Minister of Special
Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, has declared that
anyone who criticises Pres. Buhari-led administration has a sinister motive.
The minister blamed PDP
for destroying the country’s economy, turning a blind eye to insecurity and
siphoning funds meant to provide electricity, in its 16 years rule.
“When people talk so
much about this government negatively, I believe they have a sinister motive
and purpose. Sincerely, they are no angels in government but there is a big
difference between what was and what is.
The system was bad
when this government came on board in 2015. And at the time we came virtually
all sectors of the economy had broken down; (there were) serious security
breaches.
You can testify that a
lot has been done by this government in that area to stem the tide of
insecurity. When I was in the Senate, I happened to be a member of the
committee on defence; we visited the North East and virtually everything was
bad.
I knew what was going
on in the North East. Frankly, about half of that place was taken over by Boko
Haram. Today, Boko Haram has been seriously degraded. .
Of course, they strike
from time to time which is normal even in Iraq, Egypt and so on. Boko Haram can
never ever operate with impunity. What the military is doing is now is a
mopping up of pressure. .
Banditry, robbery, and
kidnappings are pains of democratic transition. The offences against these
vices are very strong.
When you are outside
the country and you hear people talk about Nigeria, you will think it is a
place where life is nasty, brutish, and short – where you cannot do business.
But when you get into the country, look at the rich opportunities that the
country offer. The fact is that those who are doing business here also smile to
the bank.”
