- Returns to a Hero’s Welcome
- President’s Return, Sign Of Country’s Recovery, Says Osinbajo
- Nation’s Hope Fulfilled — Tinubu
- Resign Honourably, Group Tells President
- Saraki Pledges Legislative/Executive Harmony
President Muhammadu Buhari saturday received a hero’s
welcome
when he returned to Nigeria from London 103 days after he left the
country for medical treatment. He was received by Acting President Yemi
Osinbajo, governors, ministers and some presidential aides at the Presidential
Lounge of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The presidential jet, Nigeria Air Force One, touched down at
the airport at about 4.30 pm. The President disembarked at 4.48 pm and was
received by the acting president and other government officials.
Governors who received the president at the airport were the
NGF Chairman and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari; Chairman of All
Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum (NGF), Rochas Okorocha; Bauchi
State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar; Wivers State Governor Nyesom Wike; and
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State.
Others were Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin;
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral
Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Abubakar Sadique.
Also at the airport to receive him were the Chief of Staff,
Malam Abba Kyari; Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed; his counterparts in
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello, and Women Affairs, Aisha
Alhassan.
Other include Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina; Special Adviser to the President on Political
Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu; Senior Special Assistant to the President on
Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu; Personal Assistant to Buhari on
Digital/Online Media, Lauretta Onochie; Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora
Matters; Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Office of Vice President) on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, among
others.
His wife, Aisha, who had gone to London to join him on
August 6 for the third time, did not accompany him back, as sources said she
would return to the country at a later date.
A rejuvenated Buhari, who skipped the inspection of guards
of honour, shortly after the national anthem was rendered, walked into the
Presidential Lounge before heading for his waiting car. OBuhari, who will
address the nation at 7am on Monday, waved to the crowd who had come to welcome
him, as he headed to his residence in the Presidential Villa.
At the Villa, he was joined by the acting president and the
governors including Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who was not at the
airport.
Speaking with journalists at the residence of the president,
Osinbajo said given the huge number of persons who crowded the road to welcome
the president, it was quite clear that Nigerians were excited to have the
president back in the country.
“As you can see from the many Nigerians who lined up on the
road to receive the President as he came back, many Nigerians are happy that
the President is hale and hearty and that he has come back.
“It was a natural reaction, most people heard of his arrival
only a few hours before then, but as you can see, the response was so
spontaneous. So, I think that people were so exited and very happy,” he stated.
In his own submission, Wike said he was happy like some
other Nigerians that the president is alive, stating that it is unnecessary to
play politics with the president’s health.
“We are happy that he is alive and that is why l am here
today to rejoice with the family. We should not play politics with everything.
We are here talking about health and irrespective of the party l belong to, you
can see that I am here today to rejoice with the family. That is what it is
supposed to be. Don’t play politics with health issues. Don’t do that. So,
irrespective of what is going on out there, one is happy to be here,” Wike
stated.
On his part, Bello said the recovery of the president was
symbolic coming at the time the nation is also recovering from its economic
crisis.
“The message to Nigerians is that the recovery and
recuperation of the President is in some sense symbolic of the recovery of
Nigeria. Nigeria is going to recover. We are on the path of strong economic
recovery and this is an excellent sign that the country is on the right side.
There is great hope. There is great excitement and we are going to make it as a
nation,” Bello said.
In his own reaction to the president’s return, Adesina said
it was not prompted by the recent protests led by Charles Oputa and Dele
Adeyanju calling for his return or resignation. The protest spread to t New
York and United Kindgom last week. Adesina said he knew about his return some
days earlier.
“The return of the President has nothing to do with the
protest. It is about continuing with the work he started. Some of us knew about
his return some days back. Remember that the acting president held on
effectively and they will continue the work together. We left the work of
announcement with the managers of the acting President,” Adesina said.
GOODWILL MESSAGES
Welcoming the President, Senate President Bukola Saraki,
noted that the President will resume with greater vigour.
He reiterated the commitment of the Senate to continue to
work with the Executive to improve the living standards of Nigeria and ensure
overall national development.
Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, expressed appreciation to God, for
the safe return and recovery of the President.
“I thank Almighty Allah for bringing President Muhammadu
Buhari back whole, hale and hearty. I am thoroughly delighted that President
Buhari has returned home after his medical vacation”, the Senate President
said,
“I was privileged to have met him twice in London during the
period of the vacation. After our first meeting, I told Nigerians there was no
cause for alarm. After our recent lengthy meeting on Thursday this week, I
informed Nigerians that Mr. President’s return home was imminent,”Saraki said.
“In all, we must thank Almighty God for sparing all our
lives and granting Mr. President a most remarkable recovery. His return marks a
new lease of life for this administration. I am confident that Mr. President
will resume with even more vigour to pursue an economic agenda that will
improve the welfare of all Nigerians.”
” On our part, the Senate is ready to work closely with the
Executive and bend over backwards to support Mr. President. I congratulate all
Nigerians on Mr. President’s return. We thank the Acting President for his hard
work in holding fort and steering the ship of governing the nation during this
period.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara,
expressed gratitude to Almighty God for granting the President healing and
journey mercies back home.
Dogara, noted that the president’s recovery and safe return
home attests to the healing power of God owing to the fervent prayers of
Nigerians who prayed day and night for him.
