President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned to Abuja late last Sunday after about 16 days outside the country. He was in China for a couple of reasons, ranging from state visit to investors’ forum to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). When he was done with the Chinese events, he went quietly to the United Kingdom, during which stay he met with the British monarch, King Charles III. He returned to Abuja on Sunday and he has since resumed to his task of fixing Nigeria.
You should remember I wrote about his likely reason for pulling back into his closet to do some reassessment of developments and coming up with new ideas for the direction to focus. In fact, I suggested that he might be coming with a bang and closed the piece, saying “it is a new week, he is about to unleash a new energy, especially as he is coming from these few days of focused seclusion. Just watch out from this week”.
It did not take very long after arriving the country before he started affirming our thoughts about his moves and likely steps. After arrival, his first official duty was heading straight to the capital of Borno State, Maiduguri, a capital city still looking to climb out of the mire of flooding. He landed in Abuja almost 11pm on Sunday and by Monday morning, travel plans were already afoot for him to go commiserate with the people and government of Borno. While in Maiduguri, he ensured to see the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garba, visited the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp and met with the governor, Professor Babagana Zulum.
All that unfolded during that visit and the actions that will follow in proceed days defined a lot about the week, as well as the person of our President. First, while at the Palace of the Shehu, he disclosed that he actually had to disrupt his schedule that had been tailored to suit the attendance of some international engagements in the United State of America. According to him, it was more important for him to come back home at this period when many Nigerians in different parts of the country are grappling with one difficulty or the other. As it is, the harsh effects of economic re-engineering being undertaken by his administration is being felt by most homes, then there came along the vicissitudes of nature, including flooding in many parts of the country, compounding the already testy circumstances.
The situation in Maiduguri, which was as a result of overflow of the Alau Dam, which in turn had actually been occasioned by heavy rains, was just a symbol of what had already happened to many other communities and towns in different parts of the country and still forecast for many more communities and towns before the end of the rainy season. Seeing, in first hand form, what the floods have subjected Nigerians to, the President recommitted to squarely and more determinedly ramp up the tackling of the effects of climate change in Nigeria.
“I am just here to sympathise with you. I know your palace was overtaken by flood, I have heard the report, My VP gave me details but to me personally, I know I have to cut off. I was going directly to America but to be with you, if only for five minutes, share the moment. I thank you very much for your leadership for your various prayers this is one disaster that we must pay attention to, we will help Borno State.
“We as a government, as Nigerian people, we pledge with you that we will help you in the rehabilitation. It is our problem not just your problem, we must share in each other’s pains. The situation that we find ourselves in the environmental problem, climate change and all of these are what we must tackle differently, and we must educate our people”, he said.
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Besides recommitting to intensifying efforts at fighting climate change and its various manifestations, the President provided a bit more clarity into how he intends to protect the people against climate change disasters, more easily and readily, unlike the way response is currently structured. Speaking to Governor Zulum at the Government, after he had seen the Shehu and seen the IDPs, Tinubu mooted the idea of a disaster relief fund, which will reserve a dedicated purse for dealing with the sort of disasters being witnessed across the country, especially in places where the effects of climate change are mostly felt, like the floods in Maiduguri.
“After my visit to the Shehu of Borno and the IDP camp, I have been reflecting on how to tackle this kind of disaster and the effects of climate change. There must be a disaster relief fund. I will invite the private sector to team up with us and help rebuild the affected areas. If we take a small percentage from FAAC and put it as disaster relief fund, which will include all of you, we will be activating and strengthening our sense of belonging.
“I am glad that Prof. Zulum has been a very active governor. Let me assure you that we will be with you, Borno State and share the burden. This disaster was a natural one. It was not the making of anybody. We cannot pass the blame. We pray that the Almighty Allah will receive the souls of the departed and grant them eternal rest. May God also overlook their shortcomings and misdeeds on earth”, he added.
Even before visiting Maiduguri on Monday, Tinubu has been rallying relief efforts for all states, especially those hit the most. In fact, on Wednesday of the week that preceded the last, his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, recalled an earlier approval by the President that a total of N108 billion be distributed to all states for the management of natural disasters, including flooding.
Then on Thursday, he made a bigger decision, still on account of the widespread disaster that flooding has wrecked nationwide. His Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, announced that President Tinubu would be excusing himself from the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), assigning the Vice President to lead the Nigerian delegation to the all-important international engagement that is considered to be the highest-rated diplomatic event in the world.
President Tinubu must have, during his strategic seclusion abroad, concluded that this is the most appropriate time for him as the leader of a nation-in-distress to stay back and coordinate healing process, as well as attend to other issues in need of re-ordering, just as I suggested last week. When Onanuga was relaying the President’s decision to skip this year’s UNGA, he did not fail to give the reason. According to the Presidential Spokesman, “President Tinubu wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding”.
The President, by his action, gave live to the Yoruba philosophy of eternal vigilance, which is captured in the saying “no one goes to bed under a burning roof”. He would not leave local issues that need his attention here at home for matters that are receiving the attention of the rest of the world. Like he has always pointed out, he was the one who approached Nigerians for the mandate, he will not be unfaithful to those who so trusted him with the mandate, the Nigerian people.
Meanwhile, he has not let the challenges weighing heavy on the nation to slow the pace of his administration’s march towards economic stability down. For instance, on Thursday he received the global leadership of Coca-Cola Company, led by its President and Chief Executive Officer, John Murphy and the Chairman of Nigerian Bottling Company, Ambassador Segun Apata.
He commended Coca-Cola for its long-standing partnership with Nigeria and for promoting investment opportunities that have employed over 3000 people across nine production facilities. He said “we are business-friendly, and as I said at my inauguration, we must create an environment of easy-in and easy-out for businesses. We are building a financial system where you can invest, re-invest, and repatriate all your dividends. I have a firm belief in that”.
On Friday, he received the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, led by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, assuring them of his commitment to genuinely seeking Nigeria’s triumph over its current challenges. He declared “I didn’t come to look for money and exploit the situation; I came to work. I asked for the votes, and Nigerians gave them to me”. He also appealed to the stakeholders in Edo to ensure yesterday’s governorship election went as ordered by guiding rules.
Though he did much more during last week, I will still ask that you continue to pay attention because he is yet to start unloading the new ideas and executing the new plans he lined out, hatched during his quiet time in the closet.