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Omololu Ogunmade, Damilola Oyedele, James Emejo, Onyebuchi Ezeigbo, Paul Obi, Kasim Sumaina and Udora Orizu in Abuja
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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