OSINBAJO AND THE NEW TRIBES

Remi Adebayo writes that Nigerians of different faiths and backgrounds converged in Uyo to urge the Vice President to run

Setting out to a strange land for the first time and armed with nothing other than the conviction to join other compatriots to clamour for a greater nation could appear unreasonable to some, but not for these Nigerians with eyes fixed on a different and better turn for the future of Nigeria.

No sacrifice was too much for them to make in the interest of that future. Their decision to ignore any real or imaginary hazards with travelling on the Nigerian roads stood them out, as that paled into insignificance in their determination to grace the one-day event, tagged, ‘Uyo Declaration’ in Akwa Ibom State.

The Uyo event was organized by lovers and supporters of the Nigerian Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. Convinced by his distinctive leadership qualities, they have taken it upon themselves to impress it upon the Senior Advocate of Nigeria that Nigerians are yearning for him to take over the management of the affairs of the largest Black African nation after the expiration of the constitutionally-prescribed tenure of his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari.

To them, the remarkable seven years of stewardship to the nation and rancour-free working relationship with the president have further deepened Prof Osinbajo’s understanding of the main challenges confronting the nation, as well as equipping him with first-hand knowledge of what it will take to tackle them.  Added to that is the advantage that comes with him being a younger czar whose competence, erudition, intellect and sense of loyalty places him in a prime position.

  The Emerald Event Centre in Uyo, the venue of the gathering was already the beehive of activities for participants from across the country earlier in the day, with people freely mingling across the divides of ethnicity, class and faith, limited only by the observance of the Covid-19 safety protocols. Irrespective of the uniqueness of the cultural identities by delegates from different parts of the country, yet there was that feeling of camaraderie as diversity blended to forge celebration of a unity which transcended differences in tribes and tongues. The commonality of purpose was evident that everyone present is, first and foremost, a Nigerian united to make case for the Nigerian future in an Osinbajo presidency.

The objective of the gathering in Uyo was clear – to deepen and broaden the drive by the New Tribe to breed a new identity of tribeless patriots to whom differences across tribes and religion that have continued to trigger mutual suspicion are eliminated. The goal is to reposition the nation alongside the bests in the world with just one cord that recognises only equity, fairness serving as the driver for accelerated development, while enhancing national cohesion. That is what the new tribe is all about!

Earlier, on January 15, 2022 in the expansive city of Kano, the eminent Nigerian lawmaker and erudite scholar, Prof. Sola Adeyeye had left no one in doubt about the direction of the New Tribe and its thinking. “Nigeria has been calling for a new tribe for over six decades. Nigeria summons us to rise over and above our differences to embrace the things that we have in common. Nigeria enjoins us to rise beyond localised tongues and tribes to become a New Tribe – The Nigerian. “

The New Tribe, the biological scientist further clarified is one in which no one is pulled down on account of differences in ethnicity or religion. “The new tribe that cares for the man at the top, just as it cares for the talakawa. This new tribe that embraces each and every one, irrespective of tongue, because we are all one tribe, a people bound by one destiny under God.”

Adeyeye equally recognised that it would take a lot of work and a change of direction anchored around a visionary leader for the objective of the New Tribe to be realised.

“Yemi Osinbajo is the man who will lead us in the right direction, with the help of God and millions of Nigerians, the New Tribe, that have been yearning for an opportunity to side-step all the forces that have been pulling us apart, so that Nigeria can truly emerge as the giant it long should have been,” said Adeyeye.

A few weeks after the declaration in Kano, these Nigerians from diverse backgrounds again stormed the oil-rich region and the beautiful city of Uyo to restate the case for a fresh start, using the new tribe narrative as talking point and Osinbajo as symbol.

Some said the group’s clamour was to lure the Vice President to vie for the presidential post, but the message appears deeper and weightier than a mere overture towards the VP, but a call to strike a fresh deal in the heart of the nation itself and a pact for consolidating the values being laid and courageous bargaining for a tribeless Nigeria.

Having built bridges, not only among the political elite, but with a firm connection with the ordinary people, the youths and the elderly, and a pan-Nigerian friendship that accommodates all tribes and tongues, Osinbajo is trusted to lead a new Nigeria as one big, happy, inspired and motivated constituency.

A former Minister of Tourism, High Chief Edem Duke, succinctly captured this; “I know that Professor Yemi Osibanjo is a man whose academic competence pose political sophistry, pose humility, pose diligence, somebody who is passionate about Nigeria, a man who can represent Nigeria sitting with any other president in the world with little or no prompting. I know and I believe that this is the gentleman who can represent us anywhere.

Continuing, he said: “This is a man who is technologically savvy, he can deal with technology, he can decipher, he is also able to engage with the young people. There is no gap, therefore, it is better for him to also carry the burden of the youth. This is a man whose religious persuasion has taught him to respect the holistic beliefs of all and sundry. He can operate in the horizon, he can operate in the platoon and this I think recommends him amply for the emergence and participation in the presidential race on the platform of the APC.”

Similarly, Chairman of the National Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Kabiru Akawura, in his remarks at a dinner organised for the delegates, extolled the virtues of Osinbajo. Akawura who said he has been in politics for the past 46 years noted that it dawned on him a long time ago, that Osinbajo was the man with the capacity to succeed Buhari in times like this.

He described the Vice President as a humble, loyal servant who has shown those attributes in his handling of state affairs whenever he had the opportunity, without any plan to undermine the president.

Akawura said if the vice president were greedy and self- serving, he would have taken advantage of the many opportunities he had to act as president to cause chaos in the country with a view to taking over power. He therefore urged Nigerians to queue behind Osinbajo from the very moment that he would declare his intention to contest.

The communique which was delivered at the end of the declaration by the Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Chief Otu Ita Toyo urged President Buhari to support his loyal deputy.

“We call on Mr President to stand solidly behind this tested, loyal and true apostle of him and ensure that a man of conscience like him who truly abhors corruption succeeds him to continue where he stops. With the love Nigerians have for him and Mr. President, he is the man who can ensure that APC carries the day in the forthcoming presidential elections,” the communique read.

Convener of Progressive Lawyers for Osinbajo, Dr Kayode Ajulo at the event, also noted that Prof Osinbajo has established a strong base upon which the nation can consolidate for the future, and that his political ideology has stood the test of time for him to be trusted to lead Nigeria into a greater era.

“Prof Yemi Osinbajo has more intellectual endowment, superior pedigree and moral heft than other potential contestants. Today, when you talk of loyalty, trust, competence, capability, faithfulness and ability, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo comes to mind in taking Nigeria to the next level as the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”