Tinubu: Anambra visit and the petals of inclusive leadership, by Fredrick Nwabufo

In botanical terms, inclusive leadership is like a flower, in which beauty proceeds from the anatomy of each petal or the leaves of its corolla. It takes different parts to form a whole, and there is no more potent force than a united people.

President Bola Tinubu has steadily demonstrated a rare rallying quality, pulling together and not setting asunder. He has consistently been an even-handed arbiter, dealing graciously and honourably with everyone, whether north, south, east, or west.

On May 2, he visited Katsina State, where he made bold and decisive declarations against banditry and terrorism in the North-West zone. He reiterated his resolve that Nigeria would never succumb to the designs of terror and asked the military to intensify its efforts to remove the vestiges of the menace.

The President visited Enugu State on January 4. This was his first port of call in the year and underscored the importance accorded to the South-East zone and the President’s genuine effort to bring all Nigerians together.

In Enugu, President Tinubu interacted with a variety of leaders in the South-East, listening, noting their concerns, and ending with a fine lexical smorgasbord of unity, hope, and compassion.

In Anambra, his second visit to the South East in 2025, the President reprised his accustomed nationalistic aspect—not a performance or a contrivance but an organic and time-honed disposition.

President Tinubu paid a visit to Anambra State on Thursday, May 8. He was received with flourish, elegance, and excitement — an undisputed affirmation of the Igbo saying, “Nkea bu nke anyi” (He is our own).

It was a carnival in the streets of Awka as the President’s convoy entered the city, a welcome deserving only of a well-striped warrior—Dike. The President was honoured with the foremost traditional title, Dike Si-mba of Anambra, which means mighty warrior/hero.

Earlier, he had inaugurated the Emeka Anyaoku Institute of International Studies and Diplomacy at Nnamdi Azikwe University; the new Government House, and Solution Funcity.

Speaking at Ekwueme Square, a stadium, where an open meeting was held with South-East leaders, opinion makers, and other citizens, President Tinubu thanked the people of Anambra for their warm welcome and support.

“I know our diversity will lead to prosperity.

“South-East, I salute your enterprise, innovation, and commitment to progress,” the President said.

In his address, Governor Chukwuma Soludo thanked the President for honouring the state by visiting. He said the last state visit by any President was in 2012.

He commended the President for having the courage to take tough decisions that were already turning around the economy and encouraged the President to stay the course.

The governor said his support for President Tinubu was rooted in ideology and principle and described the President as the “Professor of Federalism.”

Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, also thanked the President, underscoring his expansiveness, accommodating, and fatherly disposition.

The significance of the President’s domestic trips is the exigency of solidarising, building bridges and fostering unity. Nigerians can see, feel, and hear their President in the flesh. He comes to them with words of hope, encouragement, understanding, compassion, and action.

The President has shown time and time again that he is the leader that Nigeria sorely needs at this time to mend the fault lines, the fissures, and to disentangle the national antinomy.

Leadership is by example, in the doing, and in the results. Little wonder Nigerians across all artificial aisles are rallying towards the President. The ability to bring people together, regardless of any unnatural boundaries, is the great stuff of leadership.

President Tinubu epitomises this outlier quality of leadership.

Fredrick Nwabufo is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement