Governor Nasir
el-Rufai of Kaduna State on Sunday said he was sad that Nigerians were
experiencing worst economic recession ever witnessed in the history of the
nation.
El-Rufai, who
spoke in Lagos during the Sunday service of The Latter Rain Assembly, noted
that it was crystal clear that Nigerians were battling with multi-facetted
challenges, which were the outcome of the looting of the nation’s resources in
the past years.
He, however,
called on Nigerians to cooperate with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led
government to see the nation through its trying times, adding that the
president did not intend to enrich himself with the nation’s treasury.
The governor
said, “We have always known that there is massive corruption in Nigeria but the
revelations of the past one year have shocked even the most pessimistic of
critics. Nearly 70 per cent of Nigeria’s oil revenues disappeared without a
trace.
“Of course, there
must be consequences for that. When we sit down with President Buhari these
days, I pity him. I pity him because he has always become President anytime
Nigeria is in trouble.
“First, it was
after the NPN (National Party of Nigeria) government had almost grounded the
economy (in 1984) and now, after a massive looting of the nation’s treasury;
and he has to lead the team to fix it.
“But we are
working round the clock to fix these problems. With your prayers and the
cooperation of Nigerians, we shall surmount these problems.”
“President Buhari
loves humanity passionately; his strength is that he believes everyone could be
trusted, which is also a weakness. When he gives people any assignment, he
expects people to carry out the assignment with all honesty. Unfortunately,
this is not so all the time as we have seen over time and that’s why I said it
is a weakness.
“The President is
not a man who has interest in making money for himself or for his friends.
Mistakes could be made; only God is perfect,” he added.
El-Rufai
attributed his status today as a governor to the advice of the Serving Overseer
of The Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, who, he said, invited him to
“Buhari’s party,” the CPC (Congress for Progressives Change) in 2011.
He stated, “I
already made up my mind never to go into public office after I left office the
last time. Pastor Bakare told me that I should not be bitter; that I should
forgive anyone who might have offended me and should move on with my life.
“He then invited
me to the join Buhari’s party, the CPC, in 2011 and we have continued since
then. Today, I’m close to President Buhari because of what Pastor Bakare has
done. Today, I’m a governor because of what Pastor Bakare has done. I’m no
longer sad; I’ve forgiven everyone; and I’m no longer bitter.
“More
importantly, we need the prayers of Nigerians to succeed
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