Since the emergence of President (General) Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, the subject of the president’s birthday has been a topic of controversy. Some have asserted that the president is quite older than his reported age and statisticians may also have had a hard time reconciling the age of the president with his past records, but there were more important nuggets which came forth from the president marking his birthday on December 17.
Read more about President Muhammadu Buhari
On his health, the president threw subtle jibes at those who are not blessed with good health. Though he may have forgotten too soon the myriad medical trips abroad at taxpayer’s expense, but he still maintained that he felt good about his health at the age of 77. Reflexively, he asserts that many folks his age are already on crutches, “but I am walking on my two feet”.
While fielding more questions from reporters after receiving some of his aides and close friends at the presidential villa in Abuja in commemoration of his 77th birthday, the president said that the system of government currently being practiced in the country is “too slow for my liking”.
Particularly, Buhari said:
“Well, like I said, I have learned in the hard way. When I came in uniform, I collected those who were leading, took them to Kirikiri and told them they were guilty until they could prove themselves innocent, I put based on almost all the geopolitical zones committees to investigate them.
In the wake of the summary trials of the likes of Sheikh El-Zakzaky, Sambo Dasuki, Omoyele Sowore and other journalists who are being detained illegally, the president’s comment that he locked suspects up in Kirikiri in 1985, pending their trial, reflected that he still has a military mindset.
Furthermore, the president said:
“Those that were found to have lived beyond their means, the balance was taken and given to the states. But I myself was arrested, detained and they were given back what they had stolen. So, this system which is supposed to be more accountable is too slow for my liking, but I have to follow it.”
The most important part of that utterance by the president is that he said he will obey and follow the system of democracy as laid down by the constitution.
The president did not stop at that, he said further;
“I think I come to accept the realities of leadership in Nigeria, you can only try, it is a terrific country, no matter what you do, there are people on daily basis that look for your faults and go to the press, so you have to learn to live by that.”
In the end, President Buhari seems to have accepted the fact that no matter how hard he tries, people will always find fault in his administration.
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The president also reiterated his commitment to electoral reforms when he mentioned that:
“What I want to promise Nigerians that I will work very hard on is free and fair election… I will make sure, using the law enforcement agencies that elections are free and fair, nobody uses his office or his resources to force himself on his constituency.”
With all of the president’s comments, looking at the bright side of things, Nigerians may want to expect a better 2020 from Buhari’s term while holding him accountable to all the promises he has relayed verbatim. Going forward, his words cannot be minced with gaffes from his aides come 2020.
Source:
The Cable
Featured Image Source: Persecond News
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