BY ADOLPHUS DURU
Former President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigerians are over-impressed by materialism.
This, he said, made it difficult for him to garner the support of many influential persons in 2003, 2007, and 2011 when he ran for the presidency and lost.
“Nigeria, believe it or not, we’re an underdeveloped country. We get so impressed by our material things and sometimes ruthlessly don’t care how you make the money…you should be rich, have a fantastic house, flashy cars, going overseas regularly,” Buhari said in a retrospective interview aired on the Nigeria Television Authority late Monday.
Reminiscing his three unsuccessful attempts at the presidency, he said “I found myself struggling to gain support because Nigerians seem to be impressed more by material success rather than be honored by the less privileged, we’re a fantastic initiative.”
Buhari said although he ran for the Presidency thrice and finally won in 2015, he did not quite achieve all he had set out to do within his tenure.
I would have moved to Niger Republic, says Buhari
In another development, Former President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said he still gets visitors from various parts of the country despite living as far away from the country’s capital as possible.
In an interview on NTA’s Conversations With History aired Monday night, Buhari said, “People charter buses and come to see me from time to time. I thought I had stayed as far away from Abuja as possible but they still come. I would have gone to Niger if the borders were opened.”
Earlier, the Daura-born former Head of State said he did not miss being in power much.
He remarked, “Miss? I don’t think I miss much.”
In December 2022, six months before handing over power to his successor, Bola Tinubu, Buhari said he would not miss his time as President of Nigeria because his best was not good enough for Nigerians.
“I believe I’m trying my best, but still my best is not good enough. I wonder if I am going to miss much. I think I’m being harassed,” he stated.
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2023-11-20