President Muhammadu Buhari today declared that given the level of insecurity he inherited in 2015 and how he has been able to do to reduce it, Nigerians can admit that his government has done its best.
He spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja shortly after observing the Eid-el-Kabir prayers with some members of his household.
He made the declaration despite acknowledging that the security chiefs he appointed since 2015 still had more to do to surmount the security challenges that have included Boko Haram insurgency and banditry in the North as well kidnappings across the country.
His words: “I want Nigerians to be very conscious of their country and what we inherited when we came in 2015 was Boko Haram – North East and the militants, the South South. Nigerians know that we have done our best.
“What is coming up in the North West and North Central is very very disturbing indeed but I believe the military, the police and other law enforcement agencies, from the report am getting, I think they could do much better. They could do much better, but we are keeping them on the alert all the time to do their duties.”
Nonetheless, he gave assurances that there would be more resources for the country’s military, police and other security agencies to deal with the unwanted security situation in some areas of the country, stating that “we are making available resources to them to even do better”.
On the issue of corruption, President Buhari said that all past and present cases would be fully investigated, and ” this is why we put the commission (of investigation) in place.
“There has been abuse of trust by people trusted by the previous administration and this administration,” he said, stressing that all of such cases will be uncovered and firmly dealt with by his government.
On the specific case of the Niger Delta, the President decried the wastage of the resources earmarked for the betterment of the lives of the people of that region, lamenting that corruption had been unhelpful in that regard, especially “if you recall there is the 13 per cent derivation.”
He also warned against the vandalization of oil pipelines in the oil-producing areas which often results in environmental pollution.
“Those who are blowing pipelines and interfering with the production of petroleum products are hurting their people more than the rest of Nigerians because majority of their people are fishermen, fisherwomen and farmers.
“Now if they pollute the land and the waters, the fish goes into the deeper sea where the people cannot go and they cannot grow anything. They are hurting their immediate communities more than any other thing,” the President further noted.
He further explained that “a number of assets have been recovered; and some money. But we have introduced TSA where all the monies are taken and I said assets should be sold and the money be put through TSA so that it can be identified at any level and I will see who will come after us and take it back again to those who misappropriated public funds”.
