Columnist says Tinubu is 'lion at home, lamb abroad' in foreign policy critique
- A widely syndicated opinion column argues President Tinubu dominates domestic politics but yields to foreign powers.
- The writer says reforms like fuel subsidy removal lack policy follow-through and clear winners.
- It claims Nigeria's foreign deals, including a US health framework, mostly benefit other countries.
A widely published opinion column has taken a hard look at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's first years in office, arguing that he is a "lion at home" but a "lamb on the world stage". The piece, by Suleiman A. Suleiman, appeared in Vanguard and Daily Trust on Monday.
It is an opinion article, not a news report, and the claims in it are the writer's own. Our summary below reflects what he argued.
Strong at home, weak abroad
Suleiman credits Tinubu with several virtues. He says the President is not given to petty vindictiveness, has avoided open fights with governors and lawmakers, and brought some of his fiercest critics into government.
But he argues Tinubu's grip on power is unusually tight. He points to the removal of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as APC chairman within weeks of taking office, a pliant National Assembly that passes executive bills in under 48 hours, and governors defecting to the ruling party.
The writer says this power rests on money and job security rather than popular affection. He calls Tinubu "quite possibly the most politically vulnerable president facing re-election since 1999", though he adds that the opposition lacks money and ordinary Nigerians lack the energy for sustained protest.
On the economy, Suleiman lists the administration's reforms: full fuel subsidy removal, naira devaluation, student loans replacing free tuition, higher electricity tariffs and tax changes. He argues the government has failed to show who gains and who loses, and has produced little serious policy follow-through since 2023.
Foreign deals questioned
The sharpest criticism is reserved for foreign policy. Suleiman says Nigeria agreed to a US "America First Global Health Strategy" framework under which the country would hand US companies health data on short notice. He argues those firms would sell drugs and vaccines back to Nigeria at a profit.
He also questions deals and engagements with France, Britain, Saudi Arabia and Israel, saying Nigeria gets little in return and that such arrangements are often conducted in secrecy.
He accuses the government of treating any policy blessed by Western governments or institutions like the World Bank and IMF as automatically good for Nigeria.
The column ends with a warning: the government may still win the coming election, but "some things cannot be left unsaid".
