’800 METERES’ THE PRESIDENTIAL TREK
Mr Adeniyi Osas have you heard of the historic great trek? Sir, is it the great trek that took place in South Africa? Far from that I am talking about the 800 metres trek of the number one citizen of Nigeria. In the euphoria of the Sallah celebration Mr President embarked on a festive visit to Daura his home town. He decided to take a break from the norm thus, after the close of the prayers and in an unusual fashion he shelved the idea of riding home in his exquisite motorcade and decided to take a walk from the praying ground to his house which is said to be 800 metres long.
During the presidential walk the traditional thunderous cheers of ‘Sai Baba’ from the good people of Daura filled the air. The supporters were elated with joy, the president’s smile and hand gestures showed equal reciprocity in terms of appreciation and happiness. The president truly enjoyed the walk as it enabled him to interact closely with the people. He was so close to the people he could almost feel their heartbeat as he walked majestically to his house. It looked more like a fashion show in Milan or Paris as the people watched with great admiration.
Hmmm; Sir you made mention of closer interaction with the people during the ensuing walk is interaction the cogent reason behind the walk? Well Osas for Mr President to shun the customary waving and acknowledgement of cheers from supporters from the comfort of his car it is a diplomatic means of communication and interaction and a way of telling the people that he is one of them regardless of the privileges at his disposal or position. It is also plausible that there may be other reasons for this particular walk. Lest we forget, there have been ongoing debates about the health of Mr President especially since his decision to seek re-election in 2019. The image makers and inner circles of the number one citizen have said countless time that Mr President is ready and very fit. The presidency also reiterated how fit the president is after the famous 800 metres walk.
Do you think some metres walk should be used as a yardstick for good health especially with the ever demanding nature of governance in Nigeria? Well Mr Adeniyi the answer to this your question is neither here nor there and it is not definitive in my opinion. But I will say that for a man above 70 to walk in such a fashion he is certainly telling you he is ready for the job ahead. Considering his age and if the claim of his physical fitness is positive what about his mental fitness? On that, I certainly feel we need more than a walk to prove the mental fitness for any individual including you and I. therefore I feel it is discriminatory in nature if we single the number one citizen for continuous medical check if we don’t extend it to other political office holders and seekers. We have seen younger political leaders making decision and statements that even suggest that the so called mental test should be carried out on all persons seeking to lead Nigerian people. Don’t also forget that before you declare someone unfit you need to have their medical records and there must be a clear judgement by medical experts with regard to the mental status of an individual. However, Mr President’s bold walk seems more like a commercial advertisement for Johnnie walker. Nevertheless, and on a more serious note I still feel that president Mohammadu Buhari (GCFR) is very patriotic and desirous of the betterment of the Nigerian project but his ability to do so is what I don’t know. Also I cannot state with strong affirmation if he is a great economic administrator.
Why even the dust about 800 metres walk? Nigerians walk several metres daily so why emphasize this trek like it is an achievement for the government. It is far from been a tangible achievement for the Nigerian people although it can be classified as a miscellaneous record for the image makers of the president as the project him positively for democratic showdown in 2019. To me, this 800 metres presidential trek/walk is a wakeup call and a lesson for all Nigerians because if the president can walk that long there should be nothing stopping all Nigerians from trekking more than 800 metres and making efforts in getting their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC’S) if that is the case. We should also endeavour to vote credible political leaders at all level of government. Your vote remains your loudest verdict in a democracy.
‘if you don’t have anybody under you to lead then lead yourself positively the society will be better for it’
Long live Nigeria and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

KELECHI CHINAKA is knowledge contributor in national and international affairs feel free to contact me via kelechinaka@gmail.com your questions, opinions and criticisms will be greatly appreciated.