Presidency at loggerheads with Northern Elders

On Wednesday, April 13, the Presidency responded to the Northern Elders Forum’s (NEF) plea for President Muhammadu Buhari to resign owing to Nigeria’s insecurity.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, said the presidency does not want to be drawn into the media circus.

“Publicity is the oxygen for politicians who have failed to connect with voters in a democracy”, a statement read.

Shehu said the resignation call “is not a solution to the security problems facing the country”, noting that it built up to a worrisome level following decades of neglect.

The aide told citizens to know what their government is doing to deal with the situation; “and for politicians to come to terms with the fact the it is beneficial to all that they help to preserve the state so that when it is their turn; they will have a place that they will manage”.

“People don’t have to destroy what is there in a desperate quest to get power”, the presidency said.

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Shehu told the public that security services have repositioned and reorganised current operations in Kaduna; and Niger States in reaction to the attacks.

Structures are being strengthened with land-based assets to improve troop efficiency; and intelligence is also being enhanced, he said.

“The air defence system is being reinforced with newly-acquired jets and drones which assemblage; and training for operators have been hastened to meet the current exigencies.

“The country is equally getting assurances of early delivery of equipment on order from manufacturers; and the effort is ongoing to conclude other major procurements still in process.

“Only this morning, the government at a meeting of the cabinet approved the procurement of the largest ever single procurement of military vehicles.

“Similar major operations are going in the South-East and the South-South where the economic life wire of the nation; and electricity transmission lines are currently being secured from saboteurs.”

The presidency accused “sponsored saboteurs” of aiming to show that the government cannot provide power by sabotaging equipment at switches and other vital points.

“They will not succeed. The public knows who is who, and who has done what in our country’s governance”, the statement added.