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Tag: return

  • The return of Luna and Gbagbo, By Owei Lakemfa

    By Owei Lakemfa

    The former Latin American labour leader and past Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and African intellectual and ex-President of Cote d’Voire, Laurent Gbagbo have returned from years in prison to be the hope of their various countries. Both are victims of international conspiracy executed by local lackeys employing dubious judicial processes designed to work to a given answer.

    Luna and Gbagbo are courageous men who challenged decades of subservience to international powers and profiteers; their leadership gave hope to their people. Both men have just survived vicious schemes to quash them.

    Luna had led the Brazilian Workers Party to victory in 2003. The trade unionist who had been imprisoned for opposing military rule, secured 39 million votes or 46.4 per-cent of the votes to become President said after his victory: “I, who so many times was accused of not having a university diploma, won my first diploma as President of the Republic of Brazil.” He had tried to reverse the exploitative relations between the state and the Brazilian people. He introduced massive social works, lifted 19 million Brazilians from extreme poverty and vastly expanded access to education. His government gave poor families a monthly subsidy of between.$12 to $117 per child which covered 12 million homes, and moved 30 million people from the lower classes into the middle class.

    Luna was re-elected in the October 2006 elections, this time securing 46 million votes or 48.6 per-cent of total vote cast.

    He was succeeded in 2010 by fellow party member, Dilma Rousseff who continued in his steps. Since their opponents could not muster the needed votes to defeat them at the polls, they hatched a ‘constitutional coup’ in 2016. Rousseff was accused in parliament that back in 2014, she did not disclose the true size of the country’s budget deficit and that this was tantamount to an abuse of office and therefore impeachable. On that basis, she was removed from office.

    Simultaneously, Luna was set up for political incineration by having what turned out to be false cases of corruption brought against him. As a result, in 2017, he was sentenced to a dozen years imprisonment on allegation of receiving a seaside apartment as part of a contract award kickback . On the basis of this, he was banned in 2018 from contesting the Presidential elections. The Supreme Court in November 2019 allowed him to remain free while his appeals were pending.

    This process led to the rise of incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro who tried to reverse the Luna programmes and erase his legacy. Bolsario is not only running an anti-people government but has led the country into ruins with his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. In aping then President Donald Trump of the United States, he had declared the Corona virus a ruse, a “fantasy”. But went far beyond the Trump tantrums by actually holding mass rallies of people without masks during which he shook hands to demonstrate to Brazilians that that Covd-19 is a fiction. Even when these rallies spread the virus, he dismissed it and assured Brazilians they are immune to Covid-19 because as he falsely claimed, they have antibodies. He also encouraged them to reject lockdowns by local state officials and went on as President, to declare the lockdowns illegal. The states had to approach the Supreme Court to reverse him.

    The result is that Brazilians began to die like flies. On March 23, 2021, Brazil’s daily Covid-19 death toll soared past 3,000 with many hospitals at breaking point. That day, the number of deaths were 3,251 deaths bringing the overall death toll to nearly 299,000.

    On that same day, Bolsonaro appointed his fourth Health Minister, a Cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga, 55. He replaced Eduardo Pazuello, an army general with no medical experience who had been appointed based on the President’s questionable conclusion that Covid-19 may require the handling of a strong hand. The first two Health Ministers, Doctors Luiz Henrique Mandetta and Nelson Teich had to go when Bolsonario rejected medical advice in handling the pandemic.

    Now, many Brazilians are turning back to Luna to save the country both from the pandemic and its political version; Bolsonaro. The coast for Luna was cleared when on Monday, March 8, 2021, the Supreme Court threw out most of the criminal cases manufactured against him and restored his political rights including those to contest the October 2, 2022 Presidential elections.

    The set up against Luna began to unravel when Justice Sergio Moro, the federal judge who sentenced him, left the bench to join Bolsanaro’s government as Justice Minister in what appeared as a reward for sending Luna to prison. Then in June 2019, leaked messages between Justice Moro and the prosecutors were published in which the judge gave the prosecutors tips and strategic guidance on how to make the case against Luna appear credible. So the judge was also the prosecutor.

    A panicky President Bolsonaro vowed that despite Luna’s judicial victory the: “Brazilian people won’t want to have a candidate like him in 2022 and let’s not even think about his possible election.” But the decision is not in the hands of Bolsonaro, but that of the electorate.

