How old is our President really? This is one of the questions many Nigerians have been seeking to have answers to in recent times. But those who know President Muhammadu Buhari very well will agree that he is not a man who runs away from issues, no matter how controversial they may seem. Many will also agree that this particular issue has indeed generated more controversy, even more than those surrounding his academic qualifications.
Thus, it was not surprising that while responding to remarks by dignitaries on the Christmas Day homage the President stirred the dust with his remarks about his age. The President had in his usual jocular manner while referring to his age and health issues, noted that he had never been so sick. “They say l am 75, I thought I am 74 but I was told I am 75. I have never been so sick even the 30months civil war, I was stumbling under farm of yams or cassava but this sickness I don’t know.”
The President was actually not emphasizing the age but about the sickness that kept him bedridden for the larger part of 2016 and 2017. Taking an introspection into the year and his experiences with the health issue, the President tried to explain the situation thus “All those who saw me before and when I came back said I look much better, but I have explained it to the public that as a General I used to give orders now I take orders; the doctors told me to feed my stomach and sleep for longer hours that is why I am looking much better.”
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But like every public figure, the age controversy, academic issues and others which took the front burner the moment the President made his intention to run for presidency known are now like indelible marks that will not go, no matter what is done to clear it. Since then his personality has come under close scrutiny and even the declarations that his age will not affect his job, notwithstanding, many still believe that age is a major deterrent to good performance.
No thanks however to the health issues which also contributed in no small measures to compound the situation. The President described 2017 as a “tough year” for Nigerians including himself who had to undergo several months of treatment at the hospital in the U.K. Many have not forgotten the birthday wish by former President Olusegun Obasanjo who had wished President Buhari, happy 78th birthday when he was actually still celebrating 73 years of age.
The age issue is also tied closely to his academic qualification, as it had been alleged that President Buhari did not sit for the Cambridge West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961 as he had earlier claimed. Thus, despite an Abuja High Court ruling which struck out the suit challenging the veracity of the academic credentials of President Buhari, many critics of the President have refused to let the matter die a natural death. It was expected that the court’s decision should have effectively put to rest, the controversy surrounding the secondary school certificate of the president, which was a major issue in the 2015 election campaigns.
The main opposition party the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has continued to make mountains out of the issue The party had while reacting to the issue, said: “many other inconsistencies are in Mr President’s bio data submitted to INEC.” The party believes that there are even more than meets the eye. “We are sure there are more. And the world is waiting on the body to give details about our President”. The party did not stop there, but also advised the President “to consider turning in his resignation letter to avoid further slowing down the country because of his age, and to also save our corporate image as a country that had a Presidential with “occasional memory failure.”
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“We advise INEC to revisit those forms President Buhari filled in all elections he had participated in, especially those he filled before 2015 elections to unearth other inconsistencies therein. In a normal clime, the electoral umpire would have set in motion verification modalities to avoid further national embarrassment and expose Mr President.
“Come to think of it, a leader that does not know his real age, could not be said, to have sound knowledge of the people and country he governs, let alone knowing the peculiarities of the governed. This is simply not the kind of president Nigeria needs at the moment. “Not too long ago, Nigeria became a laughing stock with the inappropriate designation of German Chancellor, Angela Merkel as President of West Germany by President Buhari.
“We recall President Buhari once admitted that his age would slow down his performance in office. For a country that could fall into an emergency situation anytime, like the present government-failing induced fuel scarcity, we don’t need a president that forgets things easily.” It is evident that as the nation enters 2018, a year considered as critical to the survival of Nigeria, more of these issues will continue to remain on the front burner. After all, these are the spices that make politics sweet and interesting.
HAPPY NEW YEAR in advance.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
