I Didn’t Say I’m Too Old To Rule Nigeria – President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday spurned reports suggesting he regretted that his age would in one way of the other limit the extent to which he could perform in office as President.


The said reports in some national dailies has interpreted what Buhari told the Nigerian community at the country’s Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday to mean the President said he would have loved being a President when he was at a younger age.

But clarifying on what he actually meant when he made reference to his age, Buhari who said nothing could be farther from the truth than the said reports, stated that on the contrary “old wines are tasty”.

Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President noted that the Buhari Nigerians have in him 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 for bearance that age brings”, Adesina added.

Recalling that the President himself had rightly told the Nigerian community that he was speaking extempore because he wanted to “speak from the heart”, Adesina said the Buhari was only urging them “to be good ambassadors of Nigeria, a country he went to the warfront to keep together”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Adesina said, “Still extolling the virtues of our country, Nigeria, the President, who had served as a military governor of then North-Eastern State at 33 years old, declared:

“The above comments have been reported by some newspapers to mean that the President was saying he was too old to cope with the demands of his office. Far from it”.

He added that the president has brought all these virtues of wisdom, patience, temperance and for bearance to the presidency to make a difference in the country’s national life.

Still recalling what Buhari sad, the presidential spokesman said, “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.”