Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, says President Bola Tinubu has, since his assumption of office, been governing as a statesman rather than a politician.
This, he said, was a deliberate choice by Tinubu to confront the foundational economic distortions in the country head-on, regardless of immediate political costs.
He said this on Tuesday at a political event in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila drew a sharp conceptual line between political leadership driven by short-term electoral optics and true statesmanship anchored on long-term national survival.
He said that Tinubu, upon assuming office, deliberately chose to govern as a statesman rather than as a politician by confronting foundational economic distortions head-on, regardless of immediate political costs.
The CoS noted that while conventional politicians remained consumed by the next election cycle, genuine leaders were more concerned with the next generation and the interests of the citizens.
He stated that Tinubu has a choice to either govern as a politician or as a leader, adding that there is a huge difference between the two.
“If he came in as a politician and decided to govern as a politician, he would have continued on the cruise, on the path that we were taking.
“But instead, knowing full well the immediate consequences, he decided he would govern as a leader,” Gbajabiamila said.