Minister of communications, Adebayo Shittu, has played down former president njOlusegun Obasanjo‘s political influence, saying he cannot stop Muhammadu Buhari winning in 2019.
Shittu, who is the coordinator of the Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, described Buhari’s declaration for a second term as a welcome development.
The minister stated this during an interview with NAN in Abuja on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.
Responding to a question about the third force, Shittu said, “Who is OBJ? OBJ is not God. IBB is not God. Obasanjo was president here, he wanted a third term and he didn’t get it.
“What Mr President did yesterday (Monday), we had done that much back on his behalf; that is the Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group. So what he did yesterday was just a follow-up to what we had done about three months ago. And I want to assure you is that by the grace of God, Muhammadu Buhari will become president the second time.”
According to him, the Buhari administration has achieved more in three years than the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party’s rule.
“For instance in the area of job creation for youths, no government has ever in one day employed 200, 000 graduates. It has never happened but under Buhari N-Power it happened,” he said.
“Through this, he has provided jobs for 200, 000 families spread across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“Government is still processing the employment of 300, 000 more graduates to make it 500, 000, this has never happened. In the areas of transport, works and housing, the last budget of the PDP government was less than N20 billion and most of these monies were stolen; diverted to private pockets.
“In 2017 alone, the Buhari government spent N255 billion on those subject matters; transport, works and housing. So how do you compare? Today, government is also building new roads across the south-east states with 100 million dollars SUKUK loan; non-interest loan from Islamic Development Bank.
“For the first time, government is building new railway from Lagos to Kano, from Kano to Maiduguri, from Maiduguri to Calabar and from Calabar to Lagos. So the records are there.”
On Monday, April 9, Buhari announced his intention to seek re-election in the 2019 presidential election.
He made the declaration at the National Executive Committee meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress held in Abuja.
The President said his decision to re-content was borne out of the “clamour” by Nigerians.
Source: Pulse.ng
