President Muhammadu Buhari has explained why he will not miss the palatial Aso Rock presidential villa and the grandeur associated with it very much when his tenure of office expired on 29 May, 2023.
Speaking in a documentary produced to commemorate his 80th birthday on Friday evening, President Buhari said he will not miss the presidential villa because even now, he is facing harassment for various reasons, including claims that he has not lived up to expectations.
“Because I’m being harassed that my efforts to make the country better is not good enough and not appreciated by some people,” the president said in the documentary screed at the presidential villa, in an event tagged, “Celebrating A Patriot, A Leader, An Elder Statesman”.
“I wonder if I am going to miss much. I think I’m being harassed. I believe I’m trying my best but still, my best is not good enough.
“Because there are people around that think that they can intimidate me to get what they want instead of going through certain systems to earn whatever they want to earn and there are some people who want to be clever by half,’’ said the octogenarian ex-military Head of State from December 31, 1983, to mid-1985.
The President also responded to other issues in the documentary, including the claims that he has died and the person pretending to be him at the Aso rock presidential villa was one Jibril from Sudan.
The President who said the claim is not funny, however, described the rumor as one of the mischievous ways Nigerians usually use to explain themselves.
“They said I had died and the supposed body is ‘Jibril Aminu from Sudan’ and is the one occupying the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock; it is a joke that is not funny.
Some Nigerians have a way of creating humor to feast on something they do not understand.
“No, it is not funny because those who made those statements just want to be cheeky. They want to distract attention from the main issue.
“Our main issue is to do the infrastructure, make people aware that they need to work hard to live well. They just want to enjoy life without earning the respect of their community and so on.”
The President also spoke about his family, including why he insisted on a genotype test before his marriage to Aisha, his second wife.
The President said having lost two of his children from his late wife to Sickle Cell Anemia, when he wanted to remarry (to take Aisha as his wife) he insisted her genotype must be ‘’AA’’ so that children from her will not inherit the ‘S’ from his ‘AS’ genotype.
The event also featured tributes to the President from Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, serving and ex-governors, first-class monarchs, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, and the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
While proposing a toast to his principal, Osinbajo described Buhari as a forthright, good, kind man and an exemplary leader.
He said the President would be a “very good entertainer in retirement,’’ while recalling how he once stopped him from petitioning the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of corruption leveled against him.
Osinbajo said: “Mr. President is a very humorous man and I think he would make a very good career in entertainment one way or the other when he retires.
“One day, I went to him because they were some allegations that were made against me. And I was so angry, so I went to him to show him the letter I had written to the EFCC to investigate.
“He looked at it and looked at me and because he calls me VP or Professor depending on his mood.
“This time he said, ‘VP, why do you worry yourself about all these people. These people just make all sorts of allegations, they make all sorts of stories up even they are saying that I am about to get married again.
“And even some foolish people were waiting at the National Mosque, waiting for me to come and marry again.”
The Vice President further heaped praises on Buhari for “leading the nation with great courage, determination and commitment.’’
“I invite Your Excellences, ladies and gentlemen, to join me in proposing this toast to an exemplary leader, a forthright and honest man, a good and kind man, and a man who has led this country with great courage, determination and commitment for so many years.
“We pray that the almighty God will preserve his life for very many years to come and that he will live all of these many years in good health, peace, joy and with the love of all of our country men.”
In the same vein, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, commended the President for his commitment, dedication, patriotism and honesty.
“Mr President, you have done well for your country. Our nation has seen the difference, the leadership that you demonstrate.
“Like Charles De Gaulle of France, Franklin Roosevelt of America, Winston Churchill of Great Britain, you have served your country well.
“God will continue spare you to see the history as you want it for the country, the ship of this nation will be on the right course. You will live long to enjoy a nice evening of democracy that you brought about.
“When you talk of PVC, card reader, transparency and honesty in the electoral process like you did, we can only promise not to let you down. Enjoy 80 till you celebrate other birthdays.”
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ọjájá II, saluted President Buhari’s dedication and commitment to the growth of democracy while the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, believed that Buhari has “done a lot and the results will manifest much later after leaving office.’’
“He is a man of Integrity and transparency. I have been interacting with him for several years.”
The Emir of Kazaure called the President as Mr. Law and Order, who once denied him the opportunity of giving him a generator to make his job better as the Secretary of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund as he was using candlelight to work.
Former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, described the President as a man with impeachable character, a nationalist, a good listener, a man who loves his family and the country, Nigeria.
“He is a nationalist. He doesn’t think of himself, he is a contented human being.
“He is a man whom all of us even his adversaries will agree that this is a man with a flawless character, a man with a good heart, very compassionate, very committed and a good listener.
“Somebody that loves his family, Nigeria; he is a nationalist. President Muhammadu Buhari will always think about others. In his own little way and even in his humorous way, he will always not just think about himself.
“He is somebody that is not bothered about all these worldly things he is already a contented human being.”
Ebonyi Gov. David Umahi extolled Buhari as a detribalized person who meant well for the country.
“Let me say here that the President is a very highly detribalized personality. He is a man that loves this nation. Every time you meet him, he laments about the level of patriotism of our people.
“You will see a man that has passion for the people of this country, a man that loves every section of this country.
“We thank him for the miracle of the Second Niger bridge which is now facilitating the movement of people and goods to the Eastern part of the country this yuletide season,’’ Umahi, who defected from the PDP to APC in 2021, said.
The event was attended by members the Federal Executive Council, governors, family members of the President, captains of industry among others.
