By Ata Ukuta
Tinubu’s victory at the Supreme Court got me thinking about how the bad guys of this world often have their say, day, and way in life. I had hoped that if Bola Tinubu is a man that never loses an election, Peter Obi would be a man who never loses at the Supreme Court taking his past fortune into consideration. But I was wrong, Tinubu, like most successful politicians, knows how to win. Winning for most of them often becomes an obsession that they are ready to pay any price for. The price the good guys are often unable to pay. Whether it is cutting a deal, dining with the devil, selling their soul, and doing all that is humanly or impossibly possible, they are ready. The former Vice President of the United States – Mike Pence, recently called off his presidential ambition without even starting the good fight of denying his benefactor the coveted prize of the American Presidency. His resignation reminds me of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who was also unable to upend his benefactor’s offering of goodies that did not include ice cream.
Whether you are analysing Donald Trump, Bola Tinubu, or Vladimir Putin, you will be able to isolate a trait common to politicians who dominate their constituency. They know what to do to win. Even if they lose, they often know how to remain in power and reclaim their office. Benjamin Netanyahu is a classic example. This trait is not unique to politicians. In sports, entertainment and other endeavour, there are individuals who have mastered the game of winning continually. The tennis great Novak Djokovic is not universally liked by the tennis community because of his perceived ways of winning. But his unbelievers cannot stop him, as the Democrats in America cannot diminish the popularity of Donald Trump among a huge percentage of the American population even if many believe he is unfit to even lead a county talk more of a country.
So, what does it take to win? The simple answer to me is – DO NOT DEPEND ON OR BELIEVE IN LUCK. Luck is an unreliable and undependable companion in any venture. The strategy of the most successful sporting teams like Real Madrid football club of Spain that has won the most UEFA Champion League trophy is simple – buy the best players and coach. They do not leave anything to chance like other less successful clubs like Arsenal FC of England. The outcome of life favours the prepared. The more prepared you are, the less reliant on luck you become. Bola Tinubu and his associates had already rigged all the processes that produce a president in Nigeria – from the executive to the judiciary because they DO NOT DEPEND ON OR BELIEVE IN LUCK! This is a big lesson for me, because I am one of those who subconsciously believe in luck. Many Americans do not like Barack Obama, but against ingrained and institutionalised racism and other obstacles he won a first and second term and even managed to help his deputy to win against Donald Trump. If we are to dethrone the corrupt, evil, unqualified, and unreasonable anywhere, we must STOP believing in luck or good fortune and work out our salvation to the minutest detail legitimately.
Editor – Towncryyers