After three unsuccessful attempts to become a democratically elected President of Nigeria, the former military Head-of-State, Gen Buhari (rtd) is now the President-Elect of Nigeria, having defeated the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan by 15.4 million to 12.8 million votes. Buhari‘s victory is a lesson in patience and doggedness. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has been magnanimous in defeat by congratulating the winner – a greater lesson in statesmanship and honour.

THIS is the dawn of a new era. It is a time that every Nigerian should celebrate, whether they supported President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) or President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari and the in-coming ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).Congratulations to all of us. This election has produced a winner, Buhari; and a hero, Jonathan.

THE story filtered out by late evening on Tuesday evening this week. President Goodluck Jonathan had placed a call to General Muhammadu Buhari, to congratulate him, as victor in what might be the most bitterly fought elections in recent Nigerian history. That statesman-like gesture carried very powerful symbols for Nigeria’s democracy and the fate of our country.

We have all heard, time and time again that Nigerians are bad, greedy, selfish people, people who stand for nothing and believe in nothing. We’ve all heard the saying “black man, black heart”, a testimony to our self-loathing, inherited from our colonial past.

AS I write this about 2pm on the 28th day of March 2015, millions of Nigerians across the country have been out for several hours participating in the process of electing political office holders in an election that has been described by many as perhaps the most keenly contested in the years since Nigeria attained independence.