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Showing posts from October, 2018

Tinubu and end of Village Tree Democracy

The market square humiliation of incumbent governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, was excruciating to watch even for a non-supporter. It was a ‘power show’ by Bola Ahmed Tinubu. A demonstration that two decades after ‘great minds think alike’ billboards stood on major Lagos streets – a baseless comparison of himself to Awolowo and Gandhi, except for round-eyed glasses – his ability to steer voters in his preferred direction hasn’t waned. I’m mindful that it’s usually an overestimation when an individual is said to have such power over society. Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that Tinubu’s opinions hold sway in Lagos. Indeed, how Tinubu came about that political power, and how it can be brought to an end, is what I intend to interrogate. Majority of Lagos residents are Yoruba. Like many African sub-nationalities, they hold as ideal that, although individual need is self-evident, community need shall supersede. This is argued convincingly by Professor Segun Gbadegesin – what...