Buhari’s London pilgrimage drama

Last week, there were marked dramatic displays both in Nigeria’s presidency and the country at large due to President Muhammadu Buhari’s continued stay in London.

There were photographs of cabinet members, governors and top party officials having breakfast in Nigeria and lunch in London. There were

also selfies with the ailing president. Can you beat that? So far, two teams have gone and others are lining up to embark on their own pilgrimage to London.

I imagine that he may be making plans to return to the country to avoid that 90days controversy.

Sunday, we received a statement with an attached photograph showing a delegation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who visited the

President in London. It was warming to see that finally a picture was attached, as this was the first time the president would be seen since he left the shores of the country, May 7th this year.

Buhari left Abuja almost three months ago, 84 days ago to be exact. I remember that night right after receiving the 82 released Chibok schoolgirls at his residence and since then there have been no citing

of him. No videos. No pictures. Not even when Acting President Yemi Osinbajo visited earlier in the month. Nigerians were worried and for good reasons too. Not that the picture was of direct use. Then they

saw the first picture of him. Many doubted while some said it was photoshopped and the debate went on and on.

So, early Tuesday there was news of another batch of governors headed for London to see the president. It was a tad uncomfortable to take in. Seven governors on a pilgrimage to London on tax payers’ account.

Why did they have to go? The testimony of the first batch did not add up? The question is if you say the president is recuperating fast and is due to return to the country anytime soon, why are we having a

second delegation visit him almost immediately?

This had actually become some sort of excursion except that it was restricted to the political class, not even his media handlers were allowed to join in on the act. Well, his photographer made it to London with the team of governors. It amazes me sometimes how things work in our country, or kingdom as First Lady Aisha Buhari and Senator Shehu Sani sadly but aptly described the country. You hire half a

dozen surrogates, call them image handlers if you may, and they get second-hand, sometimes even third-hand, information about things concerning you, the person whose image they were employed to manage.

Sad. Anyway, that is the least of our worries.

Wait a minute, I remember when President Buhari returned to Nigeria after his last medical vacation in London where he spent 49 days, he banned governors and all other visitors from coming to the Aso Rock to visit him. He had asked them to focus on their states and rather pray for him. So pardon me if I question the reason behind governors’ spending money to go on pilgrimage in London. Oh, and one even went with his wife. Will the President approve of this on a normal day? I have no idea.

I am thinking that more teams may be visiting London soon if Buhari doesn’t return today. I bet you fancy joining one of them, don’t you?

When the three presidential spokesmen in the State House, Femi Adesina, Garba Shehu and Laolu Akande held a media briefing to talk about the second delegation heading to London another batch of confusion erupted from there. It was an issue of yes or no, today or tomorrow.

After months and weeks of questions on why the Acting President was slow to administer the oath of office on the two new ministers who had been screened by the Senate months ago, they were finally ready to act and it started out with confusion.

Before the start of the briefing, we argued among ourselves that the swearing in will take place the next day, however when the question came up during the briefing we were told it will happen soonest. So some decided to be careful with their scoops while others took the risk. Immediately the news broke, the government Nigeria Twitter

handle and that of one of the media aides were screaming fake news alert.

The confusion on Twitter, dragged on till about 10 pm when the handler whose boss was actually going to perform the ceremony tweeted that the event will hold the next day. Laughable right? That right there told of some underlying confusion. They arrived together, sat together and briefed together yet had no idea that the event will take place the next day.

Though they later tried to sync, the message had gone out. It sold me the picture of two brothers and their wives living together with the wives trying to outshine each other.

Speaking of Swearing in, do you know that feeling of having to wait so long to get something that has already been given to you, something really exciting like becoming a minister? So the new kids on the block arrived for their swearing in on Wednesday looking really excited.

Right after taking their oath of office, one of them made to give all the ministers a handshake, the chambers erupted in laughter when he crossed to continue the handshake on the other side of the hall with an official on his trail trying to stop him. The Acting President was about to deliver his speech and the newbie was still busy shaking one hand to the other, he had to be pulled back by the aide who was

trailing him.

Funny thing is with all the consulting, confusion and excitement those ministers are without portfolios. Someone asked me where they resumed for work on Thursday since they are yet to be assigned to any particular ministry.

On the lighter side of things. I have been waiting to tell you of a short drama that played out at the Aso Rock after work on Tuesday. We were trekking to the gate as we couldn’t get a bus and boom the

sight that greeted just by the roundabout inside the Aso Rock had reeling with laughter. Two policemen, looking well fed were chasing a monkey so hard that we all wondered where they were headed. They ran

so hard. The tummy of one of them did not make things easy. They pushed hard but of course, the monkey got into the bush and they followed. We asked why they wanted to catch the poor monkey so bad and they said it is a delicacy that they would have gone after even in their villages.

These monkeys live here, it is their home and because the king is away you are threatening them, we joked, they laughed too.

 

Elizabeth Archibong