By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.
I sounded like a lone voice over the past three weeks of consistently asking for the whereabouts of my President.
The gullibility of my society is second to none. Mine is the only country in the world where sentiment drives society and sensibility is subsumed often by thrilling stupidity. Tribe is enough a thrill for many, and it doesn’t matter what the product is, good or bad, your tribe is your tribe and with her you must stand. The consequences of this ideology is the reason a multi-tribal country of close to 500 ethnic nationalities MAY NEVER BE GREAT.
My search for my President began with the article; “Tinubu’s Disappearance: Shettima stranded! Nigeria is on Autopilot”.
In it, I narrated how what was meant to be a brief 2 days out of the country trip for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu became a nine days as of the time of writing that article. Mr President was scheduled for a Forum in Saudi Arabia, but went missing on the media radar and his whereabouts was practically unknown. For which I called the attention of all Nigerians to the question we should be asking; where is President Tinubu?
If indeed the relevance of the office of the President is felt in our national life and his policies are bettering our lives, why should the President be away for almost 2 weeks and not even the BATists are concerned about the absence of their BAT?
Tinubu was away to attend the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the interest of over 230 million Nigeria whose mandate he holds to make life well, I think the minimum appreciation we can show is to seek the welfare and wellbeing of Mr President by simply asking after him. What of course can we give the father of the youngest richest Nigerian, Seyi Tinubu who by virtue of his presence on the board of Gilbert Chargoury’s Hitech Construction Company is a confirmed Trillionaire?
For many days, the Presidency kept mute over the President’s whereabouts, no statement was issued on what could be holding the president from returning to Nigeria beyond his schedule.
Of course as the practice is, speculations took the space because those who should know and make us know, kept sealed lips.
Could the president have proceeded to Paris, France, for a private meeting with Gilbert Chargoury regarding his joint investment with the younger Tinubu to help extend and return the toll taking bigger and better to that corridor, against the initial plan of Lagos to Epe, it will now be from Lagos to Calabar?
Given that the President has travelled several times for medicals, the prayer of many is ‘never again’! May “Yaraduaism” and “Jonathanism” never be our portion again. Though the wisdom of the constitution provides for it, but the thought of Shettima as a President is scarry. The trauma of a Governor under whose watch Chibok drama that saw 276 girls abducted and over a 100 is yet to return till date is a thought not for processing if sanity is the wish of any mind.
The president proceeded to London from Riyadh, according to news monitored on Daily Trust.
A highly placed official at the Presidency was reported by Daily Trust as saying; “ president is at the moment in London on a private visit.”
It was a don’t say na me tell you o, as according to the report, the official pleaded anonymity and declined further comments on the reason for the president’s visit in London.
“I don’t have an idea about it (the purpose of the president’s trip to London) but I think it is a private visit,” another official said.
A top official at the Presidential Villa, simply said; “there was no cause for alarm about the president’s whereabouts.
The official who refused to disclose his boss’ whereabouts assured that the president would return to the country “this weekend.” that weekend passed and the President was not sighted in Nigeria nor his whereabout made known by the Presidency.
It was a piece of good news from the Presidency, when Temitope Adeniyi came to town with; takeaways from President Tinubu’s trip to Riyadh and Hague. It was an article made out of the post he made on his Facebook page on the 29th of April 2024. That further complicated the thinking process for the sensible on the whereabouts of the President, this of course is of little concern to the gullible ones among them in reaction to my article said, leave our President alone!
Though, my vote may not have made him the President, but by circumstances beyond the practice of democracy over which I have no control, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu is My President and unfortunately for the BATists, I am entitled by citizenship to know his whereabouts and demand same if the need arises. That, more than anything else triggered the need for me to pledge myself to continuing criticism of Mr President in the interest of a better and greater Nigeria. This follow up article is a fulfilment of the vow I made to the Public.
On Temitope Adeniyi’s report of Mr President’s take away from his trips. It was juicy and mouth watering enough to make Nigerians go wait at the airport for “Baba kaabo, omo ku ile” from the President. He informed us of the vibrancy of energy, eloquency of delivery and articulation of speech with which our President preached his usual message of partnership, collaboration, investment opportunity, shared prosperity, and sustainability that Africa and in particular Nigeria is to the rest of the world. That was the message preached at Netherlands and Saudi Arabia. At The Hague where he met the Prime Minister, the Royal family and business leaders and in Riyadh, where he participated actively at the Special Meeting of the World Economic Forum, President Tinubu was regal in his carriage and convincing in appeal”, convert he possibly made of his audience. With a $250 million Dutch investment in his front pocket and another $100 million in his back pocket, coming to Lagos for investment in waste to wealth. A leader with such conquest shouldn’t have been sneaked in to the country. Not when he is originally from Iragbiji in Osun State, home to talking drums and drummers, that combines with the grace of his adopted state, Eko for show. We should have made a show piece of his arrival with an orchestra of talking drums and drummers with enough area boys to hail ‘tuale’ as we sing
kaabo o kaabo 2ce
Omo abile soro kile yanu kaabo…
The Sea Port of Lagos is to Maersk what it is to Nigeria, a spring of wealth and so an engagement with Moller-Maersk Delegation with the President was in order. Robert Maersk Uggla, Chairman of the Danish shipping and logistics giant, and his team. The meeting focused on the company’s existing business in Nigeria and the prospect of new investment to expand port infrastructure in Nigeria to accommodate bigger ships. The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, recently announced a $1 billion ports expansion and modernisation programme to take care of dilapidated infrastructures at the Western and Eastern seaports. President Tinubu welcomed the genuine interest of AP Moller-Maersk in Nigeria and the company’s willingness to make new investments. He expressed his appreciation to the Chairman for his company’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy over time, assuring him that Nigeria and his government would not take the country’s partners for granted”.
