Friday 29th March was President Bola Tinubu’s red letter day. His 72nd birthday it was. And he had always celebrated it gracefully, gratefully and generously until this year. Up until 2021, Tinubu would celebrate elaborately and highlight the festivity with a colloquium to discuss matters of state. However, in 2022, there was no colloquium because of the train attack of that year and the abduction of over 300 passengers for ransom. Last year, Tinubu opted for payers for the nation, keeping the festivity low-keyed.
This year’s birthday anniversary is the first for him since becoming president in last year’s presidential election. But there would be no fun fare, he said. The mood of the nation didn’t call for partying. And it wouldn’t simply be right to have the president let himself go in a hearty owambe dance while the majority of Nigerians are in dire want. “During an auspicious occasion like this, it is customary for family members, friends and associates to celebrate him [Tinubu] in different ways,” according to a statement from the President’s office. “As the leader of our country, President Tinubu, in deference to these challenging times, will not host any birthday event and does not want any of his associates and numerous well- wishers across the country to organize any celebratory event on his behalf or in his name. … Goodwill messages should not be placed on radio and television stations or newspapers” but the money for that should be donated to charities. The statement goes on: “President Tinubu appreciates the honour of being the leader of Africa’s leading nation at this time and is working hard to make life better for the generality of our people.”
Empathy is the spirit Mr President tried to evoke here. Forgoing a darling personal treat to align with a nation in mourning is a rare sacrifice by our power wielders. The Aso Rock presidential villa is believed to be an impenetrable fortress that keeps out noise from outside, no matter how loud. People surrounding the real man in power are as powerful as he, if not more powerful. They decide what “sound and fury” should reach the president’s ears. And if they must, they try to make it seem less serious than it is. No wonder, our Tinubu failed to visit Plateau State after over 200 people were massacred there last Christmas eave’s day. Neither have we been told he would soon go to Delta where, two weeks ago, 17 soldiers and their officers were killed and their bodies mutilated by armed youths. There is a slight difference though. The president may not be in Delta, but he won’t be ‘celebrating’ his birthday this year because of the killings. He has also stopped any wild celebrations by “associates, friends and well-wishers.”
Tinubu’s circle of friendship has widened since becoming president and is bound to be wider over a possible two-term tenure. Most of the friends, of course, are fair-weather friends, attracted to him by the power he has to allocate patronage. One of the ways of building friendship with power is the window of birthday wishing. Not that the well-wisher likes your face. No. He may not know you well or may not have met you. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is he should be able to whet your ego enough to get through to you for something he knows only you can offer. If it requires that he spends some hundreds of thousand naira to place an ingratiating advertorial on TV or radio or newspaper or all three, why not, provided that will take him closer to what he desires! I know now a good number of potential friends of the president must be cursing their personal gods for the window is shut in their faces. Not to worry. My advice is to pray that the president gets over mourning our slain soldiers sooner and his tough belt tightening policies bear good results before next year. Then he surely will reopen the window to receive and repay birthday wishes and gifts. I, on my part, will plead with Mr President to, please, let me wish him a happy birthday!