He said: “It is now time for us all to continue to pray for
the President for the perfection of the healing and divine rejuvenation to
enable Mr. President steer the affairs of the Nation in the right direction.
“On our part, the House of Representatives, wish to assure
Mr. President of our determination, support and commitment towards delivering
on our promises to the Nigerian people as members of the same government. Mr.
President can always count on our support in this regard. “
The All Progressives Congress (APC) said the return of
President Muhammadu Buhari would no doubt signal increased efforts to fulfill
promises made to Nigerians.
While welcoming Buhari back home after his medical vacation
to the United Kingdom, APC assured that the administration was poised to
fulfill all electoral promises .
In a statement issued on Saturday by the National Publicity
Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdulahi, the party expressed thanks to the Vice
President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for “his competent leadership in the absence of
President Buhari and especially commends him for his effort to unite the
country and drive the recovery of the national economy.
“The APC also thanked all Nigerians who had prayed
ceaselessly for the speedy recovery and safe return of the President, and
assured them that the APC-led Federal Government was poised to fulfill all the
electoral promises the party made to Nigerians.
On its part, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that it
joined other Nigerians to welcome back the President and expressed the hope
that he had recovered enough to stir the ship of state.
In a statement issued late Saturday evening by its National
Publicity Secretary, Dayo Adeyeye, PDP said it believes that Buhari is
healthier now to assume his responsibility at the helm of the country’s
affairs.
“We thank the Almighty for saving his life and pray that He
grants him better health and understanding on how to rescue our poor economy
and relieve Nigerians from the current hardship,” it said.
APC national stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also
expressed joy at the president’s return.
In a statement by his Media Office, Asiwaju Tinubu, said the
President had always been a man of moral fortitude, discipline, strength and
dedication, adding that these attributes helped him battle medical challenges.
Tinubu said: “It has been a heartening thing to see that our
nation has matured to the point where governance continued in a meaningful,
seamless manner during the president’s absence. This again was a sign of the
harmony between President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
“On this day, it is even more heartening to think of the
things that can now be achieved with President Buhari back to lead the nation.
“Today is a glad and happy one for those who wish Nigeria
well. While we celebrate the President’s return, we also must quickly turn to
the hard and heavy work at hand.
“With President Buhari back and with the nation united
behind him, we can accomplish excellent things. May we do our best to become
our best.
“These same attributes will lead him to success in
surmounting our national challenges.”
TIMELINE
President Buhari left Nigeria on May 7 after receiving 82
Chibok girls who were freed by Boko Haram, after three years in captivity. He
left the country to receive treatment in London for an undisclosed ailment. He
was not sighted in public until July 23, when a delegation of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) led by its National Chairman, Chief John
Odigie-Oyegun, visited him.
Also in the APC delegation were the Chairman of APC
Governors’ Forum and Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha; Kogi State governor,
Yahaya Bello, his counterparts in Kaduna and Nasarawa States, Nasir el-Rufai
and Umaru Tanko al-Makura, and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
The visit was compelled by an earlier allegation by the
Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, that Buhari had been incapacitated and
was on life support in a London hospital. The inability of anyone to sight
Buhari in the public further fuelled the allegation and it took the visit to dismiss
it.
But the visit did not totally dismiss the allegation as some
cynics including a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, claimed
that the visit was a mere fabrication of the ruling party. Fani-Kayode claimed
that the photograph of the visit as circulated online was taken in Nigeria and
was only intended to mislead the public and douse tension.
The insinuation propelled the necessity for another visit by
members of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) supported by the Presidency on
July 26. In order to disabuse the minds of every citizen that the earlier visit
was untrue and that the president was indeed not incapacitated as claimed by
Fayose and Fani-Kayode, two governors on the platform of the opposition PDP
were part of the trip. They were Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) and Udom Emmanuel (Akwa
Ibom).
The delegation was led by the NGF Chairman and Governor of
Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari. Also in the delegation were Umar Ganduje (Kano),
Kashim Shettima (Borno), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo).
The visit of NGF delegation was followed by that of his
media team and some other aides led by the Minister of Information and Culture,
Lai Mohammed, on July 11.
Also in the media team were Special Adviser to the President
on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina; Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu; Personal Assistant to
Buhari on Digital/Online Media, Lauretta Onochie, and Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa,
Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters.
Again, on Thursday, August 17, seven days later, Buhari was
visited by Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.
Finally, on August 18, Buhari was visited by the General
Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye,
24 hours before his return to Nigeria.
Prior to his return, protest marches were staged in Abuja by
both pro and anti Buhari elements. On August 7, a group of protesters led by
rights activist, Dele Adeyanju, and maverick entertainer, Charles Oputa, caused
a stir in Abuja as they insisted on Buhari’s return or resignation on moral
grounds.
The protesters anchored their agitation on the theme
expressed in pidgin English, “Our Mumu Don Do,” which being translated means
“we have been foolish enough.” On August 10, a solidarity march in support of
the President by the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative was held
in Abuja.
The “Our Mumu Don Do” protest almost turned violent when
organisers attempted to stage another one at the popular Wuse Market in Abuja.
They were chased away by stone-throwing youths.
On August 17, protesters also converged on Nigeria House in
New York, with “Our Mumu Don Do” placards calling on Buhari to either return
home or resign.
Also on August 18, protesters kept a vigil in front of Abuja
House in London, where Buhari was residing, brandishing “Return Home or Resume”
placards.
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