3

With the cultural landmark re­vitalized, it earned a rechris­tening for Africa’s inaugural literary Nobelist, 91-year-old Prof. Wole Soyinka (WS to devotees). Tinubu framed the honor as recompense for their comradeship in battling juntas to reclaim democracy. Regrettably, online provocateurs brand the sage a hypocrite— overlooking Soyinka’s candid concession speech: admitting prior qualms on per­sonal tributes, yet carving an exception, while chronicling his stewardship in the venue’s storied arc before entropy set in.

Noble as his candor rang, detractors press on unyieldingly. Alas, calumniating a world-renowned wordsmith—mirroring a polity blind to elders’ gravitas—marks the grim vogue among millennials and Gen Z.

Verily, no sane soul disputes this re­christening as Tinubu’s crowning cultur­al stroke: Soyinka warrants it, akin to Ta­fawa Balewa Square saluting ex-Premier Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa; Abuja’s airport enshrining Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, erstwhile ceremonial head; South Afri­ca’s Mandela Square lionizing the conti­nent’s paramount liberator; or the U.S.’s Madison Square (named for the fourth US President James Madison) and Washing­ton, D.C.’s Lincoln Memorial (for the six­teenth US President – Abraham Lincoln) anchoring civic hearts.

Ergo, naught amiss in bestowing a bas­tion of heritage upon a Nobel bard, jailed pre-1967 for mediating Nigerian-Biafran amity to avert war—despite his valiant bid’s defeat.

Poignantly, my latest tome’s unveiling a couple of years ago, ‘Leading from the Streets: Media Interventions by a Public Intellectual, 1999–2009’, staged Gen. Yaku­bu Gowon’s inaugural post-1967–70 war reunion with his onetime prisoner Soyin­ka—the incarcerator and the incarceree, bridging epochs.

Although Soyinka didn’t show up. Gowon in his speech referred to him as his ‘guest’ which is a nice way of mak­ing light of his incarceration of Soyinka when he tried to broker peace to avert the unfortunate civil war of 1968-1970.

Undeniably, Wole Soyinka has played a pivotal role in upholding Nigeria’s uni­ty and fortifying its democratic founda­tions. With that in mind, I implore on­line detractors to holster their barbs and allow Kongi—the affectionate nickname bestowed upon him after his acclaimed novel Kongi’s Harvest—to savor the tran­quility he has rightfully earned.

The uplifting saga of the National Arts Theatre’s refurbishment and reviv­al—which had dimmed into dilapidation before the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bankers Committee’s opportune res­cue—offers a compelling metaphor for the revitalization of Nigeria which President Tinubu and his allies are crafting.

Viewed through this prism, Nigeria parallels that venerable venue: once be­leaguered by structural rot and obsoles­cence, it awaited the current stewards of Aso Rock Villa, the presidential citadel, who arrived intent on mending the realm via the Renewed Hope blueprint under Tinubu’s helm.

Here, the CBN and Bankers Commit­tee—architects of the theatre’s resur­gence through meticulous strategy and unflinching implementation—mirror Tinubu’s coalition of Renewed Hope team propelling the agenda forward, en­compassing the executive, legislative, and judicial arms of state.

As these endeavors mature, the admin­istration’s early triumphs—spanning the petrol subsidy’s excision and attendant pump price hikes that stabilized supply, alongside financial sector overhauls (extending beyond merging disparate exchange windows into a unified one, to include recapitalizing internationally li­censed banks from N200 billion to N500 billion, fortifying them to propel growth from January 2026)—herald broader gains, augmented by a sweeping tax over­haul.

Parliament’s enactment of four trans­formative tax bills in June 2025—sup­planting antiquated colonial frameworks during Tinubu’s tenure—promises syn­ergistic ripple effects across intercon­nected domains, fostering economy-wide renewal in the near term, particularly from 2026 onward, should the leadership persevere in implementing its reform agenda.

By contrast, fragmented reforms his­torically breed pitfalls, such as:

• Unintended Consequences: Tackling one flaw can spawn or amplify others.

• Uneven Distribution: Gains may side­line swaths of the populace.

• Fleeting Fixes: Quick patches often crumble over time.

• Siloed Advances: Isolated strides stall without cross-sector alignment.

• Escalating Intricacy: Ad-libbed mea­sures yield labyrinthine bureaucracies.

These lessons affirm that potent re­forms demand wholeness, attuned to an economy’s interwoven dynamics—a ten­et borne out by global precedents. Thus, pursuing integrated, enduring remedies stands as the hallmark of a robust policy thrust.

This very comprehensiveness defines the pivot Tinubu’s government has em­braced; as I forecasted in this space last February that Nigeria’s fiscal tempest would soon abate—a stance that irked those prizing emotion over empiricism.

