Why President Tinubu always takes the hard road, by Temitope Ajayi

*President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not shy away from challenges, but works tirelessly to overcome and prevail; and he has, indeed, made the right choices that will deliver significant gains for Nigeria and its people

Temitope Ajayi

Those who think they are taking a dig at the President have been gloating. Their usual refrain is that the man they said built Lagos should build Nigeria for them to see.

As Governor of Lagos, the President reformed governance and set the state on the path of irreversible progress.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has never claimed he did it alone or discounted the contributions of others who led the state before him.

Some of the landmark projects he started are still standing, and the plans and vision he articulated are still being implemented till today.

We talk about the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Complex at the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), at Ibeju-Lekki, and the transformation that has taken place within the Lagos economy in the last 20 years, and you think about Tinubu, who engineered them.

Leadership is about fixing today’s problems and thinking ahead for years. The good thing is Tinubu did not accomplish all he did in Lagos within a year.

The new Lagos Metro Red Rail Line being test-run is a product of his visionary leadership, just like the Blue Rail Line, which has carried over two million passengers in the last two years.

No sane person can argue against the considerable progress governance has delivered to Lagos State since 1999.

Just last week, in China, the state, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance Incorporated, inked a new deal on the 68-kilometre Lagos Green Line Metro that would move from Ibeju-Lekki to join the Blue Line at Marina.

That is another great leap forward: how progressive societies are built from generation to generation.

As Governor of Lagos State, President Tinubu faced numerous challenges. Many wrote him off within his first year in office.

However, like a Phoenix, he rose to those challenges as a statesman. This President does not shy away from challenges.

He works tirelessly to overcome and prevail. He understands there are no easy choices to make.

Tinubu has made it clear that he will make the right and intricate decisions for the country, even if these decisions are unpopular.

And he has, indeed, made the right choices that will deliver significant gains for the country and its people.

*Ajayi is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.