    In the case of Gbagbo, a disputed election with French tool, Alassane Ouattara in 2010 led to violence in which some 3,000 people lost their lives. The French then abducted him, but since they had no basis transferring him to their country, they hauled him before the International Criminal Court, ICC even when his country was not a member of that court. He was charged with four counts of crimes against humanity, murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution and “other inhuman acts”.

    In 2019 the ICC found him innocent of all charges but under the guise of appealing the decision, Gbagbo was prevented from returning home which would have allowed him contest the Presidential elections. He was forced to stay in Brussels pending the appeal. But the Presiding Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji has now ruled that: “The appeals chamber, by majority, has found no error that could have materially affected the decision of the trial chamber. The appeals chamber hereby revokes all remaining conditions on the release of Mr Gbagbo and Mr Blé Goudé (co-defendant) as a result of this judgement.”

    The appeal judges said the evidence against Gbagbo was extremely weak, and wondered why so much time and resources were wasted for such a long time. The simple reason is that it was a political trial designed to punish a vocal African President who had rejected French dictation including on award of contracts.

    Gbagbo’s welcome return will give hope to Ivorians as Ouattara, despite an unconstitutional third term in office has proven to be a disaster.

  • Former Arsenal coach, Wenger sets 2019 'return' deadline

    Former Arsenal coach, Wenger sets 2019 'return' deadline

    Arsene Wenger has promised he will be back in football management at the start of 2019, but the Frenchman does not yet know at which club.

    The 69-year-old veteran boss ended his 22-year reign at Premier League side Arsenal at the end of last season but insisted at the time he was not yet finished with football.

    Asked when he would be back in management, Wenger told Sky Sports on Wednesday: “At the beginning of the year.

    “It will seem odd to go somewhere else but I can’t tell you (where) because I don’t know where I’ll be. I’ll be somewhere — but I don’t know where.

    “I have had a good rest and watched football a lot. I have many good memories, so I miss them.”

    Meanwhile Wenger, whose final seasons in charge of Arsenal saw the once mighty Gunners struggling to contend for the English title, was pleased by the North London giants’ start to this season.

    Under new manager Unai Emery, Arsenal are currently fourth in the table, just four points behind Premier League leaders and reigning champions Manchester City, despite losing their first two league games this term.

    “When Arsenal win I am happy,” said Wenger. “I felt I worked very hard and I think I left it (the club) in good shape.

    “After that, I’m a supporter like anyone else — I want them to win football games.”

     

  • Sheriff´s planned return to APC a “rumour” – Chairman

    The Chairman All Progressives Congress (APC) in Borno State, Ali Dolori, has described alleged defection of former factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to the APC as a rumour.

    He said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, while reacting to the development.

    “I want to assure you that the news remains a rumour, because somebody is only trying to fly a kite that is capable of causing dangerous confusion during the state congress.

    “We are aware of the well-articulated plan and we are ready to defend any attempt toward destroying our party at the ward level and in any state not just Borno.

    “We shall conduct our congresses peacefully without any rancour and I assure you that nobody can create any faction for our party in Borno during the congress expected to hold in less than two weeks,” he said.

    He noted that article 9.1 of the party´s 2014 amended Constitution was specific that application “for membership shall be made to and cleared by the party´s ward executives in the Local Government Area where the person was born, resides, works or originates’’.

    The section the chairman further said “online registration shall also be acceptable provided that it was cleared by the party´s National Working Committee.

    “Where an application is refused, the applicant may as of right appeal to the Local Government Area Executive Committee of the party or to the National Secretary or National Chairman in case of online registration.

    “I, therefore, don’t see any how the party´s national chairman can receive any person into the party when the constitution is clear about the process in that regard,” he said.

  • More Nigerians return from Libya

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Tuesday joined officials of some government agencies as they received a fresh set of Nigerians flown home from Libya.

    TheNewsGuru reports that no fewer than 144 Nigerians voluntarily returned home aboard a chartered Buraq Airlines aircraft with registration number 5A-DMG.

    The aircraft landed at about 6.45pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The returnees were assisted back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

    TNG reports that the Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, who represented the Wife of the President, Haija Aisha Buhari, was also present at the Hajj Camp area of the airport as the Nigerians returned.

