Buhari and His Age

Getting old is not entirely a bad thing. As the saying implies age is like fine wine. Age is associated with experience and wisdom. At a certain age one begins to have a better view on society and life. At some point, age starts to tell on you with physical and mental effect, but it is also dependent on your state of health.

· Does Nigeria need an old President?

Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari, aged 79, in an interview stated that the effect of age is telling on him and the effect of working seven hours a day is gruesome. I was taken aback by that statement and this has started the age debate in my head. I believe with the challenges facing Nigeria, we need a president that can be thinking for 24 hours and not one that complains about a seven- hour shift.

Nigeria is currently faced with myriads of challenges like high unemployment rate, lackluster economic prospects, inflationary pressures and other sundry issues and in all honesty seven hours shift is too small for such challenges. Solving the unemployment problems requires round the clock reviews and checks. It is important to note that a president in his 70s for a country with a median age of less than 20 is a misnomer.

In 2023 we should ask ourselves: do we want to go through this age conundrum again or we want effective and unparalleled service delivery for Nigeria PLC? In some months from now, aspirants will emerge. I think it is time to bring up the age debate again and ask critical questions. I want Nigeria to be run effectively.

· Rufai Oseni, rufaioseni@gmail.com