Buhari’s secret identical twin brother- Part 2

On page 283 we are provided with the smoking gun. The caption is: “Professor ‘Folabi Olumide (Vice-Chancellor) receiving the then, military Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, at the Lagos State University in 1984.”

The photograph has gone viral as concrete evidence that the two principal characters in the photograph are somewhat/somehow related. After subjecting the photograph to intensive X-ray, digital forensic audit, and 3D investigation and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) the conclusion is that they are identical twins!! They are both of the same height; they are never without their glasses; same ophthalmological prescription; exactly the same gap toothed smile; follicular identity (balding) is without doubt the same; and both of them portray similar Spartan disposition and insistence on self-discipline. As if to throw us off the scent, one professes Islam and is a devout Moslem while the other is a committed Christian (even though his children have gone Pentecostal). One wears a beard but the other is clean shaven.

Beyond that, Professor Olumide is a prolific poet as evidenced by his book of poems. His twin brother is no slouch in that department – going by the assertion of Ikeogu Oke: The Poet In President Buhari “Now at seventy-two There is a limit to What I can do.”

The common traits are a legion – their puritanical posture, prudence, frugality, and reticence bordering on laconism (monosyllabic). They are both self-contained. Professor Olumide is even more explicit:
“I simply loved being on my own and I guess that was why I wrote the poem titled: “The Joys of Solitude”. It is not that I like loneliness. Loneliness is not the same as being alone. You can be lonely in a room that is full of people and you can be alone with your thoughts even in a crowded room.”

For both of them, being enigmatic comes with their disposition – as second nature. One minor difference though is that Professor Olumide has no knowledge of guns or other weapons (only the scapel) but the general, even though retired can still throw a grenade (whether political or otherwise). Our political landscape and economic/sociological scaffolding are studded with IEDs [Improvised Explosive Devices].
Professor Olumide spoke for both twins when on page 54 he declares:

“I knew very early in life that I needed to work hard, which I later termed as ‘perspiration’. For me, there was a lot of perspiration. Give or take, eighty to ninety per cent of my achievement was gained through perspiration while inspiration made up the remaining ten per cent. That was me. Some folks relied on just a little bit of study and they were fine but not me; I had to put in a lot more. I knew that and never deceived myself for a minute that I had the ability to succeed without working very hard. Neither did I try to get into the social moulds of other students, who were outgoing and popular. I was a totally different breed. That’s not to say I was one of those complete introverts, who had no social life whatsoever.”

We are also provided with a glimpse of the secret weapon: “I believe my life had always been structured. I usually have a goal (not football !!) which I tried to follow as much as possible.”

Of course, President Muhammadu Buhari’s blood type is a closely guarded secret but Professor Olumide has voluntarily disclosed this to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

It turns out both the President and the Professor share the same blood type which is a common feature amongst identical twins. However, what is startling is that CNN recently featured the four children of President Buhari – three girls and a boy. It turns out that this is an exact match with the offsprings of the Professor – three females namely, Oyinkansola, Olajumoke and Olufunmilayo plus a male Rotimi.

He also had to contend with false accusation of corruption when he was Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU).
“Despite putting in my best, there were accusations from certain quarters that I was trying to use transactions such as the customising of the guest house cutlery, to siphon money from the university into my personal purse. God knows I came out of LASU poorer than when I got there.”
However, he ultimately triumphed:
“Sincerely, when I consider the resolve of my detractors, and the opposition I faced, I cannot but thank God that I went in and came out of LASU intact. I did my first term which was four years and then another two years which made it six years in total. I thank God that my records are there for all to see.”

What is uncanny is that President Buhari has survived similar traumatic experiences not the least of which is the loss of his beloved mother while he was in detention (but the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida would not release him if only for a day or two to attend the funeral). He also lost his first wife (and a child or two along the way).Besides, he contested presidential elections in 2003, 2007 and 2011. On each occasion he believed rightly or wrongly that he was robbed by rigging. He took his case up to the Supreme Court but the verdict was always against him. He refused to give up until he finally triumphed in 2015. The rest is history.

Beyond that, we need to rewind the tape back to August 27, 1985 when he was toppled by his then Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Ibrahim Babangida. He was arrested in Dodan Barracks by a detachment of soldiers led by the quartet of Major Lawan Gwadabe; Colonel Abdulmumini Aminu, Major Abubakar Dangiwa Umar and Major John Madaki.

President Buhari can benefit immensely by deferring to his twin brother’s prescription in dealing with Nigeria’s myriad of problems:
“Since we deal with human beings, it is a whole range of interactions between us and the patients, our calling, as well as other members of the team. Particularly in surgery, there is the surgeon, his assistant, the anaesthetists and the nurses. It is a whole team which entails detailed team work and everyone has to play their part, with the surgeon being the leader. You have to communicate with the patient, find out what is going on and pin down the problem, which is the diagnosis.

The patient must be told what tests are to be carried out, the natural history of the condition, how it ends and how it progresses, what you should do and what could happen if you did not do it.”
Unfortunately, General Buhari is not only fighting corruption he has adorned his battle gear to fight demons and monsters without checking the stock level of the anaesthetics.

We should be forgiven for being somewhat baffled by Professor Olumide’s description of his day job: “A vast flux of my work after I returned to Nigeria was centred around endoscopy of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tracts. This requires that we look into the intestine from the mouth, on to the anus – upper GI Endoscopy (stomach and adjacent areas) and lower GI Endoscopy (colon and rectum).”

Pray how is this different from the work or audit trail of chartered accountants who are engaged to carry out forensic audit? Little did we know that Professor Olumide is our professional colleague. So also is his identical twin brother – General Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander-In-Chief Armed Forces.

• Bashorun Randle is a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and former Chairman of KPMG Nigeria and Africa Region. He is currently the Chairman, JK Randle Professional Services.