Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari late Monday in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, and boasted that his entire estate is domiciled in Nigeria.
This was as he said Nigerians must remain in their fatherland to “salvage it together.”
“Nobody can blackmail me. I do not have one square inch outside Nigeria, and I intend to stay in Nigeria when I retire from public office,” Buhari said at a state banquet organised in his honour.
The Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Tuesday titled, “Buhari: Nobody can blackmail me on illicit enrichment, and he vows to serve God and Nigeria until his last day in office.”
According to Buhari, citizens who hope to fight corruption and serve their country must prepare for the worst.
He also claimed to have fulfilled his commitment to Nigerians in his May 29, 2015, inaugural address, namely, tackling Boko Haram terrorists frontally and courageously and stabilising the country.
“In the North East, God has helped us to clear Boko Haram, the economy has picked up, and some people are asking me about the achievements of my promise to fight corruption.
“Well, under this system, fighting corruption is not easy. When I was in the military, as Head of State, I locked up some people because the Constitution says you must declare your assets, and people who couldn’t explain the differences in their assets, I locked them up.
“In the end, I was also locked up. So, if you want to serve this country, you must be prepared for the worst. But one thing for which I am grateful to God is that nobody can blackmail me. I do not have one square inch outside Nigeria, and I intend to stay in Nigeria when I retire from public office,” the president said.
Buhari, for the umpteenth time, went down memory lane, recounting his journey to the presidency and re-election.
“Between 2003 and 2019, I visited all the local government areas in this country. In 2019, when I attempted a re-election, I visited every state, and the number of people that came out to see who this Buhari is and was is more than what anybody can pay or force.
“So, I thank God that Nigerians understood me, and I made a promise that I will serve God and Nigerians,” he said.
He commended Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State for taking advantage of the return of peace and security in the state to execute people-oriented projects.
The President also acknowledged the cooperation of Nigeria’s neighbours in the fight against insurgency, recalling that his first visit outside the country in 2015 was to Niger and Chad, to garner support for tackling the misguided sect.
In his remarks, Governor Buni expressed delight at the President’s inauguration of landmark projects in the state, including the Yobe International Cargo Airport, the Damaturu ultra-modern market, the Maternal and Child Health Complex at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital, the 2600 Housing Estate in Potiskum, and the Damaturu Mega School at New Bra-Bra.
He appealed to the President to approve the takeover of the Yobe State International Cargo Airport by the Federal Government and the refund of N38bn expended by the state government on the project.
Buni also requested the takeover of the State University Teaching Hospital, including the Maternity and Child Health Complex.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, who thanked the President for inaugurating an ultra-modern State Command Headquarters; Police Secondary School, and a Tertiary Police Hospital, assured him that the Police is fully prepared for the General Elections.
Baba said the Force has also perfected the logistics and manpower mobilisation framework and fine-tuned the Election Security Operational Action Plan in conjunction with the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Military, the Intelligence Community, and other sister security agencies.