Pro Government Rally: Buhari Must Rule Till 2023

A week after anti-government protests were held in major cities of the country, supporters of President Mu­hammadu Buhari on Tuesday held theirs in Abuja.

The protesters, who con­verged at the popular Unity Fountain in the nation’s capi­tal, were addressed by key ap­pointees of the Presidency.

Prominent among them were the embattled Secretary to the Government of the Federa­tion (SGF), Mr. David Babachir Lawal and the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu.

Lawal told the audience that the ailing President Buha­ri would bounce back, com­plete his current four-year ten­ure in office and get re-elected in 2019 for another term.

 Buhari left for London for medical vacation on Friday, Jan­uary 21, 2017 and was expected back in the country on February 6, 2017. He later wrote to the Na­tional Assembly on his inability to return to the country on the said day because there were medical tests he needed to undergo.

Since then, Nigerians have become apprehensive on his health condition, even his aides and other top officials of his cab­inet have continued to assure the nation that Buhari is hale and hearty.

Last week, Civil Society Or­ganisations (CSOs), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) held separate protests against bad governance in the country under the present administration.

But yesterday, Lawal told the pro-Buhari protesters that the President is determined to fix the ailing economy, adding that the country would never be returned to what existed by 2015, after the President had completed his eight years’ rule in 2023.

He urged the protesters to continue to support to the Pres­ident and assured them that the administration will return the country to its stable economic position within the next one year.

The rally was organised by a coalition of groups in under the aegis, “I belong to One Nigeria Initiative”.

At the event, which had in attendance women, youths and men groups, the SGF said that the President would soon return home.

The SGF blamed the present economic situation on those he said are currently challenging the administration of President Bu­hari and wishing him dead.

“I’m here to thank you for the support you have rendered this government. As a govern­ment, we are encouraged by your support. It is this type of support that encourages the President to do more. We want to assure you that this government is on top of the situation. As much as we un­derstand the challenges that we are facing, there is no cure with­out a medicine. It is for no reason that quinine is very bitter, but af­ter you have taken it, you get well.”

“Baba Buhari didn’t antici­pate the problem that we are in. I’m sure you are all aware. The people who caused this problem are the ones challenging the gov­ernment. I tell you that they will fail in the name of God. In fact, they have failed. You are aware of the economy that the President inherited, the economy in which revenue has virtually collapsed. The infrastructure is nowhere to be seen.

The roads were dilapi­dated. The schools were dilapi­dated. The hospitals were aban­doned. The people who caused it are not worried at all. Shame­lessly, they accused the President of not performing. “And in fact, some of them wished him dead. But I can assure you that by the grace of God, he will outlive all of them,” Lawal said.

The SGF continued: “I assure you that by the grace of God, in the next one year, Nigeria will have a booming economy. We know what they were doing to sabotage the activities of govern­ment to bring Nigeria back to eco­nomic prosperity. But the Presi­dent is also aware. Nigeria will never go back to the position it was before 2015. The foundation being laid by the government is solid. And nobody, even after the President has finished his eight years’ tenure, can ever take us back to the pre-2015 days.”

In his address, Garba Shehu apologised for the initial obstruc­tion the security agents gave them at the main gate of the Presiden­tial Villa.

He said: “There was a com­munication gap at the Villa gate because the police there did not know who was coming and I hope we will learn from this.

“You put this government in place and you want to show sup­port for what the government is doing, nobody has a problem with this. So, we welcome your demonstration and your support because this is what will keep the government strong.

“The war against corrup­tion has very powerful enemies who have resources, the kind of money that even the government doesn’t have. So, we need a pop­ular support like yours otherwise the war against corruption will be defeated.”

Earlier, the Convener of the Citizens Support for Good Gov­ernance in Nigeria, Comrade Moses Abdullahi, who led the protest, noted that the country was passing through a difficult phase as a result of bad govern­ance since the return to democ­racy in 1999.

One of the organisers of the rally, Comrade Ogenyi Okpok­wu, the National Coordinator of the Coalition for Good Govern­ance and Change Initiative (CG­GCI), said the event was to show the appreciation of Nigerians for the successes recorded by the ad­ministration.