Aminu Shagari, the son of the late Nigerian President, Shehu Shagari, and a three-term House of Representatives member, has apologized to the former President, Goodluck Jonathan.
Despite dethroning his father in a coup in 1983, Aminu said he helped Muhammadu Buhari to bring down Jonathan’s government to ensure he (Buhari) emerged president.
Years on, Buhari, who was elected civilian president in 2015, while preparing to run for another tenure in 2019, traveled to Sokoto to pay a condolence visit to the family of the former president, Shagari, and reportedly ordered that flags should be flown at half-mast for three days at all military formations and public places in the country.
After his visit, Aminu called out Buhari, stating that the President never gave “words of comfort” during his visit.
Expressing his disappointment, Aminu stated:
We didn’t hear such because he didn’t say anything. We gave him the condolence register. He only signed and put the date. Personally, I was very disappointed with that. I expected that at least, as Muslim, he would write, ‘May Allah forgive him and may Allah forgive us when our time comes.’ That makes me extremely disappointed in him.
It was learnt that Aminu, in a recent interview with Punch, stated that Buhari has not contacted his family or deliver the promises to immortalize their father.
I was never contacted and the Presidency has not contacted our family, to the best of my knowledge. Nothing has changed; the only thing I remember is that, at a campaign rally in Bauchi, after his visit to our father’s residence in Sokoto, prayers were offered for my dad. This probably was an afterthought following the backlash that followed his (Buhari) mere signing of the condolence register, with no written or verbal condolence message.
This is somebody we really supported, campaigned for and mobilised people for his election because we obediently adhered to our father’s dictate to forgive and let bygone be bygone. The same Muhammadu Buhari, in the condolence letter he gave the state governor (Aminu Waziri Tambuwal), promised to immortalise our dad. Close to two years after his death, he has yet to fulfil his promise. Whereas he recently named certain landmarks after some Nigerians who are still alive, including former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Let me use this opportunity to tender a public apology to former President Jonathan and seek forgiveness because I helped to divide the Peoples Democratic Party and bring down his government, but, I have found out that what we thought about his stewardship was not entirely true. I expect President Buhari to also ask for forgiveness having found out that most of the things he accused my dad’s and President Jonathan’s administrations of are not true.
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Speaking on the current state of Nigeria, Aminu, while noting that Nigeria’s only hope is in good governance, said:
I am very disappointed.
I believe if we get it right in this aspect of our national life, our story would turn from bad to good within a short time. With emphasis, all we require is a credible and sincere leadership that will maximise our God-given talents and resources. A lot of us committed so much to bring this administration on board. As an individual, I assumed that, if nothing else, we would get the issue of security right, and every other thing would follow.
Unfortunately, our security situation has degenerated from bad to worse and the President has refused to listen to every voice of reasoning. Rather, he has turned a deaf ear to what people are saying and insisted on keeping the service chiefs.
Just recently, the government slammed the entire citizenry with a double post-COVID-19 assault – fuel price hike and increase in electricity tariff, without considering the income of Nigerians. With the minimum wage, in the face of the depreciating value of the naira, how do you expect an average Nigerian worker to survive, meet their family’s financial needs, and be happy?
