BY BRIGHT JACOB
Two weeks may not be enough to judge or gauge the performance of the president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, but the hive of activity on the former Governor of Lagos State’s schedule since his presidential inauguration ceremony on May 29 has been nothing short of impressive.
Though before he ascended the political throne of Nigeria, Tinubu had jostled with other political heavyweights like Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, for the soul of Nigeria in the February 25 presidential election widely touted as the most hotly contested in the country’s history, and promised the people that, together with his running mate, Kashim Shettima, he would hit the ground running if he were to become their president.
Tinubu made this bold and daring declaration during the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in October last year, seizing the moment to make public his campaign policy document he described as “a roadmap to a prosperous future.”
“This plan is not only a roadmap to a prosperous future, it serves as notice to the Nigerian people that, if elected, Senator Shettima and I shall work tirelessly to reach that promised future from the first moment of the first day we enter office,” Tinubu said.
Expectedly, not many took him seriously – who would have, anyway? After all, according to some of his critics, he is 71-years-old and an obviously frail politician, whose best days were behind him.
Thus, on the day he was sworn-in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, a glint of mockery lit up the eyes of naysayers who tried to ride roughshod over Tinubu’s storied plans to resuscitate and give Nigeria a new lease of life, when the Jagaban appeared to momentarily lose his balance on the podium at the Eagle Square, venue of the inauguration.
As if that was a cue to attack the newly sworn-in leader of the biggest democracy in Africa, a torrent of vituperation with malignant intentions was unleashed, to which even those who sit on the fence concerning politics in the country, may have likely felt “pity” for the former two-term Governor.
“Look at your president,” one Social Media user said, “He cannot steady himself….and you think he will be able to steady this country?” Someone else said in another scathing remark, “Even Buhari is better. He didn’t stagger on the podium like this. Nigerians, get ready for suffering, pro max.”
Known to be dogged and also determined to right the wrongs of the past, Tinubu used his inaugural speech as the leader of Africa’s economic superpower, Nigeria, to wipe a smirk or two off the faces of his detractors when he unequivocally said that the fuel subsidy regime was over, stressing that funds for it will now be channeled into other pressing areas like education, health and public infrastructure.
The uproar which greeted the announcement was deafening, with threats of strike actions by the organised labour renting the air. And even if Tinubu is a no-nonsense political strategist, he felt the emotions evoked by concerned Nigerians because of the removal and immediately swung to action to ameliorate the pains of Nigerians with his newly acquired presidential power.
“Almost all the indexes for measuring growth and prosperity are in shambles. Poverty is ravaging the land, and even if the term ‘multidimensionally poor’ has existed before now, I think it was during Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure I first heard about it. So, this administration has no excuse for failure”
It is, therefore, a universal truth that Nigeria’s top political job is not one for the faint-hearted. This is why whoever is thinking of becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces and expects a soft landing to all the political and economic pitfalls weighing on the nation, will soon come to the realisation that presiding over the affairs of the world’s most populous black nation is no child’s play and that the inherent “hazards” associated with the job can be overwhelming.
Nigeria’s 16th President, Tinubu, still fresh from his (presidential) inauguration attended by over 60 world leaders on May 29, is already undergoing his baptism of fire, as the unavoidable hydra-headed monster representing the country’s challenges in their scandalous glory, stares him in the face, lending credence to the unsavoury truth about there being no rest to the weary.
Indeed, even Nigerians will not want Tinubu to take any rest for now. And considering the sorry state of the economy, the seemingly hopeless security situation and more recently, the hardship caused by the fuel subsidy removal, a political analyst and pastor, Emeka Onwuha, says for the time being, there is no room for “physical rest” for the president and that present administration has no excuse for failure.
“I am a Christian and I read the Bible. I am saying all these because Christ said in the Book of Matthew that anyone who is weary and heavy laden should come to him and that he will give such a person rest.
“But you see, for the President, there’s no room for physical rest. He doesn’t need any for now. I mean, look at all the confusion in the country. There’s uncertainty here and there. Nobody seems to know what the future holds. We are in an unfathomable kind of standstill.
“Being the President, Tinubu must realise that his party, the APC, has been in power for eight straight years, and to be truthful, we’ve never had it this bad before in the country.
“Almost all the indexes for measuring growth and prosperity are in shambles. Poverty is ravaging the land, and even if the term ‘multidimensionally poor’ has existed before now, I think it was during Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure I first heard about it.
So, this administration has no excuse for failure,” Onwuha concluded.
On his part, Tinubu has continued to prove his doubters wrong while impressing upon Nigerians that he can go the long haul. After one week in office, one of his aides, Dada Olusegun, on his Twitter page, posted videos of Tinubu closing from office at 8:37pm.
