Buhari and Obasanjo
Speaking in Abuja during the launch of a book titled "Muhammadu Buhari, the Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria",
former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, expressed thanks to God
that he and President Muhammadu Buhari did not settle their differences
by “looking at each other through the barrels of guns”.
According to The Cable News,
the former military leader who made a speech during the launch of the
book authored by Proffessor John Paden, Obasanjo described Buhari as an
upright man, and to buttress this point, he went down memory lane in
recalling an encounter he had with Buhari, when the incumbent president
served under him as a commissioner.
“President Buhari and I have had many encounters, but most of
them in parallel. Not too long ago, we had a direct opposition at the
ballot box. But even then, it did not affect our relationship. And
fortunately, we didn’t have to look at each other through the barrels of
our guns. I thank God for that.
“On one occasion when President Buhari was a commissioner for
petroleum, he went for an OPEC meeting in Saudi Arabia, and each leader
of a country was given a special gold coin. President Buhari, then an
army officer, came back to show his superior the gold medal which was
very expensive, and said: ‘This I was given, if I give you, promise me
that you won’t give it to somebody else.’
“And that came about because one of his colleagues bought me a
hand-made shoe, and after I discovered that it was too luxurious, I gave
it to my ADC. I believe President Buhari heard about that story, and he
wanted to make sure that I didn’t give out the gold coin… But don’t ask
me where the coin is today,” he said as the audience, which paid rapt attention to the elder statesman, erupted in laughter.
The book, a biography, chronicled the struggles, and the career of
the President Muhammadu Buhari until May, 29, 2016, when he assumed
office as a democratic leader.
No comments:
Post a Comment