Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday called for Nigeria’s unity, during his inauguration as president, and promised to make security “his priority” at the head of the most populous country in Africa plagued by terrible violence .
The new 71-year-old head of state, in traditional white clothes, was sworn in during a ceremony in Abuja in front of an audience of officials and many African heads of state (Rwanda, Ghana, South Africa, Benin, Cameroon…).
Mr. Tinubu, elected in February after a historically close election, the results of which are being challenged in court by the opposition which denounces massive fraud, has promised to serve Nigerians “without prejudice”.
The Yoruba ethnic leader, from the South West and of the Muslim faith, insisted on the need to unite the West African giant of 215 million inhabitants, extremely polarized between a North with a Muslim majority, and a South with predominantly Christian. In particular by “strengthening economic exchanges, social cohesion and dialogue between cultures”.
“Whether in the winding creeks of the Niger Delta, the vastness of the Northern Savannah, the boardrooms of Lagos, the vibrant capital of Abuja or the bustling markets of Onitsha, you are all my people,” he insisted.
He promised to make the fight against insecurity his “absolute priority” and to defend “the nation against terror and all forms of crime”, in particular by strengthening the security forces.
He gave his speech after the departure by plane of his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, an 80-year-old Fulani from the North, from the same party as him, who leaves after two terms and a record considered very disappointing. Elected in 2015 and 2019, this former putschist army general (in the 1980s) was also elected on the promise of ending the violence.
But he was largely disappointed. It leaves the country in near-generalized insecurity, between a 14-year-old jihadist insurgency in the northeast, large-scale killings and kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs (amid serious community tensions) in the northeast. west and center, and separatist unrest in the southeast.
The new president has promised to put Africa’s largest economy back on track as the oil-rich country sinks into the doldrums, between double-digit inflation, exploding debt and poverty.
Throughout his campaign, he had highlighted his experience at the head of Lagos, Nigeria’s locomotive, which he governed from 1999 to 2007. Many people say that this politician and businessman contributed to modernize and secure the economic capital of 20 million inhabitants. And hope that he will do the same at the head of the country.
But many others are worried about the fragile health of the new president, with a divisive personality and a troubled past.
During the campaign and before his inauguration, he made several trips abroad, reminiscent of those of President Buhari who spent weeks, sometimes months, in England to recover from a secret illness.
With speculation about Mr Tinubu’s health, all eyes are on his vice-president Kashim Shettima, 56, a former governor of Borno state (northeast).
Above all, Mr. Tinubu, nicknamed “the godfather” in a country where clientelism in politics is king, is seen as an old guard politician.
He is hated by part of the youth, who had placed their hopes for change in Peter Obi, outsider who came third in the presidential election, and thinks that Mr. Tinubu has largely cheated.
The multimillionaire president, whose exact fortune is not known, is also targeted by corruption charges, which he has always denied. He was never convicted.
“With the new government of Bola Tinubu, Nigerians will soon see whether a leader widely seen as corrupt can preside over a relatively free from malfeasance and reasonably competent administration,” researcher Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations, based in Washington.
The president has promised to end fuel subsidies, a system that encourages corruption and prevents the state from investing heavily in key sectors, such as health or education, when almost half of Nigerians live in extreme poverty.
Nigeria is trading its crude oil estimated at billions of dollars for imported fuel (due to the failure of its state refineries) which it then subsidizes, to keep an artificially low price on the market, creating a sinkhole financial.
But it will certainly have to do much more to lift Nigerians out of poverty and prevent its brain drain overseas, with its young graduates facing mass unemployment despite its huge oil reserves and thriving cultural industry. (between Nollywood and Afrobeats).
29/05/2023 18:44:06 – Abuja (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
