The State House has described as misconstrued, the various interpretations of President Muhammadu Buhari's comments in an interview granted to the UK's Telegraph newspaper on February 5, 2016.

In a statement released in Abuja on
Tuesday, February 9, Malam Garba Shehu
(Senior Special Assistant to the President on
Media and Publicity) noted that the wave of
negative reactions to the President's
remarks about the reputation of Nigerians
abroad was as a result of an incomplete
understanding of President Buhari's point.

"President Buhari was asked about the
flood of migrants from Nigeria and the
fraudulent applications for asylum put in by
people desperate to leave their motherland
at any cost, and it was this question that
elicited his response," he said, encouraging
Nigerians to avail themselves of a full text
of the interview, which has now been made
available on the Telegraph's website.

Malam Shehu added that it was
preposterous for anyone to imagine that
the President of Nigeria would describe all
the citizens of the country he leads as
criminals, when he himself is a Nigerian--
obviously not a criminal--and when there
are many Nigerians of honest living making
their country proud all over the world.

"Unfortunately, there are also Nigerians
giving their country a bad image abroad,
and it is to those Nigerians that the
President referred in his comments," he
said, adding that people may play politics
and online games with the President's
comments, but the fact of the matter
remains that Nigeria's reputation abroad
has been severely damaged by her own
citizens.

"These Nigerians who leave their country to
go and make mischief on foreign shores
have given the rest of us a bad reputation
that we daily struggle to overcome."

Malam Shehu called attention to the many
efforts of President Buhari to clean up the
image of Nigeria, such as the war on
corruption, stating that acknowledging you
have a problem is the first step to
preferring a solution.

"President Buhari is very aware of the
problems the people of Nigeria face both at
home and abroad, and he is not shying away
from admitting them even as he focuses on
solutions to bring them to a permanent
end."
Garba Shehu
SSAP(Media and Publicity)
Abuja.09-02-16.

CC: Lalasticlala, OAM4J, Mynd44

Hmmmm

"Unfortunately,there are also nigerians giving their country bad image abroad,and it is to those nigerians that the president referred to in his comment".

My question is,how would mr president describe all citizens he leads as criminals when he himself is a Nigerian Anyway,wailers can wail for all we care.

God bless Baba Buhari

God bless Nigeria.

Abeg na my birthday, click like 5 TIMES IF YOU BELIEVE SAY NA GOD DO AM.

Thank you Jesus!!

Unfortunately, there are also Nigerians
giving their country a bad image abroad,
and it is to those Nigerians that the
President referred in his comments," he
said

You cannot dig yourself out of a pit. The more you talk the more you are quoted. Just keep quiet. Very soon Nigeria will forgive and forget as they always do.

I have not heard from Femi Adesina lately. Is he still with PMB or has he started seeing things differently.

Ok we understand he is doing damage control but Garba shehu should tell us what adjective Buhari deserve for giving Nigerians #budgetof corruption cos 2016 budget by Buhari has brought the image of Nigeria into disrepute both within and outside the shores of this country.

We have moved on sir .. Just to keep the records straight that Ben Bruce was right after all ..

.. Even if you say *Stealing is not *Corruption, we will understand your point ..


Now, we are more concerned about a CRIMINAL budget!

too late to cry when d head is cut off. he should have counted his teeth using his tongue b4 he talk

TheFreeOne:
Ok we understand he is doing damage control but Garba shehu should tell us what adjective Buhari deserve for giving Nigerians #budgetof corruption cos 2016 budget by Buhari has brought the image of Nigeria into disrepute both within and outside the shores of this country.

Nigeria's 2016 budget of corruption from bubu to the NHA is now a global news which is a home grown negative image of Nigeria exported to the rest of the world which is so unprecedented.

The biggest global balkanization of Nigeria's image so far is from GMB himself, he needs to look at the man in the mirror.

Mr spokesman, when we were small we used to say "A BROKEN BOTTLE HAS NO MEKWATALISM"
The damage has been done, you can't defend or justify that.
#Nigeriansarenotcriminals

Every time, Nigerians dey always misinterprete Pa Buhari's words. Is he a stammerer?

I pity his media aides 'cos they are the ones to receive the heat in defending him.