Nigeria, May 26 -- President Muhammadu Buhari is a likable human. The near-general consensus of those who have met him is that the man exudes a certain child-like atmosphere of innocence and simplicity that endears him to many people in informal conversations. That, for me, is quite perceptible even from the very few television interviews he has granted since 2015. But frankly, that is where it all ends.

For his legion of aides and supporters, it does not end there. The claim is that Mr Buhari is an amazingly funny man whose many jokes can make a mess of Trevor Noah's legendary status in the comedy world, should there be a head-to-head appraisal of the duo's comic outputs. So the president is very, very funny; or so goes the narrative. ...