Standup9ja: Buhari has paid his dues to Nigerians-Presidency
The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari had paid his
dues to Nigerians and would win another election resoundingly.
The Senior Special Assistant to the on Media and Publicity,
Garba Shehu, said this at a briefing with State House reporters, on the second
anniversary of the present administration. He was joined by presidential
spokesman, Femi Adesina and the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting
President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande.
Responding to a question on the complaints of hunger by the
ordinary Nigerian, Shehu said 'there is happiness in the land."
He said: Look, the ordinary Nigerian is the most important
pillar for the Buhari administration. It is not the rich, and their confidence
in the President has remained unshaken all the while. This thing we talk about
whistle blower, Nigerians have seen it and Nigerians are happy that their
monies that were stolen are being recovered. Look at what we used to have. Boko
Haram was active in Abuja. In Kaduna, 20 Okada riders were blown up in one day.
"These were ordinary people. Those who could buy
protection for themselves, who could buy bullet proof cars for themselves were
not the targets of Boko Haram. It is you and l. Ordinary people who went to
church on Sundays, were blown up with bombs.
"In Kano, where l come from, we have one of the biggest
markets in West Africa. People come from all over the region to buy and sell.
They won't come if there is no safety. But safety has been restored now. 300
people were blown up one day in the mosque. So, Buhari has paid his dues for
Nigeria. If election is held today, we will win. This administration will win
resoundingly...There is happiness in the land."
He said the Federal Government was still detaining a former
National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, because there were many cases against
him for which he had not been granted bail.
Shehu also explained that the leader of the Islamic Movement
of Nigeria, Ibrahim Zakzaky, was still in detention for his own safety, saying
there could be violence if he was freed.
Shehu said: “He is being kept more for his own safety. If we
set him free today, what would be the reaction in Kaduna where he comes
from?Government has a responsibility to ensure his safety. He is not in a
prison type of detention. He is in the company of his wife and children
voluntarily. Government is being compassionate on this matter. There is an
overall public good that government is looking at in this matter."
He described the human rights records of Buhari's
administration as impeccable and unimpeachable, saying "As we speak to you
now, we are not aware that the administration of Muhammadu Buhari is in breach
of the constitution of Nigeria with regards to the protection of the rights of
Nigerians. Journalists in this country ought to bear testimony on this.
"There is no single journalist expelled from his duty
because he has reported or failed to report, there is no single journalist who
is in government detention because he has expressed some views that the
government does not like. This administration is complying with the decision of
the courts of the land, I assure that if anybody tries to do otherwise the
president will not allow him to get away with it."
Shehu said Buhari's administration was not responsible for
the poor power supply in the country.
"It is also a mistake to say power has deteriorated
under this administration because when we came in 2015, power generation it was 3,324MW, it increased to 4,357MW as at August 2015,
barely three months after President Buhari came to power and rose to the peak
of 5,077MW in 2016. It was the highest power generated in the country.
Presently, the average generation is about 3,000MW. This is as a result of
vandalism gas pipeline infrastructure and also low water in our dams.
"The power sector is also gaining gradually from the
peace in the Niger Delta. Usually we experience low generation of power during
dry season and this is not because of Buhari's administration.
Government is investing heavily in power and has been
licensing a lot of renewable energy projects, which is the future. We are doing
what is called energy mix, we are not just doing gas power, we are doing hydro,
etc," he said.
For his own part, Adesina said yesterday Buhari's government
had not failed in fulfilling its promises to Nigerians.
According to him, it is too early and unfair to adjudge a
government elected for a four-year tenure a failure.
He stated: "People can always express their opinions,
there is liberty on that, but you don't have a scientific survey that has given
you the percentage of people that believe that the APC has failed. The second
point is that, when a government via a party is voted into office, it is voted
for a four year term under our own democratic arrangement.
"When you have spent two years which is like a midterm,
the first half of a game, you don't then determine that it has succeeded or it
has failed. No. You can be accused of being atomistic using a small part to
determine the whole. You can't write the report card of this administration
when it is just hitting the half-way mark, that will not be fair.
"The term is four years and the promises are going to
be stretched over that four year at period. Like the minister of sports said
recently, APC did not promise to solve all the country's problems in one year
or two years. The mandate the party has is four years and it is pacing itself
as it goes along and I am sure that by the end of those four years, we will
have a lot more to record.
"It is not by a sudden flight, it will not come by a
snap of a finger, but will the promises be fulfilled? Yes, I believe it will be
fulfilled. This administration will take Nigeria far beyond how it met it. So
if anybody says APC has failed, just tell them it is too early in the day
because is a four year-term and this is just two years. You don't reach
definitive conclusions in two years."
On the concerns over alleged 'coup plot', Adesina explained
that the recent disclosure by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, was a
routine warning to soldiers.
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