Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has said that God has been kind to him by giving him the opportunity to serve as the leader of Nigeria twice.
The President made the declaration on Friday, when he hosted a delegation of residents of the Federal Capital Territory Community on Sallah homage at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President Buhari, who had served the nation as military Head of State from December 1983 to August 1985, is currently serving a second tenure as a democratically elected President, from May 2015 to culminate on May 29, 2023.
He said: “Having been a Governor, a Minister of Petroleum and a President twice, I think God has given me an incredible opportunity to serve the country and I thank God for that.
“So please, whoever thinks that there has been some form of injustice on him, we are all human, there is no doubt, I’ve hurt some people, I wish they will pardon me and those who think I have hurt them so much, please pardon me.”
The President said he can’t wait to go home after eight years of being in the saddle of governing the country.
He thanked the residents of Abuja for tolerating him in the last seven and half years.
“I can’t wait to go home. I deliberately arranged to be as far away as possible from you people not because I don’t appreciate the love you have shown me but because I think I have got what I have asked for and I will quietly retire to my home town in Daura.
“Daura is safe enough. In spite of technology, it is not easy to go to Daura, which is just a few kilometres to Niger Republic. So, I will quietly be sitting there and if I hear pim….I will just move to Niger Republic,” he said jokingly.
Speaking earlier, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello, who led the delegation, poured encomiums on President Buhari for giving Nigeria the desired leadership since 2015 when he assumed office.
“This year, we want to thank you most sincerely for approving that we come with a very large delegation considering that this is the last opportunity that most of the people in this hall will be able to meet you at close quarters, taking into account that by the grace of God almighty within the next six weeks you are going to conclude a very successful and highly productive two tenures as President of the country.
“We use the opportunity to thank you most sincerely the stewardship of the country and the tremendous amount of support you have given the country and the Federal Capital Territory that is why all Nigerians and even generations yet unborn will continue to thank the military administrations of your time for deciding to create the FCT,” he said.
The Minister also thanked President Buhari for allowing him to serve as FCT Minister twice.
“On a personal note Sir I want to also thank you for appointing me as Minister and the seven and half years I have so far served as Minister are years that I will continue to cherish till the end of my life,” he said.
There were also goodwill messages from the Chairman of the FCT chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Timothy Amakom as well as an Islamic Cleric, Imam Fuad Adeyemi and the Senator representing FCT, Philip Aduda, who all praised President Buhari for leading the nation well and wished him well in life.
The Minister of the FCT later presented a giant-sized Sallah card to the Nigerian leader on behalf of residents of Abuja.
Also present at the event were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari as well as the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. General Lucky Irabor and the Service Chiefs.
Earlier in the day, President Buhari had observed a two raqa’at congregational prayer in commemoration of this year’s Eid-Al Fitr at the Mambilla Barracks in Abuja, where he was joined by personal aides and top government functionaries.
