Opinion: The Tinubu Phenomenon in Nigeria’s Political Firmament – By SAM KARGBO
I was already a veteran resident of Lagos in 1999 when Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu became the Governor of Lagos State. One thing I did not fail to notice was the team he set up to push forward his vision for the state. I had an opportunity to meet him in 2005 in the company of Distinguished Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero. He was magnetic and enthusiastic in rolling out his vision for Lagos State. He listed the obstacles and challenges before him, but he expressed absolute determination to succeed and push through them. One of the statements he made that has stuck with me up to this moment was his vow to turn Lagos into a rich state. According to him, Lagos and Nigeria had no cause to be poor. To him, a city like Lagos with such a vibrant youth population cannot be poor. He was defiant and evidently not distracted by the policies of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo against Lagos State. I left with an impression of a man who was fanatical about the development of Lagos State. I saw in him a personality that was out to impact Lagos with a compelling vision.