By Yemi Yusuf
Just over two weeks to the inauguration of a new President, President Muhammadu Buhari has vacated the apartment he has occupied in the last eight years and moved into the Glass House at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The move was necessary to ensure that the official residence of the incoming president is renovated and kept spit and span before May 29 when President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu moves into the premises.
The iconic Glass House has served as a transitional abode for the outgoing president and his spouse during the handover period. It provides a convenient place for the departing president to reside as he prepares to hand over power.
Moving into the Glass House is also symbolic of the end of an era and psychologically prepares the First Family for the time when they finally move out of Aso Rock altogether. Traditionally, the place is smaller and is expected to house only the President and his immediate family as most of the people living with him would have left the Villa by the time.
Aisha Buhari who received the incoming First Lady, Remi Tinubu at the Villa today said she would be living in the Glass House alone with her husband. She expressed the hope that the Glass House will continue to be part of the routine of transition.
Mrs Buhari who showed the video of Senator Tinubu’s visit on her Instagram Page could be seen taking the incoming First Lady around various places in the Villa and explaining the history and significance of these areas like a tour guide.
Both ladies were accompanied by officials and appeared to have enjoyed the experience. Mrs Buhari commented: “I have taken the incoming First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, around. She has seen the main house; we are now at the popular glass house. Glass house is a transitional home for the outgoing president.
“I’m advising that the Glass House should maintain its tradition of being a transition for the outgoing president. As I am talking to you now, I am residing here with my husband. Only two of us here, I think it should remain so as a norm of the institution and of the house,” she said after the visit.
In response, Mrs Tinubu who hoped that the first family will continue to avail her and her husband with their experience said she was grateful that the First Lady had so graciously and magnanimously taken her round the premises. She prayed that God will make her and her husband’s stay in the villa a rewarding one.
“I have gone around. She has magnanimously shown me around the house. And graciously explained a lot of things to me which is quite a short time and overwhelming for me to grasp. but I believe God will help me to be able to make an impactful contribution to the nation.”
The tour of the Glass House serves to prepare the minds of Nigerians for the next transition and the reality of the change of guard at the most powerful residence in the country.
The easy camaraderie between the two ladies also underlined the kind of cooperation that exists between both families and the seamless manner that the touch is passed from one political epoch to another.
