President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term inauguration that took place on May 29th without inaugural speech and without seeing the faces of Nigerian past leaders namely: President Olusegun Obasanjo, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Chief Shonekan, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, and President Good Luck Ebele Jonathan bred some sort of tussle amongst Nigerians.
Most Nigerians are very anxious to act as unqualified clowns, despite the (earlier assertion) by the presidency that May 29th was going to be a very low-key affair and ( the hint) that inaugural speech will be delivered on June 12th (Democracy Day), they (Nigerians) went ahead tagging the inauguration day as unprecedented in the history of Nigeria (Inauguration without speech).
It is sickening how Nigerians derive much pleasure in discussing mumbo-jumbo rather than the development of their country. Every patriotic Nigerian must be envious of how developed countries of the world are more concerned with the development of their nations rather than paying much attention to political hurly-burly.
However, Nigerians didn’t relent in their fight that President Buhari’s new government is illegitimate due to the absence of the former Nigerian leaders at the Eagle Square, Abuja where the inauguration took place. If Nigerians were patriotic enough they would raise relevant questions like ” What barred these past leaders from attending the inauguration of the new government of their own country? Are they patriotic?” but they kept talking unpatriotically. Even if these former leaders think President Buhari’s new administration is illegitimate; they should let court decide.
Albeit General Babangida might be too sick to attend the inauguration (his situation is understandable), President Obasanjo nearly had a plane crash(which he has denied) and that might be the reason for his inability to attend. If the rest of the former leaders had no cogent reasons for their failure to attend, for my money, they are not patriotic.
Whilst Donald John Trump of the United States of America emerged winner of the 2016 controversial elections, President Jimmy Carter, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, and even his strongest opponent during the polls, Hillary Clinton managed to attend his inauguration to show continuity of the government of their country. His late Excellency President George H. W Bush was the only living Ex-President who didn’t attend the historic event due to his hospitalization at the time. The former US Presidents set their racial, and political differences aside and showed love for their country, what they did is a clear indication that they always put America first. Former Nigeria’s Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon deserves commendation for being the only past leader who attended President Buhari’s inauguration.
The inability of the past leaders to show support and love for their country will have repercussions for the whole country because these great people have millions of followers and they look up to them, whatever they do good or bad their supporters emulate them.
Moreover, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has decried President Buhari’s trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a day after his inauguration, noting that it was unconstitutional and confirmed worries about the alleged Islamisation agenda. CAN also went further to wonder if the President would be ready to attend the meeting of the World Council of Churches, CAN didn’t didn’t relent in its efforts where it appeals to Mr. President to have blueprint for security challenges facing the country.
It should be noted that Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an international organisation founded in 1969 with the aim of achieving trade, investment, and bilateral/ multilateral relations amongst member states. Since CAN has tagged President Buhari’s presence at the OIC as alleged Islamisation agenda, how could CAN describe President Jonathan’s trip to Cairo to attend OIC meeting back in 2013?
About CAN’s uncertainty on whether the President would be ready to attend the meeting of the World Council of Churches, if the (WCC) had some economic goals and objectives beside actualisation of “Worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christen Service ” the President must attend for the betterment of Nigeria. If countries like Albania, Guyana, Suriname, Cameron etc could be members of IOC, why not Nigeria?
It is high time Nigerians stopped playing politics with Nigeria’s life. Indeed CAN has hit the nail on the head for tasking President Buhari to come up with the blueprint for security challenges bedevilling the country, God bless them for that.
No country in the world has ever thrived without shunning its ethnic, racial, religious, and political differences. Nigerians must change their mentality towards National Development and should also know when and how to play politics.
Few decades ago, India was economically, socially, and politically backward but when it raised its national interest above personal interest, it is today far ahead of Nigeria. Nothing makes a country grow faster like high sense of patriotism and that is what is badly lacking in Nigeria, worrisome enough!
For Nigeria to be great again, everyone must bear in mind that Nigeria belongs to all of us not a particular President or Leader.
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