12,399 views

tolu ogunlesi

@toluogunlesi

, 25 tweets, 10 min read

My Authors

Happy Birthday Mr President!
This morning the President’s personal aides and a few close friends paid him a visit at home. #PMBAt77

Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr Jalal Arabi presented a card to Mr. President, signed by his personal aides. And then the cutting of the cake. #PMBAt77

‘Worke after Parte.’ After the cutting of the Cake, off to receive Letters of Credence from new Ambassadors. Later today, the signing of the 2020 Budget. #AsoVillaToday

Let me add a small thread with things you probably didn’t know about PMB:
#PMBAt77

He was born on December 17, 1942, in Daura (in present-day Katsina State) – the 13th and last child of a Hausa mother, and the 23rd and last child of a Fulani father.

He also has Kanuri roots; one of his maternal great-grandfathers was from the old Borno Empire.

He lost his father at the age of 4, and was raised by his mother, who died in 1988.
#PMBAt77

As a schoolboy he was a long distance runner (800m), footballer, and hockey player. Early in his military career his hobbies once included ballroom dancing.
#PMBAt77

He was the sole Northern Region beneficiary of a West African Schools Summer Holiday Trip organised by the Elder Dempster Shipping Line in 1961.

He was Head Boy of the Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Katsina) in 1961. #PMBAt77

He is a member of Course 5 of the Nigerian Military Training College, NMTC (now the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA), enlisting on the 9th of April, 1962.

His military education took place in Nigeria, the UK, India and the United States. #PMBAt77

He is one of a handful of Nigerian military officers who served in all 4 Army Divisions that existed while he was in service, & commanded 3 of the 4.

He was at various times the GOC 4th Infantry Division, GOC 2nd Mechanised Infantry Division & GOC 3rd Armoured Division. #PMBAt77

He was the first Chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the first and only Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). #PMBAt77

He was awarded the national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 1979, at the age of 37. #PMBAt77

In April 1983, as GOC, 3rd Armoured Division in Jos, he led a military operation that recovered all the 19 Nigerian Islands seized by Chadian troops, around the Lake Chad. (He took back an extra Island, making 20 in all). #PMBAt77

He is one of only two Nigerian military leaders to not promote selves while in office (He promoted his deputy to the same rank of Major General as himself).
#PMBAt77

He is one of only two Nigerians to rule Nigeria twice; first as a military officer and then as a democratically-elected President. #PMBAt77

He spent 40 months (between August 1985 and December 1988) under house arrest, following the military coup that overthrew him. He spent most of the house arrest in a bungalow in Benin City. #PMBAt77

He is the first Nigerian opposition candidate to defeat a sitting President in an election, and the third elected Nigerian President to win a second term in office. #PMBAt77

He is the first and so far the only Nigerian to run in five consecutive Presidential elections: 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 (winning in 2015 and 2019). #PMBAt77

President’s ADC, Col. Mohammed Lawal Abubakar handles the ‘Beneficial Ownership’ segment of the short ceremony 😀😀 - Each card and cake is identified by donor.

PS. Never one for limelight stuff, PMB says: “I told [Guards Brigade] they must not go on parade at all.”
#PMBAt77

To stave off a possible birthday ambush at the Budget Signing Ceremony, the Retired General tries tactical pre-emption; announcing, as soon as he enters the room: ”Happy Birthday! Sit down!”

But did it work? See next tweet. #PMBAt77 #Budget2020 #AsoVillaToday

After the Budget Signing. #PMBAt77

“I’ll see you off. The rest can make their way.” — PMB bants with the VP after a private birthday dinner at home, attended by associates and senior government officials. #PMBAt77 #AsoVillaToday