Malam Garba Shehu is the special
assistant to the President on media and
publicity. In this interview with select
journalists, Shehu bares his mind on the
achievements of the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led government and
other issues in the polity. BODE
GBADEBO was there for LEADERSHIP
It has been 100 days since President
Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, what
are some of his achievements so far?
When the President visited the United
States, he did say that he does not believe
in celebrating 100-day in office because
such activities are fraudulent and that he
will not engage in deceit. That is why he
went to his Daura home town. If Nigerians
have anything to say about it, they
should say it and I can assure you that
the President will hear. But there will be
no special activities about that.
Does that mean there is nothing much to
show?
Well, Nigerians will decide whether there
is anything to show or not. Without
attempting to blow our own trumpet, I’ve
just left a town hall meeting in Suleja
organised by the BBC and I took my
notes. The ordinary Nigerians are praising
President Buhari for security in the
country and some of them scored him 90
per cent and above. A tailor there who
used to open shop for two hours in three
days and now, they can open their shop
for up to 20 hours a day and some of
them are saying that sometimes they
have 24 hours uninterrupted power supply.
I think this is an opportunity to clear the
useless claim by the PDP that it is the
work of Jonathan that President Buhari
has come to claim credit for. The records
are there with the Ministry of Power.
They are saying that power has improved
because it is raining season, let me say
that none of the hydro power plants has
added any megawatt. What is going on is
that, like the Americans will say, ‘There is
a new Sheriff in town’. People are taking
their cue from the fact that there is a
no-nonsense President who has taken over
the administration of this country and his
body language sends the message. Nobody
is blowing gas pipelines, the gas is
flowing and there is better management
and everybody is standing up to do the
right thing. Better management also
means better engagement. Whether it is
the host communities or the youth groups
who are undermining things, they are now
witnessing an administration that is
selfless and serving the country for the
sake of the country. This is what is
responsible for the improved power
supply. No hydro station has increased
output. The gas is flowing because people
are sitting up.
At the town hall meeting, somebody said
they drove from Suleja to Yola and back
without any policeman or soldier stopping
them to ask for bribe and the same thing
happened on the way back. There is an
environment that has been generated by
the presence of Buhari in Aso Rock.
Whether anybody like it or not, it has
changed things and we are feeling safer
and when people go to sleep they are
comforted by the fact that there is
somebody who will bolt the door. All these
things about security is happening
because the soldiers themselves believe
that they are being led by a caring
leader. Citizens are feeling that the
pressure of insecurity is going away not
because Boko Haram has been eliminated
completely but because of the work that
has been done. The management that has
been brought to bear on the nation’s
security is reassuring. PDP wants to take
away our attention.
Nigerians are agitated about finding the
Chibok girls and given the improved
security, they still remain in captivity
despite the fact that a lot was said about
them during the campaigns?
To be fair to President Buhari, did he
ever say he will bring back the girls on
the second day of his administration?
What he has always said is that we don’t
even know where the girls are and that we
need to go in there and get the
intelligence and situation of things and
then act. Without meaning to endanger
what is left of those girls, you know that
the Sambisa forest is being degraded
right now.
The bombing is done in a careful manner
to avoid certain locations of interest as
far as Chibok girls are concerned. Please
take note of what I am saying. I am not
saying that the girls are here or there.
But there is better intelligence now. In
fact, Sambissa forest is under observation
24 hours in case somebody decide to move
those girls from point A to point B. If
there is any movement that is suspicious,
we have drones, unmanned aircrafts that
fly around the place at night and during
the day, the men takes over and fly the
aircraft.
In the last few days, you even saw the
Chief of Army Staff leading the troops
and I am aware that in the last few
weeks, very interesting pictures have been
shown to the President on the basis of
which we will say to Nigerians, don’t lose
hope on the Chibok girls. I am not saying
they have been found or that they have
been seen but it is not yet time for
Nigerians to say we have lost them.
At one point security sources felt that
the Cameroonians are screening Boko
Haram members from their midst. Please
when you see these kind of things, don’t
think it is malicious. First, we need to
know, who are these people? I am not
accusing them of being Boko Haram, but I
have been reliably informed that
Cameroon is doing a better job because
Boko Haram have also embedded
themselves in IDP camps for safety and
from the IDP camp they will leave to go
and perpetuate evil. Cameroon is doing a
better job in fishing them out.
A lot of people have argued that the
fight against corruption is selective and
that it only existed on the pages of
newspapers because nobody has been
convicted yet.
In all the years under Jonathan, how many
high profile conviction did you get?
But this is the era of change…
This question would have been okay in
1984 when Buhari came to government in
Army uniform. What they did then was to
look around and send to jail all those
accused of corruption. We all choose
democracy and democracy has due
process. Even if it is your wish that those
accused of corruption should be jailed
tomorrow, President Buhari will not do
that because he has to follow the due
process of law because the Constitution
protects the rights of every Nigerian. If
you have a case against anyone, go to the
police or EFCC or ICPC. Even at that,
they need time to investigate. Maybe
that is why the anti-graft agencies don’t
have a good record of conviction in the
past because they didn’t do a good job.
Immediately they take such cases to
court, the Judge will enter a ‘no case’
submission because of the shoddy nature
of how the case was investigated. Because
there is a political motive for that
investigation, the case will collapse
immediately the hearing begins. This is
going to be different. This crude oil theft
which so much has been said and for which
many countries have promised to help,
when the President went to America, he
did not ask Obama to give him the list of
Nigerians involved or those who stole
money. We are doing our own investigation
after which the government will now say,
thank you for blocking this account for a
while until we are able to prove that the
crude oil that left Nigeria on this day for
one of your harbours did not have
permission and papers to leave the shore
of Nigeria and so was a stolen crude. Such
a government will have to be convinced
that this money is a proceed from stolen
crude from Nigeria and we got promises
from all over the world that they will
return the money. When they return it,
that again takes a process. President
Buhari will go to a judge and say this and
that country has returned this money
because XYZ stole our crude and these
are the proceeds. So, Nigerians will have
to be patient with the President and the
process. The President could be impatient
himself, but he has his hands tied because
the Constitution is very clear about the
protections of rights. You will not be
happy if the President begins to trample
on the rights of fellow citizens. So, let
there be due process for everyone.
Is the government comfortable with what
seems like imbalance appointments being
made by the President?
I know that these appointments do not
constitute five per cent of the
appointments the President is going to
make and they will come in waves. The
President has also made two more
appointments from the South-West. Do
you want northerners to start abusing him
for giving two appointments to people
from the South-West? They are
emotional reactions to things that will
come and go. This country has gone pass
that stage. I am not talking about
competence because in this country, we
have so many competent people all over
the place. But give it to the President, he
has the right to choose those he will work
with or cook his food. Somebody has
cooked for him for 25 years and because
of federal character you want him to
remove him and bring in another person.
These appointments are like a fan which
must blow all sides. These things will come
and Nigerians will feel adequately
represented because it is the requirement
of the Constitution of Nigeria and that is
the position of the President because he
is a fair leader, he is a just leader and
will do right to all manners of people.
Hold him to that.