The video stirred positive reactions from Nigerians who said glowing words about the president and praised his commitment to the job at hand. And aside from those who called the President “energetic” and “workaholic,” a particular Nigerian eked out a bit of humour after the video was posted, saying that Tinubu needs to be “paid for the extra hours.”
Also, in just two weeks, Tinubu has met with different dignitaries, both local and international, as well as government officials. He has also made some key appointments and given some much-needed policy direction.
For instance, he has met with oil marketers and Governors who have all backed him on the fuel subsidy removal, with the oil marketers donating 100 buses to cushion the effect of the removal.
Not only that, Tinubu had also instructed the National Economic Council, led by the Vice President, Shettima, to initiate and implement their own interventions for the masses. Tinubu, himself, has mooted increasing the minimum wage of Nigerian workers currently pegged at N30, 000.
He has also met with the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and the service chiefs, giving them the mandate to tackle insecurity, proving that he takes security seriously. This is coming after Tinubu’s predecessor, Buhari, had been criticized by Nigerians for failing to crush the menace of criminal herdsmen and bandits who continue to hold the country to ransom with their murderous activities.
Tinubu has also met with the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, as well as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulraheed Bawa and this was after he ordered the Department of State Services to immediately vacate the Lagos Office of the EFCC they occupied.
His parley with members of the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations has resulted in the suspension of their industrial action for 21 days, with light at the end of the tunnel in the health sector.
Tinubu also scored another plus after he assented to a constitutional amendment bill harmonising the retirement age of judges across courts. In other words, Tinubu agreed to raise the retirement age of judges from 65 to 70 years.
On Friday, President Tinubu met traditional rulers and their representatives from across the country at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
At the closed-door meeting, Tinubu discussed themes around national healing and unity, as he emphasized in his inaugural speech.
In his opening remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III, who led his counterparts to the meeting, said the traditional rulers visited the President to congratulate him and to assure him of their support in his arduous task of nation-building.
The Sultan reasoned that the council of traditional rulers is replete with professionals from various fields, making the council a useful ready pool for the President to draw expertise from.
He also expressed the traditional rulers’ confidence in Tinubu’s ability to put Nigeria in a path of progress, saying that they would support him to concretize his renewed hope agenda into actionable policies.
On his part, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Adewusi, urged President Tinubu to make more “use” of the traditional rulers to address insecurity.
“Mr. President, use us. Use us. Use us,” the monarch said.
Present were Vice President Kashim Shettima; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the State House Permanent Secretary, Tijjani Umar; Emir of Kano, Obi of Onitsha, Tor Tiv, Etsu Nupe, Deji of Akure, Shehu of Borno, Elegushi of Ikate, Jaja of Opobo, Lamido of Adamawa, Emir of Zazzau, Gbong Gwom Jos, Attah Igala, Alake of Egbaland, Shehu of Borno and a representative of the Oba of Benin.
Suspension of Emefiele
Also on Friday, the President wielded the big stick with the suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, from office with immediate effect.
This is sequel to the ongoing investigation of his office and the planned reforms in the financial sector of the economy, according to a statement on Friday by the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey.
According to the statement, Emefiele has been directed to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Deputy Governor (Operations Directorate), who will act as the CBN governor pending the conclusion of the investigation and the reforms.
The CBN listed the Deputy Director, Operations Directorate, as Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi.
The power to appoint and suspend a CBN Governor is shared between the President and the Senate. Section 11 of the Interpretation Act Cap I23, LFN 2004 states unequivocally that where a statute confers upon a body the powers to appoint a person to an office, those powers also include the powers to remove or suspend him.
As such, where the Act conferred both the President and the Senate powers to appoint the CBN Governor, any act which is targeted to determine his appointment – whether by way of suspension or removal is within the exclusive preserve of the appointing authorities. It is submitted therefore that contrary to popular opinion, the Senate still had to approve the suspension of the CBN Governor.
With the resistance and public outcry that greeted the removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, President Tinubu has had a “hectic” one week in office according to those close to him.
Apart from having to wake up within the week to agitations and headlines suggesting a push-back on the fuel subsidy removal, coupled with forceful threats from labour unions, Tinubu has also had to grapple with making some key appointments, including his media aides who should ordinarily have resumed office with him.
Many are of the opinion that one week after inauguration; the Tinubu’s administration seems to tread a cautious path, as it was learnt that many of his supporters jostling for political positions may be in for a surprise.
It was gathered for instance, that the president, cautious of the political battles and what he continues to describe as a “gruesome” campaign that heralded his emergence, needs a strong team to deliver on his campaign promises and pull the country out of its present doldrums.
