At 72, I’m a tasty old wine, says Buhari …Disputes claim of incapability to rule
http://www.gatewaymail.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Buhari.jpgNIGERIA’S President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday clarified the comment he made on his age, saying that despite being at 72, he would still “make positive impact in the country.”
Some sections of the media had allegedly misinterpreted the expression made by Buhari at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa that he was too old, and that this would affect his performance in office.
But his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said his boss remains “old wine” that “are tasty.”
“On Monday evening, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke with the Nigerian community at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa,” Adesina said.
He stressed: “Speaking extempore, because according to him, he wanted to “speak from the heart,” the President urged them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria, a country he went to the warfront to keep together.
“Still extolling the virtues of our country, Nigeria, the President, who had served as a military governor of the then North-Eastern State at 33 years old, declared: ‘I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.”
“The above comments have been reported by some newspapers to mean that the President was saying he was too old to cope with the demands of his office. Far from it,” Adesina maintained.
The special adviser went further: “As the saying goes, ‘old wines are tasty’ and the President Buhari we have today is a man, like old wine, that has got tastier. At 72, yes, he can’t be called a youth, but he has in quantum the wisdom, the patience, temperance and forbearance that age brings.
“And all these virtues he has brought to the Presidency, to make a difference in our national life.
He had assured the Nigerian community in South Africa that his Administration would make positive impact on the country. And that he would do”
Adesina further stated: “Insecurity as symbolized by insurgency will be brought to an end, corruption will be fought to a standstill, employment will be created for the teeming army of unemployed, the economy will be revived, and the quality of life of Nigerians will take an upward swing again.
“These would not come by a sudden flight, but they would happen in the life of this Administration. At 72, the Buhari persona has not changed. He remains the simple, honest, incorruptible patriot he has always been.”
“And because Nigerians earnestly desired change that was why they voted for him overwhelmingly at the general elections in March, this year. All the virtues and values of the Buhari persona would be deployed into governance in the weeks and months ahead,” he also further clarified.
He also said: “The Nigerian community in South Africa was enthralled as President Buhari spoke with them on Monday. In fact, leaving the venue was an effort, as they swarmed round the President, who shook hands with as many of them as he could.
“They took his message well. That is the essence of good wine. It gets better with age. And it is a message for all Nigerians, both at home and in the Diaspora.”
