President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday threatened that his administration would descend heavily on oil and gas pipeline vandals as well as other saboteurs the same way the nation’s Armed Forces were dealing with members of the Boko Haram sect.
He also said instead for those who were reasonable to have realised the sincerity in his anti-corruption war, some people had continued to dare the government.
Buhari said he would not spare anybody in the anti-graft war.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke in Beijing during a meeting with members of the Nigerian community in China.
Buhari, who is on a one week official visit to China, warned vandals and saboteurs, blowing up oil and gas installations in Nigeria, to desist immediately or face the same drastic action being taken against Boko Haram by the Armed Forces.
He reaffirmed his total commitment to winning the war against corruption, saying corruption was an arch-enemy of the nation, which had destroyed the lives of many Nigerians.
The President added, “The government is still being dared, but those who are sensible should have learnt a lesson. Those who are mad, let them continue in their madness.
“I am aware that in the last two weeks, the national grid collapsed a number of times. I hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs, who are blowing up pipelines and installations.
“We will deal with them the way we dealt with Boko Haram.”
Buhari assured the Nigerian community that the Federal Government was working very hard to overcome current national challenges and deliver on its promise of a better Nigeria.
“Clearly, our vision of a diversified and inclusive economy will not be achieved overnight. It will be a long, and in some cases, painful journey. I am very confident we will get there. But we must start that journey now.
“We hear proposals for short cut or quick wins. However, all we need to do is look at our history to know that there are no quick wins or short cuts in fixing Nigeria. The many decades of damage and destruction cannot be repaired overnight.
“The reform programme we are implementing is not because oil prices are below $45 per barrel today. It is because when oil prices were over $100 per barrel, majority of Nigerians were still suffering; they were simply forgotten and left behind.
“So, our reforms are to ensure that the majority of Nigerians are not left behind,” the President told the gathering.
Buhari also assured the Nigerian community that his administration was fulfilling its promise to improve security across the country.
“When we came into office in 2015, Boko Haram insurgents occupied 14 local government areas. Today, I am pleased to say the insurgents have been routed out of these local governments and their capacity to fight as a force has been significantly degraded.
“We will continue working hard to ensure that the group is eliminated; this is achievable, and we will not settle for anything less,” he said.
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Source: The Punch