Politics
Tinubu, Gowon, Jonathan To Attend Book Launch On Buhari
A five-volume book chronicling the eight years of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023 will be unveiled to the public on Tuesday next week in Abuja.
Also, a book, “Working With Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity (2015–2023),” the memoir of Chief Femi Adesina, would be simultaneously presented to the public at the ceremony to be chaired by General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s Head of State, 1966–1975, with President Bola Tinubu as Chief Guest.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, are also among the dignitaries expected at the occasion to be held at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hotel, Abuja.
Speaking at the pre-book launch media conference yesterday in Abuja, Femi Adesina, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the immediate past President, said the two publications would bring Buhari to Abuja for the first time since he exited office in May 2023.
He noted that his memoir, which he wrote dispassionately, would provide great insights into the life and leadership of the former president.
He noted that the groundbreaking five-volume historical compendium, “Muhammadu Buhari: The Nigerian Legacy (2015–2023),” edited by Dr. Udu Yakubu, is co-authored by over 100 Nigerian scholars.
The book, according to the authors, is “the authoritative, comprehensive, and most definitive story of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023.”.
Recalling how he had to tender his resignation letter at the Sun Newspaper in order to “reluctantly” take up the appointment of Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity to the former president, Adesina said he cried on the fateful morning he was to sign his appointment letter because, according to him, he was stepping into unknown territory.
Adesina said he was, however, fulfilled that he was able to discharge his duties successfully and creditably and that he turned out to be the first spokesperson for a sitting president who has served in that capacity for eight years since the country’s return to democracy in 1999.
He insisted that Buhari was a true democrat and took certain decisions and actions during his administration in the interest of Nigerians, even though those he described as “wailers” did not see anything good during the eight years of the former president’s reign.
He said, “Why did I think I should write about the president I served for 8 years? I will say I knew Buhari long before I came to work for him as an adviser to the media. Before then, I hadn’t worked with the government and had no desire to work with it.
“But when the invitation came to work for him because he was a man I had admired since he was the military leader, I decided to take the appointment.
“So, when I was asked to come into government, though very reluctantly, you will read in the book how, in the morning I had to sign my appointment, I began to cry because I didn’t want it. I was going into what is called Terra incognita (unknown or unexplored territory), a terrain I didn’t know at all.
“So, I came for 8 years, which is unprecedented. No media adviser has served for 8 years in a democracy except the military regime,” he said.
He said the book is not about the hardware of governance—economic policy, monetary policy, foreign policy, and so on but rather about the software, the governance, and the man who headed that governance.
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
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