With a regime facing a total debt stock of over N70 trillion and an economy in a near emergency situation, the first one week of Tinubu as president has been devoted to intense consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff; George Akume, the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Adams Oshiomhole, Wale Edun, Yemi Cadoso (last two being internal members of the finance think-tank), and Dele Alake, have been working behind the scenes, to help the president navigate through some of present challenges, including making sure that members of the organised labour did not embark on the planned nationwide strike over fuel subsidy removal.
Though other appointments, including the crucial cabinet members are still being awaited, many have applauded Tinubu’s decision to bring in experienced hands like the appointment of Femi Gbajabiamila, a seasoned lawmaker, and George Akume, a former Benue State governor.
It was gathered that like the two appointments, the president is cautious to fill the position of his special adviser on media, despite speculations, and has decided to look beyond the current team that handled his campaign activities, namely Bayo Onanuga, Dele Alake, Tunde Rahman, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz and Tope Ajayi.
Sources close to the president said he has opted for a young vibrant media practitioner for the office. It was also learnt that the president may compensate Onanuga with an ambassadorial appointment, while Dele Alake may head the information and culture ministry as a minister.
It was gathered that Alake, who has been coordinating the media team since the president’s assumption of office, is also saddled with shopping for a young and vibrant media practitioner for the special adviser’s position.
However, the National Assembly on Tuesday approved the president’s request to appoint 20 special advisers, whose names he did not mention.
And ahead of the June 13 inauguration of the National Assembly, Tinubu is still battling to settle rifts over the leadership of the assembly amid strong opposition to Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom and his preferred candidate for Senate president.
While the president has been working behind the scenes to create a soft ground for Akpabio’s emergence, opposition continues to grow from Orji Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, and Abdulaziz Yari, a former governor of Zamfara, as well as Osita Izunaso, a ranking senator from the South East, who believes that the position is due his region in the spirit of equity and fairness.
Not wanting a reoccurrence of the 2015 crisis in the All Progressive Congress that led to the emergence of those in opposition as leaders of the 8th National Assembly, it was gathered that the president may wash his hands off the contest and allow the APC senators decide who leads them in the 10th assembly.
An insider in the president’s team, summarised the president’s first week in office as “hectic”.
The insider, who prefers to remain anonymous, said “the government has taken off on a strong cautious note. Now that the Senate has approved his 20 advisers, the president will roll out the first set of his personal aides, among others.”
Reacting, a legal practitioner, Olaniyi Fashina, said even if there’s no rest for the weary, Tinubu has proven that “he takes the Nigerian project seriously.”
According to Fashina, all the late night meetings and engagements by the President will soon start to bear fruit and Nigerians would be better for it.
Fashina also said that the other presidential candidates who also promised to remove subsidies would not have done anything “more than what” the current President was doing to address the situation, calling for patience among Nigerians.
“Sources close to the president said he has opted for a young vibrant media practitioner for the office. It was also learnt that the president may compensate Onanuga with an ambassadorial appointment, while Dele Alake may head the Information and Culture Ministry as a Minister”
Fashina said, “Whether I am surprised by all the rapid-fire meetings and engagements of the president? I am not. I know what he is capable of. And even if age has slowed him down a bit, remember he said that he doesn’t need physical strength to govern Nigeria.
“Tinubu takes the Nigerian project seriously, and very soon, by the grace of God, these series of meetings will start to bear fruit. In fact, some have already started yielding dividends…and somebody is saying that the future is not bright?
“I heard what the Labour Party candidate, Obi, said about removing subsidies assuming he was sworn-in. He said he would remove it from day one. The truth is that he wouldn’t have done anything above and beyond or more than what Tinubu is doing … .yes, it’s time we call a spade a spade but Nigerians must be patient,” Fashina said.
Tinubu may move to official residence this week
Almost two weeks after he took the oath of office, President Tinubu is likely to move into his official residence at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa this week.
Although the President has been meeting guests at his office, the Council Chamber and the State House Banquet Hall, his official residence lies eerily quiet.
A security source, who confided in our correspondent, said, “He (Tinubu) has not moved in because maintenance is still on. And that is because maintenance started late because of the time Baba Buhari left the residence and moved into the Glass House.
“Even though he vacated the main residence a few weeks before handing over, the time was short. If you compare it to Goodluck Jonathan, Jonathan left about a month before Buhari’s swearing in. And so there was enough time for maintenance. That is why Baba Buhari did not waste time to enter the house because it was ready.”
A senior State House source revealed that the residence was being coated with white paint, while some of its sections were being cleaned and fumigated.
However, the renovation, which largely entailed finishing, fittings and the change of some security apparatuses, did not include the provision of new sets of furniture as the new President will determine whether to change the existing ones or retain them.
“You know that most of the structure is white. So, the renovation will involve repainting the stained sections and replacing fittings that have gone weak or bad. The furniture may not be changed. But that will depend on the new President,” the source said.
