By: Olamide Francis
Mr. President, birthdays come once every 365 days and they present an opportunity to be thankful for a new age. Not just do we add a year to our age, we also move closer to our grave. Hence, the need to always think about what posterity will say when we are gone. In this regard, Mr. President, you’ve not done wrong. Posterity will surely be kind to you and your name will forever be on the lips of Nigerians. As you mark a new age today, I want to thank you for all the things you’ve done for me and especially this nation.
Baa Yusuf, you’re a record-breaker. From the outset, your love for Nigeria was unrivaled. It’s why you contested four times for the highest office in the land. And you’ve been doing excellently on the job. Ever since your angelic visitation cum intervention to Nigeria’s political scene, it has been heaven on earth. Integrity, character, and honor mean the same thing all over the world except in Nigeria because you redefined it, in words and action. Not a single guile has been found in you because you’ve over-delivered on all your campaign promises.
Baba, I like the way you service Nigeria, even if it’s with Chinese loans. All service na service. You have shown us firsthand, the various shades of poverty for our education. You, our leader in whom there is no cunningness, have taken us into three economic recessions in the last six years. A feat no one has ever achieved. Many who don’t understand you said you were too slow. They forgot that only a patient dog eats the fattest bone. And that after suffering is long-suffering.
Mr. President, there are distinct things only you can accomplish and you’ve never disappointed us in this regard. Everything your predecessor was voted out for you took it to the next level because you have the multiplier effect — a quality not popular in Nigerian leaders. Now, the dollar-naira rate has surged like garri Ijebu. Ghana cedi is more valuable than the naira. The refineries you promised are up and running. You’ve been lifting people out of poverty to a place of eternal rest. Under you, Nigeria is flowing with milk and honey. You shifted things and took the change to the next level. The people are groaning but it’s only because it’s hard for them to embrace change. They’ll thank you when you’re gone. Baba, you deserve all the honour on your 78th birthday.
For always putting us first, thank you. You showed this excellently in how you swiftly respond to the crimes of the Nigerian masses and how you always lead from the front in times of distress and national agony. This singular act has earned Nigerians respect across the world. You helped us thrive in our country so much that we export our best brains abroad because of the excess we have here.
Mr. Buhari, I can’t mention all that we’re grateful for on this occasion of your birthday. You’re extraordinary. And the things we currently see cannot be compared to what you still have in store for this nation. Left to me, I’ll vote you over again so that we all can abundantly reap and eat the fruits of our decisions to vote you twice.
Happy 78th birthday, God’s Angel sent to deliver Nigeria
Olamide is a writer and journalist based in Lagos, Nigeria.
