- don’t regret being honest– President
The Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria has described President Muhammadu Buhari as the Messiah needed to save the country from total collapse. Vice-President of the council, Sheikh Hadiyyatullahi Abdulrashid, stated this yesterday when he led a delegation to a meeting with President Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja.
He likened President Buhari to the captain of a capsizing ship and the messiah needed by Nigeria. Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement on the outcome of the closed-door meeting said “Sheikh Hadiyyatullahi Abdulrashid commended President Buhari for accomplishing much of what he promised before his election. He likened him to the captain of a capsizing ship and the messiah needed by the country.” Garba said the delegation also complained to the President Buhari over the marginalisation of Muslims in appointments into key Federal Government agencies, including the military.
“Sheikh Abdulrashid also spoke about the alleged marginalisation of Muslims, violent conflicts between farmers and herders, the problems of drug abuse among youths and the fate of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Kaduna, among other issues,” he noted. In his remarks, President Buhari said he had no regrets being a person of honesty and integrity.
The president told the group that, “I am satisfied with what I am. I am happy I have kept myself and people close to me from benefiting from government contracts.” Buhari said he did not award contracts and did not care about who got them so long as they did a good job at a cost that is justifiable to the nation. According to him: “I have been in many places including Ministry of Petroleum.
I would have gone to jail if I had taken an oil well. For integrity and honesty, I have no regrets. By this, I have contributed to my social safety. I won’t go to jail.”
The President, who said he had been accused of many things, said his critics cannot accuse him of stealing. “You cannot accuse me of stealing,” he said, adding, “I have appointed ministers and they are in charge. I appeal to their integrity. When they come here (Federal Executive Council) Chambers, we ensure they follow the due process. If I owned an oil well, I would have gone to jail.” President Buhari also responded to a number of issues raised by the delegation, including complaints that Muslims had been marginalised in appointments to government institutions such as the military and the civil service. The President said this illustrated how difficult his job is because he faced the same criticism from adherents of other faiths. “I am in a difficult situation,” he admitted. On the burning issue of violent conflicts in some parts of country, President Buhari said he was putting in his best.
.new telegraph