On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) celebrated his 79th birthday in Istanbul, Turkey.

Buhari Sallau, a presidential adviser, uploaded photos of the President cutting his birthday cake, which was molded in the national colors of green, white, and green.

Nigerian delegates surprised him with the cake and sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” when they saw him.

On behalf of the delegation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, and the Nigerian Ambassador to Turkey, Ismail Yusuf Abba, congratulated the President on his achievements and wished him a happy birthday, many healthy years ahead, and the energy to offer his best to the country.

Onyeama also said that the President’s health is improving and he is becoming more active with each passing day.

Shortly after cutting the cake, Buhari traveled straight to the Dolmabahce Palace to meet with his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Recep Erdogan, and then chaired a strategy discussion with officials in his team.

Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, revealed this in a statement headlined “Here Is How President Buhari Marked His 79th Birthday in Turkey.”

According to Shehu, in response to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama’s tribute on behalf of the ministers and the rest of the delegation, President Buhari said he will do his best for Nigeria until the last day when he hands over to a successor in 2023 and returns to his farm to tend to tender crops and livestock.

According to Shehu, the President said, “I thought that being away from Abuja I will escape these things. The Guards Brigade had written to tell me what they wanted to do on this day. Now here you are doing this far away from home.

“I look forward to the year 2023 when I finish, to go home to take charge of my farm. Between now and that time, I will do the best that is possible to advance the interest of the nation and its people, and carry out my duties as prescribed by the Constitution.”

Buhari is now in Istanbul for the Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit. On Sunday, he is likely to return to Nigeria.