‘The Next Three Months May Be Hard’ – Buhari Tells Governors
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at a closed door meeting held between the President and Governors of the state, the President stated that “The next three months may be hard.”
The President expressed regret over the impunity, lack of accountability and financial recklessness in the management of national resources which was the norm under the past administration, throwing the country into a situation that is worse than what happened in the Second Republic.
President Buhari promised that funds stolen by government officials who abused their offices in the recent past will be recovered and systemic leakages mended.
He further gave an insight to what the next three months would be like in Nigeria.
“There are financial and administrative instructions in every government pararstatal and agency.
“But all these were thrown to the dogs in the past.
“Honestly, our problems are great, but we will do our best to surmount them.
“The next three months may be hard, but billions of dollars can be recovered, and we will do our best,” President Buhari disclosed to the governors.
However, President Buhari was perplexed at how the state governors had been tolerating the atrocities allegedly committed with the Excess Crude Account by the Federal Government since 2011.
He vehemently stated that he would take decisive actions towards the issue.
The President went on declare that the payment of national revenue into any acount other than the Federation Account was abusively, unconstitutional.
He stated that, the information he got about what was going on in many agencies and corporations, especially the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was illegal.
Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, in his statement to the press concerning the closed door meeting stated that Buhari assured that the federal Government see to the refund of monies owed them, while insisting that due process must be followed in the refund.
Adesina also disclosed that the President has assure that the economic and financial situation inherited by his administration will be made available to the nation within the next four weeeks
The President in his words; “We will try and put the system back into the right position.
“What happened in the 2nd Republic has apparently happened again, and even worse, but we will restore sanity to the system.”
Finally, President Buhari mandated Vice President Yemi Osibanjo to head a committee which will look at the Excess Crude Account and see what can be shared immediately.
