By; SUNDAY ODE, Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday warned that all frauds being perpetuated in the country must stop.
He also declared that Nigerians who behaved themselves well by staying out of corruption and fraudulent activities had nothing to fear about his administration.
The President made these declarations while addressing State House staff who had come to welcome him from his medical vacation in front of his office at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Buhari, those who want to test the will of his administration should think twice by taking a look at people currently undergoing trial for corrupt practices.
He said “All frauds must stop. If they don’t believe us, they should go try and see those we caught red handed with public funds.
“This exercise will continue as long as this leadership is here. Whoever takes anything that does not belong to him or that he is not entitled to, it will be documented and the person will be taken to court. This is the only way I think we can bail ourselves out.
“I have never in my life, from class monitor to this place twice in different forms, believed in corruption. In what we are doing, if we had made mistakes along the lines, the country would have been further backward than this.
“But we don’t touch anybody who did not touch public funds, you should behave yourselves. If you don’t have houses in Abuja and the whole of Europe, you will sleep soundly. You and your family will earn respect. But if you shortchange the treasury, you will be caught and I pity your family because people will be abusing them. People will be calling you big thieves, that how did you raise money to build all the houses in Abuja and Europe with your meager salary.
“I think personal integrity is something to be encouraged. I assure you that I am absolutely dedicated to serve Nigeria. Those who behave themselves will never regret, but those who don’t behave themselves, na (it is) their problem.”
President Buhari thanked the State House staff for their service to the nation and urged them to remain patriotic and eschew corruption in the discharge of their duties.
“I am asking you to dedicate yourselves more to your country because as I said more than 30 years ago, there is no other country, but Nigeria.
“We are determined to rehabilitate our country for the sake of our children and our grandchildren.
“The process of change is not easy but with your dedication, we can deal successfully with the issues that currently confront us,’’ the President said.
Speaking further, Buhari wondered why power supply in the country had not improved since 1999 in spite of all the funds that had been channel for the purpose.
“Lets not lose the opportunity for the future so that we can build infrastructure. Look at power, how much did we spend on power? Fom barbers to factories, shops, we all depend on power.
“There is virtually no improvement from 1999 till now no matter how many billions they have spent.”
He emphaised that the alternative for the country in the midst of the current dwindling economy occasioned by oil price fall was to invest massively in agriculture.
“Our immediate alternative is agriculture and solid minerals. That was why we voted a lot of money for agriculture so that we can at least feed ourselves. And once we can feed ourselves, we can say okay, let the struggle continue. At least we can eat two to three meals par day,” he stated.
Permanent Secretary in the State House, Jalal Arabi, who spoke on behalf of the staff expressed gratitude for the President’s safe return and pledged the continuous support of the workforce to his administration.
