Imaginary National Dialogue: The Reckoning (Hard Verdict Edition)
Venue: June 12 Memorial Hall, Lagos. 2026. A heavy stillness grips the hall. At the centre stands Basorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola unyielding, eyes fixed.
Opposite him sits President Bola Tinubu composed at first, but tense beneath it. Behind them, the silent witnesses. Beko Ransome-Kuti,Uncle Bola Ige, Papa Abraham Adesanya, Admrial Ndubuisi Kanu and Papa Adekunle Ajasin.
Abiola: Mr President, no long speeches. Straight answers. Is Nigeria better governed today than when you took office?
Tinubu: We are making progress under difficult...
Abiola: Yes or no.
Tinubu: Progress is being made…
Abiola: That is not an answer. Next question. Did you remove economic burdens or redistribute them downward?
Tinubu: We corrected structural imbalances...
Abiola: Did you protect the people before imposing the correction?
Tinubu: Measures were introduced.
Abiola: Before or after?
Tinubu: After, but..
Abiola: Then you punished first and planned later. That is not reform, that is mismanagement.
(A murmur runs through the hall.)
(Beko Ransome-Kuti steps forward, voice cutting).
Beko Ransome-Kuti: Mr President, simple question. Are Nigerians accessing healthcare more easily today?
Tinubu: We are expanding systems
Beko Ransome-Kuti: Easier or harder?
Tinubu: It varies...
Beko Ransome-Kuti: Then your system is failing the test of equity. A government that cannot secure basic care has no moral claim to success.
(Bola Ige rises sharply.)
Bola Ige: Rule of law. Clear question. Are your allies subjected to the same scrutiny as your opponents?
Tinubu: The law is blind
Bola Ige: Then why does it appear to see some and ignore others?
Tinubu: That perception is...
Bola Ige: Perception becomes reality when you refuse to correct it.
(Abraham Adesanya speaks, measured but firm).Adesanya: Elections. Do all Nigerians trust the process that produced your mandate?Tinubu: The process was constitutional...Adesanya: Trust, yes or noTinubu: There are concerns, but...Adesanya: Then legitimacy is weakened. Democracy cannot stand on disputed confidence.
