Trump Presidency – I wished for it

By Joseph Edgar… As I sat alone in my London Hotel room monitoring the results and alarm that it was generating, I smiled to myself. Trump was going against all odds, he was taking out the preferred and most qualified candidate Hilary Clinton. The markets were going gaga, the Mexican currency was losing value as the results were coming in. By this time it had dropped 3% and would hit 9% by the time the results fully came in.

 

By 5pm when I had to start getting ready to catch a flight back to Nigeria, the possibility of a Trump Presidency was staring at us in the face. I knew it would play this way, I expected it and I prayed for it.

 

What are the implications for us in Nigeria. This tumultuous world event will touch us in three ways. It will show us how strong democratic institutions can be, it will show us how to strategise and map a campaign and much more importantly, it will affect our economy positively.

 

The first, which is democratic institutions. You see the way the system could not stop popular vote. The establishment even within the Republican Party were firmly against this candidate and they did all possible to stop him, including withdrawing their support, campaigning against him but still stopped shortt of using the system and its institutions to fight him. They simply could not do it. The results could not be cancelled, the courts remained silent because issues did not even get there, ballots could not be stuffed, there was no godfather buying votes and making decisions on behalf of the American people thereby causing problems that would lead to a stalemate. The institution and system worked perfectly grinding meticulously towards an end game that nobody wanted and could do nothing against. All the ‘fight’ began and ended on the soap box but no attempt was made to manipulate the process. Our leaders should learn from this and try to replicate. It can be done because even those of us who migrate from ‘funny’ countries get there and fall in line so I see no reason why we cannot replicate these processes in our own clime saving us all the stress of rigging and its attendant wahala.

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Secondly, the strategy for Trump was clear. He had to rail against establishment for he could see the anger of the silent majority. The white middle class male who populated mid America were angry. Economically disenfranchised, cut off from the champagnes lace streets of Washington, they had to make a statement. They needed their country back. Even the so called immigrants Clinton was pushing for were also not getting the very best of the American Dream so they also jumped icon the unlikely Trump Train. You see, even the Mormons in Utah who you would expect not to even look towards Trump gave him there votes. It’s the past economy stupid as Bill Clinton once said.

 

Trump realized this and went for it straight. The man on the street did not understand the positives of globalization all he saw was the fact that he no longer had a job, he was now living with strangers whose cousins were bombing his neighborhoods. He did not understand why he had to continue to turn the other cheeks. People were coming in and turning his culture in his head. They were covering their heads and forcing us to even stop saying the Lords Prayer in our schools all on the alter of political correctness. Trump ran on a populist platform and upended the entrenched system. What this tells you is the fact that once a campaign keys in to the core values and wants of the people no amount of rigging and establishment maneuvers can derail it. Obama proved it and Trump has shown us again. Buhari did it and I am sure any other serious candidate come 2019 can do it too. You do not need godfathers, you do not need illicit campaign funding the people will support you with their token and you will ride easily home.

 

Thirdly, the Obama government was really bad for our economy and that is the problem with Nigerians. We love symbolism too much. We all supported Clinton for the symbolism of the first woman to be president, Bill’s Wife and all such nonsense reasons forgetting to ask them how her Presidency will affect the economy and our national interest. Obama did not drop any foot soldier on any soil, he preferred to fight with drones and the airforce and this had its effect on oil prices. It killed it and also killed American prestige with Russia and maybe France taking leadership on world issues. For us here this drove us into the recession we are facing here with the collapsed oil prices and its attendant dislocation of our socio-economic institutions.

 

Trump Presidency is expected to upturn all that, if his electioneering boasts and systems checks allow it. He is expected to take the fight to the extremist and shore up security both within and outside of America this will have ample effect on oil prices. During the pacifist Obama reign, countries like Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and even ISIS resumed exporting oil which led to a major glut in its supply. I expect a reversal with Trumps attempt to restore world order with his often stated Isolationist stance towards world politics. A strong push against forces of retrogression, a strong military backing for protectionist policies especially the ones that impact against American interest should lead to a certain amount of global seismic activities which should shore up oil prices and then impact positively on our own economy.

 

So for me, this is the best that can happen to us as Nigerians. Let us stop in our usual ways the mundane and look at this thing as it affects our own National Interest.

Ripples Nigeria…without borders, without fears

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