Nearly two months after the abduction of little children and their teachers from different schools in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria, the world is shocked that the acclaimed MOTHER of the nation and wife of the president, PASTOR Remi Tinubu has not said a word about the incident.
But some may dare ask, why is her reaction or comment so special or important? It is special because of what she represents- she is a woman who passed through the pains of childbirth and can testify to what it is like to keep a baby in the womb for nine months and then deliver amidst many uncertainties.
Secondly, by her position, she is the primus interpares among all Nigerian women and ought to be their mouthpiece whenever anything touches the core of their being.
She is also a pastor in Christendom who mounts the hallowed altar to preach compassion, empathy, love, truth, etal. In essence, she is expected to mirror the character and image of God at all times and in all circumstances, as she would expect of the congregation she normally preaches to.
But the Orire incident has exposed the president’s wife as being neither a woman, a mother, nor even a pastor because she has not displayed any attribute that could qualify her as one of the foregoing.
As a woman, the pain of the mother of the little children who have not seen their children for nearly two months ought to be a burden upon her, and the world should see it on her.
She is supposed to be out there leading advocacy for the safety of the child and putting pressure on the security agencies to be on top of their game to ensure the quick and safe release of the children.
The supposed mother of the nation ought to have visited the wife of the beheaded teacher and other families whose children and loved ones are of the kidnapped victims to show care and share in their sorrow.
She is supposed to have used her privileged position in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) where she is ordained a pastor to declare a national prayer and fasting even if it is only within the RCCG family to seek the face of God for the safe return of the kidnapped children and other victims and for the rampant killings and kidnapping in the country to abate.
But alas, our dear First Lady has given herself off as one whose heart is made of steel, devoid of the tenderness, compassion and empathy often found in most women occupying such similar positions.
When the Chibok kidnapping happened during the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, then First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan quickly reached out to parents of the students and invited them over to Aso Rock. She sympathised with them and broke down on live television, crying, ‘there is God oo’.
Even if that was all she could do, Nigerians and the world saw genuine concern of a mother, and the families of the kidnapped students also saw that she felt their pain.
But here we have a diametrically opposed scenario, of our first lady who never looked sober for once, even if in pretence! In fact, the First Family as a whole never treated the Orire saga as something that is deserving of them to pause and ponder awhile.
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They are more preoccupied with how to perfect the racket that will catapult them back to Aso Rock in 2027 without a shred of opposition.
And while many Nigerians are wondering what manner of a mother the first lady is over her attitude to the fate of the kidnapped children, she came out of the blues with her sic, ‘globally’ accepted best way to empower the citizens -the Akara-Kwilikwili-Corn syndrome.
For her, anyway, she would consider such oddity as scoring the bull’s eye if only it would divert attention away from the unresolved Oyo kidnap saga for which she is being put on the spot.
