Buhari Prepared For The Worst During Medical Vacation – Osinbajo

      Buhari Prepared For The Worst During Medical Vacation – Osinbajo

* Tinubu Advises Him To Heed Calls For True Federalism * Says Jonathan Govt Won Gold Medal In Corruption * President Says He’s Not Done With Treasury Looters

Abuja – Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday revealed that when President Muhammadu Buhari had health issues and had to travel to London for medical care the president prepared himself for the worst.

According to Osinbajo, Buhari instructed him to carry on with the administration of the country unhindered, a comment he (Osinbajo) took for a joke.

The vice president also revealed that once or twice, while Buhari was recuperating in London, he sought his approval or clarification on state matters but Buhari simply told him to “just carry on with your good works,” and then asked, “What if I drop dead?”

Osinbajo made these revelations at the public presentation of the book, ‘Making Steady, Sustainable Progress’, authored by the president’s media team, Femi Adesina, Garba Shehu, and Laolu Akande.

Osinbajo noted that the book, which captured the modest achievements of the Buhari administration, was silent on the humorous nature of the president and his zero-tolerance for wastefulness of national resources.

Tinubu Advises Him Not To Ignore Clamour For True Federalism

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was the keynote speaker at the presentation, advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to jettison the clamour for true federalism.

He insisted that power balance between states and the Federal Government remained a reliable means of achieving the collective aim as a nation.

President Buhari had written off the loud clamour for true federalism, insisting that the opposition and other people with questionable intentions were backing the call for true federalism for divisive purposes.

“We also must move toward true federalism by the balance of power and responsibility between the Federal Government and the states.

“In so doing, we’ll attain the correct balance between our collective purpose, on one hand, and our separate grassroots realities, on the other,” Tinubu stated.

Tinubu said although President Buhari’s critics score him low on achievements, the administration had actually made substantial impact in the last two years.

He advised Buhari to reduce interest rates to effectively reflate the economy, including making consumer credit readily available to entrepreneurs.

According to the former governor of Lagos State, Boko Haram would have consumed Nigeria in its entirety if Buhari had not come in as president when he did.

He said during the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan, corruption had a field day such that monies that could have been spent on national development grew feet and ran away as fast as was possible.

He, however, admitted that Buhari had only scratched the surface of corruption as yet.

The battle against graft was far from being won, the party leader said.

“Boko Haram has not been completely defeated, but there is no question that it has been decimated and made shorter and weaker.

“They shall never constitute the threat they once were.

“This is no accident. It is the result of the policies and commitment of President Buhari, his government, and the men and women of our armed forces who place their lives on the line in silent heroism to protect this nation and its people.

“Had the previous government remained in place, Boko Haram would have surely eaten more territory and devoured more people.

“This nation might have indeed been divided and cut asunder, not by choice but by the knife of terrorism.

“The prior government used the public treasury as a private hedge fund or a charity that limited its giving only to themselves.

“So much money grew feet and ran away faster than Usain Bolt ever could.

“That which could have been spent on national development was squandered in ways that would cause the devil to blush.

“One minister and her rogues’ gallery picked the pocket of this nation for billions of dollars.

“While poor at governance, these people could give a master thief lessons in the sleight of hand.

“In governance, they earned a red card, but in corruption, they won the gold medal.

“It was not that our institutions had become infected by corruption. Corruption had become institutionalised.

“President Buhari has set an axe to the root of this dangerous tree.

“I would be lying if I said the war against large-scale corruption has been won.

“It has not. It will take time and countless swings of the axe to fall such a deeply-rooted tree.

“But try we must. This is what the president is doing.

“Gone are the times when a minister can pilfer billions of dollars as easily as plucking a piece of candy from the table.

“We have much to do to combat this disease.

“Not only must we track down the takers, in the long term, we must review the salaries of public servants and create universal credits for our people to reduce temptation.

