Chief Donald Etiebet, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, has claimed that it was God who gave the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to Nigerians in to sve the country.
Etiebet said to Vanguard that incoming Buhari’s government will cut down the cost of governance and slowly turn the fortunes of the nation’s economy around for good with strict devotion to the rule of law.
He said: “Yes, I believe in General Muhammadu Buhari as a person who God has given to Nigeria at these trying times to save Nigeria, to get Nigeria working again and to reposition Nigeria and change her face in the comity of nations for respect and seriousness of purpose in tackling the ills of the count
“Having worked with him in the past as the National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), I believe he will make Nigeria a different place where security, economy, discipline and the rule of law will abound to contain corruption. I only pray that Nigerians would understand him and give him the necessary support in the face of challenges and difficulties to put his programmes through unimpeded.”
Etiebet who is also the former minister of petroleum resources, suggested that his expectations from Buhari’s administration are summarized in his resolve to fight corruption and insecurity, and to revitalize the economy, added that “one of the cardinal things he must do would be to reposition INEC in all its ramifications to conduct free, fair, credible, violent free and acceptable elections because he suffered the pangs of rigged elections thrice to become president.
On the immediate steps which PDP top official feels the president-elect led government should address immediately it is inaugurated, Chief Etiebet said: “I would like to note first that there are many landmines laid for him which if he steps on them directly, they would explode disastrously on his face.“So he should use this opportunity to put in place the machinery for credible elections always. Faulty elections are at the basic roots of all democratic short comings in this country,” he noted.
“The first is the petrol, PMS, supply situation. The outgoing government is owing the importers and marketers hundreds of billions of Naira which they are not likely to pay before May 29th. And there is no money in the kitty to pay when he takes over with dwindling foreign exchange reserve, lost crude oil production, falling crude oil prices, huge debts overhang, the clamour by certain interest groups in the country not to remove the petrol subsidy and salary debts by many states.
“But there must be petrol at the filling stations otherwise the country cannot survive a week. I can tell you that salaries can wait for a month but lack of petrol cannot,” he added.
It should be noted that Muhammadu Buhari officialy takes over as Nigeria’s president on May 29, Friday, but his inauguration could not have come at a worse time, with the country reeling from a cash crunch and a crippling strike over fuel.
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