Why Osinbajo attended Museveni’s inauguration

Some commentators have expressed concern about the recent trip Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made to Kampala to attend the sixth-term inauguration of President Yoweri Museveni. They argue that since the Ugandan leader had been in office since 1986, first as a military leader who seized power through a bloody coup, and has been governing the country badly, Nigeria should have boycotted the event.

A columnist with The Punch, Tunde Odesola, wrote that the VP “crash-landed like Humpty Dumpty under the weight of lawlessness” for attending the event. Mr Odesola went on to state that the VP applauded Museveni as”a democratically elected President’’. Prof Osinbajo never made such a statement. Apart from the usual pleasantries and courtesies routinely extended to foreign dignitaries at such occasions, Yemi Osinbajo did not make any speech. I just wonder why Odesola had to make up that part of his article. For what purpose? Such silly and illogical comments and fabrications are the reason some Nigerian writers have lost their leverage, respect and influence in recent years. Many of our opinion writers these days do not exhibit deep knowledge of the matter they comment on; and in place of balanced, well-informed and deep commentaries and analyses that we read in foreign journals, some Nigerian writers routinely resort to name-calling and insults.

First of all, Professor Osinbajo did not go to Kampala on his personal capacity; neither did he attend the event as a friend or in-law to Museveni. The VP attended the inauguration as the head of the Nigerian delegation representing the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This means that for the few hours that he was in Uganda, Prof Osinbajo was representing President Buhari and the over 200 million people of this great country, with all the prestige and honour that go with our name. It is therefore a gratuitous insult to launch attacks at the person of the VP for carrying out a national duty. More so, I should note that the Nigerian government had never taken a decision to boycott the event or sever diplomatic relations with Uganda because of Museveni’s bad behavior.

Let me be clear, Yoweri Museveni is a good example of what is wrong in Africa. After 35 years of leading a murderous and dictatorial régime, both as a junta military leader and a civilian despot, the man has nothing to offer his impoverished East African country. The election last year in which the young opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi SSentamy, widely known by his stage name of Bobi Wine, was locked up in house arrest and denied fair chance in the race, showed Museveni’s unrelenting determination to sit tight in office. Together with Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Museveni represents the disappearing relics of ancient Africa; the Africa of Mbobutu, Ghaddafi, Abacha, Idi Amin and Bokassa! But as we all know, diplomatic relationships among nations abhor undue interference of one country in the internal affairs of another. That is why no country has rolled in tanks into Myanmar despite the draconian crackdown of the new military government there. But where such meddling in the affairs of a country is desirable, it is done under the multilateral banner of the UN or the African Union. Remember how the AU authorized Nigeria to interfere in The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone to restore peace and order? So far, neither the UN Security Council nor the African Union has passed any resolution to punish Uganda or Museveni, its leader. That explains why the event was also attended by Presidents of several other African countries, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Guinea Conakry, South Sudan, Namibia, Ghana, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Third, I should also note that attending the inauguration of a leader of a foreign country does not necessarily tantamount to an endorsement of certain inimical practices of such a foreign leader. It is even more beneficial to use diplomatic engagements to mollify a bad leader. Nigeria enjoys a longstanding relationship with Uganda that supersedes current political leaders in both countries and would certainly outlast their respective foibles. Uganda supported the emergence of Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the WTO DG; Dr Akinwumi Adesina as the AfDB President and Prof Benedict Oramah as the President of Cairo-based AFREXIM Bank. Nigeria will need a broad continental support in our quest for the membership of the UN Security Council and other leadership of other global organizations. Even managing our security challenges and other continental responsibilities like the recharging of Lake Chad, control of the flows of small arms and reversing of irregular migration across the Mediterranean, our country will always rely on the goodwill of African countries. It was therefore right for President Buhari to send the Vice President to Kampala. Our size, resources and prestige bestow on us a leadership role in the continent. Our country should be proud of its investments in Africa, ranging from our untold contributions to the freedoms of South Africa and the erstwhile frontline states to our contributions to peacekeeping under the banner of the UN. We spent billions of dollars and lost thousands of soldiers to restore peace in Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. Within the ECOWAS sub region, our country is admired, adored and respected for its stabilizing roles in some troubled neighbours. But Leadership entails a delicate balancing act. You embrace your friends openly, but whisper the need for them to change their bad habits privately. Nigeria therefore has a responsibility to privately reprimand the some African leaders who are still steeped in the old traditions without jeopardizing the need for sustaining mutually beneficial friendships.

In conclusion, I want to say that Yemi Osinbajo deserves our collective respect and admiration for his service to Nigeria. His personal and official conducts have been stellar. His sterling contributions to the Buhari administration and deep loyalty the President have been very impressive, especially in these trying times when supporters of the government, including some Ministers and heads of government’s agencies, have retracted from speaking for the government. I commend the VP for being the most visible face of the administration, come rain, come sunshine.

Etim, a journalist, lives in Abuja