By Femi Gbajabiamila
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you ……RUDYARD KIPLING
My dear President,
The above poem by the English Nobel Laureate though written in 1895 speaks remarkably and profoundly even today to the deepest truth of being a man of purpose and who you are.
On behalf of my family, I extend my fondest wishes to you on this occasion of your seventy-third birthday. You are a man of courage, conviction, resilience and wisdom who continues to inspire many of us effortlessly. You model composure and level- headedness during challenging times and have dedicated yourself to the pursuit of excellence and diligent service to the highest good. It is this relentless pursuit of the highest good, for the highest number, that you will be remembered for long after all our sojourns have ended, and we are left to the mercy and judgment of history.
Too many people who participate in public life are not in it to make history, but to be where history is being made, standing as observers, to chronicle and ridicule, and ultimately to fade into obscurity. Indeed you personify the marked difference between a politician who only thinks about the next election and a leader who thinks about the next generation. History did not happen to you, Mr President, history is what you made when long ago, you imagined a nation, prosperous and at peace, governed by democratic norms and ideals, and devoted your life to making that vision a reality. You are not there yet but almost there as you lay the building blocks fearlessly and take the painful but necessary and unavoidable audacious steps with strong conviction.
Your determination to succeed in the face of every imaginable obstacle has been an inspiration throughout the years that I have known you, and even now I am honoured every day to stand by your side as you lead our country through this moment of tumultuous change with equanimity and steadfastness.
Your faith in the possibility of what Nigeria can be has inspired your life to service in the interest of our nation’s promise and purpose. You became President at a time when that promise seemed too far and our purpose seemed unclear. In a short while, with the strength that comes from conviction and abiding faith, you have made the tough decisions and followed through on the hard choices. You have restored our people’s faith and clarified our purpose – to be a nation where no man is oppressed, a land of peace and plenty.
The story of my life cannot be told entirely without reference to you and the enormous impact you have made at various junctures. Like many others across the country, I owe you an incalculable debt of gratitude for your generosity of spirit, for the lessons of life and politics that you have magnanimously taught through the years, and for your leadership and dedication to the cause of our dearly beloved country.
As we celebrate you on this occasion of your birthday, I wish for you in all your days that you will be guided by that silent company of good angels that bring to a person all the grace and pleasure there is to be had in this world. I wish you many more wonderful years of good health and strength to continue serving God, our beloved country, and all of humanity.
Happy birthday Mr President. May the best days of your past be the worst days of your future.
Àṣeyí Ṣàmọdùn!
Femi Gbajabiamila
Chief of Staff to the President