President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians especially the elite class to be fair when it comes to criticizing his style of administration through considering parameters the present government met on the ground when it took over the administration. Buhari made this call today at the Presidential Villa, Abuja when the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christians Pilgrim Commission, Reverend Yakubu Pam, paid him a courtesy visit.
The president in his statement said, “Those criticizing the administration should be fair in terms of reflecting on where we were before we came, where we are now and what resources are available to us, and what we have done with the limited resources.
“We had to struggle paying debts, investing in road repairs and rebuilding, to revamp the rail and try to get power. This is what I hope the elite when they want to criticize will use to compare notes.”
Speaking on the security situation in the Northeast, Buhari was optimistic that there is light at the end of the tunnel considering the effort his government is making in the fight.
According to him, the situation was worst when he took over the government, people of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states can testify to that and will appreciate the effort this administration has put in.
Buhari revealed he was not claiming that the era of terrorism is gone, but relative achievement has been recorded in degrading their strength, he noted that at a time, even the Abuja FCT was not a sacred cow from attack by Boko Haram, however, his effort has helped in mitigating the extent of the damage the insurgent could have inflicted by now.
While speaking on behalf of President Buhari, his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina disclosed that the welfare of the internally Displaced Persons has remained the top priority of this administration.
He added, the people in IDP camps, the weak, aged, I feel sorry for the young because this is the time they are supposed to get an education. We must not allow this time to pass because it will never be regained. So, we are really interested in what is happening there and we are doing our best,”
Buhari applauded the Executive Secretary for his contribution to the peacebuilding in the country while congratulating him for his appointment despite that it was a short time but assured him of the audience whenever he has something for the president.
Earlier in his remark, the Clergyman stated that he was in the statehouse to update Mr. President on the activities they do at the Commission since he was ushered into the office by the president in July 2020.
He said these include but not limited to; organization of Peace Summit on Southern Kaduna as well as peacebuilding efforts in Plateau, Benue, Taraba, and the Nasarawa States. He added that the Commission has proposed to host Christian religious leaders in a summit to help douse pressures within the polity, among other plans.