The Nigerian presidency is the repository of the sovereignty of the nation and must be seen to be so. It is a commonweal of the people and not preserve of a particular family or any group. There must be immediate end to the culture of abuse that has been directed at the office in recent time by Tinubu’s children.
By Emeka Alex Duru
In this part of the world, the odd and absurd, over time, become the norm, especially when glossed over or seen not to matter. Quick-fix efforts are only deployed to halt them, when they begin to constitute nuisance. By then, the damage would have been done. That is how we roll, as they say.
If you take good note, you would notice that gradually but quite persistently, the Nigerian presidency is coming under intense abuse and immense ridicule. But at no time has the office been debased and subjected to more serious assault as in the present Bola Tinubu administration. Under the dispensation, the presidency is being reduced to a family affair in which it is becoming difficult for ordinary Nigerians to state who really, they voted in as the president.
There seems to be keen competition among the president, his daughter, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, his son, Seyi and lately, another son, Yinka, on who commandeers public attention most.
In a bid to be seen and respected, Folasade has appropriated the title of the First Daughter of the Federal Republic.
Seyi has on his own, assumed the role of ambassador extra-ordinary and plenipotentiary, making interventions on national issues, without any defined authority. The other day, he took it upon himself to advise Nigerians on the need for them to endure the current economic hardship in the land, adding that doing so was necessary for the country to have a better future.
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Ironically, the same Seyi who was urging Nigerians to tighten their belts, was earlier spotted flying a presidential jet to Kano to watch the 2023 edition of the Kano International Polo Tournament. Before then, he had been seen, hanging around the venue of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. That, incidentally, was a particular incident that Tinubu frowned upon.
At home, Nigerians are beginning to get used to these untoward developments. But marketing the oddities abroad, is where they become issues of concern. That was what precisely played out at the recent state visit to Qatar by the President and 38 delegates among who were his sons, Seyi and Yinka. Nigerians were aghast at their inclusion, given that they did not have precise roles to play in the tour and coming at a time protests rocked parts of the country over rising cost of living.
But as usual, the presidency dismissed the views by Nigerians. The two, of course, made the journey. The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, defended their inclusion on ground that it is not uncommon for children of world leaders to accompany their parents on foreign trips.
He said; “In fact, it is the norm. Canadian PM Trudeau is known to travel with his family on official trips abroad. Same with UK PMs – even if somewhat muted.
“From the public image and diplomacy angle, bringing family members can soften a leader’s public image and aid in diplomatic relations by showcasing a relatable, family-oriented side.
“For some leaders, taking their children on such trips is a way of educating them about world affairs and different cultures. Others do it to maintain some semblance of family life, despite the demands of public office, and for security considerations.
“The Obamas, Clintons, Bushs, Trumps and others went on tons of foreign trips whilst in office with their families.
“We really need to stop majoring in minors in the name of castigating everything”.
What Ogra and the presidency did not however envisage or failed to address was the diplomatic gaffe that played out in Qatar with the President’s sons, taking precedence over the Foreign Affairs Minister and other state officials at the point of introduction. Order of precedence, protocol and etiquette among states and officials, is clearly spelt out in the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations (1961), to which Nigeria is a party to. The Convention lists the President/Head of State or Government/Head of Missions, Foreign Affairs Minister before others, in order of precedence. At no point are the president’s children or family members mentioned in the order. They can be part of the delegation, but must take their appropriate positions and designations in the line-up.
The Qatar episode is an embarrassment to Nigeria and the international community. It shows the extent the country has fallen in meeting up with its obligations to the citizens and its foreign counterparts. That is the danger in keeping blind eyes to untoward developments because of who is involved. What Tinubu and his family are building on are the faulty foundations inherited from the erstwhile President Muhammadu Buhari administration. The situation under the former President was so bad that it was difficult separating his private life from the presidency.
At a point, Buhari’s daughter, Hanan had the guts to fly in a presidential jet to Bauchi on a study tour of Bauchi Emirate as part of her fieldwork for her Master’s programme in Photography at a UK university. In the heat of the controversy surrounding the reckless action, the presidency through its spokesperson, Garba Shehu, defended the action, arguing that Hanan, like any other member of the former president’s immediate family, was entitled to the use of the presidential jet. He did not state what part of the Nigerian laws that permitted the action. Neither did it matter to him that doing so was morally wrong for an administration that sold a dummy of austerity.
You can then see where Tinubu and his children are coming from. But taking it beyond the shores of the country, is where the audacity rankles and must be stopped. The fact that must be stated and clearly, is that Nigeria is not running an imperial or monarchical system in which power transits from the father to son. Nigerians should be on the watch before the country slips to the situation in Togo, where the erstwhile President of the country, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was at his death, replaced by his son, Faure. What is in operation here, is a constitutional presidency with defined rights, privileges and obligations. Nobody should go beyond his/her limits or be allowed to do so.
On no account should persons and individuals not holding any offices – elective or on appointment – be given space to assume roles or play parts that expose the country to ridicule at home and abroad. The Nigerian presidency is the repository of the sovereignty of the nation and must be seen to be so. It is a commonweal of the people and not preserve of a particular family or any group. There must be immediate end to the culture of abuse that has been directed at the office in recent time, by Tinubu’s children.