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Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina says no animosity exists between Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan but their supporters have continued to antagonise one another.
Recall Jonathan who was appointed Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Special Envoy to Mali to intercede in the crisis rocking the West African nation, was at the State House on Tuesday to brief the President on the outcome of the intervention.
Adesina who said he was at the meeting, noted that President Buhari’s reception to his predecessor at the Villa was a clear indication that there was no tension between them, “while uncountable Jonathanians and Buharists were spitting in one another’s eyes round the country, abusing one another’s father and mother at the same time”
He stated this in his article titled: ‘GEJ meets PMB: A lesson for bitter-enders’ published by The Nation on Friday.
“On Tuesday, this week, former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, was at State House, along with President of Ecowas Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou,” said the president’s media aide.
“I was privileged to sit in at the meeting between our former President and the incumbent. And I took away some lessons, which should really be for everyone.
“How was the atmosphere between President Buhari and Dr Jonathan? Calm, friendly, characterized by absolutely no tension. No animosity. While uncountable Jonathanians and Buharists were spitting in one another’s eyes round the country, abusing one another’s father and mother at the same time, here were the two men, the perfect picture of geniality. I say again, no tension, absolutely none. They were both perfect pictures of civility.
“Dr Jonathan gave a rundown of the situation in Mali. When he concluded, and made his recommendations, President Buhari was full of praises for him, saying he had elucidated clearly the Malian conundrum.
“Thank you for updating me so effectively. I have a very good brief of events now, “ President Buhari said. He promised to wade into the Malian situation, along with some other key Ecowas leaders.
“With the briefing concluded, Dr Jonathan went into other issues. He thanked the President for giving him an official jet to make his travels convenient, and equally expressed appreciation for the Itakpe-Warri railway complex named after him last weekend.
“It’s a big present for me. Thank you so much,” he said.
“Time to go, and the former President made a move for the visitor’s exit door. But President Buhari would have none of it. He led him through the exit exclusively meant for a sitting President. Very impressive.
“Meanwhile, out there, the Bitter-Enders are knocking their heads against the wall, sitting on the complaint counter and wailing endlessly. But here are the two main men, treating each other like brothers.”
Adesina also noted that his other take -home at the event of Jonathan’s visit to the President was that “nothing is permanent”.
“Our President ushered Dr Jonathan to the visitor’s seat. A while back, Jonathan was the host in that very same room, ushering visitors to their seat. Now, he is in that same seat,” he wrote.
“If President Buhari visits the seat of power after May, 2023, he too would be ushered by somebody else. Such is life. Are you holding tight to anything today? Vanity of vanity. We are all birds of passage. Nothing lasts forever. Not power.
“Not position. Not any office. Not even life. A vital lesson I’ve learnt from President Buhari is his constant realization that he would not be in State House forever. He would often tell in private conversations: “While we are here, we shall do our very best.”
