By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
REmarkably, the two joint winners, President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor Dr. Goodluck Jonathan were awarded the joint top recognition for their abiding faith in Nigeria. Buhari for his resilience and abiding faith in democracy, using democratic means to seek the presidency three successive times before making a score. Dr. Jonathan on the other hand was honoured for his faith and acceptance of democracy as the will of the people especially in the light of his historic acceptance of the result of the 2015 presidential election.
Against the background of the fact that both men had not been seen on the same public platform since the May 29, 2015 transition, the Vanguard Awards presented a bold opportunity for the two men to publicly express themselves on the same stage. Given the increasingly discordant tone in the land, especially fanned by the determination of the new All Progressives Congress, APC led administration to forge ahead with its programmes, Vanguard’s decision to bring Buhari and Jonathan together must have been a masterstroke in the eyes of many pundits. Democratic instincts That the award committee vested the two men with the top prize was mainly centred on their democratic instincts and not based on other extraneous facts outside the pace and pattern of democracy.
Remarkably, nature and official commitments combined to rob the galaxy of Nigerians that were gathered for the awards ceremony at the high brow Expo Hall of Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos last Friday the opportunity of seeing the two men together.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan (L) With President Muhammadu Buhari
President Buhari’s trip to China seemed to have derailed his scheduled encounter. Dr. Jonathan on the other hand was held back in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State by the funeral ceremonies of Chief Dipereye Alamieyeseigha, the first civilian governor of Bayelsa State under whom, Dr. Jonathan served as deputy governor. The fitting excuse, however, did not stop the two men from sending worthy representatives. Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and former spokesman of the APC was on hand as a fitting representative for the president. President Jonathan was also represented by Prince Dayo Adeyeye who served in the Jonathan cabinet as minister of state for works. The award ceremony on Friday, April 8 was a night when leading elements in the professions combined with one another to rekindle the Nigerian I can do spirit. The Vanguard Award ceremony also brought to light the willingness of Nigerians to melt their various differences when opportunity so demands. Outside the hall, Igbo cultural groups easily intermingled with cultural groups from the far north in a seeming dismissal of the divisiveness that have recently attended dealings between some of the country’s leading ethnic groups.
President Buhari
President Buhari used the opportunity to address issues concerning his alleged slow response to the pains in the land. Speaking through Mohammed, the president assured Nigerians that he is feeling the pains of the ordinary masses. The assurance came just ahead of the reported protest against the visit of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to Kano. AS a government that was propelled into office by the power of the people, we cannot but feel the pains of our compatriots, and we deeply empathise with them. We are working round the clock to ease the pains of Nigerians, and the efforts of the government have started yielding fruits as we seek to make the petroleum products available nationwide, restore gas supply to the power generating firms, reflate the economy and put Nigerians back to work.
We understand that Nigerians have started questioning whether this indeed is the CHANGE they voted for, while some have even gone as far as saying that by voting for our party, Nigerians have entered one chance. Well, I can tell Nigerians that our CHANGE AGENDA is real, and that indeed, they will get the change they voted for. Nigerians have not entered One Chance, because the One Chance drivers and their conductors have been driven out of town. While we cannot but provide context for the challenges being faced by our countrymen and women today, in the sense that it has taken years of mismanagement, corruption and inefficiency to get to this sorry pass, we make no excuses
After all the people voted for us so we can correct the mistakes of the past and enthrone good governance. We are doing just that. But we want our compatriots to realize that 16 years of rot cannot be cleaned up overnight. It is much easier to destroy than to build. But we are determined to rebuild our country and to make life more abundant for our people. Change is a process, and that process has begun. We commend Nigerians for their perseverance. We urge them not to lose their confidence in the ability of this Administration to bring about the much-needed change. The pains of today are temporary, and will soon give way to abundance joy as we put our country firmly on the path of sustainable growth and development.
Ex-President Jonathan
For President Jonathan the opportunity was one for him to inform Nigerians of his next steps after his well applauded exit from power. Pointing at his future in human capacity development, the former
president said: I WISH to end this remarks by again thanking Uncle Sam and the Management of Vanguard for this honour and recognition. I also wish to let Vanguard and the wider media know that I will be seeking your cooperation as I embark on a post-presidential life of working with Governments in Africa, private sector as well as civil society to inspire more co-operation and commitment towards improving our societies and making a change in the lives of the ordinary people in our various countries. This will be the focus of my foundation which would be launched soon. It is important to note that the work of the foundation will be more potent in two key areas.
First, is to work for good governance in our continent by promoting transparent, credible elections and peaceful transitions as a means of strengthening our institutions and fostering political stability. The foundation would also be working to encourage young men and women in Africa to develop businesses of their own as a way of mitigating the dire jobless situation among our teeming young population. The foundation’s idea of promoting youth and women entrepreneurship will centre around building their capacities, sharpening their business skills and assisting them to access take-off grants. That way, we will be able to set up micro, small and medium enterprises of their own while placing less emphasis on paid employment.