USA Africa Dialogue Series - The Personalisation of the Presidency

The Personalisation of the Presidency

Why official birthday messages to public officers blur the line between the State and the individual

By *John Onyeukwu* | Lawyer, Governance and Social Impact Practitioner|

One quiet but revealing habit has taken root in Nigeria's presidential communication culture: the routine issuance of birthday messages by the Presidency to serving public officials. This practice did not begin with President Bola Tinubu. It started under President Muhammadu Buhari and has been carried over, almost by default, into the current administration.

On the surface, the gesture appears harmless, perhaps even courteous. But in constitutional democracies, symbolism is never trivial. The President speaks foremost as the embodiment of the State, not as a political associate or social well-wisher. Official recognition of personal milestones such as birthdays subtly personalises an office that is meant to remain institutional, restrained, and impersonal.

Global democratic practice is instructive. In mature systems, presidents and prime ministers do not publicly celebrate the birthdays of ministers, governors, or political allies in their official capacity. Where goodwill is expressed, it is done privately or through party structures, deliberately separated from the authority and symbolism of the State. The intent is clear: to preserve the impersonality of public office and avoid any perception of favour, hierarchy, or patronage among public servants.

Nigeria's context makes this distinction even more important. In a polity already burdened by personality driven governance and fragile institutions, such gestures reinforce a courtly culture, one where proximity to power is subtly elevated and institutional discipline is blurred. What begins as courtesy becomes symbolism, and symbolism, over time, shapes political behaviour.

This is not a question of legality. It is a question of institutional standards. That the practice began under one administration and continues under another suggests not design, but inertia, a failure to interrogate what is truly befitting of the Presidency in a constitutional republic.

A President best serves democracy not only through policy and performance, but through restraint. The dignity of the office is preserved when it speaks sparingly on personal matters and consistently on institutional purpose. The Presidency is not strengthened by personalisation; it is strengthened by distance, discipline, and fidelity to the idea of the State.

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John Onyeukwu
http://www.policy.hu/onyeukwu/

 http://about.me/onyeukwu
"Let us move forward to fight poverty, to establish equity, and assure peace for the next generation."
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