Implications of Yar’Adua’s Power-Game on the Nigerian Child

I had refused to write on the ill-health of the President Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Musa Yar'Adua, especially as concerns the recent one that struck him down and propel him to leave the shores of the country for medical checks abroad, and thereby became and declared a president in absentia for three months. But I am happy that Nigeria didn't turn into a chaotic country, because of the ripples whether the now Acting President Goodluck Jonathan should take over power from the absentia Yar'Adua or not.

The reason why I refused to write on that issue was because the way many opinion writers were making mockery of the man, because of his ill-health, as if he created himself. As a humanist, I waited not to join issues as they relate to the ill-health of the president, but Turai is making me to change my mind. She is making the whole issue become complex. I thought that she was educated, not schooled, but what I have been observing since her hubby fell sick, betrays her attitude, as an enlightened mind.

Apart from Turai, many sycophants to Yar'Adua wanted Jonathan to be taking order from the ill-president many Nigerians didn't know where he was? Tufiakwa! But today, that ripples seem to be calming down, except for Turai Yar'Adua, the wife of the president, whom evening school is calling on, so that she could learn how to differentiate a national matter from a family matter.

Imagine that Turai took a national matter like that of the president's ill-health like her personal issue. That Yar'Adua is her husband doesn't make him her personal property. Yar'Adua could be her personal property when he had not become a public figure, but not now he is not only the Nigerian president, but an international figure.

Is Turai power drunk? And how many Nigerians saw her or were present when she too oath-of-office as the First Lady that she will not allow her husband's impoverished Nigerians to rest? Does she know that the office of the First Lady doesn't exist anywhere in the Constitution of the country? Does Turai know that the business of the presidency should be separated from the domestic family business? Was Turai lazy not to get herself busy in some other things and leave the presidency alone?

I think Turai's shoddy character as relates to the manner she's managing the president's ill-health issue, has exposed the Nigerian women of how power-drunken they might be if one day, one of them, becomes the President of this country. Just that Turai is a self-acclaimed First Lady of this country, she wants all the men (let's leave the women) under her husband in the Aso Rock to be licking her foot, even Jonathan? No wonder there is no respect in this country, especially from most women like Turai.

Turai was foolhardy of a reason many Nigerian children are yet to comprehend: she took upon herself many self-unannounced-acclaimed portfolios as the president's ill-health lasted. She was fielding Nigerians with the news of her husband's ill-health from the hermit they ran to in overseas whereas the nation's information minister was there.

I think the Nigerian children will live not to forget this melodrama as was being exhibited by Turai; the Nigerian children will be forever jittery that for a good number of three months their president was in absentia, and the wife of the president still had the audacity not to ask her ill-husband to resign, just because she was power-drunk.

If a woman could behave in that manner, not to allow or persuade her husband to resign, what would she have done if she was the ill-president? Perhaps, she would love to bank all the documents that concerns the presidency in an unknown bank and die on the president's seat with the Nigerian Coat of Arm in her chest. That is wicked, and bizarre!

We men know that one good features women have or are known for is to cooling the tempo in any environment when the men want to kill themselves, just like the “second coming” of Prof Dora Akunyili did with her perceived controversial memo, according to the yesmen in the kitchen cabinet of Yar,Adua, in one of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings they had while Yar'Adua lasted on his sick bed or oxygen bed abroad. I wouldn't know the meaning of Turai. Does the name mean wicked if she has taken caution to the winds?

The Nigerian children, I don't think that they will forget in a hurry that there was a point in time in Nigeria when a woman called Turai preferred power to the life of her husband. I have not seen where this happened before. Her character have a mammoth revelations of how intimidating she could be to Yar'Adua when his health had not deteriorated if she can hold Nigerians at ransom that no one should drink and rest his or her cup. She forgot that if our president is seeking, we are all seeking. And as Jonathan is acting on the Acting President's capacity, all Nigerians are just on an acting mission, but Turai have gone haywire.

Odimegwu Onwumere is a Poet/Author, the Founder of Poet Against Child Abuse (PACA), Rivers State. Mobile: +2348032552855. Email: [email protected]