Nigerians lament as cabal allegedly influences Tinubu’s decisions – Fagge

GistReel

Professor Kamilu Sani Fagge, a political scientist, has claimed that a group of influential individuals has formed a cabal around President Bola Tinubu, heavily influencing his policies and decisions.

Fagge argued that these cabals are persuading the President to govern Nigeria as he did Lagos State during his tenure as Governor.

However, he noted that this approach has led to public dissatisfaction, as policies pushed by the cabals are not suitable for the broader complexities of Nigeria, causing hardship for the populace.

In an interview with Daily Trust, the Bayero University scholar emphasized that cabals are not unique to Nigerian politics. While they typically exert power and influence, they seldom meddle in the day-to-day administration of government in other contexts, unlike what appears to be happening in Nigeria.

Fagge called on President Tinubu to remember that his mandate is to serve Nigerians, not to prioritize the interests of the cabal surrounding him.

In his words, “There are very few people directly influencing the policies of the government. Unfortunately, some of them are his political acquaintances or relatives that have been with him. The reality is that those people are the ones he had links with when he was governor. But now, they are trying to make him act as if the policies he took in Lagos are applicable to Nigeria. That is why people are crying. Nigeria is more complex than Lagos.

The president is not for the cabal but Nigeria because he was elected by Nigerians, so he has to look beyond such group of persons.

On what should be the way forward, Professor Fagge urged President Tinubu to be loyal to the people, and not the cabals. He added that the President must find means of hearing and understanding what is going on on the streets so as to adequately meet the needs of the people who elected him.

“The way out of this problem is for the president to accept the fact that he is a democratically elected president. He must be responsible to Nigerians, not very few members of a cabal.

“The president must open other channels of communication from which he will know and hear about the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.

“Whatever members of the cabal think the president wants is what they will let him know; and they will shield facts from him. So, he has to acquire such knowledge and facts from other sources, after all, he has so many informal and formal channels by which he can know what is happening in the country. Formally, there are channels in security agencies saddled with the responsibility of informing the president. Then informally, he has other contacts and trustees in other places. I think the sooner the president or any leader is open to the people the better for him and the country,” he submitted.