On Friday afternoon, President Bola Tinubu set foot on the National Military Cemetery for the second time as President.
Just eight months earlier, he had been there alongside his Army Chief, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, and other service chiefs to bury 17 soldiers slain in Okuoma, Delta State.
During the ceremony, President Tinubu conferred posthumous national honours on the fallen soldiers.
He also announced that the Federal Government would provide housing for their families and scholarships for the 21 children they left behind, including three unborn, until university level.
However, the President could not have foreseen his return to the same cemetery to bury his Army Chief, Lagbaja. He confessed this in his tribute, saying, “The plans of God we cannot fully discern.”
Lagbaja’s demise dealt a heavy blow to the country’s military and shook his Commander-in-Chief for days. The morning the news of his death officially became public, Tinubu abruptly cancelled the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House. He also directed that all flags fly at half-mast for a week. The ensuing days also saw fewer activities as the President seemed to have shed some weight off his schedule to be alone.
At the funeral last Friday, Tinubu posthumously conferred the honour of Commander of the Federal Republic on the late Chief of Army Staff, which his widow, Mariya Lagbaja, accepted.
He said, “Today is a solemn day for the nation, and for me as Commander-in-Chief, for on this day, at this place, we lay to rest a soldier’s soldier. A General and Officer who symbolised the best of his profession and whose commitment to the nation he loved was singular and undiluted.
“We lost an extraordinary General and a remarkable human being… For me, he was a trusted advisor whose formidable intellect and breadth of knowledge served this nation well. More than that, he was also a man of prudent action who cared more for his nation and those who served under him than he ever did for himself.
“Yet, the hand of God works in its sovereign way. The plans of God we cannot fully discern. At a time when his service to the nation could mean so much, God took him home to serve in His celestial army.”
Only three days earlier, the President had returned from Saudi Arabia, where he attended the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit on the current situation in the Middle East. On Thursday, he presided over the 20th meeting of his cabinet. By Sunday morning, he was already hosting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Like a cleric officiating a joyful wedding or naming ceremony one moment and mourning at a funeral the next, Presidents often have to navigate several emotional currents in their day-to-day duties. Sometimes, they switch states by the hour—from the grief of burying a General to making controversial appointments and then back to the tedium of reviewing classified documents and presiding over meetings.
At the Cemetery, Tinubu described the late COAS as one of his finest appointees, saying, “As President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I worked closely with him. He was more than I could have hoped for. He was one of my best appointments.
“Lieutenant General Lagbaja embodied the finest ideals of a patriot and a soldier. He had an abiding faith in the capacity and readiness of our armed forces to keep us safe.
“From his hands-on participation in many internal security operations, Lieutenant General Lagbaja had a clear understanding of the military’s role in securing and defending our country, its people, and their hard-won democratic institutions.”
May Lagbaja’s soul find rest, and his family find comfort.
On a normal week, I would spend the rest of this piece talking about how the President coughed through his 17-minute speech and was offered no water. But this was not a normal week because, while Tinubu was paying his last respects to the departed Army Chief, the Ondo people were sharpening their Permanent Voters’ Cards to elect a new Governor.
Although 17 candidates are running for the top seat, the notable contenders are the incumbent Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of the All Progressives Congress, and Agboola Ajayi of the People’s Democratic Party. Other parties have also fielded candidates, including the Accord Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, Action Peoples Party, African Democratic Congress, Labour Party, New Nigeria People’s Party, People’s Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressives Party, Youth Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
In his pre-election message on Friday, President Tinubu urged all political stakeholders and the electorate to uphold peace and decorum. He also encouraged voters to fulfil their civic responsibilities without fear before and after the elections.
As the results are collated, Tinubu says he anticipates a democratic process that will genuinely reflect the people’s will and power to choose their leaders freely. He also reminded all political stakeholders, particularly the candidates, that it is the people who bestow the privilege to govern, and this right must be respected and not undermined.
May the people’s voice prevail.