It wasn’t too difficult to understand why there was a seeming disorder on the opposite lane of the road. The sudden appearance of commercial motorcycle operators (popularly known as okada riders) on Oladipo Diya Road, Apo District told the story. The story of Nigeria’s change of power from Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammadu Buhari was evidently on display in the brooms (symbol of Buhari’s APC party) firmly secured to their motorcycles alongside miniature Nigerian flags. Even as they mounted their motorcycles to give onlookers mini-stunts, there was, no doubt, plenty of goodwill for the new president.

For Elizabeth Tobias, her quiet Abuja was being turned on its head. “The alhajis are in town,” she says, in-between forced smiles. And adds: “I went shopping, and for a minute, it looked like, we were in a northern city and not Abuja.” Tobias’ more than 10 years sojourn in the city gives her some leverage to understand the near neutrality of Nigeria’s capital. But for the taxi and tricycle drivers, her perceptions didn’t matter. They reveled in the day – folk body-painted in Nigeria’s national colours, hung out from windows. The Sai Baba era had indeed begun.

It wasn’t too difficult to understand why there was a seeming disorder on the opposite lane of the road. The sudden appearance of commercial motorcycle operators (popularly known as okada riders) on Oladipo Diya Road, Apo District told the story. The story of Nigeria’s change of power from Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammadu Buhari was evidently on display in the brooms (symbol of Buhari’s APC party) firmly secured to their motorcycles alongside miniature Nigerian flags. Even as they mounted their motorcycles to give onlookers mini-stunts, there was, no doubt, plenty of goodwill for the new president.

For Elizabeth Tobias, her quiet Abuja was being turned on its head. “The alhajis are in town,” she says, in-between forced smiles. And adds: “I went shopping, and for a minute, it looked like, we were in a northern city and not Abuja.” Tobias’ more than 10 years sojourn in the city gives her some leverage to understand the near neutrality of Nigeria’s capital. But for the taxi and tricycle drivers, her perceptions didn’t matter. They reveled in the day – folk body-painted in Nigeria’s national colours, hung out from windows. The Sai Baba era had indeed begun.

Source: http://www.bancall.ng/relics-of-an-inauguration-day/