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Yelewata: President Tinubu's Presence and Performance Are Being Felt In Benue
Under President Tinubu, things are changing in Nigeria. Yes, sadly, there was a wicked slaughter of innocents at Yelewata, Benue State. That was a problem. Usually, in the past, when issues like these occurred, all we had from the president were reactions.
General Buhari was there for eight years. What did he do when tens of thousands of Nigerians were killed by terrorists and bandits? Nothing new. He cried in public and issued condolences. But beyond that, he did not introduce any new initiative beyond the failed Ruga idea.
But what have we seen with President Tinubu? Yes, the problem erupted, and he reacted. He issued condolences and is currently in Benue.
But he has not stopped there. He has suggested a solution: the establishment of State and Community Policing.
That is leadership. At the Harvard Kennedy School, they teach that effective leadership must pass through the PRS model. Problem-Reaction-Solution.
The President's presence is now being felt at Benue. But going beyond his presence, his performance has also been felt.
As Commander-in-Chief, before he landed, he had ordered the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs to visit Benue. Now contrast that with General Buhari, who ordered his Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to relocate to Benue to personally lead the campaign to stop the killings.
However, Mr. Idris disobeyed General Buhari, and it took months before General Buhari was even aware of it and said, “I am getting to know this in this meeting. I am quite surprised."
Yet President Buhari did not sack the IGP who disobeyed him. Rather, he extended the fellow's tenure.
However, we are seeing a radically different approach from President Tinubu. He had a short-term plan for immediately stemming the killings by sending Special Forces to the area. Nigerians saw these commandos arriving in Benue on TV. That alone was a confidence and morale booster.
Next, the President did not blame the Governor but rather reassured him that he would provide him with every assistance he needed to nip the ugly incident in the bud—another departure from the past when General Buhari blamed the then-Benue governor, Mr. Sam Ortom.
Then, the long-term solution to prevent a recurrence is the State Police initiative.
And to show the people of Benue that he is not a sm omniscient know-it-all, he has called a town hall meeting in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, to hear from those directly affected how best they think the Federal Government can help them.
President Tinubu may not have had control over how this crisis started, but he is ensuring that he determines how it will end.
And that is the type of leadership Nigeria needs, not just in security, but in our economy, diplomacy, and all other sectors.
May God bless Nigeria and help President Tinubu succeed in ushering in a new era of peace, progress and prosperity in our beloved country.
Reno Omokri
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