In much of political discourse across the globe, references to absolutism or over concentration of political power in a single potentate often adopt the 17th century King Louis XIV of France as a metaphor. This is due to the politically unedifying phrase ‘le’tat cest moi,’ which was credited to him, and which in English means ‘I am the state.’ Although scholars are divided over the ascription of the phrase to him since on his death-bed, he was reported to have recanted and extolled the state as being superior to the potentate. In a world where action speaks louder than words, his absolutist proclivities in rulership have pinned the phrase eternally on him.  And as it has been with the French king, so the play-out of absolutism has attracted condemnation in any polity where it rears its head, given its tendency to restrict the liberties of the citizenry.

Yet, as it was with King Louis XIV of France, his accretion to an absolute leader was not solely at his behest as he was barely five years old when he became king at the death of his father, King Louis XIII in 1643. Rather, it was the enterprise of courtiers that he came to be so positioned at the wrong side of political reference. This was just as in virtually every instance of absolutism across the ages – hardly did the potentate crown himself or herself as a maximum ruler. Rather, the creation of maximum rulers is usually courtesy of the enterprise of courtiers and sundry power mongers in the corridors of power, who do so often for their selfish personal interests.

Seen in context, a scenario literally equating to the buildup of absolutism has not only re-emerged in Nigeria but has magnified to full blown dimensions under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. While the tendency towards absolutism may not have started with Tinubu, the situation under him is even manifesting a more insidious slide into a modern day play-out of the King Louis XIV scenario of ‘le‘tat ce moi.’

Against the backdrop of Nigeria’s leadership history, the syndrome of absolutism is replete with several past leaders, especially with those with military background indulging in the tendency. But such are easily excused for acting on the basis of the regimentation culture of the military.

For clarification, Tinubu’s dalliance with absolutist tendencies manifest in his several ways. An insidious twist is his acceptance of public institutions being named after him while in office.

At the last count, the former Dr Abubakar Imam International Airport in Minna, Niger State, was renamed after him as Bola Tinubu International Airport. Recently too, the Federal Executive Council under his watch approved the establishment of a Bola Tinubu Polytechnic in the Federal Capital Territory. However, the more disturbing instance is the naming of a military barracks in Abuja after him, even as according to popular military culture, such institutions are usually named after individuals with outstanding service by popular acclaim.

Ordinarily, a penchant for self-perpetuation in political office constitutes an extension of the ignoble sit-tight in office mentality, which characteristically constitutes a major impediment to the march of change in any human social setting.  It is often driven by fear of marginalisation or extinction of a potentate’s interests with exit from office.

More disturbing is that often, it is the courtiers and hangers-on in the corridors of power that spawn and fuel such mindset in potentates. In that context therefore, should the ongoing tendency of President Bola Tinubu perpetuating himself through a premature process of allowing the naming of public institutions after him be seen as driven by fear of marginalisation or even denigration after office?

Without any doubt, this view is just one of the public takes on the dispensation; and it hardly offers him any credit.

Taking the matter further conjures the consideration that his resort to such self-perpetuation tendency may be inspired by his fears that whatever dividends from his proclivities in the processes of governance may be too ephemeral to last long; hence the resort to more permanent structures.

However, for Tinubu, the accretion towards absolutism enjoys scant justification given his antecedents, as well as the presidential campaign mantra – both of which sold him to Nigerians as a true democrat, with the promise of taking the country away from the remnants of shackles on civil liberties by past administrations. It is the expectation that with him on the presidential saddle, whatever sacrifice he urges Nigerians to make would be for a better country. That was why the privations from the removal of fuel subsidy, free floating of the naira in the forex market and other reforms have been taken by the citizenry in good faith no matter the strangulating effect from such.