    The South West Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu , who gave a break down of the returnees, said they were made up of 97 males, 39 females, two children and six infants.

    Addressing newsmen, Dabiri-Erewa, commended the IOM for facilitating the return of the Nigerians.

    She, however, noted that there was need to keep the tempo of awareness high in order to stop Nigerians from embarking on the perilous journey in search of greener pastures in Europe.

    One of the returnees, Mr Godsent Jatto, from Edo State, told NAN that he had a harrowing experience in Libya after being sold into slavery by fellow Nigerians.

    He said :”I am so happy coming back to Nigeria. I will never dream in my life to pass through Kano to Libya again”.

    Jatto said it was sad that some Nigerians also lured their fellow brothers to Libya only to get them into human trafficking.

    He said some were sold to the Arabs who will now start calling the Nigerians’ families in the village demanding for money for them to be released.

    According to him, traffickers usually lie to people back in Nigeria that their relatives have crossed to Europe whereas some of them have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.

    “My advice to Nigerians that still want to embark on this journey is that they should not try it. Keep doing anything you are doing here because your country is your country,” he said.

    Another returnee, Ms Caroline Ishola, an aspiring actress from Ekiti State, described her journey to Libya as a misadventure.

    Ishola said: “My experience was bad. It is a very dangerous country. I was an actress before embarking on this journey and I paid the person who took me N400, 000 at first and paid more when I got to Libya.

    “I was sold in Libya but thank God it was not into a connection house and at the end of the day the place was raided by the Police and we were arrested and that was how I got back.”

    The fresh returnees came back days after a batch of 150 Nigerians voluntarily returned on Nov. 30 from the volatile North African country where they had been stranded enroute Europe.

    Before then, many had also been assisted back home in batches.

    As at the time of filing this report, another batch of Nigerians was being expected from Libya as their aircraft was said to be on the way from Tripoli

  • Atiku’s return will add value to rebuilding party – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the return of the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would add value to the process of rebuilding the party for greater heights.

    In a statement issued by Mr Dayo Adeyeye, National Publicity Secretary of its National Caretaker Committee, the party described the return of Abubakar as “welcome development”.

    “We are indeed glad that he has realized the unbridled lies and deceit of his former party, the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    “The PDP remains his home; a house he was part of building and which he helped to nurture. We believe his return will add value to the process of rebuilding our party to greater heights.

    “This is another milestone recorded by the current leadership of our party in its quest to reconcile, rebuild and restructure the PDP ahead of the 2019 general elections and beyond.

    “We will continue to remain transparent and dedicated to the service of this party,” the statement said.

    The party called on all its members still in the APC or other parties as well as others frustrated in the party to return.

    “Anyone who is desirous of a return to
    the era of abundance and freedom under the PDP administration is welcome.

    “The Umbrella is big enough to accommodate all.”

    The PDP urged members nationwide to come together as one family “as we march to Eagle Square, Abuja, on Saturday and Sunday to elect new leaders who will manage the affairs of our party at the national level.

  • Behind Buhari’s Euphoric Return – Micheal West

    By Michael West

    It is gladsome that President Muhammadu Buhari is back, looking recovered and strong. Every Nigerian, I mean every well-meaning Nigerian, is happy to see him return alive. His long absence from the scene, expectedly, had created shades of opinions, legal, moral and subjective pontifications in public discourse.

    The fact remains, however, that nobody ever wished the President dead. Contrary to diverse fabrications and lies being spread on the social media and which are being ascribed to persons in the opposition camp, there’s no iota of truth in the unfounded stories that anyone wished the President dead. Those asking to know the true state of the President’s health made a legitimate demand which didn’t translate to wishing him dead.

    A lot has been said, written and discussed about what should be the next line of action for the President in the media. Therefore, I won’t recapitulate the ‘hit-the-ground-running’ calls on the President; rather, I’m persuaded to rightly situate the plots that led to the hurried arrival of President Buhari back home ahead of the ‘appropriate’ time for discharge based on his physicians’ approval. President Buhari, indeed, hurriedly returned home consequent upon suffocating pressure at home and lately in London.

