The depth of respect between President Tinubu and former President Buhari was on full display today at Femi Adesina’s book launch. An instance captured in the attached video where President Tinubu exited the venue first and had to stop and wait for Baba to join him so they could… pic.twitter.com/CR2nDAlrHv
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) January 16, 2024
President Bola Tinubu said former President Muhammadu Buhari can no longer escape to the Niger Republic, as he had earlier promised.
Tinubu stated this at the unveiling of two books titled ‘Working with Buhari (2015 – 2023)’ and ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Nigerian Legacy—2015–2023 (Vols. 1–5)’ in Abuja on Tuesday.
Recall that Buhari had said he would leave for the Niger Republic after his official handover as president if he was not able to get enough rest in Daura, his home town in Katsina State.
But President Tinubu said Buhari would not be able to relocate to Niger due to border closure.
Tinubu said, “When President Buhari was leaving office he said he would retire to Daura, far away from Abuja to enjoy his well-deserved retirement from public service.
“I remember he added that if his supporters and friends deny him of enough rest in Daura, he would run to the Republic of Niger. Well, as you all know, he can no longer escape to Niger Republic because of the border closure.
“I am therefore extremely happy to receive him here in Abuja. We are all here today to honour a great man, a patriot, a dedicated public servant who offered his best in the service of our country since he joined the army in 1962 at age 18.”
Following the July 26, 2023, coup in Niger, Nigeria imposed sanctions, including border closure, on the military junta in the neighbouring country as a measure for the restoration of democracy, but the regime failed to yield to pressure.
Tinubu thanked the author of the book, Femi Adesina, who served him as the Special Adviser on Media & Publicity from 2015 to 2023.
He noted that the memoir gave an insight into what transpired in the eight years of Buhari, promising to finish off some of the things started by Buhari.
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