Cops standing on moving unmanned motorbikes is quite a spectacle and very risky. Mr. MC called one manoevre “shooting by the side” on escort duty. OBJ bought 5000 for the police. I suppose if you want police to come to your rescue, you should buy them a motorbike so they can shoot from the side. This way they wont ask you for transport when thieves are already in your house. 

I thought it was a bit funny that we were watching bikeriders at an OBJ event. Was it not the same OBJ who overthrew Gowon for his flambouyant motorcade, outriders and reluctance to leave power? I think he should go and apologize to Gowon, but hey, that’s just me! 

After the circus show (for real there was a guy who had a boy standing on his head on one foot) the oath of office was finally administered on VP Goodluck Jonathan. As soon as it was done, there was palpable excitement in the stands. One hausa man next to me proclaimed “anchanza” meaning “they have changed.” 

It was curious indeed because it wasn’t even Yar’adua yet so why was the man and others in the audience excited? My only conclusion was that while Nigerians do not know what they will have, Nigerians know what they have had. They have had Enough. 

When Yar’adua took the oath, the section to my left, got up and applauded like crazy while the rest looked on unfazed. It was like the groom’s section of a wedding or, if you are into that kind of thing, the Republican side in the State of the Union address. It was instructive to note that not everyone was energized about the new president. 

Mr. MC congratulated Nigerians on electing a new president but you could almost hear them anser back “no don’t thank me, thank Iwu and Inec.” If he had said “congrats the old president has left” he may have gotten a different response. 

It was at this point that Oga MC committed the Harikiri or suicide of the day. He announced that Yar’adua had just begun his “8-year tenure” before quickly correcting it.

Haba, MC, even if they told you the results of the 2011 elections, must you show off that you are in the know? Or are you telling us there will be no election, to save costs so that Yar’adua will have 6 billion savings at the end of 4 years? 

Later the Chief of Defense staff handed OBJ a flag declaring that the “armed forces enjoyed your leadership in the past 8 years.” Handing a flag to Yar’adua “our commander in chief,” he vouched “absolute loyalty to you and the Nigerian government” as the crowd applauded. He wished Yar’adua “all the best” and prayed he would “match words with actions.”  

It was interesting to see the crowd response to the military chief’s remarks. Clearly it showed that they were hopeful that the military was sincere. Truth be told, democracy under Obasanjo was government of the people, from the military by the north. This was pseudo-civilian transfer of power. The real first will be in 2015. In fairness to Obasanjo, he has succeeded in demilitarizing the democracy to some extent. At least Yar’adua is not a general even if his Chief of Staff and National Security Adviser both are. During Obasanjo’s term all three musketeers were. Plus the PDP chairman making it a militarized democracy. 

Inspite of all the declarations of undying love for the presidency, I noticed a curious phenomenon though. Several top military brass to my left, sprang to their feet and saluted during the flag handover ceremony but two junior officers behind me completely ignored the call to attention and sat there watching like the rock of Gibraltar. I couldn’t help but remember that many people who joined the forces as a shortcut to governorship would be at mid to senior rank now and could not be amused by the on-goings…Anyway I thought it was telling that we had 2 flags – one for the military and one for Nigeria. Could it by a symbolism of diarchy? 

Oga MC went on to extol Yar’adua’s virtues. He was “socialist leaning” and allied to a radical lecturer at ABU. Really? So are they using that as propganda gimmick or is the PDP truly interested in a radical socialist leader running the country? He repeated the #6 billion reserves claim then ruined it all by adding that Yar’adua won election “convincingly.” At that point he cast doubt on everything else said before. 

The final notable event was after Yar’adua gave his moving but otherwise uncharismatic

speech (Nigerians, it appears, are growing allergic to speeches.) The armed forces gave

3 hearty cheers to the new C-in-C. When I was here for Inaug 2003, they had given 3 hearty Kposas to the C-in-C. 

I had asked the senator next to me what Kposas meant. In a curious coincidence, it turned out that he had invented Kposas as the civilian version of the military “hurrah.” It had become part of the popular political culture but somehow it was missing today. Senator Brume himself, no more in the senate, was nowhere to be see. A part of our democractic pop culture eroding already… 

The thing I missed most in Inaug 2007 and was possibly the most touching from Inaug 03 was the march of the Palmwine Drinkards club. For those who didn’t school in a Nigerian university, it is a college frat that is plain playful. You can imagine my shock when after army, boyscouts and other uniformed entities marched past the podium in review order, the motley crowd of palm wine drinkards also marched along. 

It was funny but touching as a recognition that democracy belonged to all and all belonged to democracy even palmy drinkers. I intentionally looked out for them today.

However there was no real march past the podium and no palmy boys. And I don’t think it had anything to do with Sharia. Just democracy taking a step back from the people.