    There’s no doubt that the President was seriously sick. His feeble voice on the Hausa BBC during the last Ramadan festival attested to this. Behind Buhari’s Euphoric Return

    While Information Minister Lai Mohammed, APC national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and presidential handlers were busy shouting he was “hale and hearty” during his first medical vacation early in the year, the President came back to put a lie to their sycophantic utterances by publicly confessing that “I have never been this sick.” Similarly, I won’t be surprised if some folks will disagree with our position here until, perhaps by another chance later, Buhari himself acknowledges that he actually hurried home “in the interest of the nation.”

    Like I stated, Buhari’s return was a product of pressure. Until Ekiti State’s Governor Ayodele Fayose insisted that the President was, at a particular time, on life-support, no visit to the President was captured either on photographs or video until almost a month after Fayose’s claim. Till date, there’s no official rebuttal of Fayose’s claim. As soon as the President’s health improved significantly, visits were arranged and Buhari was now seen in pictures with selected audience. This, no doubt, was in response to Fayose’s claim, however outlandish it may seem in some quarters.

    A caller on a newspaper review program on radio in Lagos recently said a man in his church gave testimony of how he was placed on a life-support machine in the morning to regain stability due to his frail health condition. To the glory of God, he said the man was discharged later in the evening and he had since been improving. This story shows that being on a life-support machine does not mean an ‘out-of-hand’ situation. And one could stay on life-support machine for a short or long period depending on the seriousness of the condition. Shrouding the President’s health condition in mystery or secrecy gave room for diverse insinuations.

    Buhari’s euphoric return apparently was not on the card as at last week. A national daily reported that the President was even laughing at the #OurMumuDonDo protest being staged in Abuja. This goes to show that the President was apparently unperturbed about the protest back home. When the atmosphere became hostile to the Charlie Boy-led protest, it was suspended for the organizers to re-strategize. But the real heat that hurriedly forced Buhari out of the Abuja House, London might not be unconnected with the permit granted by the Metropolitan Police in London to Nigerians to stage ‘siege protests’ in front of the building. This is in addition to the mockery of the whole scenario trending on the international media. Unconfirmed reports claim that there had been media pressure on the British government about Buhari’s indefinite medical vacation in the United Kingdom. Having considered the global attention and the attendant loss of goodwill the London protest would generate, it was therefore expedient for the President to leave before it became too late.

    Snippets in respect of this narrative are squarely based on available facts. One, if they knew ahead that President Buhari would be home soonest, Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God would not have belaboured himself flying to London to see the him. Buhari was airborne barely 18 hours after the Pastor visited him. Two, Femi Adesina, the President’s chief spokesman, issued the statement announcing the arrival of the President at the early hours of Saturday, precisely at 12.30 am; the same day the president returned. Three, it was alleged that the Vice President got wind of his Principal’s imminent return at daybreak on Saturday. These, in my opinion, are salient proofs that our President indeed hurriedly returned home; not based on his physicians’ advice as we were made to believe. And to cap it all, the fact that he would be working from home goes beyond the surface. Our President needs more rest; his recuperating health condition can’t withstand the rigors of the office. Working from home is a good idea but the official reasons adduced for it were too disdainful to the presidency and our national image. If there are no pressures demanding his resumption or resignation, President Buhari would still have been in London as at now. My fear, however, is that the President’s health condition is still frail.

    It is not patriotic for anybody to advance the nest of division on account of our President’s health. Like he noted in his widely-criticized address, it is mortal to fall ill. Nobody should cry more than the bereaved in this matter. Most of those hauling insults at other people, making false allegations and pretending to be more Buhari than Aisha or Daura should please cease fire. Many of those who regale themselves as ‘direct descendants’ of Sai Baba as if only their votes enthroned the man should please take it easy. Social media platforms steam with hate, despicable and highly divisive posts, comments and opinions for no meaningful reasons whatsoever rent the air.

    May God grant our President the strength to navigate the ship of the state to safe harbor by 2019. May his health be fully restored and may he govern with the sense of a pan-Nigerian leader that he was elected to be. Like he promised in his address, he should go about reversing the trend of ‘Born to Rule’ and autocratic military mentality that had tainted his previous two years in office through equitable distribution of juicy appointments, compensate APC leaders left in the cold for so long with board appointments, reconcile warring elements within his fold, dialogue with legitimate agitators and quell resurgent Boko Haram, kidnappers, ritual killers and armed robbers. Prejudicial actions of some government agencies should also be looked into. Re-jigging his cabinet is as needful as food. I wish our President well.

