I don’t own an oil well, ‘I’m satisfied with what I am’— Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said that he was satisfied and happy with his life of honesty and integrity, boasting that no one can jail him because he had lived a life above board.

He said he would have been jailed if he had helped himself to the nation’s resources after his previous appointments.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke while receiving a delegation of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said he had no regrets for being a person of honesty and integrity.

“I am satisfied with what I am. I am happy. I have kept myself and people close to me from benefiting from government contracts,” the President said.

Buhari said he did not award contracts and did not care about who got them as far as they did a good job at a cost that is justifiable to the nation.

“I have been in many places, including (Ministry of) Petroleum. I would have gone to jail if I had taken an oil well. For integrity and honesty, I have no regrets.

“By this, I have contributed to my social safety. I won’t go to jail,” the President boasted.

The President, who said he had been accused of many things, said his critics cannot accuse him of stealing.

“You cannot accuse me of stealing. I have appointed ministers and they are in charge. I appeal to their integrity.

“When they come here (Federal Executive Council chambers), we ensure they follow the due process. If I owned an oil well, I would have gone to jail,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the Vice-President, Sheikh Hadiyyatullahi Abdulrashid, commended Buhari for accomplishing much of what he promised before his election.

He likened him to the captain of a capsizing ship and the messiah needed by the country.

Meanwhile President Buhari ordered the Minister of Defence and Service Chiefs to investigate military officers allegedly converting to personal use, lands donated by communities.

Buhari gave the order when he played host to a delegation of Urhobo Traditional Rulers, the leadership of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) and Urhobo members in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

They were led by Laiteguen Ogbon-Ogoni Oghoro 1, a monarch who is 100 years old.

The delegation appealed to Buhari to prevail on the military to return their lands which have been allegedly sold out for non-military uses.

“We urge the federal government to look into the issue of lands which we voluntarily donated to the military years ago but which are now being farmed out in parcels and sold out for non-military uses,” a representative of the delegation said.

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“We request that such lands be returned to the owner communities in Urhobo land.”

Buhari assured them that military officers behind the act would be dealt with.

“I have taken note of your representation that the land given to the military is being sold. You are not the first to make this representation, so by this representation I am constrained to tell the responsible ministry to check and find out, whoever is responsible in abusing the generosity extended to the military will be brought to book. I assure you of that,” he said

The military and Uwvie community in Effurun, Delta state, have been at loggerheads over alleged sale of lands donated by the community.

In 1975, the Nigerian Army acquired parcels of land from the then mid-western state government.

It was acquired by the military for the construction of the present day Effurun barracks, though the Land Use Act vests all land in the government that holds such land in trust for the people, was not yet promulgated at the time of acquisition.

There were also reports compensation was not paid to the families who own the land as required by the law.

After the construction of the barracks in 1979, large portions of lands were left unused for many years, and later sold to private individuals.

 

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