Tinubu: Great Fall of Naija! Its Time To Stop Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill. But Heads Will Roll – By Olatunde Lincoln
Heads will roll, heads should roll and heads must roll! President Tinubu’s slipped on parade vehicle on Democracy day has now become a global menu, served, chew and digested around the world. But one must not throw caution to the winds, as the Nigerian leader is far from the only world leader who has taken a highly visible fall.
There’s no gain say that some economic policy of the Tinubu’s administration is taking it’s toll on virtually every citizens of Nigeria, while a section of the country is agitating for self cessation, which in turns made the President lost popularity in the public space withing a year, and in that region.
This had made them changed the “Renewed Hope” mantra of the Tinubu’s administration to “Emilokan syndrome” this is just as when one gets to auto spare parts dealers shop, who gives you a very bogus fees of the spare part, and when you demand for reduction of the price, the answer you get is “shebi eyin lokan” nostalgically pointing accusing fingers to the Tinubu’s led Federal Government.
An average Nigerian is an adherent of one faith or the other, if you’re not a Christian, you can be a Muslim or a traditionalist which the nation’s constitution allows you to practice without hindrance. But as for me, my Bible tells me to pray for my Nation and her leaders; “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. -1 Timothy 2:1-6,
However, President or Important dignitaries slipping is not strange as no one is infallible to such occurrences. Robert Mugabe fell down from red carpet in 2015, Gerald Ford slipped while disembarking Airforce one in the rainy Austrian city of salzburg in 1975. President Joe Bidden of the United States stumbled three times while climbing the stairs to board Air Force One in 2021, he also stumbled on a sandbag while handing out diplomas at a graduation ceremony in Colorado in 2023.
Chinese President Xi Jinping slipped down in 2019. Hillary Clinton as Presidential candidate stumbled in 2016 at memorial service to mark the 9/11 attack in New York,
In 2004 Cuban President, Fidel Castro tripped and fell after leaving the stage at a graduation ceremony, breaking his left knee and fracturing his arm.
A fainting spell in 2001 by the late Fidel Castro is still fresh in our memories
when he apparently fainted during a speech under a scorching summer sun before a crowd of thousands due to his failing health.
Many people in the crowd burst into tears after watching Cuba’s commander in chief start to collapse behind the podium several hours into that speech on June 23, 2001. But he later made the speech assuring thousands of supporters that he was hale, heathy and alive. So, let’s stop making a mountain out of a molehills over Tinubu’s slipped on a parade vehicle.
All praises be to the most high God that no injuries whatsoever were sustained by Mr. President. So such occurrences are not strange, Presidents are human too! They are bound to make mistakes.
However, Heads will roll, heads should roll and heads must roll! the officials must always be carefully guarded by their security details. You as body guards are not there for funfair, merrymaking, show of force or harassment to the ordinary citizens who meant well for your principal. So you shouldn’t have welcome any forms of distraction.
This is just according to A Professor of political behaviour, Daniel Stevenson who once wrote “with people in power, there is so much effort to control the public image, body language, speech, facial expressions, that seeing all those things fall away all at once, in a total loss of control, is particularly gripping”.
Yea! Heads must roll and it should roll.
All the security attaché of the President must be questioned for this, most especially those responsible for the dress of the parade vehicle, because the President actually stumbled on the rugs used to decorate the vehicle, not the staircase as it’s been speculated. The question on the lips of everyone was that, are the rugs so old, rend or torn to warrant such a horrible scenario? Or the dressers of the parade vehicle deliberately left it as a trap for Mr. Tinubu.
Then the personal body guards are not professional enough, On no account must the President be the first to climb up the vehicle, those busybodies in suit were watching him slipping just like that! None of them could first climb the parade vehicle for inspection to confirm if everything was in order, and when he was to climb up, none of those men in suit could lead him up to prevent or avert possible fall.
Nigerians must be patriotic enough through hard work and loyalty, for our nation to grow, succeed, and citizens should stop making mountain out of a molehills, as we have never seen this kind of this in the past, it’s just a way to scare people and compound the matter.
On a final note, Pray for the peace of Nigeria: “May those who love her be secured and prosper. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Olatunde Lincoln, a Journalist & Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Ado-Ekiti.
