The Age, The Health, and The Lies of State
By Freedom Siasia
The Narrative Force
Nigeria is at a crossroads, and we must tell ourselves the truth. A nation of over 200 million energetic young people cannot be led by lies, cannot be led by secrecy, and cannot be held hostage by age and ill health at a time that demands energy, clarity and truth.
This is not an insult. This is a national security question.
From the beginning, the Tinubu presidency has been built on secrecy and lies of state. We were told about his age, but the records don’t add up. We were told about his education, but the certificates raise questions. We were told about his health, but Nigerians see what they see. Every time he travels, the whole country is put on edge. Every time he stumbles, every time he slurs, every time he disappears for medical trips, Nigerians are told to pray instead of being told the truth. A presidency that cannot be transparent about the simple facts of its own existence cannot be transparent about the affairs of 200 million people.
We respect elders. In Africa, age is wisdom. But age without energy is a liability when the nation is in crisis. Nigeria today needs a president who can work 18 hours, who can travel to crisis zones at midnight, who can think fast, act fast, and be present. Nigeria does not need a president who is managed, who is shielded, who reads pre written speeches and disappears for weeks to rest. Under Tinubu, we have seen a presidency that is more absent than present. A presidency that governs by proxy. A presidency where aides are more visible than the president. A presidency where Nigerians are told “the President is resting in London, in Paris, in Dubai” while the country is burning. This is not leadership. This is a country on autopilot.
The worst part is the lies. The lies that cover every failure. We were told subsidy removal would bring relief, it brought suffering. We were told floating the naira would bring value, it destroyed value. We were told insecurity would be over in months, it has gotten worse. We were told the youth would be empowered, they are japaing. Every week, the presidential spokesmen come out to spin failure as success, to sell hunger as sacrifice, to package pain as reform. Nigerians are no longer buying it. You cannot lie to a hungry man. You cannot spin insecurity to a man who just paid ransom for his brother. When a government loses trust, it has lost everything. The Tinubu’s government has lost the trust of Nigerians.
Nigeria is too young, too vibrant, too blessed to be led by a presidency that hides, that tires, that lies. We need a president who is present. A president who is energetic. A president who tells Nigerians the truth even when the truth is bitter. A president whose age, health and history are not a mystery to the people he leads. A president who cannot be accountable about himself cannot be accountable to the nation.
Tinubu has to go not because we hate him, but because Nigeria deserves better. Nigeria deserves truth, energy, transparency and life. A nation cannot be renewed by lies. A nation cannot be secured by secrecy. A nation cannot prosper when its leadership is a question mark. That is why, for the sake of truth, for the sake of trust, for the sake of our future, Tinubu has to go.
