Recently, the son of President Muhammadu Buhari by the name Yusuf Buhari wedded his beautiful bride Zahra who is the daughter of Nasir Ado-Bayero the Emir of Bichi. The high societal wedding took place in Kano State. The wedding was attended by various dignitaries especially politicians who came to celebrate with the couple.
Amongst the politicians in attendance at the wedding was Chief Fani-Kayode (FFK) who is known to be a strong critic of President Buhari and the present administration.
However, for some Nigerians and social media users, the meeting of Chief Fani-Kayode and the current minister of communication Mr. Isa Pantami came as a surprise because Chief Fani-Kayode has in the past strongly criticized the minister of communication with very severe words. So for most Nigerians, how is it that they are both shaking hands and smiling at the wedding.
These pictures of Fani-Kayode and Mr. Isa Pantami generated lots of comments and reactions on social media.
To this, Chief Fani-Kayode has just taken to his verified Twitter account to justify his meeting with Mr. Isa Pantami. He wrote a long Twitter thread and gave reasons why people shouldn’t criticize him for deciding to attend the wedding and even snap pictures with Mr. Isa Pantami.
However, after I carefully read the tweets of Chief Fani-Kayode, I came to understand that there are four things he said that should be a lesson to Nigerians.
1. I took a picture with a fellow Nigerian, friend, and brother.
This statement by Chief Fani-Kayode makes me understand that despite our cultural and ethnic differences, we are all Nigerians. It is beautiful in our ethnic diversity and as such we should always relate with every Nigerian no matter the persons’ tribe or ethnic group.
2. It does not move me and nothing changes it.
This is also a strong statement by Chief Fani-Kayode. This implies that people’s comments and reactions should not be the basis of how we relate to other people. Our modern world is characterized by social media validation, but his response to his critics has shown that he was fully aware of what he did and as such, he does not care what people are saying.
3. We may not agree on everything.
Chief Fani-Kayode in his tweet also made it clear that irrespective of meeting Mr. Isa Pantami, they may still not agree on everything. This is a clear message for Nigerians to understand that as a persons’ friend, you may not agree with everything the person says. It also points to the fact that you can criticize a person’s opinion or statement and still be friends with the person.
4. Isa Pantami and I are now friends, and we will remain friends.
This statement by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode is a message of love and forgiveness to Nigerians. This shows that both of them have forgotten the past and probably Mr. Isa Pantami has forgiven him of his utterances and they are now friends. This also shows that forgiveness is a virtue that needs to be frequently practiced.
In summary, the meeting of Chief Fani-Kayode and Mr. Isa Pantami at the wedding of President Buhari’s son should go a long way to teach Nigerians that politics should not be about hate and bitterness. Even when you do not agree with the policy of statements of a politician, it shouldn’t make you hate the politicians. The wedding which had in attendance politicians of different political parties should be a lesson that politics shouldn’t destroy family ties and community bonds. Chief Fani-Kayode has shown that there is life outside politics as he met with Mr. Isa Pantami at the wedding.
9Naija 