It’s not every day Buhari leaves Abuja for another part of Nigeria that’s not his home in Daura. His top three destinations are usually London, London and anywhere that’s not Nigeria.
Catching international flights, not local feelings
But Buhari made the rare local trip to Imo State on Tuesday, September 13th, 2022, and there are a few things that didn’t escape our watchful eyes.
These are the things we noticed about Buhari’s trip to Imo.
Buhari is healthier than ever
We just need to get it out of the way that Buhari is looking way more dashing as he approaches the end of his second term in office. He’s gone from looking like in 2017:
…to looking like the Fresh Prince of Daura in 2022:
All those London trips are finally paying off
We know feeding fat on the Nigerian treasury is a healthcare routine that’s impossible to match, but we’re still going to need him to write a blog post to give us all the tea. Because why’s this guy looking like he’s ready to compete in the Olympics?
When Buhari promised change seven years ago, he really meant for his own health status. Or maybe this is just how you look when you’ve been on leave from work for seven years.
Buhari needs a hug
Buhari used his Imo trip to take yet another familiar dig at the “Nigerian elite” whom he blamed for not protecting Nigeria’s interests for decades. He blamed them for infrastructural decay, especially the lack of development of the railway system and power.
The president’s major complaint was even though he’s apparently racking up achievements in the areas previous governments failed, the Nigerian elite isn’t washing his feet, touching the hem of his garment and patting him on the back for a job well done.
We’d ask the First Lady to give him a hug for us, but she’s probably back to her Dubai base. Since the Nigerian elite has refused to, who’s going to hug Buhari for us? Xoxo, Mr President.
Buhari’s in love with Uzodinma
A bromance made in the Supreme Court
Remember how we said it’s super rare for Buhari to make local trips? Well, it’s even super rarer that he visits the same state more than once, especially in a region where he’s not very popular.
Yet, this was Buhari’s second visit to Imo State in one year, after a previous visit in September 2021. And that can only mean Governor Hope Uzodinma has his nudes and blackmails him into making these rare trips, or he really loves the governor and would do anything to help him boost his political profile.
Nothing says “besties” like matching outfits
Uzodinma is a man of his name
Buhari was in Imo to commission three key projects in the state: a renovated State House of Assembly building and two roads that may or may not be completely ready for people to use.
Buhari, like us, only just found out that “Uzodinma” actually means “good road”, and we suddenly feel like that’s why the governor has a hard-on for road projects. Now, we wonder if “Okorocha” means “good statue”.
Buhari 1 – 1 IPOB
Before Buhari landed in Imo Tuesday, his people must have been wary that the sit-at-home order declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) would taint his appearance. The order was in honour of the Tuesday court appearance of the group’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who’s facing treason charges in Abuja.
Many expected that the sit-at-home would mess with Buhari’s visit and undermine his status as the country’s commander-in-chief. Even though there was a sizable crowd that defied the order and welcomed him, the state capital was still largely deserted. So maybe we’ll call a tie here.
The compliance with the order illustrates just how much the president has lost authority in the southeast region over the years, and how much more the government needs to do to end IPOB’s sit-at-home mandate that’s crippling socio-economic activities in the region.
