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Back home, there was nothing black and white about the colourful reception accorded His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Jonathan on the 29th of May after he had handed over power as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I wasn’t there. I saw the pictures, and the videos though. I was told about the emotions that flowed and the resulting tears. I wanted to be moved too. I wasn’t. As a patriotic Ijawman, I feel like I should apologise for this. But I cannot help but feel that when you consider the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan through the lenses of all the States in the Federation, a majority of States, particularly from other geopolitical zones should be rolling out the red carpet before Bayelsa, where very little has changed following this presidency. The presidency is over now. The logic now, I guess, is that if he no longer belongs to everybody, we cannot afford to create the impression that he belongs to nobody too. Sounds worthwhile. ________________________________________________________________________________________


29th May: The date of my birth and of the birth of democracy in Nigeria; a trivial serendipity , no doubt. But since 1999, my birthday has become a cause for deep reflection, no thanks to the latter fact. It is perhaps safe to say that this year stands tall in terms of significance in the sixteen years since ’99.

For a couple of months now, we have known of the impending change in Nigeria. On Friday it was confirmed and set on its path. I awaited the inaugural speech. It would be the first signpost for change. I listened to it eagerly. I was underwhelmed. I felt very little, when for the first time in a long time I longed to feel more. So I downloaded the speech. Read it through, still nothing, except of course the Julius Caesar quote at the end. That’s probably due to my love for literature than anything else.

That the command centre of the military would be moved to Maiduguri or that the Amnesty Programme in the Niger Delta would end or or see reinvestment in December, whichever it really was, also failed to inspire me. And I really wanted to be inspired. At the end, I just laid on my bed, thoughtless. I checked social media and realised I had missed a now-famous quote in the speech: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody“.

Belonging to everybody was also the central theme of Sepp Blatter’s inaugural speech as he was re-elected for a fifth term as Fifa president, also on the 29th of May; the coincidence, the synchronicity is almost beyond poetic. Belonging to everybody and nobody at the same time is surely a good thing, particularly in the context of democratic governance. The powers that be in football, especially before Blatter and Blatter’s predecessor would not agree though.

Read More at www.sayelbatimes.com/buhari-and-blatter-reflecting-on-the-philosophy-of-belonging-to-everyone-on-the-most-significant-29th-may-yet-by-matthew-ayibakuro/ © Sayelba Times

AS THE BRAINLESS ONE MOUNTS THE SADDLE – By Amb. John Idumange
May 30, 2015 Sayelba Times.

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Again Buhari’s assertion that he is for nobody and for everybody kept Tinubu and his cabal frowning. That is expected because the general brainless as he may seem, understands the ... agenda, and he is most likely to truncate it before the barons move against him. That is the nature of leadership. A good leader should be for everybody and for nobody. This is Buhari’s highest expression of patriotism for Nigeria. My prayer is that his principal appointments should not also bring in people who have a record of corruption. Corruption is deadlier than denge fever and most of the appointees should be drawn from the technocrats. __________________________________________________________________________________________

YESTERDAY, the Presidential pendulum of power in Nigeria’s political economy swung in favour of APC, as a brand new President Muhammadu Buhari has been sworn-in at the Centre and many Governor’s who are newly elected will be sworn-in. For now, the dominant Party is the APC. As President Jonathan hands over power to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians will certainly hold the new administration to its campaign promises. After the “brainless man of Daura” gave his speech, I was intrigued by three things. First, he lampooned the murderous outfit called Boko Haram, which hitherto had appointed him a spokesman when the terrorists group founded on the basis of Islamic fundamentalism, The General said” Members of the BokoHarm are not true muslins,; they are criminals. True to type, as the “brainless one” secured the Presidency, he is now working hard to dissociate himself from the dreaded terrorist group, but before now, he was appointed spokesman and his reaction was on the affirmative.

He never reneged the colony of those who relished in bloodletting, killing, maiming and kidnapping. The second thing the general mentioned was the accolade he gave President Jonathan. This is a pace setting acknowledgment that former President Jonathan was courageous enough to concede defeat even before the Presidential elections were announced.

This action is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria – a reason most people are won’t to think that the real hero of democracy in this Republic is former President Jonathan. President Jonathan is not some Robert Mugabe who is life President. He understands the realitiesThis appears to have given succor to the Niger Delta especially Bayelsa State where the President’s performance was less than edifying, and several questions must be asked especially those who served as contractors and aides to former President Jonathan. What is important is that we sent out a Jonathan and he played his part as a democrat, and for that we are grateful

Read More at www.sayelbatimes.com/as-the-brainless-one-mounts-the-saddle-by-amb-john-idumange/ © Sayelba Times