By Olakunle Agboola – Bola Ahmed Tinubu is officially Nigeria’s new President. Sworn into office on Monday to hit the ground running as he promised during his campaign that there won’t be a holiday but to fix a fractured nation, an ailing economy and tackle insecurity cum corruption.
The democratic ceremony, which usher in President Bola Ahmed as the sixteenth Nigerian President since independence took place amid tight security at the 5,000-capacity Eagle Square venue in the Federal capital, Abuja. May 29 marks the day the military handed over power to an elected civilian government in 1999, marking the beginning of the longest continuous civilian rule since Nigeria’s independence from colonial rule in 1960.
It is a tradition that has been held annually, beginning in the year 2000 which has always been a public holiday to commemorate the restoration of democracy in Nigeria and to celebrate the newly elected President and all democratically elected officials including Governors into office.
This year May 29 marks a great monumental achievement of change in baton from a democratic government to another democratic administration. A national public holiday was declared but many were told to stay away from Eagle Square venue in the Federal capital city of Abuja. This is caused by disputed results by the opposition parties, and fears of unrest and chaos on social media springing up different conversations on both National and International Television.
Current custom dictates that the Chief Justice of Nigeria administers the oath first, followed by the President’s speech. This is a huge opportunity to unite the country with a holistic speech that will resonate in the hearts of the people and rally the citizens together for a common purpose. It is always a very sanative moment when all that will be said must be well thought out, planned and articulated. Most Presidents since 1999 use their Inaugural speech to present their vision of Nigeria and to set forth their goals for the nation. It plays highly persuasive and ideological factions in the political scene of a country.
President Tinubu Inaugural speech has been highly applauded while on the other side of the divide has been criticized. This is expected, as there has never been any Inaugural speech that is free of criticisms even in America that has a long span of democratic settings. The most important is ensuring all read in the paper come into reality which in most times has never been the certitude in Nigeria’s democratic settings.
Gbonju, Oba, a social commentator living in London but following Nigerian politics has heralded President Tinubu’s inaugural speech which he summarized into seven bullet points which are, the removal of fuel subsidy, creating jobs for the youths, security reformation, higher GDP growth, Agricultural development, house cleaning monetary policy and stabilizing foreign objective policy.
‘President Tinubu had a well-written Inaugural speech which I expect him to hit the ground running. He has prepared for this moment all his life working hard to become the Nigeria President and I expect him to form his cabinet on time and not wait for six to seven months like President Buhari in 2015. There is so much expectation on him and he has a lot to prove to the whole world that he is the best for this job.”
National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh on Monday expressed disappointment that the inaugural address of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu failed to provide a clear road map about how his administration intends to navigate Nigeria out of its current socio-economic forlorn.
“First, the President described the election that brought him to power as tough but fairly won. That is not true. Also in his speech, he said, ‘Today was the proudest day of his life’. However, I consider that speech is defective in many ways for not facing the truth. Late President Umaru Yar’Adua, on his inauguration day, accepted and made a clear speech that the election that brought him to power was flawed and imperfect but he promised that he was going to fix the electoral system.
You will agree with me that Nigerians are aghast and not happy with the boldness and glee with which Tinubu declared his election as fair. I consider this audacity as a slap on the faces of millions of Nigerians who voted their conscience but were robbed by a collective power of state institutions and brute brigands unleashed on them. Nigerians will not forget in a hurry all political shenanigans used on the election day to suppress, humiliate, and manipulate result’’.
President Tinubu’s inauguration is a culmination of a lifelong ambition to rule Nigeria. He won the elections with just 37 per cent of the votes – the lowest of any elected Nigerian president since the handover from military to democratic rule in 1999. And as his inauguration got underway, the hashtag #Tinubunotmypresident started to trend on social media.
Nigeria’s long ethnic and religious divisions became even more polarized during February’s polls amid violence and as critics and election observers raised concerns about irregularities and alleged attempts to disenfranchise voters. A legal challenge to the result, launched by his political rivals, is ongoing and the whole world is waiting for the outcome.
But President Tinubu has said he would unite the nation and implored those who did not support him to rally behind his agenda. Time will tell to see how Tinubu will form his cabinet, rally men and women together along political, racial and religious divides.
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