By Levinus
Nwabughiogu
ABUJA – More
excitement filled the air around the presidential campaign headquarters of the
All Progressives Congress, APC in Abuja late Friday evening as Mr. Suleiman
Hashimu, the Lagos to Abuja trekker finally met with the president-elect,
General Mohammadu Buhari.
Hashimu had
made a personal promise in 2013 that should Buhari contest and win the 2015
presidential elections, he would trek from Lagos to Abuja.
Having won
the March 28 elections, Hashimu was forced to fulfill his promise and on
Monday, April 20, 2015, he arrived Abuja from Lagos amid a cacophony of
excitements and surprises.
Giving
details of his journey to the President- Elect, the trekker said he passed
through Kwara to Niger and then to Abuja.
Though his
story may sound incredible, Hashimu said he didn’t care about what people would
say of him, stressing that what mattered to him was the fulfillment of his
promise to God and himself.
He said: “I
made a promise because of the love I have for Mr. President that if Buhari
should win the 2015 elections, I will trek from Lagos to Abuja which I have
done. I thank God that I made a promise and I fulfilled the promise.
“I passed
through Kwara and Niger states to Abuja. I was trekking from 6.00am to 6.00pm
and anywhere I find myself when it is 6.00pm, I pass the night there.I spent 18
days from Lagos to Abuja.
“Once I
found myself inside the bush by 6.00pm and I managed to continue the trek till
9.00pm to a nearby village.
“I made this
promise two years ago. I am based in Ibadan and I started my journey from Lagos
because Lagos is the most popular city in Nigeria and I started from Berger
junction in Lagos.
“I am not
bothered about what people think. It is a promise between me and my God. I
don’t want anybody to believe me. I left Lagos because I made a promise.
Right
from Kwara state, I never walked alone for five kilometres. People always walk
with me to the next village. I work with a construction company based in
Ibadan.”
Speaking at
the event, Buhari congratulated Hashimu and thanked God that his health did not
fail him.
“I want to
congratulate you for making it. He is a young man and he was lucky that his
health did not fail him. I also heard so many stories that you wore almost half
a dozen pair of shoes. I also understand that there are people who have been
quite generous to help you to pay for pair of shoes”, Buhari said.
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