The wife of our President, First Lady Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, was in my state for a full day on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. It was not her first visit to the state. She told us that she visited the state for the first time when Senator Orji Uzor Kalu was the governor. She said she came to the capital and left. This confirmed to me that our mama is not just an Amazon, she is an extraordinary one. I guess the visit was long before she contested in the 2011 election, to represent a section of Lagos State in the Senate. She spent 12 years, serving three terms in 7th, 8th, and 9th National Assemblies. This counts for much in terms of experience.
The visit of her Excellency to Abia State this past week was unique as it was intriguing for different reasons. She said she invited herself. This raises posers. She told the huge crowd she discovered the Akwete weaving craft from a documentary on television, and so decided to come and see and to offer help. She did, doling out a handsome sum of N2 billion, which she said is her money and not “government money.” She chose Abia State to self invite. This is instructive. A different party rules over the state so some people reasoned and the man in charge of affairs in this state has been prevaricating for a long time over where his support lies on the presidential election come 2027 general elections.
Mama proved the visit coming five months to the next general elections is more of politics than promoting the creative economy. “I have been getting frustrated and I asked my husband about Governor Alex Otti and my husband replied, Alex Otti is a good man, a very good man.” For the critical mind this statement doesn’t require further interpretation, it is purely self-explanatory. We know him, we have held consultations, we know him well and trust his integrity. Pure and simple.
Governor Alex Otti spoke in a manner that gave out few signals. The president is doing reforms which are vital, he is working hard to remedy bad behavior caused in the past, and reforms cause pains before they produce succour. This is both support and endorsement.
The visit is excellent, especially against the fact that it happened in a rural part of the country. It is a pace-setting foray indeed. In these days of high level insecurity, Senator Oluremi Tinubu by the adventure showed the male political players and leaders the way to good governance: meet the people wherever they are, see them in their natural state and hear from them directly. This is one aspect of the governance method our leaders don’t take seriously. Governors during their visits arrive at one location and are helmed in by all manner of events and a short time off to the state capital. The local government system is near comatose, most local government chairmen leave outside the area of authority. They see the people alright but hardly understand what the real issues are. There was the First Lady of Nigeria riding on portions of the rural roads. The minus there was flying into the area in a chopper else she would have observed first hand the deplorable state of the part of Niger Delta highway which transverses Obehie in Ukwa West LGA through Ukwa East and touching down in Akwa Ibom State.
The visit of the nation’s First Lady raises questions. One is: should the Office of the First Lady be made constitutional? This question has been a lingering one. The current position isn’t a constitutional office since there’s no provision in that regard but we have seen successive first ladies play open and crucial roles in the development process of the country.
The visit of the First Lady to Akwete is an eye opener, especially for those of us in the critical section of the population. We are glued to pattern and accountability. This is fine but it should not be a blinder to innovation and expansion. A society immune to new ideas, new ways and means would first stagnate, then begin to retrogress, finally disintegrate and collapse.
The other vital point would be all hands must be on deck if any society would thrive. Data and scientific studies show clearly that women’s contributions to nation building are often very huge; our case can’t be different. In fact women do things far better than the male; we have seen this happen several times in our country.
The last argument along the line would be that democracy doesn’t have the same face everywhere. Developed countries may not constitutionally provide for the Office of First Lady that should not mean it is a universal concept, other countries can introduce experiences drawn from their peculiar experiences.
What is the point being made? We should make the office a constitutional one, perhaps make the first ladies be the Minister of Women Affairs Ministry with a Minister of State in place. This way we keep them positively busy as well as have a way to creatively tap their talents and still maintain sanity and accountability over funds.
This way they can be political players doing in the open what they do dangerously from the back seat. Nothing wrong if they play politics. Politics isn’t evil, it is participation in how one is governed which is at the crux of any true democracy.
I didn’t like the First Lady after I saw her talk tough again to Ndigbo in Lagos. I hope that video isn’t real but whatever I have against her is washed away by her visit to Akwete and what I saw of her. Oluremi Tinubu is a national asset, she is an orator, full of experience, bold and courageous.
Bishop David Oyedepo taught us that there is a wife for the purpose God has given every man. I agree. Senator Oluremi Tinubu fits President Bola Tinubu.
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<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
