20 \u2013 30 people to gather
\nanywhere in Nigeria without you discovering that one person may have been
\ntouched by Asiwaju magic. This is what makes BAT a massive movement.
\nNow, let me close with this\u201d celebrate great men and women and you too
\nwill achieve greatness. The one who serve a people is their master. It is
\ngood to be important but it is more important to be good.\u00a0 I am
\ncelebrating Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu today because I want to be a great
\nman like him. Case rested!
\nJoe Igbokwe
\nLagos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was privileged to attend the grand finale of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola\u2019s second term bid campaigns in\u00a0 2014 in Oshogbo stadium where I saw a crowd that frightened me. I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n