President Muhammmadu Buhari has described Nigerian politics as “virtually unpredictable.”
He spoke Friday at his residence inside the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja while receiving the Federal Capital Territory Muslim Community on sallah homage.
He was talking about the possibility of his former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, winning the July 14 governorship election of Ekiti State.
The president said it was no joke that he was at the Supreme Court three times to seek redress for elections, noting that he had suffered for “this constituency” (the nation’s democracy).
He stated: “Here I have to digress and wish my former minister of mines and steel, Fayemi, well. He has been a very hardworking minister because the ministry he was leading was neglected with the overbearing economic relevance of oil. But from the days of mining of tin, columbite, coal and so on, you know this country is blessed.
“Throughout the country, we have solid minerals and I am hoping that Fayemi will succeed to lead again his state. I believe he is a very hardworking person, very patriotic, but Nigerian politics is virtually unpredictable. We are going to work very hard to fill his space in the executive council so that we keep on exploiting more and more of our solid minerals and less politicizing of our petroleum resources.
“What we realized between 1999-2013 as I have always said we have never realized it. It’s on record that we were producing 2.2 million barrels per day on the average, at the cost of $100 per barrel. It went up to $143 per barrel and then I think it stabilized between $80 and $90, Nigeria has never received so much money and we thank God that we have survived the crisis in no time.
“It is amazing that we are here because we tried four times, we were up to three times at the Supreme Court and is no joke. I have suffered for this constituency just like I suffered in the military, I walked from the Royal border to the virtually on foot, because every culvert and bridge were blown up, so we had to walk and carry our luggage,” he said
Buhari said so much had been invested in the country, stressing the need for Nigerians to continue to stay together, work together and develop the necessary confidence as a people.
“This country is great, let us work together so that we can save a lot more and exploit more of the resources that were abandoned so many years ago,” he appealed.
President Buhari also asked all Nigerians to shun what he called individualism and sectionalism.
According to him, they do not have another country, hence the reason everyone must remain in the nation and salvage it together.
He thus appealed to his visitors: “Please, in your constituencies, emphasise what I said about 30 years ago. We don’t have another country except Nigeria. We must as well remain here and salvage it together. There is nothing else we can do.
“Even those that had gone out are now trying to come back because they were not wanted out there. I wish they had deployed all the resources they had here. It would have been much better. So l, thank you very much and please l, try to persuade your constituencies to work much harder away from individualism and sectionalism.”
The president said the just-concluded Ramadan fasting had made him much healthier and given him the time needed to attend to national issues.
“I’m very grateful to the ministers and church leadership that came to say happy Eid-Filtri to those of us that have been fasting. A lot of people asked me of on health grounds that I can default. I refused because I know the value in fasting, I cannot miss it once I can do it. Last year, I didn’t because I was on health vacation, but this year, I have done it, and I thank God because it has helped me to be much healthier to give me the time that I need to attend to national issues”, he stated.
Buhari, who expressed delight at the turnout for the homage, jokingly said that perhaps for the 2019 elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress would try and “abduct” the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Bala Ibn Allah, who was among his visitors, from the opposition People’s Democratic Party.
The president said Ibn Allah seemed to be enjoying at the Senate so much that he was “putting on weight by the day.”
Noting that Nigeria was blessed with human and material resources, Buhari said: “I’m very pleased that we are working very hard collectively as Nigerians and that God in his infinite mercy who knows what is in the heart and not by mouth, will continue to guide us so that we accommodate each other at all times.” (Daily Trust)