source: http://leadership.ng/news/460952/buhari-not-taking-credit-for-jonathans-work-shehu

truly most of what we are enjoying presently is what the past government put in place but what is the value of the money that is released without proper follow up? most thanks go to baba because his presence is what is making everything to be working like magic. in fact that is the change we want.
sai baba

Great Mynds!!!

MrZachs:
Great Mynds!!!

yes PMB may not be taking it but his party APC and anti-wailers are aleady taking Gej's credit

boujaye:
yes PMB may not be taking it but APC and anti-wailers are taking Gej's credit

Wondering whch among r y Sidyn??

MrZachs:
Wondering whch among r y Sidyn??

Gej worked hard

boujaye:
Gej worked hard

I nw undstnd wher ur headn dou!!

boujaye:
Gej worked hard

I nw undstnd wher ur headn dou!!

Well he's taking credit for gejs electricity

mightycrown1:
truly most of what we are enjoying presently is what the past government put in place but what is the value of the money that is released without proper follow up? most thanks go to baba because his presence is what is making everything to be working like magic. in fact that is the change we want.
sai baba

What did Jonathan put in place?
At least I remember umaru doing some surface dressing and augmenting what obj did .
Buhari took off from where obasanjo left the country's power sector. Simple
Almost every single megawatt was paid for or built by obasanjo .
Is it popolanto or geregu ?
Is it omotosho or afam?
Is it the conversion of Egbin thermal from coal to gas?
Are you talking about the upgrade of the turbines in kanji , and shirroro?
Even the state owned power projects like Enron , rivers and Akwa Ibom IPPs were built during obj tenure.
Maybe Jonathan was the president in 2003 when obasanjo bullied the governors to allow him spends some of the excess crude account ( about $5 billion ) on building the above .
No matter how often you tell your lies to convince yourself that your man was a success .
The verdict from the world still remains .
Jonathan was a mistake and colossal failure which should never have happened

donholy28:
Well he's taking credit for gejs electricity

What you call GEJ electricity is actually OBJ electricity. OBJ initiated the Presidential Road Map to power, enthroned all the IPP and employed Barth Nnaji, who has extensive experience to manage the Power Ministry. GEJ couldn't control electricity workers and pipeline vandals that's why the investments on electricity couldn't manifest. The only things Buhari has given this country are leadership and holding government officials accountable; and these are what Nigeria lacked overtime.

Hmmmm government is continuity,

lincolnj88:
Hmmmm government is continuity,

exactly..dnt think HE eva did