Exactly 35 days to his inauguration on May 29, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, arrived in Nigeria after a one-month rest in France. Tinubu left the country for France on Tuesday, March 21 to rest and plan the transition programme ahead of his inauguration on May 29. His Media Office had in a statement in March, explained that he traveled to France to rest and plan his transition programme after a very exhaustive campaign and election season.

According to the statement, the president-elect decided to take a break after the hectic campaign and election season to rest in Paris and London, preparatory to going to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah (Lesser Hajj) and the Ramadan Fasting. The statement also added that while away, the president-elect would also use the opportunity to plan his transition programme.“He has directed all the senior aides and campaign staff to also go and observe a short rest.” The reported further noted.

On his return to the country, the president-elect is expected to hit the ground running to address
certain issues that would ensure effective take-off of his government on inauguration on May 29.
One of such issues is the zoning of National Assembly leadership which has polarised the two
chambers of the parliament along regional and religious lines. While the South-west may yet emerge as the new kingmakers, the current kingmakers, the North-west, is seeking compensation in the new dispensation for delivering the highest votes to the president-elect.

To this end, the incoming lawmakers from the zone have eyes on the Senate President, a development, which is bringing them on a collision with their colleagues from both the South- east, who are of the opinion that they’re being deliberately sidelined, and the South-south, who are the power house of the national asset. The emergence of a Senate President from the North-west would create a Muslim Senate President, which would be unacceptable to the South-east and the South-south, given the fact that both the president-elect and the vice president-elect are Muslims.

The president-elect is also expected to use the next 35 days to assembly a competent team that
will form his cabinet to ensure smooth takeoff after his inauguration. It took President Muhammad Buhari roughly six months to form a cabinet after his inauguration on May 29, 2015 and it is expected that Tinubu will hope to avoid making a similar mistake. The president-elect will also face the task of ensuring that there is social cohesion by initiating a healing process that will unify Nigerians. Currently, Nigerians are bitterly divided along tribal and religions lines. One of the ways he will start the healing process is by ensuring that there is equity and fairness in the zoning of the principal offices in the National Assembly.

Another major challenge facing Tinubu on his return is how to handle the removal of petrol subsidies, without hurting the organised labour. The labour unions have given stringent conditions for the removal of subsidy. The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which came into effect in 2022, provides for it’s removal, but
the implementation of this aspect of the legislation was suspended for 18 months, which expires in June.
Mr. Tinubu had earlier, during his campaign, vowed to phase out fuel subsidies, and now, how he handles it without creating labour crisis, is yet another task that he will have to map out in the coming weeks before his inauguration.

Tinubu’s return: tasks ahead for President-elect

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