Within two years of his ascension to the High Throne, seven public places and institutions have been named after Bola Ahmed Tinubu. At first, I said to myself dismissively that Wole Falodun, the Mr. Wakabout of our ancient and beloved Lagos Weekend, has come again with his gist, with his gossip.

Then, I quickly cleared my eyes to authenticate the story in, of course, this newspaper, The Guardian, and then in some online newspapers as well. It is found in The Cable, a credible online newspaper and authored by Samuel Akpan. Please, read with me the beautiful and captivating Akpan’s intro:

“From a bustling highway to a humming airport and barracks, Tinubu’s name is being woven into the fabric of the nation’s public space.”

The monuments are listed as follows:
Abubakar Imam International Airport, Minna, is renamed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport by Niger State Governor, Umar Bago. Abubakar Imam was the first celebrated publisher/Editor of Hausa newspaper, Gaskia. The airport was named after the journalist in 2023. The rechristening without qualms came less than a year, 10 March, 2024, after Abubakar Imam’s name adorned the edifice.

On 28 May, 2024, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, named the just completed Abuja Southern Parkway after President Tinubu, his appointor. The Parkway is said to be a major artery road in the Federal capital.

On 29 May, the National Assembly management named its library after Tinubu. It was a new library the building of which was nearing completion before Ahmed Lawan 9th Assembly with Femi Gbajabiamila of House of Representatives wound up.

On 10 December, 2024, the Immigration Services chose not to be left out. It named its command-and-control centre, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Complex.

On 16 January, 2025, the new Federal Polytechnic in Gwarrinpa was renamed Bola Ahmed Polytechnic, Abuja. On 23 January, 2025, a newly constructed Army Barracks in Asokoro, Abuja, was named Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks, Asokoro. General Olufemi Oluyede, the Chief of Army Staff, said the barracks was named after Tinubu to “give honour to whom honour is due.”

Last Tuesday, 10 June, 2025, the man who set the tone for the naming ceremony epidemic would not be beaten to it, he stepped forward once more, christening the renovated Abuja International Conference Centre (AICC) after Tinubu.

In the Earl of Gloucester’s Castle once lived a King called King Lear—a play based on mythological Leir of Britain back in 1605. In the palace, King Lear had a man called Fool. As the irony of life goes, Mr. Fool was the wisest man in the land. Enid Welsford in his review of the play King Lear, refers to him as “the sage-fool who sees the truth.”

Shakespearian scholars say the unique feature of Fool lies in how he speaks the truth. “He is an agent who prompts Lear to recognise the bitter truth.” He pushes King Lear to become self-aware and to understand the consequences of his actions. He lets him see the bigger picture of his kingdom and actions. King Lear has three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, for example. The eldest, Goneril is married to the Duke of Albany and Regan to the Duke of Cornwall.

According to the instructive play, the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France desired and ran after Cordelia, Lear’s youngest and favourite daughter. Lear asked his daughters to profess their love for him and he would give the largest share of his estate to anyone of them who loves him most. And Fool says: “Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise. Goneril is vexed that Fool is given special privilege. But the Fool observes: “Truth’s dog must to kennel; he must be whipped out, when Lady the Brach may stand by the fire and stink.” In the end it is Cordial who loves her father most, but the discovery comes too late.

In our land, professional brilliant unreason is domiciled largely in the conclave, in particular, and in the ranks in general, of politicians. In the cheering orchestra, in the midst of clapping, one is already saying that after the Almighty Creator, King Lear comes next for him! Politician are falling head and toes over themselves to curry the favour of the King in the Palace and I am seeing in the horizon, the emergence of Paul Biya and Kamuzu Banda. I hinted at this in the column captioned, Drift to one-party state. This is how it all started.

Tinubu must, therefore, reverse all the fawning rechristening. They are unethical, obscene and nauseating. He needs a Mr. Fool in the Villa.