Is Buhari Nigerian?
The president of any country is the number one citizen of that nation, all things being equal. He is first among equals, being one whom all other citizens admire for leadership and direction.
The president is the first ambassador of the nation and therefore the rest of the world sees the country through the president. No wonder, then, that most laws defining the qualifications of those aspiring to the office of president impose a major requirement that the aspirant must be a citizen of the country; he must carry the life and blood of the nation, which would be the driving force of the patriotism he takes with him to this high office. You can imagine the embarrassment it will cause any nation to find out that its president is a foreigner! In Nigeria, under and by virtue of Section 131(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), "a person is qualified to be elected to the office of President if (a ) she is a citizen of Nigeria by birth”. It is therefore anathema to anyone who aspires to be elected President of Nigeria while not a Nigerian citizen by descent.
The Constitution deliberately emphasizes the phrase “a Nigerian citizen by BIRTH”. In other words, Nigeria must run in the blood of the President and not any type of citizenship. Indeed, under Article 26 of the Constitution, you can become a Nigerian citizen other than by birth, registration or naturalization, but this category of citizens cannot aspire to rule Nigeria as President. So, if it can be proven that anyone holding the office of President of Nigeria is not a Nigerian citizen by birth, his presidency can be questioned. On the other hand, even if a citizen acquired this status by birth, his actions may make him appear as someone who has not shown enough patriotism to deserve this citizenship. For example, where Nigeria's interest is secondary in the President's estimation, compared to the interests of another nation, then there is no patriotism. This is why there is a hue and cry about the true citizenship of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as cases have been filed in court to determine it. It wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't expressed his interest in the presidency of Nigeria, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. And locally speaking, there is still an unresolved controversy over the true identity of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also aspires to lead Nigeria on the platform of the All Progressive Congress. Once you seek to become President of Nigeria, your citizenship is automatically in question.
At the beginning of his administration, President Muhammadu Buhari invested so much money in carrying out tests and surveys in the Lake Chad region, allegedly in search of crude oil, which came to nothing at the end of the day. Also, he was interested in training and equipping the armed forces of our neighboring countries, yet the insurgency has not diminished. It is reported that Nigeria is providing uninterrupted electricity to the Republic of Niger and the latter is even indebted to us for this cause, while the people of Nigeria suffer multiple national grid failures every month. Charity must begin at home. There is no explanation the President can offer, for seeking the welfare of people of other nations beyond his own people, if he is truly a Nigerian. Allow me to share with you excerpts from a news report on this issue:
"Since his emergence as President of Nigeria in 2015, President Buhari has massively opened up Nigeria's financial vault to provide strategic infrastructural development to Nigerian neighbours, despite the country's poor financial situation.
> Projects executed over the past seven years include a $2 billion standard gauge railway project that the Nigerian government is constructing from Kano to Maradi in the Republic of Niger, a project that President Muhammadu Buhari has launched in February 2021. The project, which was awarded to a Portuguese Construction Company, Mota-Engil, involved the construction of a 284 kilometer standard gauge line with 12 stations from Kano in northern Nigeria to Maradi in the Landlocked Republic of Niger. The project was financed by an external loan of $4.054 billion, approved by the National Assembly in 2018. In July 2018, Nigeria and the Republic of Niger agreed to collaborate to build an oil pipeline and refinery. They agreed that although the proposed refinery will be located in Katsina State, northern Nigeria, crude supply will be through the pipeline from the Niger Republic oilfields in the Ténéré Desert. The memorandum of understanding for the two projects, which is expected to cost around $2 billion, was signed by the energy ministers of the two countries and in the presence of Buhari and his Niger Republic counterpart, Mahamadou Issoufou. In November 2020, the Nigerian government, t...
The president of any country is the number one citizen of that nation, all things being equal. He is first among equals, being one whom all other citizens admire for leadership and direction.
The president is the first ambassador of the nation and therefore the rest of the world sees the country through the president. No wonder, then, that most laws defining the qualifications of those aspiring to the office of president impose a major requirement that the aspirant must be a citizen of the country; he must carry the life and blood of the nation, which would be the driving force of the patriotism he takes with him to this high office. You can imagine the embarrassment it will cause any nation to find out that its president is a foreigner! In Nigeria, under and by virtue of Section 131(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), "a person is qualified to be elected to the office of President if (a ) she is a citizen of Nigeria by birth”. It is therefore anathema to anyone who aspires to be elected President of Nigeria while not a Nigerian citizen by descent.
The Constitution deliberately emphasizes the phrase “a Nigerian citizen by BIRTH”. In other words, Nigeria must run in the blood of the President and not any type of citizenship. Indeed, under Article 26 of the Constitution, you can become a Nigerian citizen other than by birth, registration or naturalization, but this category of citizens cannot aspire to rule Nigeria as President. So, if it can be proven that anyone holding the office of President of Nigeria is not a Nigerian citizen by birth, his presidency can be questioned. On the other hand, even if a citizen acquired this status by birth, his actions may make him appear as someone who has not shown enough patriotism to deserve this citizenship. For example, where Nigeria's interest is secondary in the President's estimation, compared to the interests of another nation, then there is no patriotism. This is why there is a hue and cry about the true citizenship of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as cases have been filed in court to determine it. It wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't expressed his interest in the presidency of Nigeria, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. And locally speaking, there is still an unresolved controversy over the true identity of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also aspires to lead Nigeria on the platform of the All Progressive Congress. Once you seek to become President of Nigeria, your citizenship is automatically in question.
At the beginning of his administration, President Muhammadu Buhari invested so much money in carrying out tests and surveys in the Lake Chad region, allegedly in search of crude oil, which came to nothing at the end of the day. Also, he was interested in training and equipping the armed forces of our neighboring countries, yet the insurgency has not diminished. It is reported that Nigeria is providing uninterrupted electricity to the Republic of Niger and the latter is even indebted to us for this cause, while the people of Nigeria suffer multiple national grid failures every month. Charity must begin at home. There is no explanation the President can offer, for seeking the welfare of people of other nations beyond his own people, if he is truly a Nigerian. Allow me to share with you excerpts from a news report on this issue:
"Since his emergence as President of Nigeria in 2015, President Buhari has massively opened up Nigeria's financial vault to provide strategic infrastructural development to Nigerian neighbours, despite the country's poor financial situation.
> Projects executed over the past seven years include a $2 billion standard gauge railway project that the Nigerian government is constructing from Kano to Maradi in the Republic of Niger, a project that President Muhammadu Buhari has launched in February 2021. The project, which was awarded to a Portuguese Construction Company, Mota-Engil, involved the construction of a 284 kilometer standard gauge line with 12 stations from Kano in northern Nigeria to Maradi in the Landlocked Republic of Niger. The project was financed by an external loan of $4.054 billion, approved by the National Assembly in 2018. In July 2018, Nigeria and the Republic of Niger agreed to collaborate to build an oil pipeline and refinery. They agreed that although the proposed refinery will be located in Katsina State, northern Nigeria, crude supply will be through the pipeline from the Niger Republic oilfields in the Ténéré Desert. The memorandum of understanding for the two projects, which is expected to cost around $2 billion, was signed by the energy ministers of the two countries and in the presence of Buhari and his Niger Republic counterpart, Mahamadou Issoufou. In November 2020, the Nigerian government, t...What's Your Reaction?
