5th October, 2021
Alhaji Yerima Abdullahi, a former Minister of Education has said President Muhammadu Buhari has done well for the country and as such many Nigerians will miss him when he exited power in 2023.
“I will miss Buhari after 2023 and there are millions of Nigerians who will, because when he says it is white, it is white and when he says it is black it is black,” Abdullahi said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Tuesday.
“Whether you like him or not, you have to accept that Buhari has really done well for the country and has been through a lot to serve the nation,” he added.
He stated that the President possessed leadership qualities that were lacking in most Nigerian leaders especially in view of his unwavering stand against corruption as well as his exemplary lifestyle.
“You don’t have so many of such leaders in the country. He is not a ‘maradona’; he is not. He says things the way they are. It is very rare you find a leader with such courage,” he said.
Abdullahi said that the sincerity of Buhari has helped in laying a strong foundation for the advancement of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
“Those that are condemning Buhari are not doing so because he is under-performing, they are doing so because he is Buhari.
“Most of those fighting Buhari and his administration are doing so for self-preservation. There are also others who have hangover of his previous military experience and refused to accept that he is now a democrat.
“We are not talking about that small group of people but the majority of Nigerians at the grassroots will miss the leadership qualities of the President.
“We are talking about those that have benefitted from the several social investment programmes, farmers and many more who have felt the impact of good governance under his administration,’’ he added.
According to him, Buhari has done well for the country especially in helping to restore sanity and order, irrespective of what some people may think about him.
Abdullahi lauded the anti-corruption war of the Buhari-led administration, saying that a lot of important personalities have been convicted for corruption under the administration.
“Under Buhari, we have seen former governors, ministers, senators convicted and sent to jail and Mr President has not pardoned them,” he said.