President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he is looking forward to 2023 when he will hand over power to a new president and return to tending to his farm. He however, promised to give his best in his remaining time in office.
Buhari said this after a surprise birthday event was held in his honour before his official duties began in Istanbul, Turkey.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu disclosed this in a statement.
The President is currently attending the Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit, which has the theme, ‘Enhanced Partnership for Common Development and Prosperity’ hosted by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The summit is expected to review the cooperation between African countries and Turkey since the last summit in 2014.
Shehu noted that in marking his 79th birthday in Istanbul, Buhari cut a birthday cake molded in national colours, green-white-green, after which he proceeded to chair a meeting with officials in his delegation and thereafter rode to the Dolmabahce Palace for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Erdogan.
In his response to the tributes delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, on behalf of the delegation, the President said he would put in his best for Nigeria until his last day in office.
“I look forward to the year 2023 when I finish and I go (back) home to take charge of my farm. Between now and that time, I will do the best that is possible to advance the interest of the nation and its people, and carry out my duties as prescribed by the constitution.”
The statement said when the President stepped out of his suite to the meeting room, he met a surprise lineup of the Nigerian delegation with a cake decorated in Nigeria’s national colours.
The group broke into a chorus, as they chanted “Happy Birthday, Mr President.”