“We must also take greater care by placing people of character, competence, and goodness into key positions.

“When they fail, they must be removed without remorse or favour.”

Buhari Asks Treasury Looters To Steer Clear Of Fraud

In the same vein, President Buhari used the occasion to warn treasury-looters to steer clear of fraud as anybody found wanting would face the full weight of the law.

He revealed that plans were on to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls kidnapped from their school premises in April, 2014.

According to Buhari, one of his remarkable success stories was securing the release of 102 Chibok girls who, he said, were currently undergoing training and rehabilitation.

He also acknowledged that as a result of reforms in the country, Nigeria’s rating had soared such that foreigners were eager to pay the country a visit, while others were mounting pressure on him to pay them a visit.

The president said: “I thank the media team in its efforts at recording events and our scorecard.

“But I cannot thank Nigerians enough for their prayers and goodwill during my health vacation.

“I can only repay you by resolving to work more by putting every ounce of my energy to protect your interest.

“We have gone through very difficult times due to worldwide economic recession.

“We are coming out of recession and government efforts are targeted at easing economic hardships with more jobs, social security platforms for vulnerable families and the unemployed, and infrastructural progress.

“I would, at the same time, like to assure all Nigerians of my commitment to improve security, fight corruption and restructure the economy.

“On the current issues of herdsmen/farmers clashes, kidnapping and armed robberies, within the confines of our limited resources, we are giving top priority to security.

“During the year, it was my great pleasure to secure the release of 102 Chibok school girls.

“We are doing our best quietly and effectively as possible to get the rest released.

“We are working day and night with our international partners to release the remaining girls as soon as possible, women and children.

“We are all aware now that if you steal public funds and you are caught, you will face the law.

“Internationally, Nigeria is now a respected nation.

“I can’t keep up with invitations to visit other countries much less for other countries’ leaders that want to visit us.

“A number of world leaders are expressing the desire to visit Nigeria virtually monthly.

“Our credit worthiness is sound; our first Eurobond offer was over-subscribed four times.”

Buhari Has Recorded Achievements In Power Sector, Says Mohammed

Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, said the book was a modest attempt to document some of the achievements of the Buhari administration.

According to him, “The essence of the book is to let the world know that despite those who are daily trying to muddle the waters, this administration has, through fidelity to discipline, determination, and transparency, recorded landmark achievements that are putting our country on the path of sustainable growth.”

He said achievements contained in the book, many and diversified as they were, were not exhaustive, and noted that it would have been launched on the 29th of May, 2017, but for the medical vacation of the president.

According to the information minister, within the limits of available resources, the Buhari administration had recorded unprecedented achievements in the power sector.

He said when the administration assumed office on May 29, 2015, available power on the grid totalled 2,690MW; transmission capacity was around 5,000MW, and distribution capacity was 4,000MW.

He disclosed that as at September 2017, the available power that could be put on the grid was 6,619MW; the transmission capacity simulated at 6,700MW (up from 5,000 MW in 2015), and the distribution capacity 4,600MW.

He said by September 12, 2017, production of power reached an all-time level of 7,001MW.

Explaining further, he said the immediate past administration spent N18 billion on infrastructure such as roads, N5 billion on power, and N1.8 billion on housing, in 2015.

He said the Buhari administration, despite dwindling resources, had spent N198.25 billion on roads, N91.2 billion on power, and N71.559 billion on housing in 2016.

“We constructed or rehabilitated 766 kilometres of roads across the country in 2017.

“On economy, headline inflation has fallen for the eighth consecutive months this year.

“Foreign reserves are up to $34 billion, from $24billion a year ago.

“Nigeria is out of recession and the economy is on the growth trajectory again, after the economy contracted for five consecutive quarters.

“Despite the downturn in oil prices, this administration was able to invest an unprecedented sum of over N1.2 trillion in capital projects through the 2016 budget, the highest ever in the history of this country,” the minister said.