By Tai Olaniyi
The advent of 29th May in the political history of Nigeria is one that cannot be easily rubbished nor taken insignificant.
Why? May the 29th 1995, marked the beginning of the actual change of baton from the then Military Head of State General Abdusalam Abubakar to another former Head of State General Olusegun Obasanjo who had been a politician in the garb of a civilian after his retirement from military service and on that day became a civilian President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Previous to that day, the incarceration and the demise of late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola who was a presidential candidate of the then Social Democratic Party and till date is regarded to have won the freest and fairest election on June 12,1993 but was unfortunately not declared the winner by the military henchmen of that time till his untimely death.
The former military Head of State Olusegun Obasanjo who also had been in military detention for what had been alleged as a phantom coup by the late Military Head of State, General Sanni Abacha, by fate and destiny on May 29th 1995 became a civilian president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from his previous incarceration in the prison.
Since May 29th, 1995 and the resultant change of baton from the then Military Head of State General Abdusalam Abubakar and the ascension of President Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1995, May the 29th has been a memorable day of democratic relay race from one civilian government to another.
The significance of May 29,2024 is multipolar in the sense that this year marks the first anniversary of Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR as the President and Commander -in -Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria. It also marks the first time Nigerians at the public occasion of the inauguration of Abuja Metro Rail Line proudly sang the Old National Anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee.. now a replacement for that of the most recent”Arise O Compratiot” of 1978.
The third significant aspect of that day was not only the commissioning of Abuja Metro Rail Line, the train ride by Mr President and other dignitaries, but a lot of encomium showered on Mr Nyesom Wike, the Honorable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja by Mr President.
For me, Wike was greatly showered with encomiums and Son of Man equally heartily felt impressed that during this Mr President’s tenure, a Minister from the opposition party the People Democratic (P.D.P) is not only a Minister under the rulling party of the All Progressives Congress (A.P.C) , but a great achiever within the ambit of available resources, time and geopolitical spectrum of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, F.C.T.
I could feel Wike’s happiness, joy and humility radiating from his heart, sense of achievement and self fulfillment.The intermittent nodding of Wike’s head, his mouth beaming with smiles and his head oscillating in applause of this his great day may also be likened to the radiance of fate, fortune and destiny in a man’s life cycles.
Hmmmm, is this day truly and would it be a “Day of Glory” for Wike? On the other hand would and could it amount to another rythm of his usual song, “As it dey sweet us, it dey pain them, as it dey pain them it dey sweet us”?
Would this day to Wike be a means of self-pilgrimage,a jihad into self, a holy war where the finest aspect of his most refined and spiritual finest of his being takes over the penchant for the bulldozing of whoever or whatever is regarded as an enemy be rightly or wrongly based on self aggrandizement and judgement?
Would May 29, 2024 be just a mere day of applaud, clapping of hands, smiling and showering of encomiums or a day that the project of past years uuncompleted, now completed and to be continued in content, context, quality and quantum for all and sundry to enjoy?
Being a politician and the mystery of the “Nigeria Factor” always recurring like decimal to bulldoze and wreck anything and every relic of good thing in the Nigerian geopolitics, would this day , would the 29th May, 2024 further make Nyesom Wike to be more humble achiever and servant of nation Nigeria or ooze in his heart, mind and soul the impressions of once a Minister of State, a River State’s Governor now a Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja maybe in the future hoping to be Mr President of Nigeria very soon?
Since “Nothing happens by chance” to soothsaying elders of past ages in the dictum of old, so, my concern with May the 29th 2024 in the life of Nyesom Wike is borne out of my direct and indirect contacts with River State, the Railway and my beloved nation Nigeria.
From River State’s perspectives and during Amaechi’s time as the Executive Governor of River State, I was privileged to be sponsored on Christian Pilgrimage to Israel from December 30-10th January of 2011/2012 respectively..
Surprisingly I had never dreamt nor prayed to go to Israel for anything until such an opportunity came to me for a slot by one of my colleagues in NIPOST and through another NIPOST Staff who was a member of both National Union of Post and Telecommunication Employees, NUPTE and the Nigerian Labor Congress, N.L.C.
The pilgrimage afforded me the first opportunity to travel in business class to and from Israel, equally the conviction that Nigeria is that land the Bible claims “flow with milk and honey” and not Israel to me. As a toast of the tour guides, I was privileged to convince them the spiritual kernel of pilgrimage against being another means of revenue generation through tourism encapsulated in pilgrimage. To me and for me till this day and ever shall it be, the holiest of any “Holy Land” reclines in the pureness and worthiness of the hearts of those who transverse what and where they visit during the pilgrimage.
Secondly with River State and this time around during Wike’s tenure as an Executive Governor of the State, the State with a couple of others created at the same time were approached by NIPOST to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of their States with a set of commemorative postage stamps.
The initial designs sent by River State had one of them with the artist impressions of Nyesom Wike and wife which I sternly pointed out to be rejected amongst others because of it’s non conformity with one of the the policy criteria fo issuing postage stamps in Nigeria.
The then Stamp Selection Committee of the then NIPOST of which I was a member opted for the ones that were later considered worth featuring as of historical importance to the State.That was when NIPOST had not been bastardized by the politicians and political rigmaroles by having politicians as the Postmasters General against career officers.
Anything relating and concerning the railway and transportation by train simply remind me of the beauty of train services during our childhood old days,at Offa, the period of our adulthood during our school days in higher institutions, good friends we had met and those lost along the way those days when men were men.
Today, as a member of Legacy 1995, The Historical and Environmental Interest Group manning the Railway Museum at Jaekel House, Lagos, my members and I pride in the preservation, restoration and promotion of the chequred history of the Railway at the Museum and Heritage in all ramifications in Nigeria.
It is on this note that I congratulate Nyesom Wike as being part of Railway history in Nigeria, the Honorable Minister of Transport, the Managing Director and the entire staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation for this epoch making event of that day in railway history in Nigeria.
The Lagos State Government had blazed the trail in their red and blue railway metro lines. I pray for such for Offa and environ one day.
As a Retired Postman, Senior Citizen and an Elder Statesman, though without financial portfolio and muscles too, I can conveniently affirm that though “Silver or Gold” I don’t have, I still pride in my 35 years of enviable service to my Fatherland “, Nigeria and will ever be proud of it come rain, come heatwave associated with the climate change.
I similarly pray that” Though Tribe and Tongue may Differ” in an enriched “Brotherhood” Nigeria shall remain standing in Light, Life and Love in Peace Profound.
