President Muhammadu Buhari has said that it is shameful for Nigerians to experience brutality during elections “at this stage of our political development”.
Buhari made the statement on Thursday at the second All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
He said that more Nigerians were killed or killed themselves before and during the March 19 Rivers State re-run elections more than any particular state.
“At this stage of our political development, to be brutal is shameful and as a government, I promise we will do something by the next general elections,” he said.
The President said that he would like to be remembered after leaving office for being fair to INEC officials and law enforcement agencies in the discharge of their duties during elections.
He added that he would also love to be remembered for ensuring that Nigerians exercise their franchise with confidence for whoever they wanted and in whichever elections.
He said that though the leadership of INEC had been changed, the leadership of the military, security agencies, INEC and Nigerians should know that he respects them.
Buhari urged the electorate to see their Permanent Voters` Card (PVC) as a personal entitlement which they could use to vote into power candidates of their choice at any election.
“If they voluntarily sell their PVC, it is part of their right; let them sell it and remain at home and not participate in any election.
“But let law enforcement agencies give them the confidence that nobody will come with money to hire thugs, give them drugs and stop them from exercising their fundamental right.
Commenting on the state of the economy, the President said that the fall in the prices of crude oil was a disaster since Nigeria is a mono-economy.
He said it was unbelievable that 27 of 36 states of the federation were not solvent and were not able to pay the basic salaries of their workers.
“If from 1999 to 2003, oil sold for above $100 per barrel and Nigeria exported about 2 million barrels per day, how come we failed to make arrangement to cushion the effects of a probable volatile oil market?’’ he asked.
Buhari blamed the PDP-led administration for failing to take advantage of the revenue generated during the years of oil boom to fix the economy.
“The APC-led government is now picking the pieces and so, there is no need complaining,’’ he said.
He said that the APC administration was also making efforts to create employment and produce goods and services.
He said that militants in the Niger Delta were sending conflicting messages.
He said that while some of them were ready to drop their arms to join in building the nation, others were still sabotaging installations.
He said that the action of some of the militants was hindering investments in the area, saying that investors would not want to invest in an area where they would not make profit.
The president said that his administration was doing its best with the military to persuade the militants to join in building the nation.
The President also apologised for dissolving governing councils of universities along with the boards of parastatal agencies.
He said: ”We gave a blanket order which we had to rescind when we said all boards are suspended or dissolved. We had to go back and lick our vomit in terms of universities councils because we found out that according to their laws, they cannot choose vice chancellors unless the councils sit and interview candidates who want to be VCs.
”So, there is nothing wrong in saying sorry and going back on your decision. So, we said sorry and allow all the universities to continue with their councils.
“So, please, try to bear with us as we reflect on where we found ourselves.”
On the accusation of globe trotting, Buhari explained that ”sometimes, you need to present your case on personal basis to your economic colleagues and neighbours.
”Nothing is better than personal touch and I believe that we are learning a lot and eventually, the nation will realise. So, I don’t envy you on the harassment you are going through from your constituencies.
”Take it with a lot of determination and we will be all right, God willing’’, he said.
He said the government had made progress in security as 14 out of the 774 local governments seized by insurgents had been recaptured.
He said his government had been able to recover more than three trillion naira by insisting on the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
”The policy we are trying to implement is TSA when we insist that we have to know what comes in and what goes out for us to make a comprehensive amendment to the economy.
”If you go and see the Central Bank Governor, he will tell you that in the TSA, we have more than N3 trillion. Where would this money have been if TSA was not in vogue?
”I was made to understand that vouchers would have quickly been raised towards the end of the financial year and checks made whether they are going into projects or private pockets, nobody can prove it to you.
”But that money is there, it is identified, if is quantified and when the budget comes back eventually, the Ministry of Finance will see how to allocate it to the rest of the country”, he said.
Buhari also said that he had tried to ensure that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) be reorganised, so as to know how much of crude is taken, sold and to which account the money was going.
”I tell you that up to the time we came, if anybody told you that he knows how much of crude exchanges hands either on the high sea or reaching their destination and the accounts the money goes into, that person is not telling you the truth.
”We are getting the cooperation of countries that had received this crude. But we have to be sure of the facts in our hands before we start prosecution so that Nigerians will believe what we have been telling them.
”I was telling a British team that came to supervise the training team they sent, that when I was in uniform, we took the perceived corrupt ones and put them in safe custody and quietly told them they were guilty until they can prove themselves innocent.
”But now, under multiparty democratic system, I see some of them ride Rolls Royce, some of them have built estates here, but they are innocent until we can prove them guilty.
“This situation is true and you don’t need to stretch your imagination to find out.
“If you can find out, you discover that a level eight officer has five houses, while you, as a Permanent Secretary or Commissioner is still living in a rented house.
“That is the credible thing to do now. We have to get credible evidence to carry our successful prosecution and get judgment from the judiciary.
”Effort is being made to give a list of recoveries in whatever currencies so far so that Nigerians will know that it is not all about long stories”, he said.
He urged APC members to continue to make sacrifices, adding that when he came on board, he had to cut down on cost by reducing the 42 ministries to 24.
