President Bola Tinubu has commended his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari, for his non-interference in the current administration.
Tinubu said 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.
The book, “Working with Buhari,” was written by a former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Buhari, Femi Adesina, and reviewed by Shola Oshunkeye, a former CNN Journalist of the Year.
Meanwhile, “Muhammadu Buhari: The Nigerian Legacy – 2015 – 2023 (Vols 1-5),” reviewed by Professor Eghosa Osaghae, Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, and Professor Kabiru Mayo, with Dr. Udu Yakubu as the editor, delves into Buhari’s legacy.
“After handing over, you [Buhari] said, ‘I will be far away in Daura but if you need me, contact me. I won’t intrude on whatever you are doing. I won’t interfere. I won’t breathe down on your throat,'”
Tinubu highlighted the partnership with Buhari in strengthening democracy, stating, “We’ve partnered to make democracy flourish in Nigeria, thank you.
“Except when I call him [on the phone] to say, ‘Are you living, are you going to the farm?’, you don’t hear from him [Buhari] either to nominate or intrude in the cabinet or complain about issues. Thank you for being who you are.”
Tinubu reiterated his commitment to overcoming the unresolved challenges from Buhari’s tenure, particularly in combating insecurity.
He praised Buhari for his dedication and zeal during a critical period in Nigeria’s history, marked by economic recession and the Boko Haram insurgency.
“President Buhari assumed office at a very difficult period of our national life when the economy was spiralling into recession and Boko Haram had taken over swaths of our territory in the North East.
At a point, it appeared even Abuja, the seat of government, would fall into the hands of Boko Haram with the bombing of the UN Building, Banex Plaza, Nyanya, and other locations within the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.
Acknowledging the efforts of the armed forces in combating Boko Haram under Buhari’s leadership, Tinubu asserted, “We cannot easily forget how our armed forces battled the Boko Haram terrorists… to reclaim our territory and push them to the fringes of Lake Chad where they no longer pose an existential threat to our sovereignty.”
President Tinubu pledged, “My government will stamp out the remaining vestiges of Boko Haram, Ansaru, banditry, and kidnapping gangs. We won’t rest until every agent of darkness is completely rooted out.”