Complementing the tax bills’ reve­nue-boosting base-broadening under Taiwo Oyedele’s presidential committee helm, Zacch Adedeji’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) shoulders dili­gent collections, while Yemi Cardoso’s CBN commendably reins in inflation. Add Wale Edun’s—Finance Minister and Economy Coordinating Chief—supervi­sion of N330 billion in monthly N25,000 stipends to the indigent, aiding over 8 million households, and Bayo Ojulari who is commander-in-chief of the NNPC, our oil-and-gas colossus and fiscal linch­pin—is also a Yoruba son of north-central Nigeria extraction.

Though detractors brand this power­house cadre (drivers of Tinubu’s sweep­ing changes) the “Amala Reforms” for its ostensibly Yoruba tilt—a jab at the ethnic staple binding its principals—Tinubu’s October 1 Independence Day clarion call, proclaiming hardship’s ebb and eco­nomic inflection, which he echoed at the evening theatre rechristening, strikes a chord with me. Hence, I wholeheartedly endorse his vision of imminent respite for our people.

This assurance amplifies with Bayo Ogunlesi’s fresh Lagos parley with Tinu­bu, as co-CEO of BlackRock—a behemoth boasting $12.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM) as of Q2 2025. Nor is that all: BlackRock’s marquee stakes encompass NVIDIA (5.73% of portfolio), Microsoft (5.49%), Apple (4.47%), Amazon (2.97%), and Meta Platforms.

Such stature renders Ogunlesi’s post-huddle quips a veritable anthem. Re­puted for clerking for integrity paragon Justice Thurgood Marshall, he enthused to reporters: “I just had an excellent meet­ing with Mr. President, where we talked about the fundamental transformation that has happened in the last two years… Nigeria is currently an exciting place to invest in, and we will be making our move soon.” Prodded on specifics, he hinted at energy infusions (mirroring BlackRock’s Texas LNG plays), Cotonou port stakes, and aviation—his forte, epitomized by Gatwick Airport’s acquisition.

Any vestige of skepticism regarding Tinubu’s prowess to invert our trajec­tory—which, truth be told, I’ve never harbored, as I have been steadfast in my belief he’s the redeemer from the prec­ipice—dissolved utterly upon parsing Ogunlesi’s exchange at the President’s Lagos abode: a watershed moment.

Indeed, approbation from Ogunlesi’s echelon—a disinterested sage with a led­ger of bets solely on bedrock economies— transcends even IMF or World Bank plau­dits, which naysayers scorn as beholden to multilateral puppeteers.

This moment invites the bridge-build­ing simile to limn our polity and purse’s present plight.

Under Tinubu’s vigil, Nigeria evokes a colossal span mid-rebuild: the foresee­able vexations of barriers and skeletal frames chafe like reform’s interim throes. Yet subsurface, robust pilings plunge earthward, unseen sentinels of solidi­ty, priming the ascent of a resplendent span—towers piercing clouds, carriage seamless—for all to traverse.

Little wonder partisan saboteurs mock these tidal shifts as “Amala Reforms,” lampooning the Yoruba lineage of their chief stewards (Tinubu and his squad), where the dish denotes commonality.

While I’ve long crusaded—across four decades of commentary—for governance embracing every tribe, tongue, and faith, akin to ex-Edo Governor and ex-NLC chief Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s mid-oil-row plea for Dangote’s dominance over union vise-grips on imports, throughput, and yield; the cuisine tantalizing Aso Rock’s shots-callers and coterie is immaterial to me, provided we reclaim the opulence that enthralled the globe at FESTAC ‘77’s 1977 extravaganza.

Thus, whether amala/ewedu, akpu/ onugbu, tuwo shinkafa/miyan kuka, pounded yam/edible greens/egusi, or starch/banga graces the presidential dining table, it stirs no ire in me.

To underscore the assertion above: should such savor propel Nigeria’s resur­gence, count me in—and I beseech compa­triots to sup with Aso Rock’s paramount, be he whomsoever.

A venerable Chinese adage posits: a cat’s hue—ivory or ebony—availeth naught if it snares the vermin. Essence: efficacy and utility eclipse veneer or dog­ma.

Plainly put, the quarry’s capture trumps the hunter’s hue.

This ethos—Nigerians in polity, com­merce, or quandary must cultivate—is the forge of stride: realms fixated on fru­ition, unencumbered by trivia or bias, vault progress in vast arcs.

Tinubu’s Renewed Hope odyssey chan­nels precisely this: reclaiming splendor’s trail, spurning acrimony and patrimonial plunder.

Once again, happy Independence Day, Nigerians.

• Magnus Onyibe, entrepreneur, public policy analyst, author, democracy cham­pion, development maven, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy alumnus (Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA, Common­wealth Institute fellow, and erstwhile Delta State Commissioner, dispatched this from Lagos.