President Muhammadu Buhari says
after the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan fast, he is “healthier
to attend to national issues”.
He said though he was advised not
to fast due to ill-health, he rejected the advice because of the benefits
attached to fasting.
Buhari said having missed that of
last year because of his health condition, he did not want the situation to
repeat itself.
Buhari spoke at the presidential
villa in Abuja when he received a delegation of federal capital territory (FCT)
led by Mohammed Bello, the minister of FCT.
The delegation comprised of
lawmakers, religious leaders, some cabinet members, service chiefs,
presidential aides and some FCT residents.
“I’m very grateful to the
ministers and church leadership that came to say happy Eid-Filtri to those of
us that have been fasting,” he said.
“A lot of people asked me if on
health grounds I could fast… I refused not to because I know the value in
fasting, I cannot miss it once I can do it.
“Last year I didn’t because I was
on health vacation but this year I have done it and I thank God because it has
helped me to be healthier and also gave me the time that I need to attend to
national issues.”
Last year, Buhari spent over 150
days in London, treating an undisclosed ailment. He has also visited his London
doctors on three known occasions in
2018.
He told his guests to appeal to
those in their constituencies to shun individualism and sectionalism.
He reiterated his position that
Nigeria belongs to all, hence the need to salvage it together.
“Please, in your constituencies,
emphasise what I said about 30 years ago. We don’t have another country except
Nigeria we may as well remain here and salvage it together, there is nothing
else we can do.
“Even those who left the country
are now trying to come back because they are not wanted out there. I wish that
all the resources they had then, had
been deployed here… So, thank you very much and please, persuade your
constituencies to work much harder away from individualism and sectionalism.”
The president said despite
meeting “little or no resources” when he took office, his administration has
worked hard to stabilise the economy.
“I’m very pleased that we are
working very hard collectively as Nigerians and that God in his infinite mercy
who knows what is in the heart and not by mouth, will continue to guide us so
that we accommodate each other at all times,” he said.
“This country is blessed on human
and material resources. Here I have to digress and wish my former minister of
mines and steel, Fayemi, well. He has been a very hardworking minister, because
the ministry he was leading was neglected with the overbearing economic
relevance of oil. But from the days of mining of tin, columbite, coal and so
on, you know this country is blessed.
“Throughout the country, we have
solid minerals and I am hoping that Fayemi will succeed to lead again his
state. I believe he is a very hardworking person, very patriotic but Nigerian
politics is virtually unpredictable. We are going to work very hard to fill his
space in the executive council so that we keep on exploiting more and more of
our solid minerals and less politicizing of our petroleum resources.
“What we realized between
1999-2013 as I have always said we have never realized it. It’s on record that
we were producing 2.2 million barrels per day on the average, at the cost of
$100 per barrel. It went up to $143 per barrel and then I think it stabilized
between $80 and $90, Nigeria has never received so much money and we thank God
that we have survived the crisis in no time.
“It is amazing that we are here
because we tried four times, we earned up three times at the supreme court and
it is no joke. I have suffered for this constituency just like I suffered in
the military, I walked from the royal border to the sea virtually on foot,
because every culvert and bridge were blown up, so we had to walk and carry our
luggage.
“I think we have invested so much
in this country and we will continue to pray that we stay together and let us
develop the necessary confidence, work together as a people, this country is
great, let us work together so that we can save a lot more and exploit more of
the resources that were abandoned so many years ago.”
Be deceiving yourself
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