The Presidency has risen in defence of President Muhammadu Buhari over a statement credited to him that his age would curtail his performance in office.
The Presidency, in a statement on Wednesday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, said Buhari was quoted out of context by the press.
Buhari spoke on Monday at a dinner with Nigerians resident in South Africa in Johannesburg.
The Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Femi Adesina, said what Buhari told his audience was taken out of context as the President never said he would be unable to deliver on the mandate given to him.
He said the President, who spoke “from the heart” to Nigerians at the dinner, told his audience he would have wanted to be president at the time he emerged military governor at the age of 33.
Referring to Buhari as a good wine that gets better with age, Adesina said despite the fact that the President is 72, delivering on his mandate would not be a challenge.
The statement by Adesina, titled: “Like good wine, President Buhari gets better with age,” reads in full:
On Monday evening, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke with the Nigerian community at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Speaking extempore, because according to him, he wanted to “speak from the heart,” the President urged them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria, a country he went to the warfront to keep together.
Still extolling the virtues of our country, Nigeria, the President, who had served as a military governor of the then North-Eastern State at 33 years old, declared: “I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.”
The above comments have been reported by some newspapers to mean that the President was saying he was too old to cope with the demands of his office. Far from it.
As the saying goes, “old wines are tasty” and the President Buhari we have today is a man, like old wine, that has got tastier. At 72, yes, he can’t be called a youth, but he has in quantum the wisdom, the patience, temperance and forbearance that age brings. And all these virtues he has brought to the Presidency, to make a difference in our national life.
The President reassured the Nigerian community in South Africa that his Administration will make a positive impact on the country. He will ensure that this happens.
Insecurity as symbolized by insurgency will be brought to an end, corruption will be fought to a standstill, employment will be created for the teeming army of unemployed, the economy will be revived, and the quality of life of Nigerians will take an upward swing again.
At 72, the Buhari persona has not changed. He remains the simple, honest, incorruptible patriot he has always been and because Nigerians earnestly desired change, that was why they voted for him overwhelmingly at the general elections in March, this year. All the virtues and values of the Buhari persona will be deployed into governance in the weeks and months ahead.
The Nigerian community in South Africa was enthralled as President Buhari spoke with them on Monday. In fact, leaving the venue was an effort, as they swarmed round the President, who shook hands with as many of them as he could.
They took his message well. That is the essence of good wine. It gets better with age. And it is a message for all Nigerians, both at home and in the Diaspora.