President Muhammadu Buhari, said despite so much effort on his part to make the country better, his best does not seem to be enough for some Nigerians.
He also said “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 they are some people who want to be clever,” Buhari said in a documentary played at a private dinner organised by his family and close associates to mark his 80th birthday on Friday night at the State House Banquet Hall.
Buhari also described as “not a funny joke,” claims by some Nigerians that presumed him to be long dead and replaced by a body double named ‘Jibril of Sudan.’
The President said the dark rumour was the handiwork of some mischief makers who thrive on what they do not understand.
In the documentary interview, Buhari responded to a question about the rumour saying, “Yes! People said I am somebody from Sudan. I didn’t bother with the name. Nigerians have mischievous ways of explaining themselves.”
Asked if he finds such allusions to be funny, he said, “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 and 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.”
While proposing a toast for the celebrant earlier, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo described Buhari as a forthright, kind man and an exemplary leader.
Citing the President’s “sense of humour,” Osinbajo said Buhari would make a good entertainer post-presidency.
He recalled how the President used jokes to calm him down and retract his intention to submit a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to investigate allegations of corruption levelled against him.
“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 there were some allegations 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 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,” he said.
Osinbajo eulogised Buhari for leading the nation with “great courage and commitment,” saying “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.
There were also goodwill messages from traditional rulers, such as the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, Emir of Kazaure, Najib Adamu and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
In attendance were the governors of Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu; Katsina, Aminu Masari; former Ekiti state Governor, Kayode Fayemi; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; cabinet members, family members, captains of industry including Chairman of AriseTV and the Thisday Group, Nduka Obaigbena, among others.
