The president continued in his speech, ‘’In the new year, let us resolve that, as joint heirs to the Nigerian Commonwealth, we will work for the peace, progress, and stability of our country. I extend this call to my political opponents in the last election. The election is over. It is time for all of us to work together for the sake of our country.’’
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s New Year speech on January 1, 2024, has met many criticisms and applause on its form, what was missing, what he ought to have said, etc. The speech met the expectations of some but was not widely accepted due to the pain and suffering in the country.
Naturally, the president’s speech and that of any president in the world, for that matter, would score high in some areas and low in others. The reality is that the speech would never meet the expectations of all. For instance, the oil subsidy was removed. This is one major policy that all Nigerians felt had immediate negative impacts, grudgingly hoping for its future gains.
The speech did not confirm what has happened to those who stole or benefited from oil subsidies. How much has been saved following the removal? It did not clarify many of the grey areas that the media could not adequately address for the public. My interest is not in what is missing in the president’s speech.
The president is not oblivious to the challenges of the past year, the major challenges facing the nation, and the disappointment of the people with his policies so far. He justified all his actions over the past seven months—some tough and yet necessary decisions to save the country.
The president made an open call to all, including his opponents, in the last election. The call is a strong horse in the president’s speech. Those called upon are equally strong horses.
Also, I consider this a mighty act of humility. This is the tone and manner in which great nations have been built. Not necessary by great leaders. What I am saying is that many people may not consider the president to be a great leader. A view I do not share. However, that part of his speech was a great effort and by extension, made the speech great.
The president continued in his speech, ‘’In the new year, let us resolve that, as joint heirs to the Nigerian Commonwealth, we will work for the peace, progress, and stability of our country. I extend this call to my political opponents in the last election. The election is over. It is time for all of us to work together for the sake of our country.’’
I liken this part of the president’s speech to the parts of many speeches by the British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill before he became Prime Minister and through the course of the years of the war that galvanized and heartened those fighting and enduring the dangers and privations of World War II and inspired the nation.
Of course, there is no better expression to refer to the present state of the nation. We are at war with many challenges.
Of all the speeches by Winston, the ‘’Strong Horses’’ particularly, best expresses my view of the president’s speech and comes close in tone and relevance at this time.
The president’s conclusion was a charge with the force of a strong wave: ‘’We must let the light each of us carries—men and women, young and old—shine brighter and brighter to illuminate our path to a glorious dawn’’
The speech may not come close to one of the best written by any president. It is the best at the moment. The call is also the right and best action. It had awakened a lot of people. I hope it will awaken more people. My concern now is: would most Nigerians, the president’s political opponents, and their supporters in the last election see that call in the light of its good intentions?
The president was not advocating controversy. Unfortunately, some Nigerians are already giving it that colouration. He is simply calling on Nigerians and his political opponents to forget their grievances and keep hatred aside for the various challenges confronting Nigeria. He acknowledged and implied that Nigerians and his political opponents are strong horses. Strong horses do only one thing: they pull on the collar.
However, would Nigerians and the political opponents referred to by the president see this speech and the call differently beyond the usual narrow ethnic, religious, and other lenses that have always divided and drawn us back as a nation?
When next the president gives a New Year speech, I hope the president and his team will not be the only strong horses pulling the collar of the country while millions of us and the opponents do what we know how to do best to sabotage the country and hypocritically complain.
Happy New Year. I pray you and I will be the strong horses pulling on the Nigerian collar and not drawing it back!
Adebayo Adekola
Team Lead/Founder, Taitum Legal Practitioners
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