FOR THE RECORD: Day President Tinubu clapped in admiration for Oba Ghandi

FOR THE RECORD: Day President Tinubu clapped in admiration for Oba Ghandi

Femi OGUNLANA

Good feats always elicit admiration consciously or unconsciously. That was the case recently when the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was caught applauding the Soun of Ogbomosoland His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III, during a visit of a delegation of traditional rulers in Ogbomosoland to the State House in Abuja.

The President’s team comprised top government officials while the Soun’s team also included high chiefs and businessmen. It was a rare opportunity for the Ogbomoso Community to present its case through its traditional Numero Uno, an event that would waltz its way into public space, social and traditional media (electronic and print).

Related Posts:

It’s vintage Soun. His Majesty demonstrated his flair for speaking in articulated manner at the highest level. He held everybody spellbound, including the most powerful man in Nigeria. His elocution was first rate, he masterfully marshalled his points and requests to the seat of power. He spoke with power and commandingly and it is incontrovertible that had the desired effect. He was unselfish; he sought collective good of his people with pinpoint precision devoid of circumlocution and redolent with logicality. And when it is considered that he spoke extempore he deserves all plaudits; composed, calm and collected in an ambience radiating power and grandeur. But then he only lived up to the expectation of a man of sophistication and who had succeeded in crashing social and official barriers, someone who has seen it all and strolled across different strata of human relations.

His Majesty carried the destiny of a whole community on his shoulders at that moment, this he knew and was determined to make the best of it. He opened his speech with words of appreciation, “I appreciate you for finding time for us.” He informed the President he did not have a prepared speech but was going to “just speak from my heart.”

He subsequently reeled out the accomplishments of the President in office declaring he had governed with purpose and most importantly bringing audacity to bear. “You have taken amazing strides that only a bold leader can take.” Noting he recognised the difficulty of leading a “complex but interesting” country as Nigeria the traditional ruler said, “But you have done it with so much grace and with so much right attitude toward confronting the issues of this great country.”

He cited the removal of fuel subsidy by Asiwaju Tinubu as a demonstration of his “boldness” pointing out the ensuing outcome “shows that leadership requires boldness and taking of the right decisions which is what you did and today we can see the results of what decision you took,” going ahead to highlight some of the gains of the steps such as uninterrupted petroleum products supply, falling prices of the products, consignment of panic mode over petroleum availability and so on.

Click to register

As he unraveled his thoughts marked by sincerity and without patronising or resorting to demagoguery and factually, the CEO of Africa’s largest economy listened with rapt attention, with keenness and with unconcealed interest. Looking at His Imperial Majesty the President was utterly engrossed, eyes fixed on this unpretentious fascinating, captivating speaker from Ogbomoso the acclaimed Land of Valiants. Amid preponderance of objurgation this quiet but charming paramount king heaping encomiums on him laced with candour, and without equivocation overwhelmed him with animation and excitement and contentment.

Then, the clincher! The climax! Soun submitted: “Then, the second one (after subsidy removal) is the issue of FX transaction which was all muddled up at the CBN and a lot of things were happening; people were getting different rates but it takes boldness to unify what everybody is avoiding.”

The Soun thereafter nailed it when he likened Tinubu to an indomitable, unstoppable fighter who vanquished a monstrous beast. “It (FX trading) was a sixty-pound gorilla in the room which everybody decided to ignore. But you took on on the gorilla…” At that point President Tinubu whose two elbows rested uprightly on the table his two palms clasped was provoked to strike his hands together to produce a clapping effect. It was momentary but it surely happened, unambiguous, and it came from his heart. The Soun continued, “and you made a major statement for the black market to be united with the parallel market… we can see it, and we believe that in two years it is amazing, the things that are difficult, the things that were the big gorilla in the room that everybody had ignored but because of your person and the boldness that you have, confronted all of them. And we have come to say that your actions are not going unnoticed and I believe that the difficult time for Nigerians are surely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Oba after stating some other achievements of the former Lagos state governor proceeded to highlighting the things he wanted done in Ogbomoso by the Federal Government. As an affirmation his speech struck the right chord the President asserted in a response, “I take strong note of that (request).”

Such is the impact of Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III’s speech on the Number One citizen of the country. He made history, he created a good memory. He proved once again while he was chosen by the kingmakers and loved by the larger percentage of his people

Long live the King!