The Federal Government on Wednesday faulted ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and other critics who said President Muhammadu Buhari has nothing to offer again in office. It described the alleged skewed narrative in certain quarters that the President has not shown enough empathy on security challenges in the country as glib talk.
The government warned Nigerians against the use of incendiary and insulting words, especially by leaders of all hues, which can overheat the polity and heighten tension. It said with a recent court declaration, bandits have been declared as terrorists.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the clarifications at a briefing in Abuja against the backdrop of increasing banditry and kidnappings in the country.
Ex-President Obasanjo had on Monday claimed that President Buhari has nothing more to offer the nation. He said the nation should start looking beyond the tenure of Buhari by shopping for a new leader in 2023.
But Mohammed said the assessment of the President by Obasanjo and others was wrong because Buhari was offering the nation his best. The Minister said: “If anybody is worried today about the security situation of the country, it is Mr. President. Gentlemen, President Buhari has done so much, under very difficult economic and social conditions, to tackle insecurity in our country.
“Not only has he done so much. President Buhari continues to do much more to keep Nigerians safe. To say he has nothing more to offer is untrue, fallacious and smacks of dirty politicking.
“By boosting the number and capacity of our fighting forces, Mr. President is putting them in good stead to tackle insecurity not just during the life of his administration but long after he would have left office.”
Mohammed assured Nigerians that Buhari will leave the nation better with sustainable achievements. He added: “President Buhari is leaving a legacy of security, infrastructural development, economic prosperity and social cohesion for Nigeria”.