Masterclass or Myth? Deconstructing the “Jagaban Strategy” Amidst a Nation’s Hunger

By Chief Olawale Ojoge-Daniel BSc Politics, Philosophy & Economics
LLB (Hons), BL: Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria
Public Affairs Analyst, Social Crusader, and Advocate of Good Governance
C.E.O., Ojoge-Daniel Foundation for Human Rights and Conflict Mediation(JAFETO-Centre)

In the corridors of power, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is hailed as the “Jagaban”—a master strategist playing a game of 4D chess that mere mortals struggle to comprehend. His supporters celebrate a “Jagaban Strategy” built on patience, foresight, and institutional thinking.

But on the streets, where inflation bites and families groan under the weight of “hard decisions,” a different narrative is taking hold. Is this political genius, or is it merely elite survivalism masquerading as governance?

Merging the laudatory “Jagaban Strategy” narrative with the blistering “Fact-Based Rejoinder” by legal luminary Chief Olawale Ojoge-Daniel, we deconstruct the man, the method, and the morality of the current administration.

The Argument for Masterclass: The 7 Pillars of Strategy
To his disciples, Tinubu’s rise is a masterclass in deliberate leadership. The narrative argues that the President is not an accidental leader, but a “field marshal who plans battles long before the first shot is fired.”

According to this school of thought, the “Jagaban Strategy” rests on undeniable pillars:

The Long Game: While others chased instant popularity, Tinubu played for legacy—surviving exile and opposition to build a lasting structure. As he famously said, “Popular applause fades. Strategic consistency lasts.”

Building Men, Not Just Monuments: His defenders point to his ability to invest in people—Fashola, Osinbajo, Ambode—arguing that true power lies in empowering others to become national assets.

Economic Control: Citing his Lagos record, supporters note how he grew IGR from ₦600m to ₦7bn despite federal hostility, proving that “a leader who understands economics controls destiny.”

Courageous Reforms: The removal of fuel subsidies and FX unification are framed not as cruelty, but as necessary surgery to save a collapsing house. “A true leader absorbs pain today to prevent disaster tomorrow,” the narrative insists.

The Argument for Myth: Strategy Without Humanity is Failure
However, this celebration of “strategy” faces a withering indictment from Chief Olawale Ojoge-Daniel. In his rejoinder, the Supreme Court solicitor argues that the “Jagaban Strategy” is a “ruse”—partisan myth-making that glorifies power acquisition while ignoring the only metric that matters: Human Welfare.

Governance is Not Chess: Ojoge-Daniel reminds the Presidency that governance is not a game of survival for elites; it is a social contract. He cites Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution: “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” By this marking scheme, he argues, a regime presiding over mass hunger and insecurity has failed, regardless of its “strategic” brilliance.

The Awolowo Distinction: While supporters liken Tinubu to Obafemi Awolowo, critics reject the comparison. Awolowo’s legacy was people-centered social democracy (free education, rural development). Tinubu’s politics, Ojoge-Daniel argues, is “elite-centered transactional capitalism” that builds clients, not citizens.

Cruelty Masquerading as Reform: The “hard decisions” cheered by loyalists are labeled “economic violence” by the legal expert. Drawing on Jeremy Bentham and Keynes, he argues that capitalism without a safety net is not reform—it is spoliation. “What is being sold as ‘institutional thinking’ is elite reproduction… recycling the same political class while ordinary Nigerians pay the price.”

The Lagos Mirage: The rejoinder warns that the “Lagos Model”—often cited as Tinubu’s greatest success—created wealth for the state but deepening inequality for the people. Scaling this model nationally has resulted in “pain without relief and sacrifice without shared burden.”

The Verdict: Facts Do Not Clap
The tension between these two perspectives defines Nigeria’s current reality. On one hand, we have the Strategist, asking for patience and promising that the structural repairs of today will yield the prosperity of tomorrow. On the other, we have the Citizen, reminding the government that “strategy” cannot be eaten.

As Chief Ojoge-Daniel concludes in his fiery critique, history is not kind to narratives that ignore the lived reality of the people.

“Awolowo is remembered because he lifted people. Tinubu will be remembered for presiding over deepening hardship while defending it with rhetoric. Facts do not clap. Hunger does not applaud.”

The “Jagaban Strategy” may have won the election, but until it puts food on the table and security in the streets, it risks being remembered not as a masterclass, but as a tragedy of ambition over welfare.

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