PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari said he lost two children to Sickle Cell with his first wife, Safinatu, whom he married in 1971.
President Buhari made the revelation in a documentary shown, on Friday night, at a private dinner organised by his family and associates, to celebrate his 80th birthday, tagged “Celebrating A Patriot, a Leader, an Elder Statesman”.
According to him, it was the reason he insisted his second wife, Aisha Buhari must carry an AA genotype, to avoid losing more children to sickle cell being an AS himself.
The President added that contrary to widely-held opinion in some quarters, he would not miss the Aso Villa much, because “he is constantly being harassed as his efforts to make the country better is not good enough and appreciated by some people.”
“I wonder if I am going to miss much. I think I’m being harassed. I believe I’m trying my best, but still my best is not good enough. There are people around that think that they can intimidate me to get what they want, instead of going through certain systems to earn whatever they want to earn. And there are some people who want to be clever by half.”
In proposing a toast for the celebrant, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo described President Buhari as forthright, good and kind man, and exemplary leader.
Osinbajo noted that the president would make a good entertainer in his retirement because he also possesses tremendous sense of humour.
The Vice President further painted the picture of how President Buhari deployed a great deal of jokes to calm him down and particularly, rescinded a decision to submit a letter to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), to investigate allegations of corruption levelled against him .
“ The President is a very humorous man and I think he would made a very good career in entertainment one way or the other when he retires.
“One day, I went to him because there were some allegations made against me. And I was so angry. I went to him to show him the letter I had written to the EFCC to investigate. He looked at it and looked at me and because he calls me VP, or Professor, depending on his mood.
“This time he said: ‘VP, why do you worry yourself about all these people? These people just make all sorts of allegations. They make all sorts of stories up. They are saying that I am about to get married again. And even some foolish people were waiting at the National Mosque, waiting for me to come and marry again.”
Osinbajo further commended President Buhari for leading the nation with great courage, determination and commitment.
