British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Thursday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari whether he will be running for another term in office.
Both leaders held a bilateral meeting on the margins of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda.
However, President Buhari reiterated his resolve to respect the maximum term limit in the Nigerian Constitution.
According to a statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), the PM, obviously not quite familiar with the maximum two terms limit, had asked if President Buhari would run for office again, to which the latter responded: “Another term for me? No! The first person who tried it didn’t end very well.”
The statement informed that Buhari’s response was followed by a general laughter.
On the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, not being allowed to see his lawyers privately, the president dispelled such insinuation, saying the detained separatist was being given every opportunity under the law “to justify all the uncomplimentary things he had been saying against Nigeria in Britain.”
The statement quoted the president as saying: “He felt very safe in Britain, and said awful things against Nigeria. We eventually got him when he stepped out of the United Kingdom, and we sent him to court.
“Let him defend all that he has said there. His lawyers have access to him. Remember he jumped bail before. How are we sure he won’t do it again if he’s admitted to bail?”
On the keenness expressed by the PM to help Nigeria in the area of security, the president said helping to stabilise Libya could be an initial good step, as the fall of Muammar Gadaffi after 42 years in power unleashed his armed guards on countries in the Sahel, “and they are causing havoc everywhere, as the only thing they know how to do is to shoot guns.”
On Boko Haram insurgency, President Buhari said there was a serious effort to educate the people on the fact that only an unserious person could kill innocent people, “and say Allah Akbar (God is Great). God is justice. You can’t take innocent souls, and ascribe them to God. And the education process is working, the people now understand Boko Haram as anti-God, and not about religion.”
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PM Johnson said he was delighted about the good news on trade between the two countries, adding that the UK was further reducing tariffs on some goods going to Nigeria.
He described the relationship between the countries as “very strong attachment,” adding: “I just want to be sure that we are doing enough. It’s a massive partnership for us, and we need to capitalize on it.”
The prime minister offered condolences on some recent attacks in Nigeria, particularly on churches.
Meanwhile, after visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda also on Thursday, President Buhari made a passionate appeal to Nigerians to be tolerant of one another and embrace peace.
He toured the permanent exhibitions at the memorial and laid a wreath at the mass graves where more than 250,000 victims of the genocide were buried.
The president also paid tribute to the memory of the victims and prayed for healing for the survivors.
A separate statement by Adesina noted that after the historic visit, the president told journalists that the lessons from his visit were the need for Nigerians to continue to be tolerant of one another, and for the nation to also preserve its own historical antecedents from the Nigeria Civil War (1967-1970).
Buhari stated: ‘‘I went through allthe experiences from 15 January 1966 to date. I was a governor, minister, and Head of State and went through detention. I returned to partisan politics and will finish my two-terms as constitutionally allowed.
‘‘We fought a 30-month bitter civil war and we killed about a million of each other. Nigeria went through this kind of terrible development process,’’ he said.
Before departing, the president also wrote in the visitors’ book: ‘‘Remembering the victims of this dark history of the Rwanda Genocide, we pray that humanity will never experience this kind of hatred, wickedness and violence toward others because of their ethnic background, religion, and beliefs.
‘‘Nigeria is strongly committed to the prevention of mass atrocity anywhere in the world and believes that perpetrators of such crimes; and their enablers, anywhere in the world must be held accountable.’’
Also meeting with Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, Thursday on the sidelines of CHOGM, President Buhari lauded the relations between both countries.
“Our relationship dates back in time, to generations ago. Thank you for strengthening it, particularly on the economic and political fronts,” President Buhari said.
PM Holness said Nigeria had been very supportive of Jamaica, with the two countries having commercial agreements in place.
“The maiden flight from Lagos to Jamaica about two years ago was well received. We equally have relationships in the creative industry, sports and finance,” the Jamaican PM said.
Referring to a recent opinion article written by President Buhari, and published in international newspapers, Holness said he agreed that the Commonwealth could be more than just a club of friends who have affinity with the United Kingdom, “and become an economic powerhouse. All the elements are there; common language, large market, and many others. It can become a serious economic force.”