It seems like Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has already begun to develop cold feet weeks before his swearing in. The President-Elect has advised Nigerians to be patient and not expect too much, as Rome wasn't built in a day.
President-elect, Maj. Gen. Mohammadu Buhari believes the expectations of Nigerians are too high.
In a meeting that Buhari had with the APC governors-elect at Defence House, Abuja, according to PUNCH, the president elect said, “The expectation is too high and I have started nervously to explain to people that Rome was not built in a day.”
He said that the security challenges and economic situation of the country is not something that is good. He also said, “For this to be corrected, please give the incoming government a chance. Here, I will like to recall what happened during the Abacha regime which led to the emergence of PTF.”
The former military ruler recalled that, “The Abacha regime was a military regime and it thought that the only way was to increase the prices of petroleum products, but they were not taking Nigerians for a ride.
“They could have said if Nigerians decide to riot, they have the guns and so they can have their way. They decided to tell Nigerians that they were going to increase prices of petroleum products and the money we get, we will put aside for development. That was how PTF came.”
He added, “This time around, under this system, to bounce back with the issue especially with the backlog of salaries which are of immediate concern to individuals and states, I think we should look for a better way to address the issue and think of how to persuade people to give us a chance to organise the economy immediately and get something to pay salaries.”