OF PRESIDENCY AND INITIATION OF PRESIDENTS
By Taiye Olaniyi
Nigeria is today running a Presidential System of Government which is an American style of Democracy and a replacement for the Parliamentary System earlier entrusted to us by the British colonialists of old.
In a presidential system, the “Presidency” is an Institution, a great one for that matter calling for an adroit and intellectual poise by the occupant who would be an alumnus of such an important institution.
Collins Powell, an African American and one-time American Defence Chief at a breakfast program that was organized by Tell Magazine a couple of years ago, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, spoke glowingly of how average Americans revere the “Presidency” and thus translate that to the personage who occupies such an enviable office.
According to him, the presidency in, and, of America presents a systemic arrangement that structures its presidential accounting and accountability on topmost policy consideration aligned with the hopes and aspirations of all Americans including those in the diasporas, now alive and generations yet unborn.
So, the presidency in America remains an institution topmost in the hearts of the average American and as an institution, it is protective, conservative, and preservative of all America represents in the annals of world history and the comity of nations.
Only the sound-minded, courageous, and individuals with convincing speech arts get to occupy the “Oval Office”.
In world politics, one hardly wakes up without having to say one thing or the other about American presidents as the world unfolds, evolves, and devolves.
In peace and war times. American presidents are a living reminder of events and elections to such an enviable office which also signifies a cynosure of attention at global levels.
In Nigeria, the Presidency is not admired as an Institution but merely a representation of regional, ethnic, and religious dictates and tunes.
It is not that as an aspiration by aspirants to collate and fulfill the aspirations of the entire citizenry.
The process of getting to be Nigeria’s president in the presidency is most times not convincing of the peoples’ “say” but that of family, ethnic, and party assurances thus overseeing general despondency.
In that type of scenario, the presidency in Nigeria is not that institutional but partisan and personality-oriented.
The occupants, the presidents of Nigeria are so minimized, mesmerized, and moisturized in numerous peculiar messing.
Nigeria seems a country that messes up its presidents but then, how presidential do our presidents perpetuate governance to suit the entire aspirations of average Nigerians against northern, southern, and religious tilts from where votes and briberies did come and go?
The presidency and the President that goes in there usually open the chapters of his life through the initiation into such an enviable office he is about to occupy through oath-taking.
The swearing-in to such an office carries the sacred obligation to the God of one’s understanding and the sacred oath to serve all the citizens of one’s nation without any iota of discrimination, injustice, intolerance, corruption, and socio-religious bigotries.
Initiation to serving God and fellow human beings at the presidential level goes beyond bombastic rhetorics, beyond the paraphernalia of swearing to the oath -of- office through its administration by the Chief Justice of the Federation using the scripture of one’s religious inclination as well as the attendant pomp and pageantry in the inauguration protocol.
Being an initiate of this great office, graduating from being a President-Elect to that of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the same thing as being crowned, the crown no matter how gold plated is equally and surely full of thorns too. Because “Uneasy lies the Head that wears the Crown”.
Having now sworn to the oath- of – office to abide by the constitutional requirements and obligations to all Nigerian citizens, how is our Mr. President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the man whose family background is related to having risen from grass to grace, who later directly or indirectly in the journey of life swam in the epicenter of the fluid storm(TINUBU) is now at the podium to address the multifaceted problems of Nigeria. What articulated strategies and templates would our Mr. President shower on us like God’s ordained rain in May for all Nigerians to be ” Faithful, Loyal and Honest” and thus be obedient in thoughts, words, and conducts to the God of our understanding in building a virile, restructured and united Nation Nigeria?
Let me humbly suggest the submission of the sages of old as encapsulated in the Rosicrucian publication Unto Thee I Grant about the fruition of one’s ambition and the fulfillment in the “Emi lo kan, e gbe kini yi fun mi”. As the Nigerian 16th Mr. President, please think about this:
” If thy heart thirsted for honor, if thy ear hath any pleasure in the voice
of praise, raise thy mortal self from the dust whereof thou art made, and exalt thy aim to something that is
praiseworthy.
The oak that now spreadeth its branches toward the heavens were once
but an acorn in the bowels of the earth. Endeavor to first in thy calling, whatever it may be; neither let anyone go before thee in well-doing”.
May I humbly upload to the Presidency as an Institution on condition the occupant of such an Institution would admit the admonition of the very first President of Nigeria, our great Nnamdi Azikiwe when at his inauguration in 1963, he swore to his “Oath of Office,”.
According to him:
” To no person no matter how rich should we mortgage our conscience. To no nation no matter how powerful should we mortgage our independence.”
Today, May 29, 2023, Nigeria would have been marking what used to be its “Democracy Day” but fortunately enough, the date has now been rewritten to June 12 the very day which to me is more apt as a true cycle of the true democratic process in Nigeria history.
Hmmmmm, I ask, “How Independent is Nigeria on dependencies, and/or how dependent is an Independent Nigeria?”
In the same token, I wish to humbly share the thought of the Rosicrucian sage when ruminating on whence come the intellect and wisdom that once built the Pyramids,
It is relevant to us now as it was in the past, ” Today is yesterday’s tomorrow, have you moved forward in thoughts and conducts?”
Son of Man humbly suggests that if not why not move Nigeria forward in thoughts and conducts as once a Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu now assumes the enviable status of Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Divine providence on Monday 29th May 2023.
With God within and Devil without, if we all are sincere and serious-minded, we shall no doubt be able to move Nigeria forward and make it viable for us all to live in as a united country
God Bless Nigeria.
*Taiye Olaniyi ( Son of Man ) is a Lagos -based Communication Expert, Analyst and Commentator *
