“For My Hand” — How Burna Boy’s Lyrics Mirror Tinubu’s Battle To Restore Peace In Nigeria

“For My Hand” — How Burna Boy’s Lyrics Mirror Tinubu’s Battle To Restore Peace In Nigeria

By Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah

There are days when a song drifts into your soul, rearranges your thoughts, and whispers clarity into the noise around you. Today, Burna Boy’s “For My Hand” did exactly that. I found myself replaying those lines, not for romance, but for revelation. Somewhere between the harmonies and Ed Sheeran’s soft echo, I realised the lyrics mirror the season Nigeria is walking through under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I wanna be in your life until the night is over
I wanna hold you so tight, so tight, come in closer
It’s been a hell of a ride for every single moment
You were there by my side”

That opening felt less like a love song and more like the vow of a leader determined to stand with his nation. For years, bandits, insurgents, and violent extremists pushed Nigeria into corners of fear. Every passing day felt like we were losing another piece of what held us together.

But the President stepped into the storm and said: I will not leave your side. Not in the night. Not in the chaos. Not in the uncertainty.

And that vow is not empty poetry. It is backed by action — bold, unapologetic, historic action.

And when Burna sings, “Whenever I’m broken, you make me feel whole… Whenever I’m lonely, you’re there for my soul… Wherever you are, that’s where I call my home… Whenever you doubt it, I’ll be letting you know,” it mirrors a nation that has been wounded by insecurity now finding reassurance in a leader whose actions are stitching back hope, restoring safety, and reminding Nigerians that they are not walking this night alone. 

And the President has reassured the nation by affirming that the time to declare a security emergency is now — and he has formally taken that decisive step.

Across the security spectrum, the President has chosen action over rhetoric. The directives for fresh recruitment into the military and police, the expansion of policing personnel, the redeployment of officers from VIP protection back to operational duty, the mobilisation of forest guards to clear long-abandoned criminal hideouts — these moves speak louder than speeches. They form a forceful blueprint that says: Nigeria will not be left alone in this night.

State police reform is no longer a distant debate; Tinubu has pushed it firmly before the National Assembly, echoing the demand Nigerians have made for years. At the same time, rescue operations have become swifter, evident in the recent rescue of schoolgirls and worshippers held captive.

These are not speeches. They are movement. Momentum. Muscle.
They are the hands of a president tightening his grip around a broken country and pulling it back from the edge.

The next lines of Burna Boy’s masterpiece cut deep:

“Woah, girl, I want to be dancin’ with you forever
You see through the storm and take me as I am…”

Nigeria is the “girl” here — bruised, tired, exhausted, but still standing.

And Tinubu? He is the leader choosing to dance with us through the storm. To take the country as it is — wounded but not finished — and rebuild it piece by fragile piece.

Anyone can rule in times of calm. But it takes a certain kind of courage to stay steady in turbulence.
Nigeria is in that turbulence now, but the President isn’t backing down.

Whether it is confronting sarrow of decades-old banditry, introducing state police reforms, returning officers to duty where they are most needed, or pushing a multilayered security overhaul, the message is consistent:

We will not surrender this country.

And like Burna Boy sings, he sees us through the storm. Not denying it. Not avoiding it. Not sugarcoating it. Facing it, hands-on.

One of the boldest strokes is the President’s move to end open grazing nationwide.
This is not a small announcement.
It is the kind of policy shift that changes a nation’s destiny.

For years, open grazing fueled conflicts, inflamed ethnic suspicion, and left trails of death across farms, villages, and highways. The cycle felt endless.

But for the first time in our history, a sitting president has drawn a line and said:
No more. Enough. We must modernise. We must protect lives.

And when Burna sings:

“Baby, it’s magic any time that we’re together
I just love you and hold you for my hand…”

It echoes a government finally locking hands with its people, pulling them out of old wounds and leading them into a future shaped by ranching, order, peace, and modern agriculture.

It is a symbolic handhold — leadership and citizens walking as partners toward stability.

Nigeria’s Hand is in Safe Hands

“Hold you for my hand, my hand, hand…”

That refrain becomes more than a chorus.
It becomes reassurance.

Tinubu is holding the nation’s hand — not loosely, not uncertainly, but with firmness. With intention. With the weight of someone who understands what collapse looks like and refuses to let it happen.

The night may not be over yet, but the dawn is beginning to show.

Burna Boy sang about love.
But in this moment, the lyrics echo something deeper.

A country trying to heal.
A president refusing to let go.
A people slowly reclaiming hope.

In the music of governance, Tinubu’s leadership is the hand guiding the rhythm — keeping Nigeria upright, steadying us through the storm, and refusing to let bandits dictate the narrative of our nation.

And like the song, the message is simple:

We will survive this night. And we will walk into dawn together.

Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah serves as the Principal and CEO of Bush Radio Academy.
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