The Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, drew mixed reactions on social media after he prostrated before President Bola Tinubu during the swearing-in ceremony on Monday.
Audu prostrated before Tinubu after taking his oath of office in the swearing-in event held in the state capital, Abuja.
Tinubu on Monday inaugurated the new ministers as members of the Federal Executive Council after swearing in 45 ministers cleared by the Senate.
Audu who is a native of Kogi State is one of 45 ministers who were inaugurated at the swearing event held at the Presidential Villa.
In the video, the minister prostrated before the President after signing the oath of service register and everyone cheered him on with a round of applause.
The video received mixed reactions from some Nigerians on the X (formerly Twitter) app, some hailing the act as a gesture of respect in the Yoruba culture, while others think otherwise.
Reacting to this, #masonsokun4real, said, “Na grace the guy get if na me I go do pass that one. I love to serve my country.”
Another X user, #RashwalRashwal, said, “That’s how a well-brought-up African appreciate when things worthy are bestowed to them. It is time for Audu to prove his worth in the Ministry of Steel… Kogi is blessed with abundant steel and other solid mineral resources. So Audu is positioned so right.”
While #Ayoappeal is of the opinion, “Nigerians and the culture of ‘hero worshipping’, respect is good but shouldn’t be this way in an official function but our people like oju aye. I will be keeping an eye on Shuaibu for his performance.”
And #ajaGunSEgun_ said, “He’s only showing appreciation for a given opportunity to share in the national cake, like other political elites in the past. So, you’re definitely part of the problem if you’re moved by this flimflam.
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“#OneNaijaPatriot wrote, “I was behind the wheels this afternoon listening to Naija FM 102.7 condemning two of the ministers prostrating and kneeling for the President while they were being sworn in. Seeing this video now makes me question the reasoning faculty of the Presenters of that Radio Station.”
#harunaibrahim said, “This clearly indicates that the selection process was not competency-based, but loyalty and Godfathers.”
#m_laweee said, “The guy is like a son to him, he was the son of Audu and you know how Audu was to Tinubu.”
#feyifrank wrote, “I don’t know what others feel about this but I see a sense of gratitude and appreciation on the face of the minister. To be considered for a position among this huge population of ours is not as easy as a lot of us might think regardless of our qualifications and competence.”
Credit: X | channelstv
