President Muhammadu Buhari has challenged those who want to contest against him in 2019 to an integrity test.
Speaking at an interactive session with community leaders and stakeholders at the Coronation Hall of the Kano Government House to round off his two-day visit to the state, he said Nigerians would not let treasury looters return to power.
He said: “Those who ruled Nigeria without vision and looted the nation’s treasury are the same people boasting that they will displace the APC government and return to office.
“We will wait and see, if they think Nigerians are ignorant. They have the guts of declaring their intention to reclaim office.”
The President cautioned the opposition to be ready to respond to questions from Nigerians on how they governed for 16 years without genuine development.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it will be returning to power in 2019 because, in its view, the APC is not doing well.
Buhari said: “Public office holders involved in sharp malpractices would incur the wrath of God. “Those assigned into public positions of trust were mortals, they will transit and appear before their creator to answer for the misdeeds carried out while holding forth the position entrusted in their care by the populace.”To the President, “it is infuriating that those tasked with the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria were detected to be engaged in criminal acts”. “Diplomatic passports, huge amount of foreign and local currencies were found in the possession of a judge; how does this sound?”
Buhari also alleged that “from 1999 to 2014, Nigeria exported over two million barrels of crude oil daily at the cost of 100 USD, the monies realised were squandered and looted. They failed to save for the future and this is where we are today.”
He lamented that “corruption and corrupt practices have assumed a frightening dimension” and explained that “the fight against corruption is the most difficult task of the present administration’s agenda since its inception over two year ago”.
All the property recovered from treasury looters will be sold off and the proceeds remitted to the Federal Government’s coffers for use to provide the good things of life for Nigerians, he said.
Selling off the properties would serve as deterrent to politicians who want to steal, the President added.
Giving reasons for his thinking, Buhari said it was to avoid the mistake he made as a military ruler when the stolen assets he confiscated were returned to the owners after he left office.
President Buhari thanked Kano people for their warm reception and promised to play a part in the state’s development.
Buhari said: “The mammoth crowd, including children, women and youths who thronged the streets to catch a glimpse of me, is a signal to those on the other side of the divide that I am still popular and relevant at home.”
Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi 11 raised the alarm on the “danger lurking ahead over the massive importation of cheap beverages into the country”. I urge the Federal Government to do something urgent to stop this ugly trend.”
He called for the review of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) charter, saying the liberalisation agreement of cross-border trade does not favour Nigeria as massive smuggling of sub-standard products, such as rice, textile materials and beverages have continued to kill the nation’s economy.
