17th June, 2015
Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari was misquoted by national dailies and online media, noting that, “like old wine, Buhari gets better with age”.
Adesina noted that on Monday evening, Buhari spoke with the Nigerian community at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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.
Buhari who 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.”
He added that “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.
Meanwhile, the President assured the Nigerian community in South Africa that his administration will make a positive impact on the country. And that he would do.
“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 will not come by a sudden flight, but they will happen in the life of this administration”.
Adesina noted that: “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 will be deployed into governance in the weeks and months ahead.”