NewsNigeriaPoliticsPresident Tinubu Cancels 72nd Birthday Celebration

Tinubu made the announcement in a brief statement released by his office on Sunday. The statement cited the need to prioritise addressing pressing issues facing the nation over personal festivities.

“Because of 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. Goodwill messages should not be placed on radio and television stations too,” Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the President on information and strategy, said.

President Tinubu will turn 72 on Friday, 29 March. But he says he would not host any birthday event and “does not want any of his associates and numerous well-wishers across the country to organise any celebratory event on his behalf or in his name.”

He implored his friends and associates to switch their focus to charity organisations on Friday, saying they “may wish to place goodwill advertorials to kindly donate the money to charity organisations of their choice in his name.”

The President wants to “use the opportunity of his birthday to reflect and re-dedicate himself to the task of building a more stable, more secure, virile, prosperous and united Nigeria”, according to the statement by Onanuga.