We "ll deal with you like Boko Haram insurgents, Buhari tells pipeline vandals, saboteurs
Thu Apr 14, 2016 01:27:pm National
5.3K By sosa hills
President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday in Beijing has warned oil and gas pipeline vandals in Nigeria to stop their sabotage of his administration or be ready to face the same treatment the Federal Government is giving to Boko Haram insurgents in the North East zone.
At a meeting with members of the Nigerian Community in Beijing, China, Buhari reaffirmed his commitment to winning the war against corruption.
He urged Nigerians to support his vision of stamping out corruption from the polity in the shortest possible time, adding that "whoever is caught will not be spared."
Buhari said that his administration was still being dared and warned that "those who are sensible should have learnt a lesson. Those who are mad, let them continue in their madness.
"I am aware that in the last two weeks, the national grid collapsed a number of times. I hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs who are blowing up pipelines and installations.
"We will deal with them the way we dealt with Boko Haram," the President declared.
He reiterated that "when we came into office in 2015, Boko Haram insurgents occupied 14 local government areas. Today, I am pleased to say the insurgents have been routed out of these local governments and their capacity to fight as a force has been significantly degraded.
"We will continue to work hard to ensure that the group is eliminated. This is achievable. And we will not settle for anything less," Buhari warned.
On the challenges facing the country, the President explained that, "Our vision of a diversified and inclusive economy will not be achieved overnight. It will be a long, and in some cases, painful journey. I am very confident we will get there but we must start that journey now.
"We hear proposals for short cuts or quick wins. However, all we need to do is look at our history to know that there are no quick wins or short cuts in fixing Nigeria. The many decades of damage and destruction cannot be repaired overnight.
"The reform programme we are implementing is not because oil prices are below $45 per barrel today. It is because when oil prices were over $100 per barrel, majority of Nigerians were still suffering.
"They were simply forgotten and left behind. So, our reforms are to ensure that the majority of Nigerians are not left behind," he said.
At a separate meeting with the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Li Keqiang, Buhari lamented the failure of past governments to meet Nigeria's obligations in joint projects with China.
He pledged that his administration would honour all agreements concluded between Nigeria and China under previous administrations to ensure the speedy completion of outstanding joint projects, including the 4,000 megawatts Mambilla Hydro Electric Power Project.
The President told the Chinese Premier that his administration was committed to the completion, in the shortest possible time, of all joint power, rail, road and aviation projects that will directly and quickly improve the lives of Nigerians.
Buhari said that he was particularly keen on actualising the Mambilla Power Project because of its huge potential to boost employment and national economic growth.
The Chinese Premier commended the ongoing efforts by the Buhari administration to improve Nigeria's infrastructure and assured him that China was ready to work with his administration to complete all joint projects, including the Mambilla Power Plant.
At a meeting with members of the Nigerian Community in Beijing, China, Buhari reaffirmed his commitment to winning the war against corruption.
He urged Nigerians to support his vision of stamping out corruption from the polity in the shortest possible time, adding that "whoever is caught will not be spared."
Buhari said that his administration was still being dared and warned that "those who are sensible should have learnt a lesson. Those who are mad, let them continue in their madness.
"I am aware that in the last two weeks, the national grid collapsed a number of times. I hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs who are blowing up pipelines and installations.
"We will deal with them the way we dealt with Boko Haram," the President declared.
He reiterated that "when we came into office in 2015, Boko Haram insurgents occupied 14 local government areas. Today, I am pleased to say the insurgents have been routed out of these local governments and their capacity to fight as a force has been significantly degraded.
"We will continue to work hard to ensure that the group is eliminated. This is achievable. And we will not settle for anything less," Buhari warned.
On the challenges facing the country, the President explained that, "Our vision of a diversified and inclusive economy will not be achieved overnight. It will be a long, and in some cases, painful journey. I am very confident we will get there but we must start that journey now.
"We hear proposals for short cuts or quick wins. However, all we need to do is look at our history to know that there are no quick wins or short cuts in fixing Nigeria. The many decades of damage and destruction cannot be repaired overnight.
"The reform programme we are implementing is not because oil prices are below $45 per barrel today. It is because when oil prices were over $100 per barrel, majority of Nigerians were still suffering.
"They were simply forgotten and left behind. So, our reforms are to ensure that the majority of Nigerians are not left behind," he said.
At a separate meeting with the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Li Keqiang, Buhari lamented the failure of past governments to meet Nigeria's obligations in joint projects with China.
He pledged that his administration would honour all agreements concluded between Nigeria and China under previous administrations to ensure the speedy completion of outstanding joint projects, including the 4,000 megawatts Mambilla Hydro Electric Power Project.
The President told the Chinese Premier that his administration was committed to the completion, in the shortest possible time, of all joint power, rail, road and aviation projects that will directly and quickly improve the lives of Nigerians.
Buhari said that he was particularly keen on actualising the Mambilla Power Project because of its huge potential to boost employment and national economic growth.
The Chinese Premier commended the ongoing efforts by the Buhari administration to improve Nigeria's infrastructure and assured him that China was ready to work with his administration to complete all joint projects, including the Mambilla Power Plant.
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