Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
June 23, 2015 – President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday set precedence for governors who have formed the habit of relegating correspondents assigned to their offices by meeting with State House Correspondents on resumption at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, just three weeks into his administration.
Unlike most governors, who have met with editors, news editors, political correspondents and still contemplating whether or not to meet with State House Reporters, the president opted to meet with the first gate keepers, the State House Correspondents ahead of the big guys in the office and told them of the need to protect him ahead of invective from members of the public who have become increasingly impatient with the slow pace of the President.
The President told them that while the expectations are high, the treasure is virtually empty, and expressed regrets that the culture of using 100 days in office as milestone was mounting pressure on his government.
“I hope we are starting and this culture of 100 days is bringing so much pressure with the treasury virtually empty, with debts in millions of dollars, with state workers and even federal workers not paid their salaries. It is such a disgrace.
“I think Nigeria should be in a position to even pay its workers. This bad management that we find ourselves in we really need your help to protect us from people before they march on us.
“It is not by accident that I got the best of you(Femi Adesina), to be the special adviser, one of the 15 aides I had to get clearance from the Senate. It is one of the best President of the Guild of Editors that I can have as special adviser. I brought one of the best of you so that he can consistently defend me against you. Whether my job is a difficult one or easy is for him, but I am here to thank you in advance for what good and ill you are to going to do to me”, he said.
He also warned of the consequence of asking embarrassing questions which could make some reporters to loss accreditation.
He told the correspondent that he hoped what happened to Mallam Ubale Musa, a reporter with Radio Deustche Welle who was thrown out of the state house by the Jonathan’s regime would not repeat itself.
