I DIDN'T VOTE FOR TINUBU — BUT MAYBE HE HASN’T FAILED - BY PASTOR PAUL SNR DARLINGTON
OPINIONS - Posted on: 6th Jun. 2025 at 4:36PM
WITHOUT MINCING WORDS:
From Global Scenes to Local Streets.
By Pastor Darlington Snr Paul
Let me state my position upfront: I voted for the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election.
I believed in the hope of a new era, a generational shift, and a fresh leadership style. Like many Nigerians, I was not convinced Bola Ahmed Tinubu represented that change.
But here we are — two years into his presidency — and while public opinion appears settled on one word — “Failure” — I find myself asking a different question:
Has Tinubu truly failed, or are we just unwilling to accept the discomfort that real reform demands?
We Must Stop Pretending He Inherited a Stable Country
The Nigeria that Tinubu inherited in May 2023 was already on fire:
The fuel subsidy had become a multi-trillion-naira black hole, enriching smugglers and draining public funds.
The forex regime was a playground for powerful elites exploiting multiple exchange windows.
The economy was groaning under debt, high unemployment, declining productivity, and plummeting investor confidence.
Inflation was rising, and trust in the Naira had all but collapsed.
Let’s be honest: Tinubu didn’t start this fire — he just stopped pretending it wasn’t burning.
---
The Painful But Necessary Decisions
Fuel subsidy removal and naira floatation hit Nigerians hard — no doubt about it. But what most people won’t admit is that these policies were necessary corrective surgeries on a dying patient.
The subsidy scam had grown unsustainable. We were borrowing billions just to fund artificial pump prices, while neighboring countries and criminal cartels profited from our generosity. The forex system wasn’t “stable” — it was corrupt. Ending these meant short-term pain, but opened the door to long-term sanity.
And yet, the narrative today is almost uniform: “He has failed.”
Failed for telling the truth?
Failed for doing what others before him didn’t dare?
Or failed for not wrapping the bitter pill in sweet lies?
---
What About Infrastructure? The Media Isn’t Telling the Full Story
While most headlines focus on inflation and food prices, significant infrastructure development is quietly progressing under the Tinubu administration:
Completion of the long-delayed Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
Operationalization of the Second Niger Bridge — now fully open and easing transport in the Southeast.
Revival work on the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri and Abuja–Kano rail lines.
Construction of over 260 federal roads across the country under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund.
Launch of a massive Affordable Housing Programme in 12 states, with the goal of building 100,000 homes.
Commissioning of a new terminal at Murtala Muhammed International Airport and renewed drive for airport concessions.
Advances in power sector reforms, including renewable energy projects and mini-grid rollouts in underserved communities.
These are not plans on paper — they are projects under execution, in plain sight. We may choose not to see them, but that doesn’t make them invisible.
---
Reform Is Not Magic — It's Messy
Let’s stop expecting miracles. Tinubu didn’t promise paradise in 24 months. Instead, he chose to take on decades of rot head-on. Yes, the economy is tough. Yes, the people are angry. But rebuilding a broken system always comes with discomfort.
Is it perfect? No. Is there waste and insensitivity in government? Certainly. Are Nigerians right to demand better? Always.
But reform — real reform — will always look like chaos before it becomes clarity.
---
Who Benefits From Declaring Him a Failure?
It’s important to ask who gains from the narrative that Tinubu has failed irredeemably. Many of the loudest critics today were beneficiaries of the subsidy racket, the forex scam, and the culture of waste that has defined previous administrations.
Their anger is not always patriotic — sometimes, it is personal. They want the old Nigeria back — the one where a few people stole while the rest suffered in silence.
---
A Final Thought — From a Former Opponent
I didn’t vote for Bola Tinubu. I still have reservations about many aspects of his style and politics.
But I’ve also lived long enough to know that leadership isn’t about who makes us feel good — it’s about who makes the hard calls.
In two years, Tinubu has done what many leaders before him lacked the courage to do.
