By Our Correspondent

In a powerful and unapologetic opinion piece that has sparked debate across social media and political circles, columnist Otunba Ademola Akinnola has declared that Nigeria will not collapse if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is removed through legal and democratic means, insisting that no individual is greater than the country.

Akinnola’s column, titled “Tinubu Is Not Nigeria”, takes direct aim at those suggesting that political opposition to the current administration equates to an attack on national unity. The columnist argues that such thinking is not only flawed but dangerous, as it confuses patriotism with personal loyalty to a political figure.

> “Let’s be clear: removing President Bola Tinubu from power—whether through legal, democratic, or constitutional means—will not break Nigeria,” Akinnola wrote. “Nigeria is not Bola Tinubu’s personal property. He is a public servant, elected to serve, not to rule forever or above accountability.”

The scathing piece confronts the rising narrative that critiques of Tinubu’s leadership are part of a northern conspiracy to destabilize his presidency. Akinnola calls this claim historical revisionism, reminding readers that Tinubu’s own rise to national power was forged through a well-documented alliance with the northern political elite.

> “Was it not his alliance with Buhari and the northern bloc that helped deliver victory in 2015? Who made deals with the same establishment to build the APC?” he asked. “You can’t cry ‘northern domination’ today when you dined with them yesterday.”

Akinnola also highlights the worsening economic conditions under Tinubu’s administration, asking tough questions about the effectiveness of his much-touted reforms. The removal of fuel subsidies, currency devaluation, and increases in electricity tariffs, he notes, have brought crushing hardship to ordinary Nigerians without clear signs of relief or structural improvement.

> “Prices of food, fuel, and transport have tripled. Electricity is worse. The naira has collapsed. Corruption is still thriving, only now under different faces,” the columnist writes. “Where is the bold leadership? Where is the economic direction?”

He challenges Tinubu’s supporters to separate emotional allegiance from objective assessment, insisting that the true threat to Nigeria’s future is not criticism of the president but rather the unwillingness to confront governance failures.

> “Reforms without compassion and proper planning are reckless experiments, not leadership,” Akinnola declared. “True patriotism means holding leaders accountable, not turning them into untouchable messiahs.”

The column ends with a direct message to the president himself: If Tinubu wants to be remembered as a reformer and statesman, he must confront the suffering in the streets, deliver on promises, and stop using diversionary tactics to deflect criticism.

> “What will break Nigeria is a dangerous mindset that sees democracy as loyalty to a person instead of loyalty to the people,” Akinnola warns. “Nigeria belongs to all of us—not to Tinubu, not to the North, not to the South.”

Since its publication, the opinion piece has gone viral on social platforms, with supporters hailing it as a bold act of civic courage, while critics argue it unfairly targets the president in a volatile political climate.

As Nigeria navigates a turbulent economic and political period, voices like Akinnola’s are becoming increasingly important in shaping public discourse, reminding citizens—and leaders—that democracy is built on accountability, not hero worship.