Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
President Bola Tinubu has jettisoned his birthday day celebration that would have been a talk of the moment as a mark of sober reflection to mourn the 17 soldiers gruesomely murdered in Okuama community and other police officers killed in Ohoror Community in Ughelli North, all in Delta State.
The setting aside of the birthday bash was also to express his sadness over the spate of insecurity in the country.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy in a statement on Sunday March 24, said the President in deference to this challenging times, will not host any birthday anniversary on Friday March 29, 2024.
The statement said President Tinubu appreciates the honour of being the leader of Africa’s leading nation at this time and he is working very hard to make life better for the generality of our people.
But, he insisted that “the present mood of the nation and recent killing of the officers and men of our Army and Police in Delta State and recent spate of security breaches by criminal elements in different parts of Nigeria, there should be no form of birthday event and placing of birthday goodwill advertorial messages in newspapers”.
Onanuga said President Tinubu said goodwill messages should not be placed on radio and television stations too.
He enjoined friends and associates who may wish to place goodwill advertorials to kindly donate the money to charity organisations of their choice in his name.
“As the leader of our country, President Tinubu in deference to this challenging times will not host any birthday event and does not want any of his associates and numerous well-wishers across the country to organize any celebratory event on his behalf or in his name”, the statement partly reads.