This week is indeed a solemn one in the seat of power. The sombre nature started on the first day of the week, Sunday, when President Muhammadu Buhari led top government officials to attend the grand finale of the 2017 Armed Forces Remembrance. Buhari and others laid wreaths in honour of the nation’s fallen heroes at the National Arcade located opposite the Eagle Square, Three Arms Zone, Abuja amidst tight security.
Buhari; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali; and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello; who laid wreaths at the event were all dressed in white agbada. Although I could not confirm if it was a mere coincidence or it was so designed, their white dresses failed to brighten the emotion-laden event.
Notwithstanding that the event was clearly not the type that you will see politicians hugging and laughing loud, I managed to see a Peoples Democratic Party senator, Godswill Akpabio, engaging the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, John Odigie-Oyegun, in a long discussion when he (Akpabio) arrived for the event. Moments later, I saw another PDP senator, Philip Aduda, talking with the APC boss. I was wondering from my vantage position if they could be discussing politics at that event.
As part of the programmes lined up for the brief event, Buhari released some pigeons to signify peace. As it later turned out, peace apparently flew away just as the pigeons flew into freedom. On Monday morning, less than 24 hours after the remembrance event, tragedy struck inside a mosque located inside the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, where bomb explosion killed a professor and four others.
The incident happened at a time the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed; Dan-Ali; Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar; some members of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement and some journalists were heading to the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja from where they planned to travel to the Air Force Base in Yola and thereafter Sambisa Forest to join in the search for the missing Chibok girls and see firsthand the successes recorded by the military in the anti-terrorism fight. If the early morning explosion was meant to scare them away, the strategy failed because they still made the trip.
Coming at a time the military is said to be winning the war, the incident attracted the attention of the President whose media aides quickly released a statement regretting the development. Buhari, in the statement, said attack on a place of worship and Ivory Tower showed that the perpetrators lacked true understanding of Islam. The President said their terrorism acts were punishable before God and the nation’s law. He reassured communities in Borno and others in the North Eastern part of the country that his administration would continue to ensure that terrorism never triumph over peace-loving Nigerians.
As if that was not enough, tragedy again struck on Tuesday when an accidental bombing involving men of the Nigerian Air Force engaged in the final phase of mopping up insurgents in the North-East occurred at an Internally Displaced Persons’ camp in Rann, Borno State, leaving scores of people dead and many others injured. A Presidency statement again indicated that Buhari received the news of the incident with deep sadness and regret. He later dispatched a Federal Government delegation to the state on condolence visit.
Apart from Monday when Buhari appeared briefly in his office, he operated from his official residence on Tuesday and Wednesday. Upon enquiry, the reason given was that all his engagements for the week were private ones. On Thursday however, the picture became clearer. The Presidency announced that Buhari would be embarking on a short vacation, the third one since he assumed office.
Although the letter he sent to the National Assembly indicated that he would commence the vacation on Monday and resume on February 6, Buhari left the Villa and the shores of the country for London, United Kingdom on Thursday immediately after Saraki read his letter on the floor of the Senate. The Presidency confirmed that he would embark on “routine medical checkup” during his break and said he needed our prayers at all times.
Let us therefore raise our voices to God Almighty as attention shifts to Acting President Osinbajo for the next two weeks or so.
Aisha Buhari and her ‘military’ MC
While Buhari was leaving his residence for UK on Thursday, his wife, Aisha, was granting audience to the visiting co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda, at the First Lady’s Wing of the Villa. The wing is located beside the President’s residence.
Wife of the President of the Senate, Mrs. Toyin Saraki; Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; some state governors’ wives and federal lawmakers joined Mrs. Buhari to receive her august visitor. She arrived the hall where the event took place with her guest on time just like her husband does. Some of the big women invited to join her came late but her handlers were magnanimous enough to allow them access to the venue.
One of the things that caught my attention was the way the master of ceremonies conducted the programme. He made it clear that he had a timeframe to work with and was not ready to allow waste of time. He displayed this for everyone to see. The young man started with the wife of the Imo State Governor, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha, who he first asked to make a few remarks. The governor’s wife was busy listing some of the things she had done for children and women in her state when the MC suddenly cut in and said, “on that note, we thank Her Excellency, Mrs. Okorocha.” Shock and disbelief registered on the faces of the dignitaries but they could not help but clap while the governor’s wife took her seat reluctantly.
The MC meted out the same treatment to the wife of Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Zainab Bagudu. She too was still eulogising Mrs. Buhari and highlighting the achievements of her pet project, Future Assured, when he again cut in and said, “a round of applause for Her Excellency” therefore forcing her to end her remarks. Sensing the reaction of the guests, the man this time tried to offer an explanation. “Don’t mind me. I have a task and I must keep to time,” he said. Mrs. Buhari smiled in a manner that suggested that the MC had her support.
He thereafter called the Minister of Health to talk. Apparently to avoid the kind of interruption that earlier speakers had, Adewole made his remarks very brief and stopped before he would be forced to do so. “That was a short and straight to the point remark that saved me a lot, or how do I tell a minister to stop?” the MC asked rhetorically. All the dignitaries laughed as they clapped for the minister for passing the MC’s test.
For those desirous of events devoid of time wasting, I recommend Mrs. Buhari’s ‘military’ MC. I am however afraid that he may run into trouble with politicians who love long speeches.
Punch
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