It has come to light that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.), has suffered the loss of two of his children due to sickle cell disease.
This was revealed by Buhari in a documentary that was shown at a private dinner held in his honour on Friday night at the State House Banquet Hall to celebrate his 80th birthday.
When asked about his private life, the President admitted that sickle cell anaemia took the lives of two of his children from his marriage to Safinatu, who passed away many years ago.
This explained why, at the time he married the first lady, Aisha Buhari, he stipulated that his second wife must be AA genotype so that his children would not acquire the S from his AS genotype.
Claims by some Nigerians who thought Buhari had been dead for a long time and replaced by a body double dubbed 'Jibril of Sudan', which Buhari referred to as "not a funny joke," he also described as "not a funny joke."
According to the President, those spreading the malicious rumour are deliberately ignorant people who get their kicks from causing trouble for others.
During the interview for the documentary, President Buhari was asked about the rumour, and he reacted by saying, "Yes! People have made the assumption that I am from Sudan. I didn't put much effort into coming up with a name. Nigerians are known for their crafty approaches of describing who they are.
When asked if he considers jokes with such allusions amusing, he responded with "No.
It is not hilarious because the people who made those statements are only trying to be cheeky.
They urge people to focus on something other than the primary concern. The construction of the necessary infrastructure and educating the populace about the importance of putting in long hours of labour in order to enjoy a healthy lifestyle are our top priorities.
They just want to be able to relax and take it easy without having to worry about winning the respect of their peers, etc.
Earlier, while proposing a toast for the celebrant, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo praised President Buhari for being an honest and caring individual as well as an exceptional leader.
Osinbajo praised Buhari for leading the nation with "great courage and commitment" and said the following: "I invite your excellences, ladies and gentlemen, to join me in proposing this toast to an exemplary leader, a forthright and honest man, a good and kind man, and a man who has led this country with great courage, determination, and commitment for so many years."
"We pray that the almighty God will preserve his life for a very many years to come and that he will live all of these many years in good health, peace, joy, and with the love of all of our country men,"
In attendance were the governors of Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu, and Katsina, Aminu Masari; the former governor of Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; the President's Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; cabinet members, family members, and captains of industry, including the Chairman of AriseTV and the Thisday Group, Nduka Obaigbena