Politics
The history of the White House
With the Presidential odds pointing in Joe Biden’s favour, it seems possible that Donald Trump might end up having to pack his bags and move out of Washington’s White House. Over the years, the White House has been a home to almost every US President who has served a term for their country, although it’s certainly received many facelifts since it was first built.
George Washington was the country’s first ever president, and ahead of his second term in the role, in 1791, he selected the site where the White House would be built. The cornerstone for the structure was laid by 1792, and soon after, a design submitted by Irish-born architect James Hoban was agreed upon. Washington never actually got the chance to live in the finished residence, as it wasn’t completed until after his death. The first president to occupy the White House was John Adams, alongside his wife Abigail, in 1800, after a lengthy eight years of construction.
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison served as presidents respectively, however a few years after Madison was elected, the War of 1812 began, and the British set fire to the White House in 1814. Once these fires were put out, James Hoban was brought back in to rebuild the structure, ready for President James Monroe to move in by 1817. During Monroe’s administration, the house was further expanded – with the South Portico being constructed in 1824. Five years on, and President Andrew Jackson also oversaw an addition to the White House, the North Portico, which was built in 1829. During the latter half of the 19th century, there were even more proposals to significantly expand the President’s residence, as well as one that suggested building an entirely new house for future presidents to live in, but these plans never came to fruition.
By 1902, Theodore Roosevelt had been elected and subsequently began a major renovation of the White House. He went on to have the presidential offices relocated over to a newly constructed Executive Office Building, which is now known as the West Wing. Dubbed as the “Roosevelt renovation”, these plans were carried out by a famous New York architectural firm called McKim, Mead and White. President William Howard Taft was Roosevelt’s successor, as well as the man who had the globally recognised Oval Office originally constructed.
Almost 50 years on from Roosevelt’s overhaul renovation, the White House began to look a little worse-for-wear, showing signs of structural weakness. President Harry S. Truman was in office at the time, and decided to order yet another major renovation, in which the entire inside of the building was dismantled and reconstructed. Finally, by 1952, the work was complete and the Truman family could move back into the White House.
Since John Adams came into office, every US President that’s followed has lived in the White House, and made their own adjustments along the way. The White House holds the purpose of not only the home of the current president and his family, but also a museum of American history.
Quick facts:
- The White House needs 570 gallons of paint to cover the entirety of its outside surface.
- The White House has previously been known as the “President’s Palace”, the “President’s House” and the “Executive Mansion”.
- President Roosevelt is the one who originally gave the White House its name, in 1901.
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
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