Lagos was once in Daura, Katsina State.
I don’t imply this geographically, however by how vital a metropolis turns into when it produces a sitting president or turns into his most popular vacation spot. The traditional Hausa emirate is the hometown of former President Muhammadu Buhari and served as his favorite vacation spot.
Below Buhari, the city hosted political, enterprise and spiritual heavyweights corresponding to governors, ministers, businesspeople and even some overseas dignitaries. Virtually each vacation, folks would inquire if ‘Baba’ would stay in Abuja or jet to Daura. He usually selected the latter.
Sitting in Abuja throughout main festivals usually accompanied the custom of internet hosting residents of the Federal Capital Territory on the Aso Rock Villa. It meant those that wouldn’t normally be there might entry the President briefly. At one such gathering in April 2023, I shook fingers with the previous President when he stood within the foyer to greet and take photographs together with his visitors. Nonetheless, when the President determined to vacation outdoors Abuja, Daura turned, maybe, the busiest city within the nation.
With President Bola Tinubu in workplace, the observe has survived. Although Lagos has all the time been a beehive of actions, it has worn a particular standing for being the President’s house and high native vacation spot. Native, as a result of nothing beats Paris.
So, after I discovered that the President was jetting to Lagos, I knew that the monkeys and peacocks within the Villa would have a subject day attributable to lessened visitors on the principle premises. Many of the huge names in Abuja relocated to Lagos in the meanwhile. Shut allies in Lagos, who can not bear the heavy scrutiny required to enter the Villa, usually anticipate seasons like these when the President visits their turf. I name them the “affected person birds.”
Because the President informed the Lagos native authorities officers, who visited him the Wednesday earlier than the final, “For these having problem seeing me, kindly word that this job is monumental. It’s not a one-man job. It’s a collective job, and you’ve got to have the ability to pay attention, decipher, tolerate, and typically what you don’t count on will occur.”
Prof Soyinka meets the Olorikunkun
Considered one of Tinubu’s non-political visitors, who piqued my curiosity, was the Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, who seems to be extending the President’s honeymoon even when Nigerians reduce it brief. Whereas the remainder of the nation hurled a mixture of reward and criticisms on the President, Soyinka appeared to be delaying gratification. He promised to order all his observations about Tinubu’s authorities till one yr into his time period in Might 2024. He defined this as a private coverage, saying the one-year wait permits the President to “make up” for misplaced floor.
I perceive this to imply that Soyinka believes any chief could blame early blunders on a previous authorities. However after one yr, you’re the downside. It jogs my memory of a quote I noticed on social media months in the past, “The excuse of ‘I got here from a poor background’ ends at age 30. After that, you’re the background.”
Soyinka, who dubbed his look an “embarrassing go to,” mentioned he got here to see “the cussed one” who refused to be persuaded in opposition to operating for the Presidency. He defined, “Really, it’s an embarrassing go to as a result of after I visited him the final time, it was to try to persuade him to not run for workplace.
“I informed Atiku and himself to go away the sphere in order that younger folks can run. That’s the final time we met, about 5 years in the past.
“I secretly name him Olorinkunkun, the cussed man. So, he ignored my recommendation utterly. I got here to see how he was doing after ignoring my recommendation…to see how he and his spouse are weathering Nigeria and need them a Completely satisfied Christmas.”
The President’s stubbornness, in line with the Nobel Laureate, will need to have paid off in his political profession, from his private-sector days to main Africa’s largest financial system. Now, Nigerians wish to see that stubbornness deployed in opposition to the plethora of challenges rocking the nation. Within the battle of the cussed ones, could the very best olorikunkun win.
Responsibility over leisure
From signing the Scholar Mortgage Act on Democracy Day final yr to signing the 2024 finances on New Yr’s Day, the President upholds his long-held custom of responsibility over leisure.
When Nigerians have been observing the New Yr vacation on January 1, Tinubu left Lagos for Abuja to signal the 2024 Appropriation Invoice into regulation. After inspecting a guard of honour, which welcomed him on the airport, the President rode straight to his workplace on the Aso Rock Villa, the place a retinue of lawmakers and senior officers have been ready.
To an exterior observer, it didn’t sound like a lot. However for some locally, it was like being awoken from sleep by a bucket of chilled water on the peak of harmattan. Nonetheless, those that listened sensed the New Yr shock from weeks away.
When Tinubu introduced the finances proposals to a joint session of the Nationwide Meeting on November 29, 2023, he mentioned, “Our aim is to make sure that the Approbation Act comes into impact on January 1, 2024.” He mentioned so, realizing full properly that January 1 was a public vacation.
Sitting in that room that afternoon, an elated Tinubu informed his staff, “Signing the Appropriation Act immediately is a good honour as a result of to me, as a politician and head of state, there isn’t a vacation. Once I was campaigning for this job, I made a pledge that I might commit myself totally.
“It’s a joyful new yr for each certainly one of us. It’s a promising yr for folks to collect and put their power and ideas in place for the nation’s curiosity. Thanks very a lot, I have to say.”
Having okayed two vital items of laws on public holidays, nobody needs to be shocked if Nigeria President indicators payments or walks into his workplace on Sallah, Easter, Christmas, Staff’ Day, or every other vacation sooner or later.
A private thanks word
I can not start 2024 with out acknowledging you, who’ve stayed with this column because the first version went reside on Might 28. A few of your fellow readers contacted me by way of calls and textual content messages to encourage and advise me.
Since I can not see the image after I’m within the body, your suggestions has been my compass. In a world the place consideration is greater than gold, I cherish each minute you’ve spent studying this column.
Thirty-three Sundays later, I’m immensely grateful to my supportive colleagues and my editors on the high, who deemed me worthy to share the lesser-known sides of the Aso Rock Villa with you, my reader. I’m inspired to proceed supplying you with essentially the most insightful views from Behind the Rock, views you received’t discover anyplace else. I want you a affluent new yr!