President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the newly-appointed Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan as she takes her place as the country’s Head of State following the sudden demise of President John Magufuli.
According to Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, President Buhari in a message to the first ever female president of the country, urged her to unite the nation and lead the country in a good direction.
Buhari also expressed his desire to work with the new Tanzanian President to advance issues of common African and global interests.
Samia Suluhu Hassan is a politician from Tanzania and the sixth President of Tanzania, having assumed office on 19 March 2021 after to the death of John Magufuli two days earlier.
61-yeae old former Vice president Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as Tanzania’s first female President on Friday, replacing her principal John Magufuli who died on Wednesday.
After taking the oath of office, Dr Hassan paid tribute to Magufuli and pledged to respect the constitution of the East African country.
Her announcement that Magufuli died of heart failure has been overshadowed by speculations that the former chemistry teacher succumbed to COVID-19, a disease he had denied existed.
Unlike populist Magufuli, who set out to fight corruption but was later accused of authoritarian tendencies, Hassan, a former minister in the semi-autonomous Zanzibar and minister of state in the Vice-president’s office is believed to prefer delivering results behind the scenes.
It is unclear whether her government would handle COVID-19 differently, but she is expected to bring steady hands on the ship of state.
Hassan is considered a good listener and conciliator, going by her performance as vice-chair (2014), of the Constituent Assembly that drafted Tanzania’s new constitution.
She was Magufuli’s deputy from 2015 and will serve out his remaining tenure which ends in 2025.
Hassan is Tanzania’s sixth President and Africa’s third female Head of State, after Nobel Laureate Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Joyce Banda of Malawi.
Meanwhile, the late Magufuli, according to sundry reports has been described as one presjdent who made the Tanzanian system work.
He was said to have made Tanzania a
Middle-income country.
He reportedly rejected a $10 billion loan from China
He reportedly didn’t go on state trips outside Africa
He was also reported to have reduced the cabinet’s size from 30 to 19
He banned Government officials from foreign trips to cut down on the cist of governance and abolished their tax exemptions.
Magufuli reportedly accused UK company, Acacia Mining of illegal mining and ordered them to pay $193 billion for undervaluing Tanzania’s gold exports.
Over 250 containers of theirs were seized at Dar es Salaam port.
They paid $300 million and gave Tanzania 16% ownership in 3 mines.
Magufuli introduced free education in government schools in 2016.
He acquired 6 Air Tanzania planes, expanded Terminal III of Julius Nyerere International Airport.
He built Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway, Mfugale Flyover, Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station, Ubungo Interchange.
Dr Magufuli built Selander Bridge, Kigongo-Busisi Bridge, Huduma Bora Za afya, Vituo Bora Za Afya, expanded Port of Dar es Salaam, Dodoma Bus Terminal, an LNG plant, a water project, a wind farm project, Uhuru Hospital project, a gold refinery plant, and Magufuli Bus Terminal.
The late President Dr John Magufuli excelled in infrastructure and financial affairs.
He was said to have faced numerous accusations of human rights abuses and was accused of repressing the opposition.
He also banned explicit images or videos online.
Someone said: “He wasn’t a saint, but was a true son of Africa.”
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