In 1939, Columbia Pictures released Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , a political satire about an idealistic new senator battling government corruption . Though American politicians criticised the films harsh portrayal, it became a classic. By 1989, it was selected as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.
In 2023, President Bola Tinubu appointed Bosun Tijani as his Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. His appointment has been widely interpreted as an olive branch to the tech community and young Nigerians, a demographic Tinubu struggled to win over during his presidential campaign. Tijani has previously been outspoken in his criticism of Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, which made his confirmation process uncertain. However, after a carefully worded apology, he secured his ministerial appointment.
Tijani is the fourth minister to hold a similar portfolio since its creation in 2011. Goodluck Jonathan named Omobola Johnson as Minister of Communication Technology. While Muhammadu Buhari stuck with the conventional ministerial Communication portfolio for Adebayo Shittu, he reverted to Communications and Digital Economy for Isa Pantami.
Tijani mig??ht claim to be the first ecosystem professional to assume this post. Johnson was the country head of Accenture when she was made minister, Shittu was a career politician , and Pantami was an academic, cleric and agency executive before assuming the role. Tijani is well known as the co-founder of CcHUB, an accelerator based in Yaba, the home of Nigerias tech ecosystem.
But Mr Tijani did not come to Abuja to simply implement policiesa common challenge that has affected many technocratic minds invited to public service. In his words, he seeks to build and change the idea that people cannot be in government and deliver effectively. Aware of his responsibilities to multiple constituencies and his role as one of the few younger ministers, hes striving to balance technical expertise with political acumen. Yet, whether or not he has balanced these different roles and expectations is an entirely different question.
