Femi Adesina’s birthday tribute to President Muhammadu Buhari as fitting and succinctly delivered as it is, can best be described as understating the essence of the real Buhari persona. I understand that modesty is a fundamental requirement to possess if you are to survive in the regimentally Spartan set up of the President but it is not out of place to seize the opportunity of a joyous celebration such as the his 78th birthday to reveal a very significant part of his character.
I can testify with good reason that President Buhari is not your regular run off the mill politician who believes that the electorate are disposable commodities. He does not believe in perpetuating a dehumanizing routine where able bodied men and women are converted to destitute whose survival is at the mercy of unconscionable people. Such people whose ego is fed by the excess gratitude from helpless citizens who line up to get tiny fractions of stolen wealth are common place in Nigeria. President Buhari’s generosity is underscored by the quality of life enhanced and not a celebration of peanuts. I am a living testimony and beneficiary of his noble deeds.
I wish to be counted among those who will publicly attest to Buhari’s detribalized nature despite malicious attempts to paint him to the contrary. I am not sure he recalls my face or he even knows me at all but I was in my office one day when I got a notification from the office of the then Chief of Staff, Late Mallam Abba Kyari that I have been nominated to be on President Buhari’s first trade mission to China in April 2016. My selection to be on that delegation I believe was based on my investments in the mining sector and my over three decades’ interface with diverse businesses in China. This is instructive because it shows that the president recognizes competence and demonstrable relevance. He doesn’t need to know where you come from but is only concerned with how much value you can add.
This is how an entrepreneur from Ihugh in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State without a godfather and without lobbying anybody was chosen out of the blues to accompany the President of his country on a trip to far away China. Other personalities on that trip included Alhaji Aliko Dangote, state governors, ministers, the Governor of Central Bank and other distinguished captains of industry.
On that memorable trip, my head almost exploded with pride when Presidents Buhari and Xi Jinping witnessed as I signed a partnership agreement with SBM Inc, one of the World’s biggest manufacturers of mining equipment to develop the largest granite and marble processing plant in Africa. Being on the President’s delegation afforded me the opportunity to interact with some of the world’s biggest companies. Such generosity cannot be quantified.
Following the successes achieved on that trip, the Central Bank approved a grant of N1billion from the Real Sector Support Fund (RSSF) to my company to fast track the realization of the terms of agreement with SBM. What generosity, fairness and inclusiveness beats this? This project alone has a guaranteed thousands of jobs as well as a formidable chain of indirect ones. The project would have gathered steam by now if not for the sabotage of some fifth columnists who are bent on working at cross purposes with the objectives of Mr. President.
The zeal for value addition has seen the President undertake some of the most ambitious infrastructural projects in the history of Nigeria. The railways, the airports, the roads, the bridges the agricultural Revolution and the unprecedented Social Intervention Programmes all point to his generous spirit. The greatest hallmark of generosity is the promotion of others over and above self. That is Buhari for you; he has consistently shown this aspect of his character.
While Femi Adesina may be right in keeping with the preferences of his principal to be modest in his tribute, I do not have those restrictions of expression as a citizen and a prime beneficiary of President Buhari’s astute statesmanship and generosity. Nigerians have formed a habit of appreciating their leaders only after they have left office. This does not encourage the best hands to step forward. I want to be on record as a Nigerian citizen who is seen to be acknowledging the President’s indelible impact on my life and several other hardworking Nigerians who have taken advantage of his policies to add value. May Nigeria succeed under the stewardship of this disciplined, selfless and passionate leader.
Moses Ayom is Chairman, Granite and Marble Nigeria Ltd.
