On President Muhammadu Buhari’s 78th birthday, his senior media assistant, Garba Shehu, has reminded Nigerians that his principal is an “incorruptible” and “upright” leader.
Shehu said despite the challenges posed by insecurity and COVID-19, President Buhari has maintained his image as an “anti-corruption hero” and has continued to lead by example.
He recalled how Buhari had rejected a gold-plated Rolex wristwatch sent to him by a young Nigerian entrepreneur when he first assumed office as president in 2015.
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THE WHISTLER reports that a Rolex wristwatch could cost between $13,000 to as high as $17 million, according to Luxe Digital.
“A young Nigerian designer, very successful abroad produced a gold wristwatch of the famous Rolex brand and embossed the picture of the President on its face. The President commended the success of the young man’s brand oversea, asked him to keep the name of Nigeria flying but directed that the gift be politely returned. The young entrepreneur picked up his precious wristwatch and left,” said Shehu.
The presidential aide revealed this in an opinion article he wrote to mark the 78th birthday of his boss on Thursday.
Shehu noted that, “The qualities of uprightness and incorruptibility have given the biggest push to Muhammadu Buhari both as a military Head of State and a two-term democratically elected civilian President of Nigeria.
“As an assistant in his office, I attest to the fact that the Buhari phenomenon is not a product of marketing. In any case, experts in the field teach that marketing cannot sell a bad product. No matter how much money, so long as what you are selling does not measure up to expectations or is fake, all efforts in that marketing will fail.
“With discipline and consistency, President Buhari has convinced a majority of Nigerians and his peers who have retained him as the continent’s anti-corruption champion that he is sincere, credible, incorruptible and that he stands for good governance.”
According to Shehu, Buhari’s quality as incorruptible leader and one who despises “ostentatious living style” was evidenced when he rejected the offer by a Permanent Secretary to take “N400 million from the treasury for the purchase of new cars for his office.”
He recalled the president asking, “what is wrong with the cars left behind by the former President? They are alright for my use” adding that Buhari “continued to use those Jonathan cars until just a year ago when one of the two Mercedes Benz cars broke down on the way to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.”