How protocol embarrassed Jonathan
Written by Okey Muogbo
Thursday, February 11, 2010
ACTING President Goodluck Jonathan could not get a triumphant entry into the Federal Executive Council (FEC) chambers meeting, on Wednesday, as the protocol officers did not usher him in, as was done to substantive presidents.
The acting president came into the meeting unannounced against the convention that the protocol officer should announce to the waiting cabinet members that the president had arrived, a call that instantly makes members to stand up to usher in the president.
In an apparent conflict of duty between the two protocol officers, the acting president was left to his own fate.
President Umaru Yar'Adua's protocol officer, Inuwa Baba, apparently relaxing that his own boss was not around, did not announce the arrival of Jonathan while the acting president's protocol officer, apparently not used to his new boss's position, also kept mum.
That was not the only embarrassment that heralded the first FEC meeting Jonathan would chair as acting president.
His protocol officer, instead of guiding him to the seat of the president, chose to usher him to the seat of the vice-president but he (Jonathan) promptly ignored him and went to the seat of the commander-in-chief.
As he made for the seat of the president, there was anger and surprise on the faces of some of the ministers, especially those who were known to have worked against Jonathan becoming acting president.
As expected, at 10.00 a.m. all the ministers were seated, as nobody wanted to test the might of the acting president. It was only Mr Aondoakaa who arrived at 10.19a.m. because he had gone to Jonathan's office for consultation. After Mr Aondoakaa had settled down, Chief Economic Adviser to Yar'Adua, Dr Tanimu Yakubu, went to meet him and the duo chatted. By 10.21 a.m. the acting president walked in.
From the pattern of interaction, before reporters left the chambers, it was obvious that Yar'Adua's men, especially Alhaji Sayydi Abba Ruma, Tanimu Yakubu and Mike Aondoakaa, had lost their influence as they were deserted by other ministers who in the past used to cluster around them to curry favour with them. Alhaji Ruma is the Minister of Agriculture.
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