The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir
Lawal, has given a hint of the possibility of President Muhammadu Buhari
seeking a second term in 2019.
Lawal gave the hint while addressing a pro-Buhari crowd
gathered at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, on Tuesday, at the beginning of a series
of protests in support of the President.
He told the crowd that President Buhari feels the pains of
Nigerians and was encouraged by the show of support to work to improve their
lot.
According to him, the President did not envisage the
enormity of the challenges he met on the ground but was doing all within his
power to set Nigeria on the path of sustainable growth.
He assured the protesters that the economic difficulties
being experienced by Nigerians would disappear within “one year.”
Lawal said, “I’m here to thank you for the support you have
been giving to this government. As a government, we are encouraged by your
support. It is this type of support that encourages the President to do more.
“We want to assure you that this government is on top of the
situation. As much as we understand the challenges that we are facing, there is
no cure without medicine.
“It is for no reason that quinine is very bitter, but after
you have taken it, you get well. I assure you that by the grace of God, in the
next one year, Nigeria will have a booming economy. We know what they were
doing to try to sabotage the activities of government to bring Nigeria back to
economic prosperity, they will fail.
“Nigeria will never go back to the position it was before
2015. The foundation being laid by the government is solid. And nobody, even
after the President has finished his eight years, can ever take us back to the
pre-2015 days.”
He expressed optimism that President Buhari would outlive
those who wish him dead.
Also addressing the crowd, the Senior Special Assistant to
the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, apologised for an
earlier face-off between the Buhari protesters and security agents at the gate
of the Presidential Villa; he blamed the situation on “a communication gap.”
In his address, Mr. Moses Abdullahi, who is the convener of
the Citizens Support for Good Governance in Nigeria, the organisers of the
event, absolved the Buhari administration of blame for the current difficulties
Nigerians are passing through.
He said “Nigeria is going through a difficult phase, a phase
which is not the making of this administration. It is rather a consequence of
decades of bad governance, decay and maladministration by a few under a banner
now synonymous with corruption.”
“Nigeria can only change when we support the government and
do our bit and not allow ourselves to be used as agents of destruction and
political thuggery.”
He listed some of the achievement of the Buhari-led
administration to include the improvement of security especially in the
North-East, successes recorded in the war against corruption and improvement in
Nigeria’s positive image among the comity of nations.
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