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War against corruption: We’ll tell Nigerians how far we’ve gone by end of 1st quarter of 2016 – Buhari
In his maiden media chat on Wednesday, the President said:“By the end of the first quarter of next year, we will tell Nigerians how far we have gone on the fight against corruption.
“I swore by the Holy Koran to defend the country’s Constitution and the law. So, we will not put any body above the law.
“I cannot make the mistake of appointing anyone who is corrupt.
“Whoever is found to be corrupt would not only be sacked but prosecuted,” he told the panelists during the two hour chat that was aired live.
The panelists were Channels Television’s Kayode Akintemi, who anchored the programme, Dr. Ngozi Anyaegbulam of Media World International, Munir Dan Ali of Daily Trust Newspapers and Ibanga Isine of Premium Times.
The President, who used the interview platform to address a wide range of national and international issues, said, for instance, that he was not yet convinced that there was need for the devaluation of the nation’s currency, the Naira, which has been falling in value in recent times against major currencies like the US Dollar, British Pound Sterling and Euros.
“I will not support devaluation of the Naira.
“I need to be convinced that there is need for the country to devalue the Naira. Is it against the dollar or pound?
“We have our priorities, to provide money to fund the projects we have already outlined, and not for those who want hard currency to import textile and toothpick,” he stressed.
He said that a situation where National Assembly members buy cars for themselves, ostensibly for oversight functions, and come round again to get money as car loans would not be tolerated, saying that he had used the opportunity of a closed door meeting with the legislators to them that much.
He revealed that he had had occasion to turn down a proposal for the purchase of cars worth about N400 million for the Presidency, urging the National Assembly members to take a cue from that action. Nigerian Government is yet to receive any credible information on the whereabouts of the Chibok girls, President Muhammdu Buhari admitted on Wednesday.
President Buhari also spoke on the about 200 missing Chibok girls who are being held hostage by Boko Haram insurgents. He said that the honest truth was that nobody could, with certainty, say whether they are still alive or not.
He assured that his government had not given up hope of getting the girls back, pointing out that he was in touch with his counterparts in Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic but yet, had not got any credible intelligence report on the whereabouts of the girls.
“If a credible leadership of Boko Haram is ready for negotiation without any condition we are ready to listen to them.We are looking for credible intelligence that will convince us that the girls are alive.
“That is the honest truth. No credible information,” he said.
Decrying the use of young girls wearing Hijab for suicide bombings by the Boko Haram insurgents, President Buhari said he could be made to ban the wearing of the Hijab if the insurgents continued to use these young girls to detonate Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs), stressing that government would not fold its arms while innocent Nigerians are being killed by the hijab-wearing girls.
“The people will have to decide between it (Hijab) and their security. Hijab will have to be banned if this continues.”
He also spoke on the clash between the Nigerian Army and members of the Shiites sect that claimed hundreds of lives, revealing that the Iranian President spoke to him about the matter and that he assured him that the crisis would be thoroughly investigated.
The President, however, warned against any group operating with impunity or trying to create a state within a state, noting, nonetheless that the allegations of large scale killings by troops could not be excused and explaining that government was still awaiting the report of the inquiry set up by the government of Kaduna State and the Nigerian Army
