By Obafemi Babajide
Away from the trolling, tantrums and jokes created to lighten the atmosphere that was already charged because of the APC Presidential primary yesterday, we sometimes need to see things from a different lens, for every happening, there must be two angles; the positive and negative!
The Yoruba people will always say that “tibi tire la da ile Aiye”. The negative and the positive work together for growth and effectiveness.
My take away from those we see as lilliputians, who contested against the big man of politics Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the recently concluded primary is the temerity in daring to dream and daring to follow it up.
We may wish to get lost in the frenzies of the moment and even ejaculate because of the charging atmosphere created by the fact that some seeming rats are up against the supposed elephant ABAT. But can we take away the fact that either they are code-named betrayals or some are seen as non-performer; they all dared to dream and they also dared to follow their dreams?
Atiku Abubakar has been contesting for the highest office in this nation for twenty-nine years now because he could conceptualize and visualise his dreams, he dreamt it, he is daring to make his dream come to fruition. Head or tail, Atiku won’t be regarded as a coward who could not dare to dream or work on his dreams. Fact is, Atiku will be mentioned in history anytime MKO Abiola’s Hope 93 contest was mentioned; maybe you don’t know, Atiku almost clinched the SDP Vice Presidential slot then. He was young, relevant and could follow his dreams, which he is still doing up till today.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, inarguably the best political strategist alive in Nigeria today has been around for a while. He was a forefronter during the NADECO days, he left a juicy multi-national company to venture into the murky political terrain because he dared to dream. Today, whether he wins or not, history will always favour him and his dreams.
President Mohamadu Buhari (the Asunkungbade Olule of Nigeria) dared to dream. Although he needed dream interpreters like Tinubu, Amaechi and all those who made the merger possible. At least, he got his dream interpreter and fulfilled. Today, you may choose to argue for or against, whether he did perform excellently on his task but at least he dared it, good or bad, and history will remember him.
Governor Yahaya Bello, Prof Osinabnjo, Amaechi and others dared to dream, they may look as if their dream is not working now but they dared to dream and they also dared to work their dreams. At least they have age on their side, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a step and the first step is dreaming it daringly.
Whether they are fit to put themselves forward for that huge post they so covet won’t matter now, whether they will persist or keep trying may matter. But the biggest part for me is daring to dream and following the dream daringly.
