Presidential Media Chat: Buhari Talks tough on Corruption and Insecurity
President
Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, December 30, hosted his first presidential
media chat, where he talked about Issues on security, the fight against
corruption and the state of the economy the media panel, led by Channels TV’s
Kayode Akintemi, joined by others from different media house, such as
primetime, and Daily trust.
In the media
chat, the President Buhari expressed satisfaction in the progress made by the
Nigerian military, adding that the deadline given them had been largely met as
the sect has been greatly reduced to suicide bombings of soft targets unlike
their audacious attacks on military barracks, police posts, and government
offices, taking territories in the process.
He condemned the
continued use of teenage girls as suicide bombers and hinted that a ban on the
use of hijab might be considered if the outfit continues to aid the suicide
bombers as higher value has to be placed on the lives of Nigerians.
The President
also used the platform to defend areas of the 2016 budget that have been
generating criticism in the media, explaining the rationale behind allocations
to each sector of the economy. He believes he is on the right track by
making infrastructure the priority. He reiterated his administration’s
determination to make steady power available to Nigeria as soon as possible.
According to
President Buhari, “We need steady power, railway, roads so that local industry
can develop” as this is the best way to develop the economy.
On Corruption:
On his
determination to fight corruption, President Buhari insisted that he remained
committed to the mission to see that looters of Nigeria’s wealth end up in the
courts.
There had been
some condemnation of the anti-corruption campaign with some Nigerians alleging
that the President is biased but the President insisted that prosecution can
only be based on evidences as he believes in facts.
In response to
insinuation that members of his cabinet might also be corrupt, he said, “I
don’t think I picked anybody (as Minister) that I know will embarrass my
government.
“If you have got
any evidence about any of my Ministers I accept responsibility and you have the
right as a Nigerian to take them to court.”
He promised that
by the end of first quarter of 2016, his administration “will be kept busy
informing Nigerians what progress has been made” in the fight against
corruption.
The Central Bank
of Nigeria’s recent ban on the use of Naira debit cards overseas also came to
the fore as the panelists informed the President of Nigerians’ complaints of
the hardship this has caused and the negative effects it is having on students,
citizens seeking medical services and small business owners who engage in
international trade.
President Buhari
admitted that this new policy would indeed have some negative effects as he was
also aware of some of the issues. He said that he expects the CBN to come up
with some measures to reduce the hardship on Nigerians, especially those
schooling or getting medical attention abroad.
The chat closed
with President Buhari challenging the Nigerian media to engage in more
investigative journalism as this would help the drive to change Nigeria for
better.
The Presidential
Media Chat has remained a major platform through which every past Nigerian
president, beginning with the return of democracy in 1999, has kept Nigerians
abreast of government’s activities.
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