The world stood still for Donald Trump Friday, as he was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America. From whatever perspectives one looks at it, the billionaire businessman made history. Here was a man who no man gave a chance, yet he came like a shot from nowhere and upset all political calculations in history to emerge President of the most powerful nation on earth.
Trump was a lone ranger, rejected by both partymen and co-contestants in the race. Unfazed, he moved on, trumping every opposition. Forecasts did not favour him but his ‘can do’ spirit would not let him look back. He was not bothered about public perception of him. His stinging tongue was unrestrained, as he fired back at all critics, making controversial statements that were capable of derailing the ambition of any candidate. But Trump was not just any candidate. He was on divine assignment to recover America from interlopers.
For long, especially under the outgoing Barack Obama administration, strange gods invaded God’s Own Country. Abortionists took over the land. Homosexuality and lesbianism came to the forecourt. A lot of ungodly policies held sway. And so, I perceive, God, who ‘uses the foolish things to confound the wise,’ decided to use a maverick like Trump to cleanse the land. He was an avant-garde; he was not a perfect choice but he was God’s choice and God can use just anything to accomplish his purpose. As a matter of fact, when God wants to send someone on an assignment, He does not look for a saint, He looks for availability. Trump was available despite his flaws and God used him. He fought his electoral battles alone with God on his side when even his partymen rejected him. And today, he is in the saddle despite the protests and Hillary Clinton’s hurting shenanigans.
The lesson from Trump’s trumping of the mendacious Obama and the gang is that nobody, as they say, should allow his background to put his back on the ground. Trump bore controversial baggage, some real or mostly contrived, but he kept his eyes on the ball until he slotted it inside the net. However, all eyes are now on Trump to justify his emergence as the most powerful man on earth today. He should moderate his views and be more temperate like a true statesman. He should not play into the hands of his political enemies who may have laid landmines for him and would not hesitate to invoke impeachment against him so as to have their pound of flesh.
Trump should not forget he is on a rescue mission to redeem the soul of America from godlessness, as promoted by his predecessor. Already, he has reportedly removed all vestiges of gay and transgender rights from the White House website, a good starting point to reclaiming God’s Own Country from the Satanists. Yes, his assignment is basically ‘America first,’ but oppressed peoples across the globe, including Nigeria, look up to him to use his exalted office to address injustices meted to them by taskmasters and blood guzzlers. And, of course, he must stand in defence of God’s covenant nation, Israel, and God will be kind to his regime. Doing otherwise would make him an enemy of God, a gamble too risky to contemplate.
Here’s wishing Donald Trump an eventful tenure.
The jamming of Jammeh
I can’t help laughing. Recalcitrant Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia has told the world why he ‘relinquished’ power. The boy-soldier, who shot his way to power 22 years ago had successfully manipulated the system, successfully transmuting from a military coupist to a democratic despot while the people moped in awkward bemusement. When his long-filled cup overflowed, he so trusted his fake invincibility that, for once, he allowed free polls on December 1, 2016. The Gambian people did not misuse the golden opportunity; they quickly mobilised and gave him the red card.
Dazed by the outcome of the election, Jammeh called his nemesis, Adama Barrow, and congratulated him. As usual, he spoke in the name of Allah, making out like he was a pious man whereas the world knew that his penchant to clutching the Quran and a sword and using the name of Allah was clear deceit. Jammeh was to later reject the result of the election and he vowed to cling to power. All diplomatic shuttles by West African leaders failed to convince him to vacate office. The Mauritanian President tried, too, but failed also, leading to the deployment of soldiers from the Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS) to the Gambia to jam Jammeh and force him out militarily. Jammeh remained adamant, even when a lot of his officials, ministers and his Vice President resigned.
However, Barrow was sworn in on January 19, 2017, inside the Gambian embassy in Senegal. Realising that the ECOWAS soldiers were, indeed, ready to deal with him, chicken-hearted Jammeh caved in for the end had eventually come. Therefore, it rankles to common sense to hear Jammeh talk about relinquishing power, when he was actually forced out.
For all of 22 years, Jammeh maximised and personalised power and ruled the people with an iron fist. He was ruthless, clamping opponents into illegal detention, hiring and firing people at a whim as well as going as far as killing critics, thereby inflicting severe fear on the psyche of the people. Such a tyrant should not be aided to evade justice. Therefore, negotiating for Jammeh to go on exile, even begging him, was most uncharitable. Jammeh should have been better locked up in jail to answer for his excesses in government.
But then, this was a negotiation by African leaders who had no moral justification to condemn Jammeh because they are no better or even worse. Perhaps, that was why he felt aggrieved and ignored them because, all over Africa, there are other sit-tight leaders and those who reject electoral results like he had done and yet troops were not massed against them. Rather, they are mooting an exodus from the International Criminal Court to escape justice after their atrocities against humanity. Well, Africa must purge itself of the Jammeh syndrome, if the continent wants to be taken seriously. This kind of step against Jammeh is most welcome, but it must not be one-off. Other Jammehs across Africa must be given the same treatment, even if such happens in Nigeria, supposedly ‘giant of Africa.’ Otherwise, Jammeh and his tiny West African state would have been treated unfairly.