President Muhammadu Buhari has frowned at the inability of
the Nigerian elites to address the welfare and educational needs of the
less-privileged members of the society.
The president made his feelings known when he hosted
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Ministers, Service Chiefs, Heads of Security
Agencies and Chief Executives of Federal Government Agencies and Institutions
to a breaking of fast at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President Buhari said he was upset with the level of poverty
in the land, challenged the elite to do something very urgent to ameliorate the
pathetic situation.
He stated that already Federal Government had introduced
people friendly programmes like the School Feeding and `Trader Money’ to
alleviate the hardship being experienced by the less-privileged individuals
across the country.
He, therefore, commended the Vice-President for successfully
managing the school feeding and `trader money’ programmes
“When I drive around the country what upset me very much is
the status of our poor people in this country – you see young people, the
so-called Almajiris with tore dresses, with plastic bowl. They are looking
basically for what to eat.
“The question of education (to them) is a luxury. I think
Nigerian elite we are all failing because I think we should have a programme
that will at least guarantee some basic education for our people no matter how
poor they are.
“So, I welcome the Vice-President initiate of the School
feeding programme. If you check in your localities the enrolment into schools
improved because a lot of children can get at least one good meal a day. This
is the position of this country.
“But, culturally some of us are quite merciless, we don’t
care about what happen to others we just keep on moving forward.
“This `market money’ I warned the Vice-President I don’t
like him to be mobbed, especially the way I see hefty women coming and
confronting him, he should be very careful.
“These are very good initiates. Initially, I was quite
reluctant but I must admit that they are very good programmes and they endear
this government to a lot of poor people because of these N5,000 or N10,000 being
given to them as loans.
They are fantastic programmes and I have to admit quite
honestly that the Vice-President was ahead of me by insisting on them.
“But he knows me if he insists I will say `okay go and do
what you like.’ He did it and I’m very pleased as he is being very
successful,’’ he said.
Vice-President Osinbajo, who spoke on behalf of the members
of the cabinet, thanked the president for inviting them, both Muslims and
Christians, to the breaking of fast with him.
He said that regardless of ethnic and religion affiliations
Nigerians must continue to be their brothers’ keepers and must work towards
building a united nation.
He, however, condemned some politicians, who were bent on
dividing the people along ethno-religious lines.
On the Ramadan period, Osinbajo said: “Mr President I must
say that there are some reasons I had always look forward to the Ramadan
session. But some of those reasons are now being seriously challenged.
“The first of those reasons is that during the Ramadan
meetings are usually very short. But, unfortunately, last Wednesday Mr President
seemed to have destroyed that very good notion by taking us through the longest
FEC meeting in the history of the Federal Executive Council.
“So, we shouldn’t expect anymore that meeting will necessary
be short during the Ramadan.
“The second is that some of my friends are far less
troublesome during the Ramadan. People like Lai Mohammed, Abba Kyari, Adamu
Adamu they are usually very well behaved during the Ramadan. But I’m not even
sure that that is true anymore.
“So, I think that all we can truly expect now from the
session is possibility what it was meant to do which is to remind us of some of
our responsibilities to ourselves as brothers and to our fellow men/women
especially our roles as leaders.
“I think is auspicious that this particular Ramadan falls at
the eve of the new term in office.
“So, it is an opportunity for us to remind ourselves over
the core mandates which is the welfare and security of the majority of our
people,’’ he said.
It was gathered that those, who joined the President for the
fast-breaking meal known as Iftar, included some heads of the federal government
agencies and institutions.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin
Emefiele, the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority, Alhaji
Yakubu Ibn Muhammed, and the Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria,
Abdullahi Mukhtar, were among the dignitaries at the event.
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