I Almost Absconded From Office Over Empty Treasury says Buhari

President Muhammadu Bu­hari yesterday recounted how overwhelmed he was by the enormity of the country’s economic challenges when he as­sumed office last year, saying he felt like absconding from Aso Rock.
He spoke at the State House, Abuja when he received partic­ipants of the Senior Executive Course 37 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State who presented a report on “Strength­ening Institutional Mechanisms for Poverty Reduction and Inclu­sive Development” to him

Digressing from his prepared speech, the President said he was shocked that he met no savings from his predecessor, even when crude oil earnings peaked at an av­erage of $100 per barrel between 1999 and 2015. Buhari said he could not believe the excuse giv­en to him that the monies were spent on fuel and food, when he knew that majority of Nigerians were eating local foods while a large percentage of the fuel im­ports were fraudulent.
Buhari said: “For 16 years and eight consecutive governments of the other party, you know that there was unprecedented revenue realised. Oil projection which can be verified was 2.1 million barrels per day.
“From 1999 to 2015, the av­erage cost of each Nigerian barrel of oil was $100. When we came, it fell to less than $30 per barrel and is now oscillating between $40 and $50.
“Actually, I felt like abscond­ing because 27 of the 36 states in Nigeria could not pay salaries and we know they have no oth­er source of income to pay their workers.
“And I asked whether there was any savings? I was told there was none. And I asked: what have you done on agriculture, power, rails and roads? Nothing!
“You know more than I do because you move around. I have not been moving around after the elections but you do. How many of the Trunk A roads are still good enough? How much power do we have, although there are some ele­ments of sabotage?
“I was told the money was used to import food and fuel. I didn’t believe the answer and I still don’t believe it. Till now, sub­stantial number of people in the East eat ‘garri’ and groundnut; in the West, pounded yam, cassava, vegetables; in the North, ‘tuwo’ which is made from any of the grains, millet, sorghum.
“They eat it in the night and warm it in the morning and eat it and take fura da nono in the after­noon. How many of those people can afford foreign food?
“Then, they said I should check out the petroleum; the leg­islature dedicated 445,000 barrels per day and that is just 60 percent of our requirements. I said okay, what of the 40 percent?
“The marketers that are bring­ing it just present documents, pa­pers are just stamped and monies are taken away. This is the type of things that the Nigerian elite are doing to our own country. When you go back look at your col­leagues and encourage them to be truly Nigerians,”he said.