Saraki At 62, We All Saw It By Ishowo Oluwatosin
The last time I prayed with Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki at his residence in Abuja this year, he does not look 60. Seeing that he has clocked 62 is quite unbelievable. When he turned to leave the Mosque, even though I consider his absence in government to be huge, I found solace in the fact that he is an accomplished and fulfilled man, we all saw it.
I believe 2019 left a dent on his legacy, and many of his supporters crawled into sympathy or sadness, and his haters parade hate instead of respect. Walking out of that Mosque is a former Special Adviser on budget to President Olusegun Obasanjo, two term Governor of Kwara State, and Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors Forum, two term Senator and eventually emerged as Senate President in one of the rarest and dramatic political stunt in the history of this country.
There are very few people in North Central, and Nigeria with such profile, and remarkable record. He has been everything one can dream of being before 60. That man has been to the mountain top.
For some, they refer to him as “Nepo child.” Meaning a “privileged child,” and of course he is, his father is the late Dr. Olusola Saraki, the strong man of Kwara politics. However, Dr. Bukola’s talent, brilliance and excellence are undeniable. So, on one part you may hate him for no reason, it is okay! Just see it like a football team.
However, when a team or player is talented, privilege is only one aspect. Real Madrid and Barcelona have spent more after Ronaldo and Messi’s exit, none of their replacement(s) have provided the numbers they bring to the table every season. It is okay to hate Cristiano for playing in Real Madrid or Messi in Barcelona.
When such comments are coming from supporters of Hazard, who said Ronaldo has no footballing talent, we saw what he did with Real Madrid, even with a much higher transfer fee and budget.
Note, Hazard is also talented, he is just still remarkably far and unable to do enough like Cristiano ever did. Hazard also came from Chelsea, a privileged club. Only difference, Ronaldo landed in Madrid with a golden ball, and landed in Juventus with additional 4 golden balls, a total of 5, the same with UCL. So, even when haters boo him, all he does is gesture his 5 UCL with his hand.
They said it is not legendary if your friends and haters don’t see it, but we all saw it, they all saw it. We all saw how Dr. Bukola Saraki emerged as Senate President against all odds.
For people like me, it does not matter for how long a King sits on the throne, it is the fact that they dreamed and sat on it. In the case of Dr. Bukola Saraki, even though it was just four years, he left indelible mark, lasting legacy supporters repeat every year, and haters dismiss annually. Fact is what we admit to inside, even though we disagree publicly.
That emergence is for the book, etched in history forever. Feels like Sergio Ramos last minute header against Athletico Madrid in 2014 during a UCL final. No matter the number of times you visit it, you get the goosebumps.
It is that memory I celebrate today. Because Messi or Cristiano is having a bad playing season does not mean they didn’t score 50 goals consistently for more than a decade. So, even though the Maradona of Nigeria politics is outside of government, it does not mean he never played football.
Happy 62nd birthday Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
Ishowo Oluwatosin
