By Daniel Edu

Former Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, gifted a specially crafted leather set to former U.S. President Barack Obama shortly after his victory in the 2015 presidential election, as per records from the U.S. State Department.

The gift consisted of a beautifully designed, 7-foot diameter circular leather mat along with three 28-inch diameter leather covers intended for seating pads. Valued at $2,260.00 by the U.S. government, these items were given on July 19, 2015.

Notably, Buhari assumed office on May 29, amidst accusations from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party that Obama had interfered in the election to the detriment of then-President Goodluck.

The disclosure of this gift exchange comes from the annual filing made by the U.S. agency’s protocol office, which meticulously records presents given to U.S. presidents by foreign leaders. Many of these gifts find their way to the National Archives and Records Administration for historical preservation.

It’s worth mentioning that the list includes gifts received in previous years, some dating as far back as 2010. The gifts presented in 2018’s filing include one from 2010, one from 2012, 17 from 2013, two from 2014, two from 2015 (including the one from Buhari), and 34 from 2017. These earlier gifts were reported in this year’s filing for 2018 due to the Office of the Chief of Protocol, Department of State, not having the necessary information to include them in previous reports.

In summary, the leather gift set symbolizes a gesture of goodwill and diplomatic relations between the two nations following Buhari’s successful presidential victory in 2015.