If Tinubu promised not to take our global business partners for granted, why are we taking the return of the President and its associated protocols for granted?
I queried why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems shot out of the media in one of the articles in search of my President. That in itself is enough a reason to be worried about Mr President, no President in the history of this country is so much a friend of the media like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Benefactor of many Media Owners, Publishers and Editors.
A statement released by the Presidency through the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Chief Bayo Onanuga, announced the return of the President without the dignity of at least a still photograph, not to talk of a video supporting the press release. I guess the President came back at the darkest hour of the night and his media team saved us the embarrassment of blurry pictures of our dear President. The President has been in the country in the past six (6) days, and Monday the 13th of May 2024 witnessed another FEC meeting. Its report I have only sighted on online platforms. I stand to be corrected, FEC for the first time since Tinubu Presidency was extended till the following day because critical issues could not be concluded.
Tuesday the 14th of May 2024, an extended meeting of FEC is held at the Presidency, not a single picture of the President was sighted in the media! Where is my President?
Special appeal must be made to all Nigerians to request to see and hear from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
I count on my friends in Abuja to help out with information on the whereabouts and well being of our President.
Omoyele Sowore, your eye and mouth is needed on this search for the President.
The report of the Punch Newspaper on the FEC seems to bail the cat of my worries rather than calm my nerves. Flying May FEC meeting with picture taken during March meeting is not just suspicious, It is comfiming a news that I am not in a position to confirm. I would love to see Mr Presidency in motion pictures, with his usual swag. What a delightful sight we are being denied.
I am missing my President. I would have threatened to sue the minister for information if not that legal fee no be small thing. And nothing much dey happen for Legislative Revolution Network.
If at the end of this new week the Presidency fails to inform me about my President. Let nobody blame me if I carry a placard to the Presidency in demand for my dearest “Akanbi Omo olodo ide”.
I picked Punch Newspaper report on FEC to see if I can hear the President, though I may not be able to see him;
Policy blitz: TINUBU unveils 21 major initiatives after marathon FEC meeting. The story was published on the
15th May 2024,
The picture used in the news was captioned thus: FEC MEETING .
From left: President Bola Tinubu; Minister of Justice. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen Abubakar Kyari during March’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential in Abuja, but not without been specific about the date the picture was taken (25/3/24)!
The report was filed in by
Stephen Angbulu.
He went on to reference the President’s Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Bayo Onanuga’s post on his X handle, formerly Twitter, where he listed the initiatives unveiled by the President, as a 48-hour visa policy, cancelling of airport toll payment exemption for very important persons and ban on sand dredging 10 kilometres from all federal bridges throughout the country among others. Where exactly is Anagolu reporting from? from Onanuga’s post or from the FEC meeting that held in the Presidency?
Anagolu took us back to the Presidency; “Briefing the State House correspondents on Tuesday after the FEC meeting at Aso Rock Villa Abuja on Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris. Idris voice was heard!
Also heard is the voice of The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, who spoke to the State House correspondents after the FEC meeting, according to the Punch Newspaper.
According to the news; “Tuesday’s decision would see President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima who were earlier exempted; paying airport access tolls and parking fees”.
See them do wetin?
Punch reported; “Tinubu, who chairs the Council, overruled his exemption and that of the Vice President, insisting that he and the VP, alongside their aides, must pay tolls. That of course is to tell you how deplorable things are and how desperate this government has become to make ends meet by becoming toll collectors. I can assure you that the suspended cyber security tax is on its way back, just a matter of time.
Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, revealed to journalists at the State House some of the approvals he secured at Tuesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting for his Ministry.
If we are left pondering about the whereabouts of Mr President, the FG left no one in doubt about her lost of credit worthiness resulting in our inability to fund development and therefore reveals its plans to tap into local funds such as pensions and life insurance to develop infrastructures in the country. This came from the interpretation of the voice and words of The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, while briefing correspondents saying that there are over N20tn of such funds available in the country. My 95 years old father whose federal pension was not paid last month and several others like him must be excited about the news and should by now be celebrating what a renewing hope Tinubu represents to Pensioners! This government should be chasing Maina for the Pension funds he absconded with, than choosing to become his disciples.
Wike’s voice was substituted by that of the Minister of State for the FCT, Mrs Mariya Mahmood, who also spoke to State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting.
Let me ask Stephen and other correspondents in the State House if they have seen the President lately!
Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and a Nation Builder. He’s also the President; Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the C.E.O, Masterbuilder Communications.
Email:bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com
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