Buhari says Nigeria is broke & not all Ministerial nominees will have portfolios

President Muhammadu Buhari is back in Nigeria from a 4-day official visit to New Delhi, India, where he attended the India-Africa forum summit. However, before leaving the Indian capital on Friday, President Buhari granted an interview to Channels Television during which he mentioned that Nigeria is not financially buoyant and that he would rather have only 21 ministers even though he submitted 36 names for screening.

President Muhammadu Buhari being received by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; credit: TheGreenVilla(check out Owelle Rochas at the back)

President Muhammadu Buhari being received by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; credit: TheGreenVilla

Buhari said he only sent the names of 36 ministerial nominees to the Senate, to comply with the constitution which stipulates that each state of the federation must have representatives in his cabinet.
Buhari said, “Yes, there used to be 42 ministers, I think we will be lucky if we can have half of that now because we cannot afford it.
“Others may not be substantive ministers but they will sit in the cabinet because that is what the constitution says and we cannot operate outside the constitution.”
When asked specifically whether he will reduce the number of ministers, Buhari said, “Of course! Unless you can volunteer to be paying them (ministers).”
In reaction to criticisms that his administration has been slow with the development of infrastructure, President Buhari noted that he inherited a country with depleted resources which had been vandalised both materially and morally. He added that the situation was so bad, his administration had to work out bailout packages for 27 out of 36 states to pay salaries.
When asked to be categorical on whether the country is broke, Buhari replied, “Of course, Nigeria is broke.”
The president also denied allegation that his administration had been selective in its anti-corruption war.
On the timeline given to the Nigerian military to end insurgency, Buhari said “The main objective is to get rid of Boko Haram whether it is within the time limit we gave to the military or outside of it, we remain focused in our objective and we will support them.”
When told that his name sends shivers down the spines of some Nigerians, Buhari said “I don’t want to believe you. I will like to believe you if you say Nigerians respect me but I don’t want to be feared, I want to be respected.
“If we survive it, I want to be remembered that Nigerians have found out that I was genuine; I was a real patriot, not that I only fought the civil war but that I fought corruption to a standstill,” he said.
Buhari also described a grant promised Nigeria by India during his visit as a great relief that will help solve unemployment problems, and ensure production of goods and services that will also impact positively on Nigeria’s foreign exchange.