The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Deputy Speaker, Ahmad Wase; Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige: and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, have hailed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on his 79th birthday.
Lawan acknowledged Buhari’s “purposeful leadership, vision, courage and steadfastness in the pursuit of the right cause and common good” in a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser (Media), Ola Awoniyi, titled ‘Senate President greets Buhari @79.’
The statement read, “I join the multitude of fellow Nigerians and your other well-wishers across the globe in thanking Allah for His great gifts of good health and long life to you.
“This benevolence of Allah has enabled Your Excellency to continue to provide purposeful leadership to our country in this time of unprecedented challenges across the world.
“You are a leader who has matched vision with courage and who is steadfast in his pursuit of the right cause and common good.”
In a separate statement, Gbajabiamila said the President has done great things for Nigeria since he came to power in 2015, noting that such a man should be celebrated by all well-meaning Nigerians on his birthday.
The Speaker lauded Buhari for putting Nigeria first before any other consideration.
In the statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, titled ‘Gbajabiamila greets President Buhari at 79,’ Gbajabiamila said at 79, Buhari has achieved a lot, both as an individual and as a leader, with uncommon character and integrity.
The Speaker said he believed that the President would do a lot more for the country in the remaining period of his administration. He also noted, “with delight how the President keeps faith with the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress.”
Similarly, Wase, in a congratulatory message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Umar Puma, titled ‘Wase celebrates President Buhari at 79,’ said the President deserved to be judged fairly based on his track record in the last six years.
The Deputy Speaker described Buhari as “a patriotic, compassionate and leader whose love for the nation and achievements will stand him out on the annals of Nigeria’s history.”
Ngige also paid glowing tribute to the President on his birthday.
He described him as “a hero, who met Nigeria at the crossroads of socio-economic challenges, and has already left footprints on the sands of time.”
In a statement on Thursday, by his Media Office in Abuja, Ngige described the President as “a colossus, who upon crossing the Rubicon in 2015, retrieved Nigeria from a threatening morass, and set er on a fruitful march of socio-economic and political recovery.”
The statement titled, “Senator Ngige salutes President Buhari at 79,’ read in part, “At crossroads in 2015, Nigeria needed a statesman, an honest leader with an undistracted focus on national rebirth and the lot fell on President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Six years in saddle, despite teething challenges , worsened by COVID-19 pandemic which shut and brought the entire world on bended knees , Nigeria has trudged on, first through the era of change and now, the consolidation moment of the Next Level.”
Also, Sanwo-Olu congratulated the President on his birthday.
Sanwo-Olu, in a message issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Gboyega Akosile, described Buhari as a leader who has sacrificed much for Nigeria.
He said, “On behalf of my family, the government and people of Lagos State, I congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on the occasion of his 79th birthday. You have sacrificed the greater part of your life in service of our dear country.”
The governor also lauded Buhari for contributing to the growth and development of the country.
“You have contributed immensely to the unity, growth and development of Nigeria right from your youthful days till date, having served in different capacities as Minister of Petroleum Resources, Head of State and currently President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander -in- Chief of the Armed Forces.
“I hereby join family, friends, associates, leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress in celebrating President Buhari’s 79th birthday. I wish our President more prosperous years in good health and wisdom as he continues to serve our dear nation,” he said.