President Tinubu May Not Have Tripped If…..
Earlier today, on live TV, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu tripped as he was climbing the ceremonial parade vehicle to inspect guard of honour as part of the activities in celebration of the 2024 Democracy Day. As a human, it was a moment of slight panic for me as I saw it live. What the moment felt like for his family and friends is better imagined. The President himself would later, at another event, make a joke about the fall. He said that he was prostrating for Democracy Day as a Yorùbá man. He may have gotten over it immediately, but it could have been catastrophic. And so, I thought the handlers of the president should do some things differently.
It is important for the handlers of the president to acknowledge his weaknesses and protect him accordingly. Mr. President is a 72 year old man who has had problems with his knee. If the president would need support in the form of a walking stick in certain circumstances, it is not bad optics, it should be used. Nigerians and friends of Nigeria would only be impressed by quality of leadership(and governance), not in the abilities to display physical fitness. That’s the least of the worries of the people at this time when the economy is not the friendliest. If it is his Agbádá that he would always need help with before climbing, someone should do it. President Buhari used to fold his Agbada properly before climbing. Not only that, he would ensure he had a firm grip of a rail if there was one before climbing or descending. Lastly, the aides should know they have a serious job. The president is a 72 year old man, they need to treat him as such. The speed with which President Tinubu climbed the truck at the event meant that aides left him to do it his own way. No! The President and Commander-in-Chief is not meant to do things his own way. The job of the aides is to make him do things that can only be done.
For those who took the moment as an opportunity for mockery, I also have a little message for them. They are simply playing God or maybe they do not come to terms with what it means to be a 72 year old.
Beyond my perception of them playing God, it also suggests the tendency of them not being tolerant of people with physical or mobility challenges as deserving of political leadership. Mr. Athan Achonu, the candidate of the Labour Party at the Imo State 2023 gubernatorial election, has only one hand. If he had won the election, would there not many times he would be supported to carry on his duty as the Executive Governor of the state? Franklin D. Roosevelt was the President of the United States of America from 1933 to 1945, he was paralysed from his waist down, and he used assisted mobility (wheelchair) during his time in office.
Finally, handlers of the president should not pretend because of “what people would say”. People will say things, he asked for it when he asked for the job.
