Akufo-Addo: I’m Certain History Will Be Kind to Buhari

  Two biographies on Nigerian President presented

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo of Ghana has spoken glowingly of his Nigerian counterpart, President Muhammadu Buhari, expressing optimism that history will be very kind to him.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday as Special Guest of Honour at the Public Presentation and Launch of two biographies written about the life and times, as well as leadership experience of President Buhari, President Akufo-Addo assured the Nigerian leader that history will be kind to him.

His words: “As leaders, we all have our high and low moments, but I have no doubt that posterity will be kind to Muhammadu Buhari.”

Akufo-Addo, who took time to highlight some of the achievements of President Buhari, whom he noted shared a similar experience in the journey to the Presidency with him, however said Africa and the world would miss his leadership when he leaves office on May 29, 2023.

President Akufo-Addo, while eulogising President Buhari for providing model leadership for Nigeria and other regional and international organisations that he had been tasked to lead, particularly noted how he tamed the Boko Haram menace. 

According to him, “The efforts President Buhari has made to defeat the scourge of Boko Haram, a process which is still ongoing are also testimonies of his determination to establish full normalcy and security in Nigeria.

“His tentacles extended beyond Nigeria; Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS; Chairperson of the Gulf of Guinea Commission; ECOWAS Chairman in the coordination of the fight against COVID-19, among several others, and in all of these, he has spared no effort to ensure the successful execution of the objectives of his office.

“Likewise, through the launch of today’s biographies, the story of President Muhammadu Buhari, a man who made such a great effort to change Nigeria for good, is being told by those who’ve had the opportunity to see for themselves at firsthand, from the beginning of his mandate as a democratically elected president, to his last days in office, the highs and lows of his tenure thus far. From what I have read and know, the life of Muhammadu Buhari has been truly an amazing story.

“The works the President Buhari has done in helping to diversify Nigerian agriculture and thereby enhancing significantly agricultural productivity, reviving the economy and ensuring consistently fast rates of growth. These developments, for me, have vindicated the choice of Nigerians, which I believe enabled continuity in office for the APC, through President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.“You can imagine the excitement in the ranks of the NPP with the victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, about the prospects of a third term agenda for the NPP, what we in NPP call ‘breaking the eight’.

“President Buhari, we will miss you. West Africa, Africa, and indeed, the world will miss your leadership, the leadership of a military ruler, turned consummate democrat, who’s extremely solicitous of Nigerian and African interests and who sought for principles in all decisions which he took.

“I’m yet to have a book written about me, let alone author one myself. I have some 19 months to leave office and I guess I have to take a cue from my senior and hope the books will give about me.”

The two books; ‘State of Repair: How Muhammadu Buhari Tried to Change Nigeria for Good’, written by Antony Goldman and ‘The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, written by Senator Abu Ibrahim, were reviewed by the former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Professor Abubakar Sadeeque Abba respectively.

The highlight of the ceremony was the realisation of about N500 million at the presentation of the books by the dignitaries at the event, led by the Co-Launchers, the Chairman of the BUA Group, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu and Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam.

After the unveiling of the books by the Ghanaian President, various guests at the event launched them, bringing the money generated to over N500 million.

The donors include Chairman of BUA Group, Rabiu, who blazed the trail with the sum of N200 million, followed by the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, who launched with the sum of N100 million to obtain copies of both books just as Muhammed Idimi also bought copies of the two books for N100 million.

The President-elect and the Vice President-elect, Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima obtained copies for a combined sum of N40 million.

Besides the President-elect, who was represented by the Vice-President-elect, Senator Shettima, other dignitaries at the event included the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC); Senator Abdullahi Adamu; Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, among others.