By: Shafihi Abdulrasheed
Dearest readers! Let me leave you with one word now. The measure of Shoga impact isn’t in headlines or accolades that trooped in after the event, but in the growing network of informed citizens who can articulate both the challenges and opportunities associated with the Renewed Hope agenda.
Last Monday’s Stakeholders Engagement for Lagos State Youth was not the typical government event. The hall at L’eola Hotel in Ikeja was filled with an unusual energy as young Lagosians filled the seats. They had come to understand President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Initiatives” – but what they witnessed was something more inspiring. A masterclass in political translation. I can confirm to you authoritatively.
At the centre of it all stood Hon. Francis Tosin Shoga, neither borrowing importance nor flaunting connections. When he took the microphone, he didn’t speak in the knotty language of bureaucracy that often leaves youth, market women and aged ones more confused than informed. Instead, he spoke directly to the youth in words that landed with clarity and simplicity. He made the brimful hall understood the economic direction, social welfare and poverty reduction programmes, infrastructure and agriculture development and security.
As Chinua Achebe once wrote, “When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.” This aptly captures the Nigerian condition today – economic hardship has indeed brought its own stool into our homes. Yet there was Shoga, not denying the pain but providing the sacrifice within a larger vision of national recovery.
As the driving force behind the City Boy Movement, Shoga emerged as the architect of grassroots support and youth mobilizer for President Tinubu’s administration. He started crisscrossing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones with the fervour of a man possessed by genuine conviction rather than political ambition.
Hammer! While others wait for political dividends like farmers expecting harvest, Shoga sows seeds of understanding across Nigeria’s diverse landscape. He has ignited the light to become the unexpected translator of presidential policies. He breaks down complex economic reforms into digestible narratives that resonate with ordinary citizens. And this is exactly what we need–political appointees, loyal party men or well-to-do Nigerian, say we meant well for this administration and the country in particular.
However, you may want to ask why Shoga’s commitment seems striking? Truth be told, he has a willingness to put his money where his mouth is. At the stakeholders engagement in Lagos, no government funds sponsored the elaborate program. Shoga, as I witnessed financed it himself – another chapter in his story of personal investment in national understanding.
Even though we’re in an era where political support often comes with price tags and promissory notes, he has channeled his personal resources into financing the City Boy Movement’s extensive network across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT.
To clear all doubting Thomases. This isn’t the calculated investment of a political entrepreneur, but rather the passionate contribution of a true believer. Like a lamplighter in the days before electricity, Shoga moves from community to community, illuminating the path of understanding rather than cursing the darkness of misinformation. Truly, if we make a head count of those who passionately believe in Asiwaju, Shoga will definitely take the front seat.
For young Nigerians particularly, Shoga is a figure increasingly rare in our political geography. His support for youth initiatives isn’t merely ‘tokenistic’; it flows from his recognition that Nigeria’s tomorrow belongs to those who are barely surviving its difficult today.
Back to Lagos, the event wasn’t about elaborate presentations or the technical explanations of government programs. It was watching Shoga afterward, surrounded by young Nigerians, answering questions without checking his watch, listening more than speaking – the mark of someone who understands that politics at its best is about service, not spectacle. Going forward from here, the 2023 electoral scenario in the Lagos is being corrected with the people’s that matter. Merci Shoga!
My dear readers! Let me leave you with one word now. The measure of Shoga impact isn’t in headlines or accolades that trooped in after the event, but in the growing network of informed citizens who can articulate the opportunities and beauties associated with the Renewed Hope agenda.
As the ancient proverb reminds us, “When the music changes, so does the dance.” In Hon. Francis Tosin Shoga, the City Boy Movement has found not just a choreographer but a passionate dancer – someone who doesn’t just direct others but leads by example. He offers a template worth studying – patriotism without position, advocacy without appointment, and service without the certainty of reward. That’s the bold, calm and forward-thinking Shoga. Should you want to form heroes and heroines of President Tinubu Renewed Hope, meet Shoga. Then, it’s never too late to #BeAShoga for God, humanity and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Shafihi Abdulrasheed is a Media Strategist and Project Coordinator. He writes from Abuja and can be reached via sharvee2@gmail.com
