In ancient Greek mythology, Castor and Pollux— the celestial twins of Gemini—were inseparable in life and in legend. One was mortal, the other immortal, but their bond was so strong that even the gods could not part them. If one was seen without the other, it was a harbinger of misfortune.
Fast forward to Nigeria’s modern-day political reality, and the tale of Gemini eerily mirrors the Buhari-Tinubu political dynasty—a conjoined mythos that has dictated the country’s trajectory for nearly a decade. PMB (President Muhammadu Buhari) and BAT (Bola Ahmed Tinubu), once political allies, now define the past and present of a nation gripped by uncertainty. If one was the architect of stagnation, the other is its executor.
From 2015 to 2023, Buhari’s presidency was marked by economic decline, worsening security, and institutional decay. By the time he vacated Aso Rock, the country’s GDP per capita had plummeted from $3,200 in 2014 to $1,600 in 2023, the naira was in free fall, and debt had ballooned beyond sustainable levels. Amid the ruins, Tinubu emerged—not as a break from the past, but as its extension.
Many had hoped that Tinubu, a man who had sold himself as the architect of modern Lagos, would bring a fresh approach. But barely a year into his presidency, reality has shattered illusions. The naira is crashing at over ₦1,500 per dollar, inflation is choking households, and the much-touted “renewed hope” is now a renewed hardship. Instead of economic revival, Nigerians have been handed fuel subsidy removal without a safety net, rising food prices, and a sense of déjà vu—only this time, the suffering has intensified.
If Buhari’s years were the winter of discontent, Tinubu’s reign is a brutal heatwave of despair. The Castor-Pollux analogy now seems less like a myth and more like a prophecy of doom—an inseparable duo, bound in governance and misfortune, dragging the nation into an abyss.
But the real question isn’t about Buhari or Tinubu. It’s about why Nigeria keeps electing from the same pool of recycled politicians, expecting a different outcome. Why does leadership in Nigeria always feel like a relay race of incompetence, with the baton passed from one failed administration to the next?
This is not about partisanship; it is about the collective amnesia that grips the nation every election cycle. The same elites who orchestrated Nigeria’s decline are the ones repackaging themselves as saviors. The same power brokers who have looted the country dry are the ones dictating its future.
Are we truly cursed with PMBAT—the mythology of bad luck? Or is it our refusal to break the chains of history that keeps us locked in this perpetual cycle?
If the lesson of Castor and Pollux teaches us anything, it is that blind loyalty to political dynasties is fatal. Nigeria does not need another savior from the same establishment. It needs a radical break from the past—a leadership untainted by the ghosts of previous failures.
The question now is: Who will rewrite Nigeria’s fate? Who will break the myth of PMBAT and forge a new path? Or are we doomed to keep watching this cosmic tragedy unfold, over and over again?
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Image: BedexpStock pixabay
