Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan misruled Nigeria –Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to apportion blames on his predecessors over the poor situations of things in Nigeria.

He suggested that God will judge former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan who were in position of power during the 16 years there was oil boom and yet misruled the country.

President Buhari also said that most youths from the northern part of the country are either uneducated or school dropouts.

He further lambasted the Nigerian media over his recent statement suggesting that Nigerian youths are lazy.

President Buhari made these comments when he spoke in an interview with the Voice of America, Hausa service, in Washington, United States on Tuesday.

The interviewer had asked him to explain his comment on Nigerian youths while in London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

In his response he said, “You know they say we are between 180 and 200 million people in Nigeria and 60 per cent are the youths below the age of 30. In the North for instance, most have not attended school or they abandoned halfway.

“If not because we had favourable rainfall in the past two seasons, most of them have no job, just idling away. People like them, even if they go to the South for instance, what they will make will not be enough to even pay their rent let alone feeding, clothing and transport back home.

“That has not been explained enough and you know the media, especially the print, are simply doing whatever they like. We had two successful farming seasons, people went to farm and did very well, but no one is talking about that; only insults.

“That is why the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, had to respond to the letter of insults released by (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo. We spoke about it and I asked him not to respond but he refused and said he would just respond by stating the situation we met the country, where it is now and what has been done in-between and the monies we are getting.”

On the misrule of Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan in the 16 years the Peoples democratic Party was in power after the return of democracy in 1999, Buhari said, “Recently, I had to come out and state that from 1999 to 2014, anyone who carries out a study here in America or Europe or India will know that we were producing 2.2 million barrels of crude oil daily at a price of at least $100 per barrel.

“In those 16 years of the PDP rule, Nigeria was getting 2.1 million x $100 every day, every week, but when we came on board; the price fell to between $37 and $38 and hanged around $40 and $50.

“I went to the CBN – the governor of CBN is here and asked him how far and he said nothing was left apart from debts.

READ ALSO: I agree Buhari has not done enough but –Oba of Lagos

“I said but this is what the country made? And he said yes, he knew, and I asked him where is the money? All is gone.

“Nigerians know that there were no roads or rail lines, there was no power, despite the billions of dollars spent. Only God will judge this thing.”

On herdsmen killings, Buhari insisted that the issue is emanating from conflicts between farmers and herdsmen, which according to him, did not start now. He argued that it was wrong to describe what is happening as clashes between Fulani and other people.

On his efforts to restore security, he said he had approved the recruitment of additional 6,000 policemen across the 774 local government areas in the country.

He made it clear he was opposed to the establishment of state police as being demanded by many Nigerians including state governors.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now