By joshua ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU: THE MAN WHO STOOD WHEN OTHERS FLED
By Musa Bakare
History is not kind to weak men. Nations are not transformed by those who run from storms.
The pages of greatness are reserved for leaders who stand firm when betrayal surrounds them, when enemies multiply, and when the road ahead disappears into darkness.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu belongs to that rare breed of leaders.
When his presidential journey began, the doubters mocked him. The haters insulted him. The cynics wrote his political obituary long before the battle started.
Powerful interests united against him. Political allies disappeared. Fair weather friends suddenly found excuses to abandon him.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu stood firm. He did not complain. He did not surrender. He did not retreat.
He stood like a solid rock in the middle of a raging ocean.
The period leading to the 2023 election remains one of the most turbulent moments in Nigeria’s democratic history.
The Naira redesign crisis created enormous hardship. The scarcity of cash crippled businesses and brought untold suffering to ordinary citizens.
They believed the policy would destroy the political aspirations of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But destiny cannot be aborted by conspiracy. What God has ordained cannot be overturned by men.
The same forces that expected him to collapse witnessed something extraordinary: the man refused to break under pressure.
Asiwaju’s resilience did not begin in politics. It began in his childhood. It began in struggle. It began in the school of adversity, where character is forged and leaders are made.
Throughout his life, Asiwaju Tinubu has repeatedly demonstrated a capacity to rise above obstacles that would have buried lesser men. Every challenge became a stepping stone. Every setback became preparation. Every opposition became fuel for greater determination.
That is why millions of Nigerians continue to place their faith in him. They do not merely believe in Bola Tinubu; they believe in his vision. They believe in the rejuvenated foundation he is laying for future generations of Nigerians.
They believe in the necessary reforms aimed at correcting decades of structural distortions that accumulated long before his arrival on the national stage.
The greatest leaders in history are rarely appreciated during the heat of reform. They are often misunderstood because they choose long term nation building over short term applause. History teaches this lesson repeatedly. Leaders who build institutions are usually criticized by those who profit from dysfunction. Leaders who challenge old systems inevitably provoke resistance from beneficiaries of the status quo.
Nations advance only when courageous leaders are willing to make difficult decisions.
Every generation produces men and women chosen for particular assignments. Such individuals are often tested before they are trusted with greater responsibilities.
Their paths are marked by opposition and strident critics because purpose attracts resistance.
The story of Bola Ahmed Tinubu reflects this timeless principle. The more obstacles placed before him, the stronger his resolve became. The more attacks launched against him, the more determined he appeared. The more enemies gathered, the more his supporters rallied.
Today, millions of Nigerians remain convinced that the country is on a journey of renewal. They see a leader who does not run away from problems but confronts them. They see a president willing to endure criticism in pursuit of what he believes is necessary for Nigeria’s future.
Their loyalty is not rooted in noise. It is rooted in conviction. It is rooted in hope. It is rooted in the belief that Nigeria can rise beyond its historical limitations.
To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the message from over 200 million Nigerians is simple:
Continue the journey. Remain steadfast. Remain focused. Remain courageous and undaunted; the people are steadfastly with you.
The road of transformation has never been easy, but neither has Nigeria ever lacked the strength to overcome adversity. When critics shout, stay the course. When political hyenas gather, stay the course. When prophets of doom predict failure, stay the course.
For every season of struggle eventually gives birth to a season of harvest. The Nigerian people are watching. The Nigerian people are hopeful. The Nigerian people are praying. The greater majority of Nigerians remain convinced that the journey of national renewal must continue under your watch.
Asiwaju, keep driving the ship of state with vigorous courage. Keep steering Nigeria toward stability.
Nigerians must keep believing in the promise of a greater nation. The storms will pass. The dust will settle. And history will render its verdict.
In the end, nations remember those who stood firm when standing firm was hardest. And Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stood.
Musa Asiru Bakare, political analyst, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
June 23, 2026