President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that some high-profile financiers including an unnamed serving lawmaker have been linked to the activities of the leader of the secessionist group, Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho.
In an independence day nationwide broadcast, Buhari disclosed that ongoing investigations by the Federal Government have revealed the identity of the financiers and is “vigorously pursuing them.
“This is a clear example of how people abandon their national leadership positions for their selfish gains. Instead of preaching unity, they are funding and misleading our youth to conduct criminal acts that sometimes lead to unfortunate and unnecessary loss of lives and property.”
According to Buhari, Nigeria is for every citizen and its unity is not negotiable, stressing that Nigeria can only achieve greatness if all hands are on deck in the same way it was when the country gained independence in 1960.
The President, however, admitted that the last 18 months have been perhaps the most trying moments for the country after the Civil War that broke out in 1967 especially with renewed activities of insurgents (Boko Haram) in Nigeria’s Northeast.
He said Nigeria is taking the fight to the enemies and is winning the way with no fewer than 8,000 insurgents surrendering to the Nigerian military in the last 4 months.
To further boost Nigeria’s internal security and defence, the President said Nigerians will in no time begin to witness the benefits of a few measures recently undertaken including the launch of what he calls the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure and Deep Blur Project.
To sustain the current onslaught against banditry, Buhari said while the armed forces have recruited over 17,000 personnel, he has directed the police to recruit at least 10,000 police officers annually in the next six years.
The President has a message or two for the media when he cautioned them to be wary of “unfiltered and unsubstantiated lies and hate speeches by a few persons urging them to always thoroughly investigate and not allow themselves to be used as vessels to propagate such falsehood.
On the use of social media, the President said he has directed the lifting of the ban he placed on micro-blog network Twitter in June. The directive is however subject to the ability of his Presidential Committee to resolve issues of National security, taxation, local contents and physical presence in Nigeria with Twitter Inc.
On Nigeria’s economy, the President noted that the agriculture sector remains key to any meaningful and sustainable diversification plan as the country hopes to reduce its dependence on oil revenues even as the government hopes to maximize the gains from oil with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA.
President Buhari blamed the current hike in food price on artificial shortage created by middlemen who he said are hoarding the essential commodities for profiteering.
To nip this, he said he has ordered relevant government agencies to immediately rehabilitate the National Food Reserve Agency and the Nigerian Commodity Exchange even as he called on the National Assembly to use the instrumentality of the law to stop the unwholesome practice.
