Buhari, Jonathan Extol Anyim’s Leadership Qualities At 61st Birthday

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, showered encomiums on former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, describing him as “a man loaded with immense patriotism and leadership skills.”

They said Anyim, who was Secretary to the Government of the Federation during Jonathan’s administration, could be entrusted with higher responsibilities in the future.

President Buhari, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, at an event, to mark Anyim’s 61st birthday, in Abuja, noted that at various times, while serving in different capacities, Anyim had risen to the challenge of leadership by putting the nation first.

He said: “Senator Pius Anyim is a patriotic Nigerian, who always puts his nation first. He is one of the stabilising voices we have today in our country. This, he has demonstrated in a number of times. But, the one that stands out and still echoes with me was his insistence that elected officers should always stay a singleterm and he kept to his word by not seeking for re- election to the Senate, after the expiration of his first term as Senator and Senate President in 2003, ” Buhari said.

Also, Jonathan described Anyim as a unique leader who was never intoxicated by the privileges of the offices he occupied.

Speaking on a personal note, Mustapha said: “Let me say on a personal note, as the current and 19th SGF that I have drawn a lot from the wealth of wisdom that has been the source of strength and the endowment that Senator Anyim has brought to the fore of governance in this country.”