President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that the armed forces will continue to be more decisive against bandits terrorizing the North-west region of the country.
Buhari spoke on Thursday during during commission the Muhammadu Indimi Centre for Distance Learning and an International Conference at the University of Maiduguri.
He said that “I have ordered and started recieving military hardwares from the United States, Military aircraft, helicopters and armoured cars and we are going to be very, very hard on them.
The President was pleased with the improved security in the North East, lamented activities of banditry in his geo- my geopolitical zones in the North West
He said “It is the same people, the same culture, stealing other peoples properties and killing here and there, what for.?
“When we came in, the people of the North Eeast here knows better than everybody and they have mentioned it today and on several occasions.
“You either believe in what you are seeing or you don’t know what you are doing. There is nothing that I will say that has not been said by the subsequent speakers,” he said.
The President urged Nigerians to judge his administration based on what the condition was when they came in and the condition now.
“In the South South, some how, they believed that they made their case and we told their leadership the truths when they came to visit me.
“But when they sabotaged the oil pipelines or the wells, the land get polluted, the fish got further into the oceans and the ordinary people cannot farm. And Most of their people are farmers and fishermen.
“They can neither fish nor farm. So who are they hurting, Nigerians or their own People. Its just a common sense. May be they listen to that and they have left that alone.
“But the problem now is the North West. As i said, same people same culture we are going to deal with them or we are going to deal with us.
“I ask Nigerians to please tell the less informed that in Africa, we are the biggest country and we are potentially the richest.
“Let us utilise this gift from God to empower our people our region and our continent instead of wasting our time.
“I know I swear by the Holy Qur’an that I will uphold the constitution of the country and by that I must go in 17 months’ time. And I will go, God’s willing and I hope whoever is coming will try to do the three things I tried to do.
“One, secure the country; because If i left the country insecure it cannot be managed.
“Secondly, the economy. We have a lot of people who are unemployed. Only 2.5 percent of Nigerian arable lands are being used. I don’t know that, I was a governor, I was a Minister, I was a Head of State, but to be honest, I don’t know u till when one Prof. told me.
“We are indoctrinated that we are oil rich, we don’t need to work in the field. Everybody rent in the towns and the cities. To eat oil money. Now oil has almost become irrelevant, but we thank God that oil is now discovered in the country in Bauchi and Gombe And that will help to balance the politics of oil in the country.
“We quickly developed that and series of pipelines are been installed throughout so that we start so that within these 17 months, Nigerians will be in positions to judge what this administration has done under my leadership.
“When we came insecurity, the economy and the most difficult one is fighting corruption.
“When I came in uniform much younger and a bit ruthless, I arrested those I thought that have been currupt and detained them. I had serious hope. Investigation panels almost geopolitics zones the ministers, governors commissioner and those who have held parastatals.
“Because those times you have to declare your assets before you go in. With this assets that you declares and what you have now can you explained the difference.
“If you don’t explained the difference, we take it away from you and we quitely put you in Kirikiri or elsewhere. But eventually I myself was arrested and for three and a quarter years I was detained. I think when they founded I get any kobo from anybody, they let me go.
“So I joined partisans politics; I said let me see what other Nigerians are gaining from this Babban Riga, I joint it and I am taken my final term.
“I thank you so much for listening to me and sharing my experience that we have a great country, we thank God for giving us so much resources so much land and young hardworking people that we need to educate more and guide so that they can lead the country in the future.’’
