Sun Tzu, was a Chinese General and the first strategist of all time who lived in the Fourth Century B.S. (Mc Neilly, 2001). He emphasized the need for far-sightedness and good planning. He also put the importance of knowing your enemy and yourself, and sensitively reacting to changing conditions.
That is a strategy, because the term “strategy” is a plan aimed at achieving a particular purpose. It is used in politics and in many military formations across the world for planning and acquisition of the right skills to gain advantage in politics or in a war or military situations.
Though Nyesom Wike might not be a uniform military personnel, but he is a political-like military personnel who always wants to be in charge, which is why he is into leadership tussle with Sim Fulbara, his successor and present governor of River state.
Most people, especially the political jingoism expected experienced Wike to had known that unseating a seating governor of a state, either as a minister or an ex-governor would be a difficult task to accomplish in Nigeria politics of today. Such victory does not come cheap, it needs to be strategically formulated, implemented and executed, just like Tinubu did to Ambode in Lagos State in 2018, during the APC Primary Election, by denying him (Ambode) the second term ticket for 2019 Governorship Election in the State. That act was strategically carried out by the present president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as at then in Lagos.
Now that some groups of people and political parties in Rivers State, most especially the Ogoni people, PDP, LP etc are coming out to throw their supports behind the Mr. governor, can we now say that Wike acted (or acting) like a “victorious warrior who wins first and then go to war by first sensitively forecasting and see ahead of Fubara’s first tenure in office before he strikes, or he acted insensitively like a defeated Warrior who go to war first and then seek to win by trying to unseat the present governor of River State?
Sun Tzu stated that “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
Should Wike had tread the strategy of Sun Tzu by applying far-sightedness and good planning? Since the days of Sun Tzu, many political and business related phenomena have gone through significant changes but the concept of strategy has remained essentially the same. Nigeria inclusive.
M.O. SALAWU
