Buhari still concerned over plight of workers, down trodden – Gov Abubakar

Tom Okpe, Abuja

The governor of Bauchi state and chairman of the forthcoming Anambra state governorship election, Mohammed Abubakar has reiterated President Buhari’s concern of Nigeria workers and the down trodden.

Speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday during the expanded joint meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), APC governors and the executive of the National Assembly, Abubakar said:

“I was at the meeting with the President where in his usual faction has always expressed his concern on the plight of workers and the down trodden.
He did not direct any accusation at the governors because the governors have actually utilized mist of the intervention of the federal government for payment of salaries.

“Take Bauchi state for example, my salary bill is N5.1 billion, including states and local government. If you count the number of months that I came to FAAC and collect anything above N5 billion, it will not be more than five months in my two and half years in office. But because of the intervention today, I am proud to say that I do not owe single kobo salary or pension. We have in the main, utilize this intervention towards payment. Don’t forget, this money belongs to us. We are not begging for anything, but demanding what belongs to us that should be given to us. I was at that meeting and Mr. President did not level any allegation against anybody”.

The governor further said that the meeting received the report of the Committee on True Federalism from the chairman of the committee, pointing that only the National Working Committee of the party can decide how to disseminate the outcome of the public hearing by the committee.

When asked to comment on whether the party was considering an automatic Presidential ticket for the President which APC South-west recently opposed, the governor who spoke on behalf of the Progressives governors said:

“This meeting has not deliberated on the issue of automatic ticket in the party. The APC has a constitution; that is one of the items that was discussed, how to amend the constitution of the APC with a view to strengthening the party in line with democratic principles. We will abide with the tenets of the constitution”, he said.

On why most governors of the south west were absent from the meeting, he said, the Bauchi state governor said;

“There is no communication gap. Two other deputy governors sent words that their flights were cancelled because of weather problem. The same thing applied to the governor of Sokoto state who sent words that his flight was cancelled due to difficulty in weather. So, there is no communication gap what so ever. In the past, the governors have been attending. Governors are very busy people and it is always very difficult for us to have time to be on the field in addition to running our states”.

The publicity secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi in his reactions said that reports in the media recently said President Muhammadu Buhari had asked the World Bank to focus attention on the Northern part of the country for development because of the insurgency of Boko Haram in the area.

“The issue came up for discussion and the entire meeting threw its weight behind Mr. President’s position and we will like to clarify in addition to everything that has been said that the import of Mr President’s statement to the World Bank is in recognition of the particular devastation that Boko Haram has caused in the north east of Nigeria. Therefore, when President Buhari asked the World Bank to focus attention on the development of the north east, he had in kind the necessary reconstruction that needs to happen in that part of the country especially in the Borno, Yobe and Adamawa axis that has suffered specifically because of the Boko Haram activities.

“It was not a statement meant to bifurcate the country or give special preference to any section of the country against the other. So, the APC throws its weight completely behind Mr. President’s decision and we believe that as long as the north east of Nigeria continues to suffer the devastation and continue to represent a very dark spot in human development indices for Nigeria, there is a need to direct special attention to that part of the country”, he added.