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Bail-out for states doubtful as Buhari laments empty treasury

By Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja
23 June 2015   |   2:59 am
A BAD-case scenario of the new government inheriting an empty treasury bandied about by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), was yesterday confirmed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
First Day inside Aso villa Office President Muhammadu Buhari in his office at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja …yesterday               	                                  PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA 

First Day inside Aso villa Office President Muhammadu Buhari in his office at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja …yesterday PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA <br />

• Celebrating 100 days too much pressure
• Says non-payment of salaries a disgrace
• Orders soldiers out of checkpoints
• Police to take over internal security

A BAD-case scenario of the new government inheriting an empty treasury bandied about by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), was yesterday confirmed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

With this development, the expected bailout for states by the Federal Government may have hit the rocks, at least, temporarily.

Meanwhile, the President has directed that all the military checkpoints on highways be dismantled.

Speaking during his maiden interaction with State House correspondents, the President lamented that the culture of celebrating 100 days in office has brought so much pressure on the government to show its achievements, even in the face of “virtually empty treasury with debts in millions of dollars, with state workers and even federal workers not paid their salaries.’’

He said such a scenario was “such a disgrace for Nigeria.”

The President, who said it was the duty of government at every level to ensure that workers’ salaries are paid, lamented that the bad management of the economy had put a strain on the ability of state governments and some Federal Government agencies to pay their workers.

He underscored a smooth working relationship between the government and the media as essential, noting that, such relationship would go a long way in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy a quality dividend of democracy.

Alluding to his not-so-easy relationship with the media in the past, the President said he had decided to engage the services of the best brains in the industry as his media aides to enhance a smooth working relationship, noting that democracy means that the government and the media should work in partnership for the development of the country.

His words: “It is not by accident that I got one of the best among you, Mr. Femi Adesina, one of the 15 aides I had to get clearance from the Senate.‎ He is one of the best that I can have so that he can consistently defend me against you. Whether my job is a difficult one or an easy one is up to him, but I’m here to thank you in advance for ‎what good and ill you are going to do to me.”

Also, during a meeting with journalists after the president’s meeting with heads of security agencies yesterday at the State House, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Aliyu Ismaila, disclosed that preparations for the final movement of the Command Control Centre to Maiduguri were underway.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, led the Service Chiefs, including Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, his Naval and Air counterparts, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin and Air Marshal Adesola Amosu among others to the meeting.

On the absence at the meeting of the Inspector-General of Police and Director-General of the Department of State Services, Ismaila said:

8 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    I will be here to help and support President Buhari, from the US Government, Energy, and Defense side of the house, but, it’s up to the Nigerian people to work together and give President Buhari support wherever he needs it as it is very important to all Nigeria people and tribes, that he gets this right, and make the necessary changes to make Nigeria progressive and rid itself from bad Government, corrupt Individuals in positions of power, and to fix your security, infrastructure and power capabilities………and, this cannot be expected to happen overnight or within 100 days………B For Real and Support President Buhari any way you can…..I Will…………….God Bless Nigeria and Her people……..VR, MR. Dean C.
    Wilson

  • Author’s gravatar

    If the recent statistics released by NBS on the IGR of states in Nigeria is anything to go by,it clearly showed that most states are not viable and so lazy or lack ingenuity to raise IGR. The feeding bottle approach of getting allocation monthly from the federal govt should be cautioned.
    Also the luxurious lifestyle of state governors as to be checked. States should look inward on how to increase IGR and stop pressurising the federal government for bailout.

  • Author’s gravatar

    That directive on the dismantling of military roadblocks? I am totally lost as to what that is meant to achieve! I am just short of words really!!

  • Author’s gravatar

    GOODLUCK JONATHAN YOU, YOUR GANG, YOU ADMINISTRATION RUINED, DEVASTATED AND TOTALLY DESTROYED OUR ECONOMY, OUR PRIDE AND NATION. IF YOU THINK THAT YOU WILL GET AWAY WITH IT AND BY EXTENSION MURDER, THEN YOU MUST BE JOKING OR YOU ARE KIDDING OR NOT IN THIS PLANET EARTH. WE WILL PURSUE, EXPOSE, SHAME ALL LOOTERS OF OUR MONEY AND WEALTH AND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE. THIS IS THE STAND OF WE THE PEOPLE, THE MASSES

  • Author’s gravatar

    https://drakenov.blogspot.se/2015/05/rejose-marin-lopeznigerian-interpol.html

    RE:JOSE MARIN LOPEZ(NIGERIAN INTERPOL)#imo-state

    jose marin lopez
    CEO: Generalia Consortium NIFPS Nigeria Ltd

    The above picture is a Spaniard arrested in Nigeria in association of fraud and being prosecuted by barrister Joseph Nwadike of the Nigerian INTERPOL since 2012 .
    however the Interpol has not being fair to Nigerians to give the where about of the Spaniard since his escape from the custody of the Nigerian police force.
    concern Nigerians call on the inspector general of police to look into these issue on how a Spaniard escaped its custody,we Nigerians believe in the police and the police shouldn’t fail us ,the above Spaniard carted away with 2.2 million euros of tax payers money in Nigerian.
    We call on the inspector general of police the man that has come to change the corruption within the Nigerian police force to and restore the imagine of our Nigerian police.

  • Author’s gravatar

    BUT PRESIDENT BUHARI PLEASE CALL IT AS IT IS AND THAT IS GOODLUCK JONATHAN NOT ONLY RAN THE MOST CORRUPT GOVERNMENT IN THE HISTORY OF NIGERIA, BUT GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND HIS ADMINISTRATION LOOTED NIGERIA SILLY, STOLE ALL OUR WEALTH AND EMPTIED OUR TREASURY. IF GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND HIS EVIL GANG THINK THAT, THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH MURDER, THEN THEY MUST BE VERY PERMANENTLY DRUNK AS USUAL OR THEY ARE NOT IN THIS PLANET. GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND HIS CRIMINAL GANG CAN NOW ONLY RUN BUT THEY CAN NOT HIDE. IF THEY CAN NOT DO THE TIME, THEN THEY MUST NOT DO THE TIME

  • Author’s gravatar

    AND THERE WILL BE NO HIDING PLACE OR PLACES IN THIS PLANET EARTH, FOR THE LOOTERS OF OUR TREASURY AND WEALTH. GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND HIS GANG SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE. WE WILL HUNT THE LOOTERS, EXPOSED THEM, SHAME THEM AND MAKE SURE THAT OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM DEALS VERY SEVERELY WITH THE THIEVES.