Buhari’s resumption of work excites Nigerians

The Buhari Youth Organisation (BYO) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to continue his commitment to revamping the economy and fighting corruption to a standstill, following his return to the country from medical vacation.

The Lagos State Coordinator of the group, Mr Waheed Odunuga, made the call in an interview with Newsverge in Lagos on Tuesday.

Odunuga said that the return of Buhari to the country should bring whoever is found guilty of corruption charges to conviction.

He said: “We are happy to see President Buhari return to the country. At least, this has proven to Nigerians that the President is not dead, especially for those who wished him dead.

“What is left for him now is to get back to work as soon as possible.
“Let Buhari come on board to continue to revamp the economy and redouble his efforts to fight corruption because we want to see more convictions.

“We want good lawyers to handle corruption cases, so as to bring about more convictions. The government now must engage experienced lawyers that can match the ones employed by the suspects.

He urged the Federal Government to employ more experienced d prosecuting counsels in the fight against corruption by some individuals and groups.

The youth coordinator added: “What we saw in governance during the period the President was away was a demonstration of cordial relationship between the President and the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

“This is unique, compared to what we used to have in the past whereby it would be very difficult for the President to handover power to his deputy. This has actually demonstrated unity.’’

Odunuga called on Nigerians across the religious and ethnic divides to pray more for the President, in order to enable him complete the project to taking the country to a new level.

The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos Chapter, Mr Joe Igbokwe, also expressed happiness over President Muhammad Buhari’s safe return.

Igbokwe commended Nigerians for their patience and prayers, while the president was on medical vacation in the U.K. and urged Nigerians to continue to pray for him to discharge his duties more effectively.

“We welcome President Muhammadu Buhari. Some people said he had died, but we can see that he is alive and kicking.

“We are happy and we welcome him back.

“Nigerians should pray for him so that God will continue to grant him good health, to enable him to be able to pilot the affairs of our dear nation,’’ Igbokwe said.

A Lagos lawmaker, Mr Tunde Braimoh, also said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s return to the country, after medical vacation, would impact on the political and economic landscape of the nation.

Braimoh, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, made the remark in an interview with Newsverge in Lagos.

He said: “The President ‘s return is heartwarming and will definitely impact the political and economic landscape.

“Investors will be better assured of the country’s political stability and the uncertainties of the past will be clearly defined.

“The policy direction of the government will be straightened and streamlined and it will definitely be more efficacious and productive.

“It is also hoped that Mr President, as a person, will be re-energised, refreshed and reinvigorated for a better and more effective service delivery.”

According to him, his absence had afforded the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to prove his mettle and people have seen the stuff he’s made of.

He added: “It is therefore expected that the President will make better use of his effectual, charismatic, dependable and responsible deputy.

“The President is also expected to bring himself to speed on emerging trends like the new Niger Delta initiative and the foreign exchange policy, and other general governance issues.”

Braimoh urged the President to consolidate and use his sheer might to further activate and accelerate the processes that will bring succour to the citizenry.

He called on Nigerians across the religious and ethnic divides to pray more for the President, in order for him to be able to complete the project of taking the country to a new level.

Also speaking, Mr Setonji David, the Chairman, House Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, called on the President to tackle unemployment, as urgently as possible.

David (APC-Badagry II) said: “First and foremost, we thank God for the safe return of the President and wish him total recovery, so that he can continue the good job he has started in bringing sanity and integrity to governance in Nigeria.

“However, I will sincerely advise him to continue the good work but he must pay particular attention to the issue of the excruciating unemployment that has become pervasive in the country.

“I will like to remind him that until the matter of gainful employment is tackled headlong, the issue of security of life and prosperity cannot be said to have been adequately dealt with.”

The lawmaker said that it would amount to paying lip service to the local economic challenges if the problems of power generation and distribution were not sorted out during his first term in office.

David added: “On the political front, this country truly requires restructuring. This unitary system we are practicing under the guise of federalism is the bane of our polity. We need to go back to true federalism.”

An aviation expert, Capt. Dele Ore, said the president’s return would give impetus to the ongoing positive developments in the industry.

He said: “We have been on the mountain, fasting and praying for him because he is going to continue to steer this country right.

“It is Mr President’s gusto that is giving the drive to the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, who is doing his best now and we don’t want anything to be disrupted.”

According to him, the bold move by the government to close the Abuja Airport in order to rehabilitate its runway, which was 14 years overdue, is another testimony of Buhari’s commitment to revamping the sector.

“So if this government can take such an action, I commend his efforts and I pray that he will continue to do a good job.

“I was so happy that our president is back and I hope people will let him rest because the vice president has been doing a good job, especially with the push on the minister.

“The aviation industry was almost dying, but for this man and things have started happening now,” he said.

Ore, who is a former President of the Aviation Round Table (ART), an NGO, said himself and other pensioners of the defunct Nigerian Airways, were optimistic that this government would keep to its promise of paying them their entitlements, unlike previous governments.

On his part, Mr Onyekachi Ubani, Second-Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said he was ecstatic about the president’s return.

“We are all very happy he is alive because of the rumours that were being spread and he has been able to come back alive to his fatherland.

“We are also happy with the president because he followed all the constitutional requirements before going away by transferring power to his vice President, who became the acting president.

“During his absence, the vice president did so well as acting president and all of us are proud of him and I am sure also that the president is also proud of him.

“That is why when he came back, he asked him to continue so that he can take some little rest before Monday,” Ubani added.

Meanwhile, the former Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his safe return to country, assuring Nigerians that the president would deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

Ikuforiji said in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Rotimi Adebayo, that Nigerians were grateful to the Almighty Allah for President Buhari’s safe return, after undergoing a medical vacation in London.

“We give glory to the Almighty Allah for this and we pray that your full restoration shall be permanent, to enable you and your Deputy, to keep delivering the promised dividends of democracy to all Nigerians.

Ikuforiji also gave kudos to the president for reposing implicit confidence in Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

President Buhari, who was away in the U.K. on medical vacation for 51 days, resumed work in Abuja on Monday, March 13.