Amid arguments in most quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari ought not to have constituted an investigative panel on graft allegations against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has said that the decision was taken so as to permanently resolve the matter.
Adesina, who said this yesterday on Channels Television program, Sunrise Daily, said the President, felt this was the best time to set up the panel. This came as the Senior Special Assistant to President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu dismissed the notion that the administration had only succeeded in marketing good intentions instead of addressing key societal challenges. According to Adesina:”
The government believes that setting up an investigation at this time is right and the government has the mandate of the people. It will not satisfy everybody but it does not matter.
“You will never win with some Nigerians, they will always find faults but the government has been elected and government is in place to do certain things and the government would do what it believes to be right at any given time.”
Also speaking on alleged comments by the SGF who, allegedly questioned journalists, thus: “Who is the Presidency,”Adesina described the question as rhetorical. He said: “I return that to the media because most times when anybody talks, it could even be a presidential aide, they attribute it to the presidency. I just understand what is being done, I understand why it’s being used and it is a media way of doing things.”
Continuing, he stated that only the suspended SGF could respond to questions regarding the allegations of graft. Also, speaking on an Aljazeera Programme, Inside Story, Shehu punctured claims that the administration was misconstruing grandstanding as good governance, noting that Buhari was succeeding in his key campaign promises.
Specifically, he cited the war against terrorism, anti-corruption crusade, militancy and economy as areas where the President in his estimation, had done well. However, other participants at the show which was hosted by Martine Dennis argued that the two years of the Buhari administration did not translate to a better life for the citizenry.
There was also some kind of unanimity among the participants on the need to strengthen the institutions of governance in Nigeria.
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