A former Director of Public Affairs at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, has appealed to Nigerians to forgive the late President Muhammadu Buhari and instead blame members of his kitchen cabinet for the failures of his administration.

Jimoh made this plea in a statement on Monday, while reflecting on the legacy of the former president whom he described as “pious, honest, patriotic and nationalistic.”

According to Jimoh, who currently serves as an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the University of Abuja, Buhari had good plans to reposition Nigeria but was betrayed by people he trusted with power.

“Late President Buhari had the best of plans and intention to rescue Nigeria from maladministration, economic doldrum, mass poverty and insecurity, but some of his Kitchen Cabinet Members entrusted with heavy responsibilities and power betrayed the trust and messed up the lofty ideals of the late President,” he said.

He insisted that while Buhari, as President, was accountable for his government, the cabals imposed their personal interests on the administration and “literally hijacked the reins of power.”

Jimoh also countered claims that Buhari’s government had no cabals. “Every government has its own cabal or what you may euphemistically refer to as kitchen cabinet and oligarchic influencers,” he added.

Recalling a conversation he had with the former First Lady in 2018, Jimoh said Aisha Buhari had privately acknowledged her husband’s intentions and expressed disappointment with the performance of some government officials and governors at the time.

“In 2018 I had the rare privilege of discussing the State of the Nation with the Former First Lady, Her Excellency, Dr. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari for over an hour,” Jimoh said.

“She gave me a deep insight into the good intentions of her late Husband and expressed dismay that the performance of some of the Top Government Functionaries and even some State Governors were below expectations as at that time,” he added.

Jimoh said Aisha Buhari vowed to continue pushing for the fulfilment of her husband’s plans for a better Nigeria, and this, he said, is the reason why Nigerians should “forgive the late President Buhari and rather hold the cabals responsible.”

He also urged President Bola Tinubu to learn from Buhari’s experience and ensure that no one in his inner circle derails the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.

“The two holy books, Quran and Bible have admonished us to forgive the shortcomings of those who had offended us especially against the background of the Late President Buhari’s Family plea for forgiveness,” he said.