     

  • Special Report: Predictors of Buhari’s wellness, return

    By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Unlike previous journeys earlier in the year that were few and far between, the deluge of visits within 38 days to the United Kingdom, to see ailing President Muhammadu Buhari, was enough telltale that he was actually “recovering fast,” and that his return to Nigeria was imminent.

    There were seven of such visits between Tuesday, July 11 and Friday, August 18, with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo kicking off what polity watchers had termed the “Pilgrimages to London” or “Pilgrimages to Buhari.”

    All the visits were sequel to the president’s reported expressed desire and longing “to return home but was constrained by his doctor’s advice… to stay back in London.”

    “I’ve learnt to obey my doctor’s orders, rather than be the one issuing the orders. Here, the doctor is absolutely in charge,” Femi Adesina, Senior Adviser, Media and Publicity, quoted Buhari as saying.

    Like in past meetings, the president was shown in group photographs with the visitors sitting either in the lounge, at the dinning table or standing discussing at the foyer.

    But there were two noticeable exceptions: No pictures of Prof. Osinbajo’s visit, while Buhari was photographed and videoed on the lawns of the Abuja House in company with the Presidential Media aides at their turn of visiting.

     

    Acting President Osinbajo

    Prof. Osinbajo’s stopover at the Abuja House was a brief encounter at night, and “returning to Abuja immediately afterward,” according to his media spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, without further details.

    But the next day, August 12, ahead of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the acting president told the press that he made the visit to ascertain the president’s wellness level, which he said had “improved significantly.”

    His words: “I went to check on him (Buhari) and found out he was doing well. I had, of course, been speaking to him on the phone and I thought it would be a good thing to go and see him and also to brief him on developments back at home.

    “We had a very good conversation on wide-ranging issues. He is in very good spirits and recuperating very quickly.”

     

    APC Leaders

    It was the turn, on July 23, of the top shots of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), including its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Governors Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi), and Transportation Minister and former governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

    In a telephone chat, Okorocha, who’s Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, said from their hour-long lunch with President Buhari, “he was very cheerful, had not lost any bit of his sense of humour,” and “it was very clear from the discussions that he followed developments at home very closely.”

    Informing that the president was delighted to receive the delegation and asked each governor about affairs in his state, and Mr. Amaechi about the state of the railways, Okorocha said Buhari just laughed off “the cocktail of lies” written about him, and instead, sent his best wishes to Nigerians.

    He added: “By our visit to London today (July 23), the merchants of lies have been put out of business and Nigerians will not buy the garbage they have been selling. All those who look up to fake news can find better use for their time.”

     

    Governors’ Forum

    On July 26, Nigeria’s constitutionally-endorsed ‘Principle of Federal Character’ was on full display when the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, comprising of members of the APC, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), chose six among themselves, one from each of the geopolitical zones, to visit President Buhari.

    A seventh governor, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State and Chair of the forum, led the delegation, with the rest as Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Kashim Shettima ((Borno), Dave Nweze Umahi (Ebonyi), Danjuma Ganduje (Kano) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo State).

    After the meeting, Governors Yari, Shettima, Umahi and Ganduje addressed the media from London.

    Yari said: “Sincerely speaking, I am happy. All the governors that are here on behalf of the Governors’ Forum have seen for themselves. My advice to Nigerians, and those that are criticising President Buhari and banking on the president’s health and making noise, is that they should stop.”

    Shettima said: “We met the president in very high spirit, cracking jokes. We are quite impressed. And this will finally lay to rest all those negative media speculations and innuendoes by people who ought to know better.

    “He (Buhari) has made so much sacrifice for this nation. He deserves commendation, not condemnation. Nigerians are solidly with him; Nigerians are solidly behind him, and I believe personally that the prayers of Nigerians have been answered.”

    Umahi, said: “It (Buhari’s renewed health) has reinforced my convictions and opinion about what kind of media we have. I think we are being fed with a lot of false information.

    “We met Mr. President and the way we saw Mr. President is far from what has been circulating in the social media. We are so happy and grateful to God and to all Nigerians who have been praying for Mr. President. I am excited because this is a miracle I believe God did for the entire Nigerians.”

    Ganduje said: “They say, ‘seeing is believing.’ We came, we saw, and found out that Mr. President has improved greatly. His health has improved.

