By Emmanuel Umohinyang
On the two occasions President Muhammadu Buhari was privileged to lead the country, one thing separated him from the pack – Honesty of Purpose

This is because this is one man who has always been factual, truthful, and honest from his growing up days and his unwavering belief that he will one day account for his stewardship before His creator deepened these virtues.

Of course, he is not infallible like every other human being, but his greatest desire is the achievement of a better society where everyone can have a slice of a better life

On these two journeys as a former military ruler and now President, his avowed commitment to these ideals have earned him lots of enemies, but Buhari is not one to chicken out like some of his former colleagues

Even as he marks his 79th birthday this December 17, 2021, his eyes are firmly on the ball in the journey to ensure that Nigeria under his watch attains true nationhood

PMB is and has always been a firm believer that Nigeria, given her enormous potentials can rival the advanced countries of the world in any sphere of human endeavour as the nation is heavily blessed in human and natural resources

Perhaps his bigger frustration is that the wheels of Democracy are too slow to achieve, the kind of reforms and height he would want to see Nigeria attain

But amid daunting challenges, President Buhari has achieved far more than was recorded in the sixteen years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which had far more resources at its beck and call

These could be better appreciated when one considers the fact Nigeria was virtually on her knees when PMB took over as President, with most states unable to pay workers’ salaries

This and many more were strong enough to make an incoming President throw in the towel. NOT PMB. He took up the gauntlet and faced the issues squarely by bailing out the states

Unlike the days of yore, he ensured that resources were deployed to all the states, not minding whether or not they were in opposition

From infrastructure to health, mining, education, science and technology, foreign affairs, agriculture, finance, and more, the footprints of the administration can be seen today.

For the first time in the history of this nation and even beyond, railways are daily connecting the entire country up to the ports to ease the movement of people, goods, and services for socio-economic boost

Recall that the opposition in the early part of the administration accused this administration of neglecting the south-east. However, it is becoming clearer by the day that the President is a hater of nobody like the PDP would want us to believe with their infantile propaganda

Indeed, to the credit of the administration, it has done far more than the PDP’s Sixteen years for the south-east and indeed the nation with projects spread evenly across all regions.

Kudos must be given to information minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who exposed the shenanigans of those behind the evil plot with facts and figures and since then the naysayers have gone to sleep.

Is there anyone with a superior argument that the Buhari administration did not site such projects in the region?

As somebody who has worked closely with the President, I am more than amazed by his strength of character, enigmatic personae, and bountiful desire for a better and prosperous Nigeria

No wonder the poorest of the poor who voted massively for him in 2015 and 2019 have not abandoned him as they did to his predecessors

Even with the harsh economy, they know the President loves them and would not make them face needless hardship for anything.

His pro-people policies like trader-moni, farmers-moni, school feeding programme, conditional cash transfer, public works scheme, etc, designed for the poorest of the poor and which has gulped trillions of naira is well appreciated by them.

Whether it is Ogun, Abuja, Calabar, Ebonyi, Ibadan, Kaura Namoda, Kano, or Enugu, the President’s constituency knows no bounds because of his sincerity, honesty and commitment are infectious. Next year has been tagged the year of projects commissioning by the PMB administration.

Ask Farooq Kperogi who writes the column “Notes from Atlanta” for Nigerian Tribune who confessed recently that mosques in Kwara and Niger states invoked Allah’s wrath on him in their daily prayers for being a vociferous critic of the President. Such is the love the people have for the PMB.

The story is the same across all critical sectors, including the Lagos – Ibadan expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Tin Can Island, and Apapa Ports, even as the Nigeria Customs Service now rakes in billions above what we saw under PDP.

Even JAMB which used to be a place where snakes swallowed money under former administrations now contributes enormously to the economy, same as the mining sector, thanks to PMB. Credit must equally go to this administration for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act into law, after several years of neglect.

That this is another milestone for the current administration is not in doubt because of the significance of this law to our economy, even as some major oil companies have already started signing mega-deals with Nigeria because of the law.

This is aside from the January to December budget cycle recorded by this government in conjunction with the National Assembly which is a major plus for the nation as it will aid better planning.

Though insecurity remains a challenge, this administration is not resting on its oars in tackling the issue

It is to the credit of the administration that it has shown openness as far as the matter is concerned, whether in the reportage of insecurity or purchase of arms and ammunition.

This no doubt was the major reason the American government which had stopped the sale of military equipment to Nigeria before the coming of Buhari sold the same to this administration.

Above all, there has been no record of stealing or diversion of money meant for arms and ammunition under this government like past administrations.

And the EFCC has thus far done very well in securing the conviction of top former officeholders and recovering billions of stolen funds and arresting looters of our collective patrimony.

Two in court for unlawful possession of hemp

Despite his avowed commitment to a better nation, PMB remains a dedicated family man, defender of the poor, and a teetotaller with puritan social life and clinical political attitude.

The President is a man with a positive mind and an uncommon believer in planning, patience, and hard work.

All these virtues have no doubt assisted in realising far more than he promised in 2015, though there are still areas to cover

However, the good thing is that as he celebrates his 79th birthday, it is a thing of joy that he has laid a good foundation for the future. Happy birthday, Mr. President

Umohinyang, a social commentator wrote from Abuja