Man Who Walked From Lagos To Abuja To Honour Buhari

A man who hail from Katsina state promised to trek from Lagos to Abuja if General Muhammadu Buhari from the All Progressives Congress won the presidential poll, was spotted in Niger state.

Hasheem Suleiman was in Lagos when Buhari was announced the president-elect of Nigeria. Hasheem left Lagos at about 5am the next day and arrived in Ibadan around 6pm.

The traveller vowed two years ago to trek from where ever he was to the capital of Nigeria, Abuja, if General Buhari emerges the winner of the poll in 2015.

The planned journey is long and hot: according to Google maps, it is over 700km.

Hasheem went to get a police report to allow for an unimpeded journey but could not wait and so the DPO gave him his phone number. Despite several warnings from friends, and at the same time encouraged by friends and loved ones, he continued from Ibadan to Oyo. The journey continued from Oyo to Ogbomoso; and from Ogbomoso to Ilorin with much welcome at every stop.

At Ilorin, people escorted him for several miles until he stopped at Oloru. He received much hospitality in Jebba, where unlike in other villages he met people who had heard of him.

About 20 people set off with him from Jebba and after some miles 18 turned back, but the other two were more strong-minded. They encountered armed robbers close to Makwa, although fortunately he had already met one of them in Jebba, and the would-be robber ended up giving him 200 Naira for pure water.

He continued his trip from Mkwa to Kudu and then to Kutigi. He is now in Kutigi and will continue his journey to Bida tomorrow by the grace of God.

People have welcomed him as a real hero. They take pictures with him, ask for his autograph, help him, go some distance with him, and sing songs for him.

Hasheem doesn’t know for sure if Buhari knows of him but several of his support organizations do. He intends to reach Abuja by May 27, and celebrate with the new president at his inauguration ceremony.

Buhari was announced as the president-elect of Nigeria on April 1; he has become the first opposition aspirant to win a presidential poll in the country.

Buhari overcame the current leader, Goodluck Jonathan, by more than 2.5 million votes.