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In that sense, Tinubu may be regarded as the most “Nigerian” of Nigerian presidents—not necessarily as a compliment, but because he appears to encapsulate many of the contradictions, ambiguities and controversies that have long defined Nigerian politics.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House marked the triumph of image over expertise. Cabinet positions increasingly resembled casting decisions. Loyalty became more important than experience. Television skills became more valuable than administrative competence.
Imagine buying a VIP ticket to a concert that ended three weeks ago, paying full price at the gate, and then convincing your friends that you’re just double-checking whether the stage lights still work. That is essentially the energy behind a newly discovered line item in Nigeria’s approved 2026 national budget.
Suspension is a civil service instrument. It exists to protect an officer's rights while an allegation is tested, precisely because civil servants have due process protections built around tenure and pension. Commissioners have no such tenure to protect, because they were never promised any. Subjecting them to the ritual of suspension does not protect them it borrows the aesthetics of bureaucratic discipline and drapes them over an office that was never meant to carry that indignity.
But wars are not graded like Olympic gymnastics. There are no medals for technical execution if the end result leaves your opponent intact, emboldened, or—worse—adapted.
