Explains why he ignores the elite
Police, Community Leaders have failed
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA – PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari last night said that the Nigeria Police and Community Leaders in different parts of the country have failed in carrying out their responsibilities.
The President said that he will expect the Police and the judiciary to be harder in carrying out their roles in his second tenure that starts tomorrow.
Speaking in television, interview with the Nigeria Television Authority, President Buhari also took a swipe at the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara for allegedly delaying the 2019 budget for seven months.
He said he would score the two leaders of the National Assembly very low in terms of patriotism in the country even as he expressed the frustration his administration has passed through.
According to him, “My frustration is that we cannot move faster in prosecution. We have made some progress we have recovered a number of fixed assets and money in banks, including Europe and America, but under this system you can’t do so much in a hurry. Even if you use whistle blowers you have to report to the Police and Police will rigmarole, this is my biggest frustration really.
“The frustration is taking too long by my own hope.
Elites
“I always know that the so called Nigeria elites want to impress on the population. They do dictate the terms to government at all levels, center, state and local government. Don’t forget I contested three times before I won the fourth time and in each case 2003,2007 and 2011 I ended up in the Supreme Court
“I don’t so much bother about what they feel and what they threaten they could do. I hope they appreciate the sacrifice Nigerians have been making to continue enjoying the position they have achieved either materially or politically.
Executive and legislature relationship
“I think a culture was developed in the National Assembly that they should dictate the terms. It think it was wrong, I think it is the executive that dictate the terms and take it to the legislature that will examine it and agree or disagree with it.
” But when they go around impose at the government and not the executive I think there is a problem. I spoke personally to the senate President Saraki and the leader of the House Dogara, they could not deny it, I told them how do they feel to hold the country to ransom for seven months without passing the budget. I told them they are not hurting me they are hurting the country.
“So really in terms of patriotism, I rate them very low. Holding a budget for seven months cannot be justified.”
Boko Haram
Speaking on Boko Haram, he said, “They are not holding any local government, they have resorted to holding either the Lake Chad and indoctrinating young people, especially girls, giving them explosives and sending them to soft targets churches mosques market places and motor parks. We have achieved some success in safeguarding the country. “
On the economy, President Buhari said,” The economy we are very lucky the rainy season is in place and we have made available fertilizer and some of the inputs. We have achieved food security.
Security
President Buhari said he felt very bad indeed “because there is a failure of neighborhood security in the sense that those who are perpetuating these atrocities against communities and against the state and the country come from somewhere in Nigeria, their neighborhood knows them and we have traditional rulers.
“The Police of course are in the front line. There are Police in every major town or city in this country. I think the community leadership and the Police to some extent have failed this country.”
On what assurance he has for Nigerians on security, he said,” The assurance I can give to Nigerians is that I will continue to do my best”
He also said that the Service Chiefs have tried their best as the security has really gone bad from 1992 to 2014 especially since he left the army.
He, however, said that he expected more from the Service Chiefs.
On what Nigerians should expect, he said, “I will try to make the Police and the Judiciary much more efficient. As I told the police and a lot of people, the police are at the front line as I said there is no time you don’t have them.
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” They are supposed to be on the front line for law and order. People know in some communities, people know, in communities the criminal elements this is what I expect the Nigeria Police to achieve, absolute unlimited security, to know the criminals around. “