I find the almost one hour interview by Nigeria Television Authority, NTA recently with the immediate former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR as not only timely but also once more an opportunity that reminds us of his deep sense of humour, patriotism and nationalism to his fatherland.
In his usual frank, bold and philosophical response to questions put to him by his interviewer, Thelca Wilkue, a presenter/producer with the NTA in an exclusive interview tagged “conversation with history” in his modest home in Daura, Katsina State, he bares it all in his usual down to earth and ever relaxed mood.
Responding to questions ranging from his out of office life to successes, challenges in office, integrity of his aides, naira redesign policy, attempts to hold him ‘hostage’ among others, former President Buhari did not mince words in accepting the fact that ‘i didnt take Nigerians for granted’ while at the helm of affairs between 2015 and 2023.
Vouching for his well known and undisputable integrity which even naysayers acknowledge, he disclosed that in his eight years of administration of the country, he didn’t own a company or large lands in Abuja.
The immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari recalled some controversial events that occurred under his administration. He expressed his support for the contentious naira redesign policy during the final stages of his tenure further explaining that his endorsement was aimed at safeguarding his integrity and to convey to the Nigerian populace that ‘achieving success requires perseverance and dedication, without any quick fixes’. In the words of the ex President, “The motivation for introducing the naira redesign policy was to try and make Nigerians believe that there is no shortcut to successful leadership.”
He acknowkedged that Nigerians were a difficult set of people to govern. “Nigerians are extremely difficult. People know their rights. They think they should be there, not you. So, they monitor virtually your every step. And you have to struggle day and night to ensure that you are competent enough,“ PMB explained.
According to him, “most of the citizens know the right thing to do but would mostly refuse to do so, because they think they know better than the person on the saddle”.
Answering a question on the integrity of many of his aides during his eight years in power, Buhari said “It is their problem”, querying what people who criticized him fiercely had done at their levels to fight corruption. The former President reiterated that his administration tried as much as possible to be accountable.
Looking very well rested in his popular ‘blue wagambari agbada and ‘zanna’ cap to match, he stated that as a matter of routine he now wakes up anytime he likes.
The former President while responding to a question on whether he is missing anything about living in the Villa, rhetorically asked: “Miss?. I have not missed much”.
“God allowed me to serve my country, but I did my best. But whether my best was good enough, I leave for people to judge, “ he stressed.
Asked if he achieved what he set out to do after trying to be President four times, Buhari acknowledged the insecurity in Borno State and the northeast when he took over, saying that Boko Haram had been largely degraded at the time he was leaving government. This was his honest belief that he saw tackling security as the foremost cardinal objective of his mission in office.
PMB was quick to acknowkedge that Nigerians were a difficult set of people to govern. “Nigerians are extremely difficult. People know their rights. They think they should be there, not you. So, they monitor virtually your every step. And you have to struggle day and night to ensure that you are competent enough,“ PMB explained.
“most of the citizens know the right thing to do but would mostly refuse to do so, because they think they know better than the person on the saddle”, the former President added..
Answering a question on the integrity of many of his aides during his eight years in power, Buhari said “It is their problem”, querying what people who criticized him fiercely had done at their levels to fight corruption. The former President reiterated that his administration tried as much as possible to be accountable.
Looking very well rested in his usual ‘blue wagambari agbada’, PMB stated that as matter of routine he now wakes up anytime he likes.
The former President while responding to a question on whether he is missing anything about the Villa rhetorically asked: “Missed?. After a long pause he then answered: “I have not missed much”.
“God allowed me to serve my country, but I did my best. But whether my best was good enough, I leave for people to judge, “ he stressed.
While admitting that there were many attempts to set a trap for him by some individuals who presented him with certain opportunities, he summoned courage to avoid the trap because he knew that once they knew he had been compromised, they would take advantage of the situation to milk the country dry.
According to him, he is living in peace, six months after his administration because he did not have a lot of baggage, unexplained wealth and property while he was President.
“I didn’t compete with some Nigerians, having been in power to have companies, give myself large land areas in Abuja to favour people; that is why I am living in peace. Because Nigerians have their way of knowing and i think they will wait for a day to harass those they think have cheated them”.
The former President thanked God for giving him the opportunity to serve Nigerians, insisting that he did his best for the country.
Indeed, with this first interview since he left office on 29th May 2023, PMB has once more proved that after 8 years as President, he has patriotically and transparently governed the country and has no skeletons in his cupboard.
