By Musa Bakare
Nigeria was on the edge in May 2023.
The economy was bleeding. Subsidy was a pipeline for thieves. Debt devoured revenue. States gasped for air. Multiple exchange rates turned Nigeria into a casino for speculators. Food vanished. Trust collapsed.
The nation was living on borrowed time.
The opposition today were in government the morbid past. They had power. They chose comfort. They kicked the can. They left the fire for someone else.
Tinubu walked into the fire.
Day one: he killed the fuel subsidy, the sacred cow no past leader dared touch. He smashed the fake exchange rate that fed cartels. He chose survival over applause. Pain now, or permanent collapse.
That is not politics. That is statesmanship.
He could have lied. Borrowed. Pretended. Smiled for the cameras. Instead, he took the bullets.
That is the difference between Tinubu and the hecklers on the sidelines. The noise brigade. They speak loudly because they never carry the weight. They chose criticism over sacrifice. Ambition without responsibility. Rhetoric without spine.
When Nigeria needed surgery, they offered speeches. When reforms hit elites, they hid behind slogans. Tinubu stood alone with his government and acted.
Now the opposition cannot explain why states that once begged for salaries are now building roads, bridges, hospitals, schools. From Ogun to Enugu, Kaduna to Ebonyi, governors admit the truth: Tinubu restructured the finances. The money is flowing.
They know this. But admitting it kills their propaganda and bruises their ego.
Under Tinubu, Nigeria’s foundation is being rebuilt. The stock market has exploded. Investment has returned. Oil majors are back with billions. Domestic refining is rising. The Naira for crude deal eases pressure. Tax reforms shatter colonial chains.
These are not accidents. These are the scars of leadership.
Tinubu knew the shock would sting. He knew his approval would be gutted. He knew the thieves would fund media attacks. That they would fight back. He did not blink. That is raw courage.
The opposition recycles the pain of 2023 because they have no vision. They are trapped in bitterness while Nigeria moves forward. They predicted collapse. They waited for revolt.
Instead, Tinubu’s administration stabilized Nigeria. States revived. Infrastructure expanded. And the opposition became prisoners of their own lies.
Tinubu is building what cowards only talked about. The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. The Sokoto – Badagry Super Highway. Not just roads, but economic corridors that will reshape trade, agriculture, logistics, and unity for generations.
Weak leaders dreamed. Tinubu builds. That is why the attacks grow louder; because his success exposes their failure.
2027 is not just a political contest. It is a referendum on courage: courage vs. convenience, sacrifice vs. selfishness. A leader who took the pain vs. politicians who watched Nigeria burn from the safety of the sidelines.
Nigerians are wiser now. They have seen a President risk everything to save their country. They have seen a leader absorb insults to secure the future. They have seen foundations laid that will outlast the noise.
That is why Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be extremely difficult to defeat, not just in 2027, but in any election.
Because history never forgets those who take risks to save their people.
Happy new month to all progressives
Musa Asiru Bakare
Foundational Member, APC | Political Analyst
Lokoja, Kogi State
June 1, 2026
