December 15, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has faulted former president Olusegun Obasanjo over remarks that President Muhammadu Buhari has nothing more to offer Nigerians.
Former President Obasanjo had, at a security retreat in Abuja on Monday, said “Buhari has done the best he could” for the country and called on Nigerians not to expect anything more from him as doing so will be akin to “beating a dead horse.”
He advised Nigerians to be more concerned about making the country a better place after Buhari’s tenure.
“President Buhari has done his best. That is what he can do. If we are expecting anything more than what he has done or what he is doing, that means we’re whipping a dead horse and there is no need.
“Then, where do we go from here? We cannot fold our hands. I believe that is part of what we’re doing here and what we continue to be doing. How do we prepare for post-Buhari? Buhari has done his best. My prayer is that God will spare his life to see his term through.
“What should we do to make post-Buhari better than what we have now? That is our responsibility now, because it concerns all of us”, former President Obasanjo said.
But a response on Wednesday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a press conference in Abuja, insisted that Buhari has done better than his predecessors in tackling insecurity, amidst very difficult economic and social conditions.
Mohammed said Nigeria is safer today than it was before May 29, 2015, adding that President Buhari had made the issue of security a major plank of his administration.
He pointed out that the president is equipping the military to effectively tackle insecurity in the country.
“Gentlemen, President Buhari has done so much, under very difficult economic and social conditions, to tackle insecurity in our country. Not only has he done so much. President Buhari continues to do much more to keep Nigerians safe. To say he has nothing more to offer is untrue, fallacious and smacks of dirty politicking.
“By boosting the number and capacity of our fighting forces, Mr President is putting them in good stead to tackle insecurity not just during the life of his Administration but long after he would have left office.
“President Buhari is leaving a legacy of security, infrastructural development, economic prosperity and social cohesion for Nigeria. This may not seem obvious today, amidst daunting challenges, but posterity will be kind to this President.
“Yes, banditry and kidnapping have added to the state of insecurity, President Buhari has also continued to provide quality leadership in order to ensure that our security agencies decisively tackle the cankerworm of insecurity of any hue.
“No administration in Nigeria’s recent history has provided the security agencies with the hardware needed to tackle insecurity as that of President Buhari, in addition to raising the morale of our security men and women.
“Only last week, Mr President commissioned an armada of naval boats and ships in the latest effort to enhance our nation’s maritime security. The army, the air force and the police, among others, have also been receiving modern hardware to strengthen their arsenal”, Mohammed said.
