IF TINUBU WINS THE ELECTION, MAY WE NOT LOSE THE COUNTRY

There is something called the mood of the Nation. It is neither about ethinic bigotry nor about religious bigotry.

It is about the diversity and uniqueness of the country. And the current mood of the Nation calls for such diversity.

I pray for a future Nigeria where a Northern President can have a Northern Vice President. Ditto for a Southern President having a Southern Vice President. That looks impossible, but possible if we are able to build enough trust among ourselves.

Maybe then, we would actually have jettisoned presidential system for a Parliamentary System (which I earnestly pray for) whereby ethnicity and religion won’t mean much.

Unfortunately, the country’s situation right now is different from the time we voted Abiola (Muslim)/Kingibe (Muslim). That time we didn’t have Boko Haram Islamic terrorists. Insecurity and religious overzealousness weren’t this rampant.

Now we need to pay attention to ensuring our diversity and uniqueness as a country isn’t further harmed in anyway.

We need to rebuild trust in ourselves, remove suspicions, and have a true nation first, before ethnic or religious considerations can be relegated in our politics. It is a sociological angle to our politics.

Since 1999, Aso Rock presidential villa has been occupied interchangeably by a Muslim and a Christian, and by a Southern and a Northern.

1999 to 2007: Obasanjo (Southern Christian)/Atiku (Northern Muslim)
2007 to 2010: Yar’Adua (Northern Muslim)/Jonathan (Southern Christian)
2010 to 2015: Jonathan (Southern Christian)/Sambo (Northern Muslim)
2015 to 2022: Buhari (Northern Muslim)/Osibajo (Southern Christian).

Despite this he above arrangements, we still don’t have a livable country yet.

Therefore, Tinubu (a Southern Muslim) picking Shettima (a Northern Muslim) is a paradox of insensitivity and a self-imposed burden to ensure we do not lose the country under him, if he wins.

What Tinubu should have done is to change the equation with a Northern Christian runningmate from the Middle Belt. And he could still win with such a choice, as the APC core Northern Political leaders will be under a moral burden to support the arrangement for fairness, equity and one Nigeria. For a Federalist like him, he should have helped the congregation of Northern minority Christians to stand talk in the North as equal human stakeholders. After all, competent people are available everywhere, in all religions and in all regions.

But now, if Bola Tinubu should win, he will have to work very hard to NOT lose the nation completely to terrorists, by ensuring the Christians, and other faith adherents, are protected against terrorist attack!!!

And God forbids it happens that terrorists attack a church like they did at Owo, a President Tinubu must be the chief mourner and chief consoler spending time with the bereaved.

He must not just give 50 million Naira to the mourning community but find the killers and bring them to justice speedily.

But would he be able to do that? When he didn’t even condemn the murder of Deborah in Sokoto, for political reasons!!! Never mind his close rival Atiku who did condemn the murder later deleted his post.

This concern is even more germane when one observes that the only religion mentioned in the Nigerian Constitution is Islamic, with clauses on Sharia laws. That alone calls for sensitivity to the other faith adherents in the Nigerian political leadership structure.

Maybe over time, we can overcome all these requirements for diversity but we currently need to have a country, first!!!

Olarinre Salako, PhD