President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday appealed to the militants vandalising oil installations in the Niger Delta to come and sit down with his government to decide how the nation’s resources can be managed instead of picking up arms against their fatherland.
While regretting that the problems he identified during the campaigns that preceded the 2015 presidential election, which he won, are still lingering even with him in the saddle for almost 18 months, he appealed to Nigerians to be patient with his government.
Buhari spoke when residents of the Federal Capital Territory led by the Minister, Muhammed Bello, paid him Christmas homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President said Nigeria and its citizens were uppermost in his mind, hence he would continue to do all within his powers to improve their living conditions.
He said, “I want you to talk to people to be patient with the government. We are always thinking about our country and we are thinking about our people.
“God has given Nigerians a lot of preachers and resources but human and materials, we better do the same thing for our children and grandchildren.
“I assure you that the country and the people of the country are always uppermost in our minds. Our performance in the North East, Nigerians know that this government is serious.
“For our friends in the Niger Delta area, we will persuade them that they should please sit down with us and agree to manage our resources rather than think of fighting it out.”
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