2026: The Alpha, the Omega and Jagaban’s Mandate! -By Abiodun KOMOLAFE

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.”

We start with the well-known first stanza of Robert Frost’s iconic poem, ‘The Road Not Taken.’ With 2026 already upon us, Nigeria itself stands at a crossroads, contemplating which path it must take in transitioning into full nationhood and its accompanying national ethos.

Perhaps we should take the road we have avoided for the past six decades; if we do, it may finally yield the much-needed difference. The Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, by strategic design, has chosen the path less trodden and largely ignored by past governments. Many of these reforms will be validated in the coming decades as truly game-changing.

The stabilization of the foreign exchange market, in particular, is a game-changer. It sends encouraging signals regarding the restoration of fiscal stability – the vital ingredient for attracting ‘patient’ capital as opposed to fly-by-night ‘hot money’ portfolio investments. This is a significant gain!

In addition, despite the expected resistance, the reforms spearheaded by Zacch Adelabu Adedeji in the tax sector are another example of a sensible government initiative to embark on a positive path. Leaving aside partisan politics, this is precisely what should be expected of a reformist administration.

In the motto of the elite British SAS, ‘Who Dares Wins.’ On several fronts, leaving the initial pains aside, the government has dared and is winning. However, the communication of these positive gains must be recalibrated to emphasize that the benefits are real and already yielding a trickle-down effect. The communications strategy must answer the fundamental question: ‘How has this benefited me and my family?’ The answer must be succinct and convincing to the man and woman in the ‘Korope’, the markets, and the farms across the various ecosystems and focus groups within the six geopolitical zones.

In the pre-election year of 2026, this has become the decisive battleground. It is a pivotal crossroads because, as the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci observed, the true essence of politics lies in the ‘war of position’ – the strategic effort to shift the very terrain of public debate in favour of one’s own vision. In light of this, the government must harness every instrument of influence to secure this intellectual ground, following the blueprint of arguably the most astute political theorist since Niccolò Machiavelli.

Gramsci is famously associated with pioneering the concept of ‘Cultural Hegemony.’ This theory finds profound applicability in a nation so multi-ethnic and multicultural – a landscape defined by a myriad of languages, mores, and traditions, and situated at varying levels of development where no universal consensus on the definition of “progress” exists. The communications strategy must be anchored in these lived realities. If the government can master this alignment, it will, in my considered opinion, achieve a position of unassailable political and moral authority.

Across the board, Nigeria must slay its demons. We find ourselves returning yet again to the illuminating thought of Antonio Gramsci. Observing the chaos of Italy in his time, Gramsci noted: “The crisis lies in the inability to jettison a system of social and economic relationships which have clearly failed. For this reason, a new society cannot be born; in the interregnum, all manner of morbid symptoms unleash themselves – we are in the age of monsters.”

In plain terms, the historic burden on Tinubu is to be the iconoclast who finally crushes the spirits of insecurity, mass poverty, and institutional decay. These interwoven challenges have stood as a barricade, stalling Nigeria while peers like India, Brazil and Singapore took their giant strides. Tinubu must be more than a reformer; he must be the architect and the builder of a reinvigorated Nigeria.

To borrow from the wisdom of Frantz Fanon, every generation – and indeed every leader – has a historic mission that must either be fulfilled or betrayed. President Tinubu possesses the intellectual depth, the economic foresight, and the political grit to see this mission through. Putting it succinctly therefore, how his administration treads across the minefields of 2026 will ultimately decide whether his name is etched in the halls of greatness or lost to the footnotes of time.

These hurdles require more than raw power; they demand tactical mastery. In this arena, Tinubu stands on firm ground. The fractured opposition has yet to produce a rival capable of grasping such complexities, let alone one with the seasoned political instincts of the Jagaban of Borgu.

But beyond the cold logic of statecraft lies a deeper reality. As we welcome this new year, we turn to the Divine. Our Father and our God, hedge us about with Your protection and cover our nakedness. Strip away every garment of reproach, silence those who would devour our progress, and stand as our Champion while we still draw breath in the land of the living.

Heavenly Warrior, You are the Strong and the Mighty, You are the One who sees wars but does not flee from wars. You are the One who remained in the fire, unconsumed, because You are the Consuming Fire. Just as You stood in the path of Balaam, stand in the way of any counsel that would lead this nation towards ruin. Open our eyes to see the unseen dangers, and redirect our steps towards the path of peace and prosperity.

Lord, heal the ancient fractures that divide us and mend the seams of our national fabric where they have been frayed by distrust and hardship. Let us not be a people of separate paths, but one nation, bound by a purpose that transcends the temporary storms of the interregnum.

You who performed surgery in the Garden of Eden – removing a single bone to fashion a woman – You are still in the business of restoration! In Your mercy, bless our young shoulders with wisdom, cancel the invisible plots that seek to hollow out our achievements, and expose the whited sepulchers who attempt to crush our dignity. Where we are unable to receive, let Your authority prevail!

Jehovah El-Shaddai, who would have believed that Abram could become Abraham? Who would have believed that Sarai would be renamed Sarah? Or that Jacob would transform into Israel? If Naaman could believe and witness his own restoration, the Good Lord, turn the schemes of the destiny-perverters to naught and rescue us from the power of error.

This year, we take a stand against the long shadows cast by hypocrites, “notorious for their long prayers which they recite as a show.” Lord, let their hollow echoes die in the air. Let their ‘performance’ no longer block the path of our destiny or drown out the Spirit’s true voice. Bypass the theatre of the insincere; hear instead the raw, silent groans of the faithful. Tear down their religious masquerades, so the Mandate of Heaven can finally speak over this nation, clear and undisturbed.

El Olam, You are the Alpha and the Omega, the very Beginning and the absolute End! Condemn the accuser, trap them by their own words, and vindicate the just. In the New Year, deliver us as You delivered Jacob from Laban’s house, and grant us the speed to recover lost ground. O Stone of Israel, open every closed door, and let the conspirators against our national glory face the righteous judgment of God! And because You live, may we not be making noise while our mates are making points!

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

Email: ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk.
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