Bewarned: The Doctrine of Tinubu. (SEE PHOTOS)

 

The Doctrine of Tinubu By Yanuoluwa Bolarinwa

 Don't say you were not told or you didn't know.  Know this now before hand.

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I am not here to sway your votes; however, if you are going to choose, go with your choice with two eyes wide open. You must know the following about the ruling party's candidate’s doctrine.

• Opacity in public resources: Lagos State has been deliberately opaque about its finances and it’s intentional. The doctrine is that you can’t query what you don’t know. You can’t build a media siege against us if you don’t have the information. They will not be many details on public projects, spending and even attempts will be made to halt budget disclosures. It will be a total blackout on government finances.

• Low-cost spending on technology with long-term PPP with govt agencies: Think about Alpha Beta and you can ask yourself what value they add to Lagos taxation that entitles them to 5% or 10% in perpetuity. That’s a model. There would be plenty of JVs and PPPs by briefcase “tech and consulting companies” that plug straws into public institutions and will take a percentage fee. There will be glimpses of efficiency but just people institutionalizing their benefits, almost for life. It’s a govt of plenty of compromises with several colliding interests — pick your spot and start chopping. “chop make I chop”

• Money printing: Tinubu will realise that there’s no much liquidity by the books at the Federal level with the gargantuan debt servicing costs that are about to come. So, he will live to his promise — delink revenues from expenditures. That’s money printing galore. Emefiele or his replacement knows this job well. Currency devaluation on steroids and inflation at high levels. Well, his deft use of media and social media crew will be there to gaslight you/Ukraine/US/whatever as the problem.

• Lagos Federal Properties: For a long time, several properties in Lagos under FG have just been hanging around with no valuation or selling opportunity. At a time, the Lagos political elite felt entitled to places like TBS. Kemi Adeosun thought of something like that but it didn’t work. You have the master in place now. How did LG Secretariat in Ikoyi turn to skyscraper or how did Lagos Polytechnic land turn into his private TV station? You know how “boys” procure these federal properties (especially Federal Secretariat) under JVs or outright discounted rates? It’s all under the wings of BAT — everything state to federal.

• The war on anti-corruption is over because there’s no more “corruption”: Lagos had not charged anyone for corruption except its Speaker, who didn’t lose his position but was only a “victim” of local politics. If you speak to many Lagos folks, they don’t believe in federal institutions sorting their issues. Corruption is rife in Lagos, but who are you to talk when everyone is eating? There’s no “corruption” because there’s no one to shout it, and it’s a closed circle; you must be hoping to get in. I don’t understand what moral authority Tinubu will use to fight corruption. Maybe, you tell me. Well, if you are in opposition, you better be squeaky clean. You have a politician in public office.

• Compromise every institution with nepotism to perpetuate a monarchical reign: There’s a reason why Tinubu still carries power that none of the class of 1999 didn’t have. He took the well-oiled machinery of the party called the structure with him. The market women, town unions and anything retail enough to win votes. When his mother died, he put his daughter as the leader of market women(Iyaloja), reinforcing his grip. He allows everyone to stroll into government and, interestingly, don’t touch his Alpha Beta war chest that funds his structure. So, with unlimited FG funds? It’s even easier. Traditional rulers, religious leaders and every fabric that controls the psyche of the Nigerian would end up in his pocket. He’s either putting his people in levers or sharing the largesse to go round. Also, watch how for the civil service and nouveau princes catapulted quickly up the ranks. INEC will need more vigilance if we take lessons with how LASIEC is run.

• Disarm opposition to easily create one-party state: Where would the opposition be? They will exist but just merely exist except another money-miss-road in a Niger Delta Governor tries to rebuild the party with state money. Many Governors wish they could lead the opposition but don’t just have the resources. As per the Obidient movement, they would have to work twice as hard to remove not just him but his surrogates. The Asiwaju way would be the way out for most folks. You will be surprised how everyone would troop to his side and plead allegiance. As a person without grievances to hold, everyone is welcome. He can finally see the decimation of PDP and also triumph over Obasanjo. The Lagos PDP is the evidence here. Too many moles in Jagaban's pocket, and you will see that at the national as well. He’s a master strategist for good or bad reasons; choose your poison.

• Big on propaganda: It’s a govt that would use media ferociously to boost projects that seem to deliver for the masses but themselves. If you walk the inner streets of Lagos, you will understand Lagos is for show(The cappuccino effect). That’s what it means. The media is in Tinubu’s pocket. He has done well for them. Just watch how basic moves are amplified and heavy metal communication is used on the people to doubt your capacity to state whether the country is progressing. The media aide industry with social media wings is about to thrive. Won’t you plug in?

• Progress: Well, it can’t be all gloom in his Presidency. You will see progress. The kind of progress that Buhari gave us in debt-ridden infrastructure and failed in almost every other thing — education, health, security, economy, national cohesion etc. Well, Tinubu will provide you with that as well. He will assemble some smart-ass folks too, giving them the power to deliver outstanding work in a few areas. In fact, he will surrender the Ministries to the political hacks, but the agencies, especially the revenue-generating, would be in his tight grip. Watch Lagos very well and check the loyalty of key govt agencies (not Commissioners) to Tinubu. Just marinate good ideas with some private sector panache; it would be a highlight of his govt. Who knows what it would be? It’s not a govt of all-around five stars but there will be bright spots to fool with some talk of progress.

• Lagos to London Mafia : “Lagos today, London tomorrow, Oluwa loseyi”. Well, President Buhari left a template that you can be insensitive to citizens' yearnings to change the healthcare system and splurge public resources to fix yourself. Tinubu will not be different. All that travel will be done with public resources without any restraint. Nigeria’s Aso Rock is a septuagenarian paradise. There won’t be limits and you know how that worked under Buhari and Yar’adua; someone in the shadows will emerge and fill that gap, wield power as Chief of Staff or even an unknown portfolio. Time will reveal things as such folks secure their primordial interests as well. It’s just business as usual since Nigerians are hard of hearing.