    “And we believe Mr. President will come back to Nigeria healthy and hearty and continue the good work that he was doing for our country.”

     

    Archbishop Welby

    Next, President Buhari had in audience on August 4, a foreign dignitary and acclaimed close friend, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was the second time he would be visiting, the first being last March at the same Abuja House in London.

    Buhari’s spokesman, Mr. Adesina, said the Archbishop and the president “share deep respect for each other.”

    Summing up his visit, Welby expressed delight over the rapid recovery of Buhari, noting that it was “a testimony to the healing powers of God, and answer to prayers of millions of people round the world.”

     

    Saraki and Dogara

    Two other appointments came in quick sequence on August 17 and 18 respectively, consisting of the Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and the Worldwide General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

    These visits were symbolic. Dr. Saraki and Mr. Dogara are the Number 3 and 4, in that order, in the hierarchy of governance of the country, and heads of the two chambers of the legislative arm of the Government of Nigeria. Any wonder they discussed both national and international issues with the president!

    Saraki, a medical doctor by training, stated his impressions of the Buhari health in tweets, thus: “We must give thanks to God for this highly welcomed recovery. It is clear that Mr. President’s insistence on following his doctors’ advice has yielded the desired result.

    “Mr. President exhibited remarkable recovery and was very conversant with all the political happenings back at home and across the continent.

    “In particular, we talked about the virement request by the Presidency, which is before the National Assembly… We then considered the steps to be taken in the preparation of the 2018 budget to ensure its early passage.”

    Also in tweets, Mr. Dogara noted the president’s rate of recovery, saying: “Today, we visited His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari. I am glad that he is doing well.

    “His health has improved tremendously. I urge all Nigerians to continue to pray and offer thanks to God for answered prayers and for the safe return of Mr. President.”

     

    Pastor Adeboye

    As for Pastor Adeboye, he was photographed during the visit sitting on a sofa beside President Buhari, who was perusing what looked like a scriptural book.

    The words of Mr. Adesina captured the essence of the visit by the leader of millions of Christian faithful across the world.

    “His (Adeboye’s) visit to Buhari is also significant because the man (Buhari) had been erroneously tagged a religious bigot. This visit shows Buhari’s acceptability across all faith,” Adesina said.

    The eloquence of the visit was also not lost on the president who, later that day, tweeted: “I thank Pastor Adeboye for visiting today and for his prayers and good wishes. May God continue to bless him and his work.”

    Interestingly, media reports at the weekend literally credited Pastor Adeboye as appearing at the Abuja House to pray for President Buhari, and prepare him, spiritually, as he was about embarking on his return journey to Nigeria after spending 103 days on his medical leave in the British capital.

     

    Presidential Media team

    Then, there was the visit of the Media aides to President Buhari on August 12, led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed.

    The delegation included Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina; Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu; Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and Senior Special Assistant on Social Media, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie.

    This visit was unique in several respects, as the team did what other visitors did not do: Making the president to leave the cosy living room and venture into the grounds of the Abuja House. It was also the first time in months that he would be seen in print and on video of a few seconds playing time.

    Out on the lawns of the expansive compound, the Media aides presented to Buhari a large “GET WELL SOON” greeting card that they ostensibly brought along from Nigeria.

    You could see the “ear-to-ear” smile of Buhari, holding the card with both hands and reading the contents admiringly!

    That President Buhari “public” appearance helped greatly to calm the rumour of his being incapacitated, vegetative, on a life-support or even dead.

     

    Mrs. Buhari

    Let’s not forget the surprising and thought-provoking proclamation of wife of the president, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, on July 10.

    Her statement served two purposes. First, it informed of the imminent home-coming of President Buhari; and second, it hinted of a possible shake-up to “flush out” those she described as “hyenas and jackals” in her husband’s administration.

    Mrs. Buhari had been critical of a so-called “cabal” in the Presidency, which some alleged had prevented her from seeing her husband in London early on in the year.

    A post on her Facebook page took a similar shape and tenor as the denouncement by Senator Shehu Sani, who referenced a rumoured power play in the government, while the “Lion King” (President Buhari) was ill in London.

    Mrs. Buhari wrote: “God has answered the prayers of the weaker animals. The hyenas and the jackals will soon be sent out of the kingdom (the government or Nigeria, which critics have derisively described as “the Zoo”).

