President Bola Tinubu spent the last week off-shore as he had on Wednesday of the previous week departed the country for a private visit to the French capital, Paris. His absence in the country did not, in anyway, hamper his running of the state because while he was out, he left state affairs in the hands of his able and capable deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, who has not failed in keeping the system steady.
For the avoidance of doubts and to let Nigerians know that their President did not abandon them to fate, Vice President Shettima ensured to let everybody know whose message they were receiving at every event. For example, during the week, there were at least two critical events where the Jagaban ought to have officiated, but was represented by Shettima and at each of the events, it was both the President’s voice and message that participants heard and received.
During the last week, precisely on Tuesday, President Tinubu took a significant step in the process of sustaining harmony with the organised Labour movement, by way of inaugurating a 37-member Tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee. The committee, chaired by a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, has representation from the federal government, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprise (NASME), and the organized Labour.
We were all in this country when the organized Labour, led by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), wasted no time in announcing their presence by calling out the federal government over the decision of the new Bola Tinubu administration to announce the end of petrol subsidy. The first engagement between the newly sworn in administration and the organized Labour was just two day after the President assumed office. There had been various engagements and negotiations after then and the capping of them all was last week Tuesday, with the inauguration of the Tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee.
That very significant ceremony became the ace event of the week, not just because it touched many Nigerians or because it not being performed could have triggered another round of undesired mass action by the Labour, but because of the very cogent tasks requested the 37-member team by the President.
He had to particularly task members of the committee to ensure that they pay attention to the ability of all tiers of government and other employers of labour to pay the new wage. This is particularly aimed at guaranteeing sustainability of the resulting scheme. He also tasked them to ensure timely completion of their assignment, explaining that the timely conclusion and submission of their report and recommendations is very important to the take off of a new national minimum wage regime.
Besides the demand for fairness and pragmatism, as well as dispatch from the committee, Asiwaju displayed seriousness by point blankly ordering the three ministers and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, who are federal government’s representatives on the committee, to take their participation as a priority, except for when other state responsibilities make attendance impracticable. He said something similar to the six state governors on the committee. That, by inference, can be adduced to how much the sorting of the minimum wage issue out means to him.
“Recognizing the significance of this initiative and to ensure a substantial engagement, I hereby direct that Ministers and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation should personally attend the meeting. In their unavoidable absence, their Permanent Secretaries should represent them.
“Similarly, Governors are expected to attend in person or be represented by their deputies or commissioners where necessary. I urge you to consider the issue of a National Minimum Wage and all related matters with thoroughness and concern, keeping in mind not only the welfare of our workforce but also the impact on the country’s economy”, he told the governors.
On Monday, some very unpleasant incidents happened in Ekiti State. In one incident, criminal elements, suspected to be bandits, attacked three traditional rulers of Ekiti communities in the state. At the end of the bloody encounter, two of the monarchs, Onimojo of Imojo-Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Samuel Olusola, and the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsola, had been killed by the criminals. The third traditional ruler, the Alara of Ara Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Fatoba, managed to escape death.
Meanwhile, still on same Monday, in the same Ekiti State, ten persons, including six primary school pupils, three of their teachers and the driver of their school bus, were kidnapped. Of course it led to an outrage and the most outraged of all Nigerians, besides the families of the victims, was the President. Besides expressing anger over the situation, Mr President issued immediate orders to security and law enforcements agencies to get out of their offices and go after the criminals.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the grief-stricken President Tinubu condemned the unfortunate situation, which saw unscrupulous elements running free, unleashing mayhem on law-abiding citizens, including innocent children and semi-deified entities like traditional rulers. He went on to vow vengeance against the killers.
“President Tinubu condemns this mindless and brutal bloodletting, and pledges that the perpetrators will not escape justice. The President condoles with the families and subjects of the traditional rulers, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, and the people of Ekiti State on this deeply agonizing development. In the same vein, the President directs the immediate rescue of pupils and teachers kidnapped around Eporo-Ekiti area of the State. As security of life and property is the primary responsibility of government, President Tinubu assures Nigerians that the nation’s security architecture is being robustly fortified for better and expected outcomes”, a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ngelale, said.
Following his reaction and marching order to security agencies, the Nigeria Police has announced some arrests in connection to both the sacrilegious murder of the monarchs and the rather nauseating abduction of the pupils, their teachers and the driver. As at Thursday, the Police have announced the arrest of 21 suspects from both cases: 13 from the murder of the kings and eight from the kidnap.
Then on Wednesday, at a public engagement on Youth, Religion, and the Fight Against Corruption, as well as the launch of Inter-Faith Manual and Fraud Risk Assessment Project for ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government, at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, President Tinubu’s voice was heard through Vice President Shettima, in defense of the image of our common identity as Nigerians, especially to those of other nationalities who have consistently misrepresented the Nigerian identity with everything negative.
Of course, it is the same message he has taken to other parts of the world, correcting wrong notions about us. Nigeria is not about ‘Yahoo Yahoo’, as a matter of fact, virtually in all countries of the world, most of those leading professional fields are Nigerians. Besides, there is no country of angels in any part of the world; as there are good citizens, there are also the negative elements. It was same message to Nigerians youths who were objectq of the event he was attending by representation.
“Over the decades, Nigerians have been victims of mislabeling. Such gross misrepresentation fails to reflect the true essence of our diverse and resilient nation. The association of internet crimes with the entire Nigerian populace lacks statistical evidence and does not align with the sociology of everyday Nigerians. Our nation comprises hardworking, honest citizens who contribute significantly to various fields globally, from Artificial Intelligence to Medicine.
“While we reject blanket stereotyping that undermines the majority upholding principles of integrity and diligence, we must face the fact that we function in an interconnected world where cybercrimes have evolved into a global phenomenon. This poses a threat not only to our nation, but to the entire world”, he asserted.
Thursday was of a day of grief as the Vice President lost his step mother, so not much happened at the Villa from then on. But Friday, President Tinubu reached out to the Nigerian national football team, Super Eagles, through video call, in far away Cote d’Ivoire, ahead of their Quarter final match against Angola in the ongoing CAF African Cup of Nations. Mr President gave the boys some pep talk ahead of the match.
As the new week begins, a lot is expected to unfold. I will not forecast, but I can say that Jagaban will return this week and a lot of right turns will come along with him. Let us just wait and see.
