From oil barons and forex profiteers to political power brokers, he stands against a powerful network of elites whose influence has long undermined Nigeria’s progress. This is not just governance; it is a high-stakes war for the future of the republic.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not merely governing Nigeria he is waging a war. A war not of bullets and barricades, but of entrenched interests, clandestine profiteers, Nigeria’s most entrenched self-serving interests, and legacy structures determined to resist reform at all costs, giving him an uncompromising fight for the soul of the nation.
If governance is difficult, reforming Nigeria’s power dynamics is brutal. And Tinubu, for all his flaws and political baggage, appears to be walking directly into the lion’s den.
THE FIGHT AGAINST A BILLION-DOLLAR CARTEL
When the Tinubu administration removed the PETROL SUBSIDY in mid-2023, it wasn’t just the Nigerian people who reacted with shock, it was the cabal.
The removal of the subsidy didn’t just end an economic policy; it threatened a multi-billion-dollar shadow economy that has fed politicians, businessmen, security operatives, and oil importers for decades.
The former beneficiaries of the subsidy regime a closed circle of middlemen and elites didn’t take it lightly. From media campaigns to street protests disguised as people’s resistance, the backlash has been loud, coordinated, and calculated. The government is up against forces that have looted Nigeria through opaque subsidy claims for years, and they will stop at nothing to claw back their influence.
GENERATOR IMPORTERS AND THE DARK EMPIRE OF DARKNESS
Closely tied to Nigeria’s power sector failure are those who profit from it, the generator importers. These men, some of them sitting in high places or hiding behind shell companies, have made billions of dollars off Nigeria’s inability to generate stable electricity. The more darkness Nigerians live in, the more light these dealers of diesel and despair make in their bank accounts.
Now, with Tinubu’s renewed push for electricity reform, investment in gas infrastructure, and interest in modular power solutions, their business model is threatened. They have begun pushing back. From lobbying to bureaucratic sabotage, their interest is clear: let Nigeria remain in the dark, literally.
POLITICAL ADVERSARIES IN THE NORTH: THE RETURN-TO-POWER SYNDROME
President Tinubu’s greatest challenge may not be in Lagos or Abuja but in the political chessboard of the North. A region rich in votes and steeped in political ENTITLEMENTS, parts of the northern elite have never truly accepted the fact that POWER LEFT THEIR GRIP.
There exists a class in the far north whose definition of national unity rests squarely on northern dominance. To them, political power is not a rotational agreement it is a BIRTHRIGHT. The return of power to the South in 2023, especially to someone as strategically unpredictable as Tinubu, has unsettled the FEUDAL CONSENSUS.
For this group, THE MISSION is simple: DISCREDIT Tinubu, DISORGANIZE his government, and ensure a swift NORTHERN COMEBACK in 2027. Not for national development, but for regional retention of influence.
THE BUREAU DE CHANGE MAFIA: Profiteers of Crisis
In Nigeria’s black market economy, exchange rate instability is not a problem it is a profit strategy. Tinubu’s attempt to unify the exchange rate and sanitize the forex market has rattled the Bureau de Change syndicates who thrive in economic confusion.
These “Mallams” are not ordinary street traders. Many are conduits in vast networks that span across West Africa, laundering money, hoarding foreign currency, and manipulating rates in real time. With each reform announced by the CBN under Tinubu’s watch, they lose millions and they are not taking it quietly.
From misinformation campaigns to speculative attacks on the naira, the forex mafias are deploying every tool in their arsenal to reverse the tide.
POWER-HUNGRY PRETENDERS: The Title of “President” As a Trophy
Then there are the political actors who, regardless of ideology or vision, simply want to be called “President.” Their motivations are not rooted in policy or nation building they seek the ultimate ego boost. The title is the prize, not the responsibility.
These actors don’t wait for elections; they begin their campaigns by undermining the current administration from day one. For them, every hardship Nigerians face is an opportunity to say, “I told you so.” Not with empathy, but with ambition. They weaponize every inflation figure, every policy misstep, and every protest not to contribute solutions, but to sow chaos ahead of 2027.
THE REALITY: TINUBU IS FIGHTING A HYDRA
Each head Tinubu cuts, whether it be subsidy fraud, forex profiteering, or power monopolies spawns another. His government is not perfect. It faces communication failures, delays in palliative delivery, and legitimate criticisms. But to understand the depth of opposition he faces is to realize that reforming Nigeria is not a political task…it is an act of war.
And in this war, Tinubu has chosen not to bend to every compromise. Whether that is enough to survive the onslaught and deliver for the Nigerian people remains to be seen.
But one thing is certain: the enemies he faces are not just in the opposition. They are embedded within the system, draped in agbadas, whispering in boardrooms, and hiding behind data sheets.
President Tinubu’s fight is not just about governance. It is a battle for the economic and political sovereignty of Nigeria.
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