The naira redesign strategy, which was implemented by the former president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration just before the country’s general elections, has been justified, with the explanation that it was intended to demonstrate to Nigerians that there is no short route to power.
Many Nigerians believed that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) policy, which was put into effect under its previous governor, Godwin Emefiele, had caused hardship because of the lack of cash.
Buhari stated: “The motivation is to try and make Nigerians believe that there is no shortcut to successful leadership in the sense that service is not easy, as I said after three attempts and ending up in the Supreme Court.” This was his first interview since leaving office, and it aired on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Monday night.
When asked why he started the policy during election season, Buhari said, “Nigeria is an underdeveloped country, believe it or not.” Our worldly possessions might sometimes make us feel so good that we brutally disregard the means of our financial gain. You ought to be wealthy, drive fancy automobiles, live in a magnificent home, and travel the world frequently.
Many Nigerians will think that’s really foolish. They would prefer to go there as quickly as possible, and the only way to accomplish so is to try to amass a large amount of money and see how you can use it to compromise a great number of people and possibly even institutions in order to achieve your goals.
“However, I believe that patriotism stems from empathy for one’s own people, ordinary Nigerians, and their struggles to maintain their homes, send their kids to school, and ensure that they don’t suffer. Those who are rational enough to realise this is a challenging and difficult way of life.”
“Do they possess the bravery to choose the challenging path and endure hardships in order to ensure that they raise their children well?” He questioned.
READ ALSO: Buhari states that Nigerians are difficult bunch to manage
Buhari said that his greatest accomplishments had been in the fields of security and the economy, pointing out that Borno State’s Boko Haram-held areas had been reclaimed during his leadership.
In addition to stating that he never took Nigerians for granted, the former president made note of the fact that during his eight years in office, he did not purchase personal property.
“I have been living in peace now for about six months,” he stated. I did not construct anything nor did I obtain anything throughout my tenure as head of state. As a result, I didn’t compete with Nigerians who were in positions of authority to own businesses, support those businesses, or grant myself substantial land holdings in Abuja to favour individuals.
I live in peace because Nigerians have their own way of knowing, and I believe they would wait for the right moment to confront and bother everyone they believe has wronged them.
According to him, Nigerians are also skilled at kidnapping leaders, encouraging them to make mistakes, and using those faults as an excuse for hundreds of other blunders made by the leaders.
“Accountability,” stated the outgoing president. I love how smart Nigerians are. They’ll probably urge you to make one error before moving on to a hundred, in my opinion. You’ll be confined. You are a hostage, thus you are unable to explain. They enjoy making their bosses feel like hostages. It’s my idea, too. I believe that’s why I was unduly cautious.
I ensured that you wouldn’t say something like, ‘Oga, I have an account in Saudi Arabia; you have an account in Switzerland; you don’t have an account.'” After that, you have to obey him rather than expecting him to do what you say.
Buhari claimed that people made fun of his desire because he was poor.
After three trials, he claimed that although he had accepted his fate and believed in “God dey,” the introduction of technology throughout the political process had saved his bacon.
Buhari narrated how he was made fun of for lacking money and being unable to purchase influence following the Supreme Court’s decision on his third attempt.
“The audience I was speaking to laughed at me, and I was expecting pity. I declared that before dishonest Nigerians could come and say, “I will bring you 50,000 votes; how much will you give me?” God dey and God provided technology, permanent voters cards. He stated.
The former president denied the existence of a cabal within his administration and maintained that there was no proof a small group of people had taken over his government.
“Why didn’t they talk?” he said, wondering why the people who had made the assertion had never spoken.
In response to a question on why he frequently trusted people too much and rarely fired employees, Buhari stated that he did not meddle in his ministers’ work.
“I don’t have any proof that someone did anything improper and was let to leave. No, since I don’t knowingly permit somebody to utilise public resources for personal gain. I let people carry out their duties as I saw them to be,” he said.