That’s not failure. That’s leadership. Unpopular, imperfect — but real.
And maybe, just maybe, we should give that a chance.
WITHOUT MINCING WORDS:From Global Scenes to Local Streets.
By Pastor Darlington Snr Paul
Let me state my position upfront: I voted for the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election.
I believed in the hope of a new era, a generational shift, and a fresh leadership style. Like many Nigerians, I was not convinced Bola Ahmed Tinubu represented that change.
But here we are — two years into his presidency — and while public opinion appears settled on one word — “Failure” — I find myself asking a different question:
Has Tinubu truly failed, or are we just unwilling to accept the discomfort that real reform demands?
We Must Stop Pretending He Inherited a Stable Country
The Nigeria that Tinubu inherited in May 2023 was already on fire:
The fuel subsidy had become a multi-trillion-naira black hole, enriching smugglers and draining public funds.
The forex regime was a playground for powerful elites exploiting multiple exchange windows.
The economy was groaning under debt, high unemployment, declining productivity, and plummeting investor confidence.
Inflation was rising, and trust in the Naira had all but collapsed.
Let’s be honest: Tinubu didn’t start this fire — he just stopped pretending it wasn’t burning.
---
The Painful But Necessary Decisions
Fuel subsidy removal and naira floatation hit Nigerians hard — no doubt about it. But what most people won’t admit is that these policies were necessary corrective surgeries on a dying patient.
The subsidy scam had grown unsustainable. We were borrowing billions just to fund artificial pump prices, while neighboring countries and criminal cartels profited from our generosity. The forex system wasn’t “stable” — it was corrupt. Ending these meant short-term pain, but opened the door to long-term sanity.
And yet, the narrative today is almost uniform: “He has failed.”
Failed for telling the truth?
Failed for doing what others before him didn’t dare?
Or failed for not wrapping the bitter pill in sweet lies?
---
What About Infrastructure? The Media Isn’t Telling the Full Story
While most headlines focus on inflation and food prices, significant infrastructure development is quietly progressing under the Tinubu administration:
Completion of the long-delayed Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
Operationalization of the Second Niger Bridge — now fully open and easing transport in the Southeast.
Revival work on the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri and Abuja–Kano rail lines.
Construction of over 260 federal roads across the country under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund.
Launch of a massive Affordable Housing Programme in 12 states, with the goal of building 100,000 homes.
Commissioning of a new terminal at Murtala Muhammed International Airport and renewed drive for airport concessions.
Advances in power sector reforms, including renewable energy projects and mini-grid rollouts in underserved communities.
These are not plans on paper — they are projects under execution, in plain sight. We may choose not to see them, but that doesn’t make them invisible.
---
Reform Is Not Magic — It's Messy
Let’s stop expecting miracles. Tinubu didn’t promise paradise in 24 months. Instead, he chose to take on decades of rot head-on. Yes, the economy is tough. Yes, the people are angry. But rebuilding a broken system always comes with discomfort.
Is it perfect? No. Is there waste and insensitivity in government? Certainly. Are Nigerians right to demand better? Always.
But reform — real reform — will always look like chaos before it becomes clarity.
---
Who Benefits From Declaring Him a Failure?
It’s important to ask who gains from the narrative that Tinubu has failed irredeemably. Many of the loudest critics today were beneficiaries of the subsidy racket, the forex scam, and the culture of waste that has defined previous administrations.
Their anger is not always patriotic — sometimes, it is personal. They want the old Nigeria back — the one where a few people stole while the rest suffered in silence.
---
A Final Thought — From a Former Opponent
I didn’t vote for Bola Tinubu. I still have reservations about many aspects of his style and politics.
But I’ve also lived long enough to know that leadership isn’t about who makes us feel good — it’s about who makes the hard calls.
In two years, Tinubu has done what many leaders before him lacked the courage to do.
That’s not failure. That’s leadership. Unpopular, imperfect — but real.
And maybe, just maybe, we should give that a chance.
Posted by: Emdee David
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