Nigerians have taken to various social media platforms to rip President Muhammadu Buhari apart, after the Nigerian leader gleefully confessed to UK monarch, King Charles III, that he owns no property in the UK.
The president made the remark during a visit to Buckingham Palace on Thursday, November 10.
“He (King Charles III) asked me whether I have a house here (in the UK), and I said no. I live in Nigeria alone, the only house I have are those I have before I got into government and I am not very much interested in having houses all over the place. I feel much freer when I have nothing,” President Buhari said as he relayed details of his conversation with the King, to the media afterwards.
The president’s remark has stirred plenty of angry reactions among Nigerians, with many saying Buhari wasn’t elected to manifest poverty or to export poverty to the outside world, but to create wealth for the people who elected him.
Many Nigerians also expressed divergent views on the significance or far reaching implications of President Buhari’s comments.
A political analyst and strategist based in Lagos, Dr. Abimbola Oyarinu, said the comment was not worth much as “owning (not owning) a house in the UK should not be a badge of honour.”
He further said owning or not owning a house anywhere in the world is never a good measure of decent leadership. According to him, “good leaders are measured by how they have uplifted their citizens.”
Francis Lolom, a public affairs analyst, said on Twitter that President Buhari not owning a home in the UK should not mean he should take away what belongs to Nigerians.
He said the last 7 years of President Buhari’s leadership has debased Nigerians to the barest minimum, leaving them with nothing. He said, while reacting to a tweet posted by Bashir Ahmed, Buhari’s Special Assistant on Digital Communications; “That’s why you try in your 7 years in office to ensure you take everything away from us, including the security we enjoy because you are freer having nothing…”
Chiazo Egbukwu, a Chemical Engineer, said what the president has shown the world is that he’s a demonstration of failure in all spheres of life.
He also said he’s a failed president with no ambition, life goals, or aspirations. He tweeted: “This is a total demonstration of a failed individual who metamorphosed into a failed president. No target. No objective. No ambition. No aspiration. No goal. No longings. No nothing. Take heart Nigerians. You expected much from Buhari who has nothing to offer.”
Emmanuel Eze said Buhari not owning a house is not a demonstration of leadership by any measure. He said; “This is not leadership. I really don’t know how this dude became a general. The entire nation is worse off electing @MBuhari as president.”
Mikel-Donovan Ezeilo, a writer, thinks King Charles’ question to Buhari was actually an irony. He says the King’s question to Buhari was actually a polite insult to the president, which demonstrates “another level of aloofness when you don’t even know when they are subbing your principal and you rush to post it yourself,” he tweeted.
Amazing Ezinne said: “Don’t you think the King is mocking Buhari? He’s wondering why Buhari is always in UK when he has a country to lead.”
There are, however, those who agree with the president’s comment. Sesan Isaac tweeted that Buhari’s comment demonstrates that he is actually “Christ-like”. He said “Buhari is more Christ-like in character than many Nigerian Pastors.”
A Lagos-based political analyst compared Buhari to great African leaders like Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia), Thomas Noël Sankara (Burkina Faso) and the likes who lived modestly and positively impacted their people.
The meeting between Buhari and the monarch was to foster and promote bilateral relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.