    “We strongly believe in the prayers and support of the weaker animals. Long live the weaker animals, long live Nigeria.”

    Well, the first arm of her proclamation has been fulfilled: President Buhari has returned to the country. Will the other notification – a possible rejigging in the government – come to pass?

     

    Last line (Governor Fayose)

    From the foregoing timelines of predictors of the return of President Buhari from London, all the visitors were happy with the state of his health, and prayed to God for its sustenance so that the president could arrive in Nigeria soon and safely.

    However, one notable Nigerian was not happy about the “Pilgrimages to London,” to see Buhari, whom he had written off many times as incapacitated, on life-support or dead.

    Fayose particularly took exception to the visit of Acting President Osinbajo, as there were no photographs of the meeting “to show that it actually took place.” As usual, he bared his mind through one of his spokespersons.

    According to him: “It is, therefore, my position that Nigerians do not need this drama of Osinbajo’s behind-the-camera meeting with Buhari.

    “Rather, what we want is that the president should speak to Nigerians publicly and disabuse the minds of the people, who are of the belief that he is already incapacitated and cannot continue as president.”

    Given the finality of that statement, would any still or video pictures of Osinbajo’s meeting with Buhari have convinced Governor Fayose, and abridge his longstanding criticism of the president even on his sick bed? Previous images didn’t work the magic!

     

    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, contributed this piece from Lagos, Nigeria.

  • Kogi govt declares public holiday over Buhari’s return

    Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has declared Monday, August 21 as public holiday and Thanksgiving day to commemorate the safe return of President Muhammadu Buhari from his medical vacation in London.

    A statement issued on Sunday in Lokoja by his Director General on Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, said the gesture was in line with the support of the Kogi people for “the renaissance of our nation by Mr. President”.

    “We urge Kogites to also use the occasion of the Public Holiday to pray for Mr. President as he resumes his responsibilities of repositioning Nigeria,” the statement said.

    The Governor thanked people of the state for standing by the President and for trooping to Abuja in thousands to welcome the ‘Lion of Africa’.

  • BREAKING: Buhari returns to Nigeria today

    President Muhammadu Buhari will return to the country later on Saturday after receiving medical attention in London, the presidency has said.

    The president is set to return after over 100 days in London for medical treatment.

    He left the country on May 7 after handing over power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has functioned as Acting President since then.

    Buhari is expected to speak to Nigerians in a broadcast by 7 a.m. on Monday, Femi Adesina, his spokesperson confirmed to TheNewsGuru.com

    “He thanks all Nigerians who have prayed ceaselessly for his recovery and well-being since the beginning of the health challenge,” Adesina said.

  • Buhari’s love for Nigeria compelled him to come home – Tinubu

    Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Tinubu, expressed joy at the return of President Buhari, saying the president’s return to Nigeria is because he [Buhari] loves the country.

    In a statement by his Media Office, Mr. Tinubu, who is at present abroad, said the president had always been a man of moral fortitude, discipline, strength and dedication.

    According to him, the attributes had helped him battle medical challenges. “These same attributes will lead him to success in surmounting our national challenges.”

    “President Buhari has demonstrated time and again his devotion to this nation and its great causes. His love of country and the realization that he has a mission to fulfil so that Nigeria may realize its better self by providing security and prosperity to all Nigerians has compelled him home.

    “Just as we gathered to pray for his health and his return, we must remain united in spirit to support President Buhari as he pursues the progressive agenda for which he was elected and that promises us all a better day.

    “Our nation is strong but must overcome many challenges. We can do so with President Buhari at the helm and with the rest of the nation in active support.

    “Thus, the president’s return home is both real and symbolic. We all must renew our faith in our collective purpose and rededicate ourselves to a nation indivisible and united in reconstructing our political economy so that it provides a decent and good life to all our people.

    “It has been a heartening thing to see that our nation has matured to the point where governance continued in a meaningful, seamless manner during the president’s absence. This again was a sign of the harmony between President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    “On this day, it is even more heartening to think of the things that can now be achieved with President Buhari back to lead the nation.

    “Today is a glad and happy one for those who wish Nigeria well. While we celebrate the President’s return, we also must quickly turn to the hard and heavy work at hand.

    “With President Buhari back and with the nation united behind him, we can accomplish excellent things. May we do our best to become our best.”