A chieftain of the Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chuks Ibegbu, has claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari would relocate to the Niger Republic after his tenure.
He said the president had been more patriotic to the Niger Republic than Nigeria, therefore, the reason behind the rail network constructed to the neighbouring country from Katsina State.
Ibegbu, who is a former spokesperson of the Igbo apex group, added that Buhari would retire to Niger Republic in 2023 due to his loyalty to the country.
He recalled how Buhari, during his tenure as Military Head of State, supported a candidate from Niger Republic for a position of the African Union Secretary General, instead of a Nigerian.
Nigeria is currently constructing a 284 kilometers standard gauge rail line enabling interconnectivity between Nigeria and Niger Republic.
According to the Federal Government, when completed, the railway line worth over $2 billion would connect Nigeria with countries in the West Africa sub-region for the promotion of trade and commerce.
However, Ibegbu said: “When he was the Military Head of State, there was an opening for the position of the Secretary of the African Union, and instead of supporting his fellow compatriot, Peter Ornu from Nigeria, he supported one Umaru, a Fulani man from Niger Republic as the Head of State of a country.
“So, his loyalty is not to Nigeria, but to the Niger Republic, and this is why he is building a rail line worth $2 billion from Katsina to Maradi.
“As soon as his tenure ends, he will return to his country which is Niger Republic.
“Mind you, most of the people ruling us are not Nigerians. Sani Abacha is not a Nigerian, he is from Northern Cameroon. Gowon, Obasanjo, IBB, Gen Abubakar are Nigerians but the others are not.”