President Buhari's First Media Chat.December 30 2015

One day before the new year President Muhammadu Buhari is finally hosting
his first media chat at the Aso Rock presidential villa in Abuja today,
December 30.

The president has very often been blamed for disclosing his biggest moves to
foreign rather than Nigerian media. Now the things have changed. Read how
it happened, minute by minute:
21.00 The first media chat has finished. Thanks for being with us.

20.59 “Please ask your colleagues to do more investigative journalism, so
the people know the truth,” Buhari, in his last words, addressed journalists.

20.58 The president speaks on Biafra issue: “Why does it have to worry me,
when I have militants of all kinds, Boko Haram and etc.
“The question is, who marginalised them (Biafra agitators)?”

20.57 “You want people who stole N50 billion to be granted bail to go to
London when we have 2 million IDPs in camps?” – President Buhari
continues.

20.56 Buhari’s answer: “DSS disobeyed court orders, people got legitimate
bails from courts, and they are still being held. It’s due to atrocities they
committed. They go against the country, and you expect them to jump
bail? The one we are calling ‘Kanu’ he has two passports, he brought
equipment. Do you know Kanu brought in sophisticated weapon into the
country, there’s treasonable felony case against him.”

20.55 “Are you not worried about Kanu?” the journalist asked the president.

20.51 President Buhari answering questions from Kayode Akintemi, Ibanga
Isine, Ngozi and Mannir Dan Ali.

20.50 “The standard of tertiary institutions is really poor, I don’t want
students sitting on windows to take lectures,” Buhari answers the question
on tertiary institutions from Twitter.

20.49 One more round of questions from journalists (the panel) is expected.

20.47  Buhari continues: “We will look into the students already in school to
be able to use their Master Card Debit/Credit cards abroad.”

20.45 “We may have to send the young unemployed youth seeking N5k fee
to farm to earn the money,” the president suggests.

20.44 On N5,000 monthly, Buhari says: “When my people have been quoted,
how can I come here and say otherwise?”

20.43 The president further answers on minimum wage: “I cannot answer the
question of 18 thousand minimum wage, now and the federal government will
not touch that. The federal government will not touch minimum wage.”

20.40 “The Judiciary is a seating dock we need the police and other arms to
take cases to them its unfair to blame the judiciary,” Buhari added.

20.39 “Those making the allegations would have to prove it,” the president
says.

20.37 Nigerians ask what Buhari’s government will do with corrupt judges.

20.36 “We are not depending on debt, we are renegotiating with those who
agreed to build infrastructure for us. Nigeria is not borrowing to fund the

2016 budget but renovating with creditors to build capital projects,” Buhari
answers.

20.34 The question is: “How would the president respond to criticism of
plans to borrow to fund a part of the 2016 budget?”

20.32 President Buhari answers first question from Twitter.

20.30 “I turned down a N400 million car proposal, the cars I have are good
enough for 10 years,” Buhari says.

20.29 “The question of parastatals earning money, spending it and giving
government the change will stop,” the president insists.

20.27 Nigerians are expected to send in their questions via twitter, using the
hashtag #askbuhari.

20.26 “Who checks the National Assembly? After hesitating… the president
says: “The judiciary.”

20.25 President Buhari speaks on 2016 budget. “I think I will use veto power
to stop the national assembly from using N47 billion to buy cars.”
He continues that he will review N3.6 billion for BMW cars scandal. “I turned
down a huge bill for vehicles, but I know we need some vehicles for foreign
visitors.”

20.23 “The policy on foreign currency withdrawal cannot be lifted because
the money is not there. A N100 billion goes to the National Assembly for
transport allowances alone,” the conversation continues.

20.19 “The change is in the TSA.”

20.18 The conversation moves to the questions on change – the slogan of
Buhari during the presidential campaign. The interviewer asks: “What has
changed?”

20.16 “We had 42 ministries, with 42 permanent secretaries. We had to cut
them to 24 and asked some to go,” he continues.

20.15 “Fashola was not made a super minister for nothing. The issues
associated with power which will take time, will be answered. He added that
government is looking at different means of generating power,” President
Buhari answers.

20.14 Question: What is the president’s understanding of job creation? And
what was he thinking when the decided to make Fashola the minister with
three portfolios. What was the president’s vision for him?

20.11 He continues: “Our priority is to get our local refineries working, to
reduce cost. The cost of petrol is so low, you don’t have to subsidize it.”

20.10 “By the end of next quarter, we might stop subsidy. I hope that our
refineries can be functional,” Buhari states.

20.09 “Our first priority now is to get our refineries working,” he says.

20.07 The president being asked: “Are you considering putting a stop to the
issue of subsidy?”

20.06 On the issue of people being unable to withdraw hard currencies, the
Nigerian leader says: “I will ask the governor of the Central Bank. Those who
want to import rice and toothpick should go somewhere else to get foreign
currency.”

20.04 “Our priority is for welders, barbers, building our roads and railways,
not rice and expensive textile wears,” the president says.

