At a gala night on the Tuesday before the nation’s Democracy Day, a photo book tagged ‘Being Buhari’, by personal photographer of the president Bayo Omoboriowo, was unveiled. Amidst guests including world leaders, President Muhammadu Buhari flanked by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, unveiled the 330-page tome. Omoboriowo, 32, spoke on the book, the president, and his photographs.
Excerpts: PN: What did you want to achieve with this photo book?
Bayo Omoboriowo: The intention of the book first and foremost, ‘Being Buhari’ is sequel to the first book I did in 2016, which was titled, ‘Buhari: A new beginning’. The essence is to chronicle the experience and the journey of President Buhari in the last four years. As a photographer, one of the things I have learnt is to ensure that these images created are preserved. Much more than being preserved is to ensure that even as you use the image as a means of communication, history is preserved. My children should be able to look back at these images and understand what happened between 2015-2019, the president’s first tenure.
PN: Beyond the obvious, what’s photography to you?
Omoboriowo: For me, I always tell people that photography is a means of communication but much more than that with the way social media is going, aside from posting on social media or being used on the pages of newspapers, what will history look forward to 10 years from now? When I look at the images and the things our parents kept, books of Obafemi Awolowo, Wole Soyinka, Nnamdi Azikiwe, I also want to ensure that we are not carried away by the technology of these recent times and all we do is put pictures on social media but there is the hard copy that can be preserved in schools, homes, and for the international audience, so that they can understand that there is so much more to Nigeria than what they hear from outside there.
PN: Why did you title the book ‘Being Buhari’?
Omoboriowo: One of the things I have done about the images of President Buhari is the reality of who the president is. Every picture you will see in the book is the reality of who he is as a father, as the president, when in bilateral relations or during international engagements. All those things are not doctored or enhanced; it is the reality of what he has been in the last four years. People don’t know that he is not the kind of person who wants to pose for images. Everything you see about him in the book, is the reality.
PN: What, would you say, is the main thrust of the book?
Omoboriowo: The struggle to rebuilding Nigeria, the President’s effort in fighting insecurity, the president’s effort to ensure corruption is not swept under the carpet, his effort and that of his team in rebuilding the economy of Nigeria, the efforts of the team in ensuring that the presidency of Buhari delivers. As much as possible, a complete story of where we were in 2015, how far we have journeyed to 2019 and also inspiration for the next 4 years. I want you to go back with the impression that in as much as the media said this, this is the reality of who the president is, this is what he has done, this is the reality of his person, his humility, his love for people, his endurance spirit, his doggedness, his interest in ensuring that leading Nigeria is not just a word of mouth. The first book was 314 pages and the second is 330 pages.
