President Muhammadu Buhari Monday said that he inherited a “virtually empty treasury” with debts running into hundreds of millions of Dollars and appealed to the media to explain the true position to Nigerians so that “they won’t match on us”.
The President who spoke while meeting with members of the State House Press Corps said it was a disgrace that Nigeria is not able to pay workers salaries adding that this was as a result of bad management.
According to him, there was already a lot of pressure on his government due to the huge expectations of Nigerians on what they desire from the administration.
While calling on the media to cooperate with his administration, President Buhari said he choose Femi Adesina to be his Adviser because he is ‘one of the best’.
“It is not by accident that I got the best of you to be the special adviser, one of the 15 aides I had to get clearance from the Senate.
He is one of the best President of the guild that I can have as special advisers. I brought one of the best of you so that he can consistently defend me against you.
“Whether my job is a difficult one or easy it 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.
“I have to quickly come and see you and welcome you to this place. I hope what happened of recent between the former president and one of you (the seizure of the accreditation of the Radio Germany reporter) will not happen between me and you.
“I hope we are starting and this culture developed, of 100 days is bringing so much pressure with treasury virtually empty, with debts in millions of dollars, with state workers and even federal workers not paid their salaries. It is such a disgrace for Nigeria. I think Nigeria should be in a position to even pay it’s workers. This bad management that we find ourselves in, we really need your help to protect us from people before they match on us” he said.
For members of the State House Press Corps, it is a first time that they would be meeting the president, starting from President Obasanjo up to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Chairman of the State House Press Corps, Kehinde Amodu who spoke on behalf of members of the Corp pledge to work with the government in the interest of Nigeria.(Vanguard)
