By all accounts, President Buhari not only had
incredibly wondrous moments in America during
his visit here, he also gave me and many Nigerians
a cause to cheer and be proud.
While his American outing didn’t come close to
Tafawa Balewa’s July 1961 visit in terms of
grandeur and luster (read my April 7, 2012 article
titled ‘’Tafawa Balewas Electrifying 1961 American
Visit Buhari was certainly everything that Goodluck
Jonathan was not during his own April 2010
American visit.
Tafawa Balewa oozed infectious regal splendor,
Buhari exuded supreme confidence and
competence, but Jonathan, sadly, betrayed cringe-
worthy timidity and ineptitude. (Read my April 16,
2010 article titled ‘Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, that
was embarrassing! in which I became the first
person to call him ‘clueless’). But let’s leave the
comparisons for another day.
From his polished, dignified comportment during
meetings with Obama and other top American
government officials at the White House, to his
exceptionally well-written and brilliantly delivered
speech at the United States Peace Institute, to his
dexterous and humorous responses to questions
from audience members at the USPI, to his perfect
poise and self-assured delivery at the American
Chamber of Commerce dinner, to his witty,
informative session with Nigerians in America, and
to his interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour,
President Buhari shone like a star.
I am an almost compulsively fastidious person, but
I found little to criticise in Buhari’s American visit.
He understood the protocols and conventions of
state visits, was superlatively self-confident,
radiated warmth and ease, was admirably urbane,
and was totally in control. I couldn’t ask for more.
I initially had anxieties about the thickness of his
accent; I thought his American guests might find
his accent unintelligible. But he spoke slowly and
deliberately, and articulated his words clearly,
carefully, wisely, and advisedly.
I frankly feel like a snob writing this (believe you
me, I am the farthest person from a snob) because
we are talking about a 73-year-old man who had
been everything anybody would ever want to be -
a governor, a minister, a head of state, name it.
Plus, he went to school in America and is as
familiar with Americans as anybody can be. So
why am I gushing over his outing in America as if
I didn’t expect him to be poised, well-spoken, and
polished? Or am I guilty of what George W. Bush
once called the “soft bigotry of low expectations”?
Of course not. As I wrote in my June 20, 2015
article titled ‘Criticising Buhari over ‘President
Michelle of Germany’ Gaffe is Ignorant,’ President
Buhari’s “thought-processes are clearly complex,
sophisticated, and high-level. If in doubt, get hold
of any of his off-the cuff remarks; go beyond the
distractions of his accent, and you will see a man
whose intellect is deep and whose understanding
of governance and world politics is admirably
advanced. I have interviewed him twice -first when
I was a journalist in Nigeria and later from here in
the US for the Nigerian Village Square website in
2010.”
All this is called for precisely because many young
and not so young people who know Buhari only
through the miasma of vile political campaigns
tend to fit him in the mould of the stereotypical
northern ‘know-thing’ who got to his present
station through nepotistic northern patronage
networks. And since the man is taciturn and
chooses to let his critics stew in their own
ignorance about him, the stereotype sticks. But
Buhari is no ‘quota’ know-nothing, his age-
induced memory lapses notwithstanding.
For me, though, one aspect of President Buhari
that came out in bold relief during his American
visit was the richness and rightness of his sense of
humour. It takes complex cognitive ability to be
able to inject humour into one’s speech. It takes
even more abilities to make the humour truly rib-
tickling. But it is best if the humour is
simultaneously funny and self-deprecating.
For instance, during the Q and A portion of his
appearance at the United States Peace, Buhari said,
in response to a question, that in the past few
weeks that he has been president, he has
transmogrified from “Baba Buhari, which means
father Buhari, to Baba Go-Slow!” When the
moderator of the Q and A session wanted to stack
up three questions before giving him a chance to
respond, Buhari said he would rather answer the
questions singly because “I am not too confident
about my memory,” poking fun at his ‘senior
moments’ (such as his “President Michelle of
Germany” gaffe and his misidentification of his
political party as the “All Nigerian People’s
Congress” during remarks at the White House).
That’s self-deprecating humour at its best. Few
people can tell jokes at their own expense.
Again, when the moderator asked how his
experience as a former military head of state would
impinge on his performance as an elected
president - and another windy question I don’t
recall now - Buhari prefaced his response by
saying “thank you for your difficult questions!” The
entire hall roared with laughter. It’s good to know
that we have a leader who can laugh at himself.
I was initially secretly opposed to Buhari’s visit to
America for reasons I have no space to enumerate
here, but having closely observed every step of the
visit, I think it was worth it.

www.dailytrust.com.ng/weekly/index.php/notes-from-atlanta/21185-president-buhari-s-grand-moments-in-america

Ok

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