My Problem With Buhari, by Gov Fayose

He speaks like somebody who has guts. To him, no argument can dent the rightness of his position on the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari. Yet, he tells you he is not confrontational. He claims he has prioritized governance with a view to putting the welfare of the people first. Perhaps, this is the reason he was re-elected after staying out of power for eight years. In this interview in Abuja, Mr. Ayo Fayose, Ekiti State governor, says Buhari is not technically equipped to better the lot of Nigerians. He also speaks on the retreat by the National Economic Council (NEC). Excerpts: On the National Economic Council, NEC, retreat in Abuja It is a good idea if we do not have the same rhetorics. We all know where the problem is, where the problem is coming from. The reality is that we need a change of attitude. That’s what we need. No matter what you say, the ministers, the governors, some are two-term governors, some are leaders of this country before, like Chief Audu Ogbeh, they know where the problem lies and what they need to do to tackle it. The attitude of everybody must change; from the President to the last man in government and beyond government. If you want to dispense justice, for instance, you must dispense it equally. If you want to fight corruption, you must fight it equitably. If we are talking about restructuring our economy, the economy is not all about itself. There are other parameters. If you oppress me, I will not be favourably disposed to the programmes you are offering me. But the moment the president of the country becomes everybody’s father, his agenda and the agenda for the nation will be pushed by all parties and stakeholders. So we have had a lot of these things. We have been through such a gathering (economic retreat) but, at the end of the day, will it not be the same old rhetorics, same strategies? Is it not a diversionary move to make Nigerians think you are working on the economy? Meanwhile, this is a government that was elected almost one year ago, but which doesn’t know what it is doing, doesn’t know what it wants, doesn’t know why it got there; maybe it wanted power but not to put Nigeria on the path of prosperity. So, it is a good idea that we should talk about the economy of the country, but I think the driver should know the direction more than the passengers. But he doesn’t know; he is just fishing. He is fishing for ideas on how to run Nigeria.