‎I Almost Resigned As President – PMB

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By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah
President Muhammadu Buhari said he almost resigned as president because of the enormity of challenges facing the country due to the fall in the price of crude oil.
According to him, because of the fall in the price of crude oil which is the live wire of the economy, 27 states in the country could not pay salaries.
President Buhari spoke at the presidential parley with the senior executive course no 38 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Kuru at the State House.
Buhari argued that he doesn’t believe Nigeria spent billions of dollars on food and fuel importation as they are no evidence on ground to point to this fact.
He said “For 16 years and  consecutive government’s of the other party and you know that there was unprecedented revenue realised, the oil projection which can be verified was 2.1 million barrels per day. From  1999-2015 the average cost of each Nigerian barrel of oil was $100 per barrel.
“When we came it fell to less than $30 per barrel and is now it is  between 40 and 50. Actually I felt like absconding because 27 out of 36 states in Nigeria cannot pay salaries and we know they have no other source than to depend on salaries.
“And I asked any savings? I was told there was no savings, And I asked what have you done on agriculture, power,  rails, roads. Nothing. You know more than I do because you move around. I have not been moving around since after elections but you do, how many of the Trunk A roads are still good enough?
“How many power do we have although there are some elements of sabotage.  I was told the money was used to import food and fuel. I didn’t believe the answer and I still don’t believe it.
“Until now substantial number of people in the East eat garri and groundnut, in the West pounded yam, cassava, vegetables, in the north tuwo which is made from any of the grains, millet, sorghum. They eat it in the night and warm it in the morning and eat it and take fura De nunu in the afternoon. How many of those people can afford foreign food?
According to him, the legislature dedicated 445,000 barrels per day and that is just 60 % of our requirements saying ” I said okay what of the 40%? The marketers that are bringing it just present documents, papers are just stamped and monies are taken away adding that “This is the type of things that the Nigerian elites are doing for our own country. When you go back look at your colleagues and encourage them to be truly Nigerians.”
Buhari noted that poverty reduction and inclusive development have become pillars of his administration and very close to his  heart.
“I am very pleased that the Participants, through the able leadership of the National Institute of Management and the faculty members, have taken the task seriously, as is evident in the report presented. I congratulate you for painstakingly committing your time and energy to produce such a valuable policy-oriented report that will guide this administration.
“I have looked forward to receiving this report because it touches on one of the fundamental problems confronting our nation. The Report comes at a time when our economy is experiencing a downturn and all efforts are being made by this administration to get our country moving again, Buhari said.
The president pointed out that in the last one and half years of his  administration, the economy has experienced some tough times, particularly with the decline in oil revenues, which has some harsh impacts on Nigerians at the grassroots.
He stressed that it is also important to note that the economic recession is not the making of this administration, but rather a consequence of bad management of the economy in the past couple of decades. Nor is recession limited to Nigeria – there are far, far worse cases than Nigeria.