20.02 “But Mr.President would you support the devaluation?” The answer
from Buhari: “If you devalue the naira, against what? Against the dollar,
sterling, yen, dutch? I need to be convinced about devaluing the Naira. We
are importing including toothpick!”

19.59 “Insecurity, downturn of petroleum are very unfortunate incidents in
this country,” Buhari continues.

19.58 “There are 45 accounts in NNPC alone. We introduced the Treasury
Single Account so that we can know what comes in and goes out.”

19.57 “I don’t support devaluation,” the president says.

19.55 Buhari answers on naira devaluation issue. “Should we be looking at
devaluing naira?”
Buhari speaks to the panel of journalists.

19.53 The next portion of questions is on economy.

19.52 “When I say Boko Haram had been defeated technically, we have
weakened capacity for conventional attacks” – Buhari.

19.51 “People die, it’s very serious. Hijab will have to be banned if this
(female suicide bombings) continues,” the president says.

19.50 Question: Is banning hijab an option or not?

19.49 The interviewer asks about the Boko Haram deadline. “Can you say
whether the war has been ‘technically’ or otherwise won?”

19.48 Last question on security and the next subject comes.

19.47 Another question for Buhari: “Who would you be expecting the report
of the Shi’ites’ killings from?”

19.46 “The President of Iran spoke to me about it and I told him as a
government, we have a system. I am awaiting the report of the military,”
Buhari says.

19.45 “I don’t want to speak about it in detail now,” the president continues.

19.43 Both the president and interviewers avoid giving names: “When it
(clashes with Shiites in Zaria) happened in the state (Kaduna), the governor
(Nasir El-Rufai) was visiting the area,” Buhari.

19.41 The conversation moves to the confrontation between the army and
the Shi’ia sect, and its similarities with the start of the Boko Haram
insurgency.

19.38 The president says he has money to take care of the IDP’s and he
wants to settle the kids in schools/communities. His words: “We are
determined to resettle children transported across the country as a result of
insecurity.”

19.37 Buhari says the Boko Haram victims are orpharned and Dangote,
Danjuma have donated.

19.36 President Buhari speaks also on the IDPs. He stated that there are
about two million IDPs in the country, especially in Borno state.

19.35 “Do we have any intelligence that the girls are alive? No credible
information. Working with Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Boko Haram kept
shifting them around,” Buhari said.

19.34 Question: “Are you sure the girls are there and alive?”

19.32 The president continues: “Some supposed leadership wanted to make
contact, but we insisted on identifying the leadership of the so-called Boko
Haram.”

19.29 “I have answered questions on Chibok girls and we know so far from
our attack on Sambisa that the girls are not intact. We are more than willing
to negotiate to free the girls without compromising our national security,” he
responds.

19.28 The next question comes: “On Chibok girls and technical defeat of
Boko Haram, when are we bringing the girls back?”

19.27 “My ministers must make sure they declare their assets, that is a
constitutional requirement,” President Buhari says that any person would go
to court if he or she to be found guilty. “I am going to make sure that
nobody is above the law.”

19.26 Buhari seems to be a bit annoyed, or even angry.
Buhari hosts media chat from 19:00 to 21:00 on December 30, 2015.

19.25 “Nigerians to know progress of the anti-corruption war by end of 1st
quarter of 2016,” the president continues.

19.22 “When I was being harassed, I told people that I had declared my
assets four times. I mentioned which banks I borrowed money, the number of
cars and all they were all deposited at the ministry of justice. If they cannot
produce the documents that I declared, they should also answer questions on
documents of public officers,” the Nigerian leader says.

19.21 Question: “When do you intend to make full declaration of your
assets?”

19.19 Buhari answers: “I have said that I will defend every property of
Nigeria. We are appealing to countries to please cooperate with us.”

19.16 “How long are you willing to go in this fight against corruption?” the
journalist asks the next question.

19.15 “We have to be very sure of the documents we get. We have to cross
check records. I have confidence in the way EFCC and ICPC are structured
now,” Buhari added.

19.11 The next question is “What we have now is an iceberg, and I am just
wondering is there no way to rejig ICPC and EFCC?”

19.09 Buhari continues: “Money has been recovered but whatever has been
recovered, we have to remain in court.”

19.08 “Under whatever circumstances we cannot pre-judge what the court
would do,” President Buhari.

19.07 KayodeAkintemi: “Who are the people that the government claimed
have returned money and how much have they returned?”

19.06 “We are taking the people suspected of corruption to court. We cannot
comment. We want Nigerians to be patient,” the president says.

19.05 Buhari answered: “We are doing quite well. We have some documents
where Nigerian crude oil were lifted illegally and proceeds diverted into
personal accounts.”

19.04 “And the first question. Nigerians very love you. You are the man of
integrity. You were elected on the promise to fight corruption.The honeymoon
is over how do you think we are doing with the fight against corruption?”

19.02 Kayode Akintemi of Channels TV, the anchor of the chat, welcomed
President Buhari and introduced his colleagues.

19.00 All eyes on Mr. President, as the media chat begins.

18.45 Garba Shehu, the special adviser on media and publicity, says that
Nigerians can participate in the discussion on social media by using the
hashtag and also mentioning President @ MBuhari.