President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, in an exclusive interview with Arise TV revealed alot about the state of the nation, while clearing accusations of him making lopsided appointments. Read More Here ICYMI.
However in monitoring the interview, CSONews24 has gathered major highlights from the interview.
- Banditry in NorthwestThe President revealed that his government changed the security heads and we held meeting with them that lasted for three hours, we urged them to buld the confidence people had, so that they’d be able to go back to their land and continue with their farming.
- State PolicingBuhari said that people from old would still remember the old era where traditional rulership is more effective, for instance some governors complained about herders killing their cattle and destroying their farms, he in turn advised them to go back to old system so that they achieve local intelligence.
- Banditry in the NortheastOn the issue of Banditry in the Northeast, President Buhari, said: ” The problem in the northeast is very difficult, ranging from unemployment, to youths seeking for daily bread.”The level of poverty is very much unimaginable, this is the major problem we have now but people who are keen and look in on what we do, will understand the difference between when we came in and now.”
- Open GrazingBuhari gave approval to the return of the open grazing practised during the 1st Republic where herdsmen used designated grazing routes to move their cattle to several parts of the country. he said he had asked the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to begin the process of recovering land from persons who have converted cattle grazing routes for their personal use.The President said the grazing routes were designated in the 1st Republic when “Nigerians use to obey laws” but those routes had been converted.
Explaining further, he said, “What I did was ask him to go and dig the gazette of the 1st Republic when people were obeying laws. There were cattle routes and grazing areas. Cattle routes were for when they (herdsmen) are moving up country, north to south or east to west, they had to go through there.
“If you allow your cattle to stray into any farm, you are arrested. The farmer is invited to submit his claims. The khadi or the judge will say pay this amount and if you can’t the cattle is sold. And if there is any benefit, you are given and people were behaving themselves and in the grazing areas, they built dams, put windmills in some places there were even veterinary departments so that the herders are limited. Their route is known, their grazing area is known.
“But I am telling you, this rushing to the centre (sic) so I asked for the gazette to make sure that those who encroached on these cattle routes and grazing areas will be dispossessed in law and try to bring some order back into the cattle grazing.”
- On IPOB Matters
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as a dot in a circle that has nowhere to go.
He said, “That IPOB is just like a dot in a circle. Even if they want to exit, they will have no access to anywhere.
“And the way they are spread all over the country, having businesses and property, I don’t think IPOB knows what they are talking about.
“In any case, we say we’ll talk to them in the language that they understand. We’ll organise the police and the military to pursue them.”
- About Succession, President Muhammadu Buhari has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) will decide who replaces him as president in 2023 and not himself.“About succession, what this admin can do is to make sure APC lasts beyond this administration.
“We have started registration from ward to local government and to the state level. That way, the APC can know the number of members they have state by state and local government by local government so that by the time this administration goes, the legacy can continue.
“And that is the best way to go for the party and the country,” He said.
- On Zoning
- President Muhammadu Buhari has said that no individual has the power to decide on zoning for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.The president claimed that the process of restructuring the party has begun, noting that the recent membership registration was part of the move to reorganise the party.Buhari, who stressed that no member of the party would be allowed to go against its decision, revealed that a convention would soon be conducted.
He said, “Our hope of this administration is to see APC last beyond it. Therefore we should allow the party to decide on what to do.
“You cannot sit here in Lagos, for instance, and decide on the fate of APC on zoning.
“The political party has to know how many members it has state by state. This is the right step to go about.
“This administration under APC has achieved a lot. Go look at what was on the ground before we came in and now.”
- On CorruptionPresident Muhammadu Buhari has said fighting corruption in a democratic setting is a difficult task to accomplish.He stressed that his administration had succeeded in easing out corrupt public officials without making noise about it.Buhari recalled that much was achieved in the fight against corruption when he was military Head of State in the early 80s “when a lot of people were sent to prisons before I was also booted out”.
Buhari frowned at the way and manner local government system was being managed, saying the local government administration was almost non-existent in the country.
He cited a situation where state governors continued to starve the local governments of funds saying “in a situation where N300 million is allocated to local government and they are given N100 million is not fair”.
- #EndSARS ProtestPresident Muhammadu Buhari has claimed that last year’s #EndSARS protest against police brutality was aimed at removing him from office.The president stated that those who participated in the protest have made Nigeria unattractive to investors.He also blamed the protest on the dwindling inflow of foreign direct investment to the country.
- Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria.President Buhari was asked how he could improve foreign direct investment in Nigeria.In response, he said, “This question was answered last year when there was the #EndSARS protest. You remember the young people that wanted to march here and remove me?”
He added, “Tell the young people to behave themselves and make the country safe, then we can attract real investors to the country”.
- Nigeria – Niger RelationshipPresident Muhammadu Buhari, has defended his decision to construct railways and roads extending into Niger Republic.The President said borders were arbitrarily drawn by the French colonialists without taking into cognisance the cultural similarities of the people of Niger and Nigeria even as he revealed that he has first cousins in Niger Republic.He argued that the people of the South-West similarly have cousins in neighbouring Benin Republic.
The President said another reason the railway is being constructed is to boost the friendly relationship with Niger which has helped Nigeria to prevent Boko Haram terrorists from gaining unfettered access into Nigeria.Buhari added, “If you recall, when I came, I went to Chad, I went to Niger, I went to Cameroon. Look at what happened with Boko Haram. If we were not in a good relationship with Niger, Chad and Cameroon, Boko Haram would have done worse things to us and you say I am going to Niger.
- Suspension on Twitter
- President Muhammadu Buhari turned down the question while stating that he does not want to talk about it.
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