President Muhammadu Buhari was praised by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) on Monday for being a model leader who has never “stolen a kobo.”
This was spoken by MURIC as he wished President Buhari a happy 80th birthday.
The Islamic movement reiterated its 2021 designation of the president as the “Father of Modern Nigeria.”
Its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, released a statement in which the group details how the previous presidents exploited their positions of power.
We rejoice with President Muhammadu Buhari as he reaches the ripe old age of 80, the statement says in part. Instead of being the helpless invalid that the evil had hoped and predicted, it is such a pleasing sight to see him bouncing with such vigor all over Nigeria and the world.
“He has overcome a lot of challenges put in his path, so this is a nice triumph for him. This is still the same person who many of his adversaries believed to be dead.
“A president who has served twice, once as a head of state in the military and once more as a civilian. He long ago got over his avarice. Nobody has accused him of stealing even a single kobo of our collective property despite the fact that he has so many cantankerous foes.
Buhari distinguishes out in prudence, economic frugality, transparency, probity, and accountability when compared to other previous African leaders who basked in affluence. Francisco Macias Nguema of Equatorial Guinea (1968–1979), who amassed state funds, is one of these avaricious African leaders. With a net worth of $600 million, Tedodoro Nguema Mbasogo (1968–1982) was one of the richest heads of state in the world.
“Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (1987 – 2017) stole more than $10 million in a country whose GDP per capita was $953. Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan (1989–2019) hid $9 billion in banks in London.
“Idi Amin Dada of Uganda (1971 – 1979) took so much of the country’s money for himself that he drove the inflation rate in Uganda to 1,000 percent. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola (1979 – 2017) had an estimated net worth of $20 billion, and his daughter had a net worth of $3 billion in a country where 70% of the population manage to survive on $2 per day.
There isn’t a presidential library that Buhari has started. He has no nursery, primary or inter-continental secondary school, not to talk of having a private university. He has been president for the past seven and a half years, yet he has not built an ordinary hut, not to talk of a palatial mansion for himself. No wonder President Biden of America used both hands to have a handshake with him. Buhari is a unique leader.
“Unlike some leaders Nigeria had in the past, Buhari has refused to use his presidential power arbitrarily. Nigerians know who was behind Fayose’s impeachment on 16th October 2006 during his first term in office as governor of Ekiti State. They know who was behind the impeachment of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha on 9th December 2005. But Buhari has not orchestrated the impeachment of any state governor.”