The Presidency on Sunday said President Bola Tinubu is prepared for the nation’s highest office and does not belong in the category of accidental leaders.
“He (Tinubu) is not an accidental leader; he is doing his best to ensure that we have a turnaround in this country,” Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, stated in a phone interview with Vanguard Sunday night.
Onanuga was responding to comments by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, who said many of Nigeria’s leaders, including President Tinubu, were accidental leaders, who assumed power without adequate preparation in a rapidly evolving world.
“Does he look like one at all?” Onanuga queried. “The man (Tinubu) is not an accidental leader; he was prepared for this office. He even said that he prepared for it and that he is doing his best to ensure that this country is lifted higher than he met it; he is doing his best.
“Because he prepared himself for the office, he is doing a lot of reform, touching every area and trying to make sure that this country is being turn-around.”
The presidential spokesman argued that Tinubu had shown a reformer’s attitude and, saying “reforms are not done in quick fixes; it takes time for you to turn things around, and he is doing it.”
“He is doing reforms, and he is the first to acknowledge that people will be affected, and he is doing everything possible to ensure that those who are affected are also helped so that they will not be left behind.
“He is reforming a lot of things in Nigeria, you are talking about taxation, you are talking about the oil sector, so many reforms the man is carrying out,” Onanuga insisted.
Kukah had categorised Tinubu among Nigeria’s accidental leaders on Sunday while delivering a keynote address at the inauguration of Start-Rite School’s new building and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja.
The event commemorated the late school founder, Amaka Ndoma-Egba, wife of former Senate Leader Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, who tragically passed away in an auto accident in 2020.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s leadership trajectory, Kukah said, “If we are to start from the beginning, you will find almost every leader that came to power in Nigeria was a result of one accident or the other. President Tinubu, who said he was prepared for it, is struggling. We are still trying to get off the ground. He took over from Buhari, who had already given up.”
The cleric traced the pattern of unprepared leadership through Nigeria’s history, noting, “Buhari took over from Jonathan, who thought if he finished as deputy governor, he would go somewhere else. But something happened. Jonathan took over from Yar’Adua, who had planned to teach at Ahmadu Bello University after his term as governor. He, in turn, took over from Obasanjo, who was imprisoned and never expected to emerge as a leader. Yet somehow, he found himself out of jail and into power.
“Obasanjo himself took over from Abdulsalami, who succeeded Abacha. Even though the five political parties said he would rule forever, unfortunately, nature took him.
“Abacha took over from Shonekan who was busy with UAC before he was told to come and be Head of State. We can go on and on with this.”
According to Kukah, this cycle of unprepared leadership has persisted, undermining Nigeria’s governance.
“The fundamental thing in governance is knowledge. You need to have a deep understanding of your environment. The world has changed, but the expectations of leadership remain the same,” he added.
The keynote event also featured the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), who stressed the importance of cultivating leadership skills early in life.
Marwa pointed to leadership failure as a root cause of Nigeria’s struggles, including widespread social vices.
He revealed a troubling trend involving visually impaired individuals being co-opted into drug trafficking syndicates.
Sharing a recent operation, Marwa recounted, “We arrested a blind man en route to Kano with a large consignment of cannabis. When questioned, he claimed ignorance of the contents. Investigations led us to two other visually impaired individuals who were also involved. Ultimately, the kingpin behind the operation was discovered to be blind as well.”
While Marwa declined to share further details about the case, he praised the memorial lecture for honouring Amaka Ndoma-Egba’s legacy.
The late Amaka Ndoma-Egba, founder of Start-Rite School, established the institution in 2008 with just seven pupils. Today, it has grown into a leading educational centre with over 800 students across nursery, primary, and secondary levels in Abuja.
Her husband, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, highlighted her passion for empowering young minds, saying, “Amaka was a visionary agent who established this school in response to her dream of ensuring students learn and imbibe the necessary skills to navigate our ever-challenging world.”
The lecture underscored the enduring impact of leadership and education on society, with speakers calling for a renewed focus on knowledge-driven governance in Nigeria.
