President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday alleged harassment of his person and administration by the Nigerian elite “despite our performance.”
He said that their criticisms often do not take into consideration where Nigeria was when he assumed office in 2015.
Speaking in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State after revalidating his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Buhari urged the elite to be ‘reflective’ in assessing him and the administration he leads.
Reacting to the president’s statement, however, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Secretary General of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Dr. Kunle Olajide, and the Secretary of the Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA), Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, said the elite had cause to be disappointed and angry with the administration
“The problem is that I will like especially the elite to please be reflective. When we came, where we were, the resources available from them and the condition of the infrastructure,” Buhari said yesterday.
According to him, he was “compelled to go over it several times to tell Nigerians that between 1999 and 2014, let them check with the NNPC, let them check with the governor of Central Bank, production was 2.4 million barrels per day and the average cost was $100 per barrel.”
He added: “So for a year’s daily production, Nigeria would earn 2.4×100 dollars every day. But look at the condition of infrastructure. You know this better than I do.
“I know I went to every local government of the country in my three consecutive attempts to become the President. You know the roads more than I do. You know the condition of the rail; the railway is dead. Now look at it everywhere we go, what did they do with all these monies?
“When we took over the administration, production went down to about half a million barrels per day, the price collapsed. We had to do what is called a bailout, wherever we got the money from.
“Upon all the money from 1999 to 2014, we gave out money from the centre to pay salaries. No, Nigerian elite are not interested in rating the competence but they are interested in harassing us with all efforts we are making.
“You, who are in the field in charge of your constituencies, you have to make efforts to convince the elite to please give us the due relevance and respect we deserve that we are working so hard with limited resources.”
TheNation
