As a mark of peace, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari usually releases white pigeons from a cage as the country commemorates the Armed Forces Remembrance Day ceremony, every 15th January.
But, during the 2021 edition of the ceremony, the pigeons refused to fly after Buhari released them from their cage.
Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister mocked President Muhammadu Buhari over an incident with pigeons describing the incident as bad luck. Fani-Kayode, is the chieftain of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra has described President Muhammadu Buhari as a failure. Reacting, Kanu in a tweet wrote: “This is to tell you that Nigeria is a failed country and Jubril called Buhari by the cabals is a failure too. Biafra is the only way.”
Other Nigerians took to their social media accounts to describe the incident as predicting a grim future for Buhari’s government which is currently facing economic and security challenges.
“There’s no peace in Nigeria. There’s no progress being made. And there’s no harmony among us. So the pigeons refused to fly. Unbothered and unhinged, Buhari didn’t hesitate to leave the birds. Like he does with Nigeria and Nigerians.” @IsimonB posted.
“If the pigeons had flown from his hands, this government would have named it as one of their achievement” @Lucasscot101.
“The pigeons said there’s no peace I believe them.” @dondekojo.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said the pigeons could not fly because they have been kept in a cage for a very long time.
“When birds and some other roaming animals have been circumscribed for a while, they get accustomed to their new status as lawful captives. Therefore, when you offer them freedom, they first baulk, thinking it’s too good to be true. It’s a natural phenomenon” Adesina said.
A Nigerian politician, Buhari is a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army and served as military head of state from 1983 to 1985, after taking power in a military coup d’état.
The term Buharism is ascribed to the authoritarian policies of his military regime. Buhari has said that he takes responsibility for anything over which he presided during his military rule, and that he cannot change the past.
Currently seving a term of office he won in 2015, Buhari has described himself as a “converted democrat” despite civil protests in his country, economic hardships and gross insecurity caused by Boko Haram militants.
Buhari ran for president of Nigeria in 2003, 2007, and 2011. In December 2014, he emerged as the nominee of the All Progressives Congress for the 2015 general election. Buhari won the election, defeating incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.