By Sadiq Umar – The Presidency has urged Nigerians to tone down on the rumoured military coup plans, saying the comments by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai was a mere routine warning from the army to the military officers.
Gen. Buratai had last week hinted of unholy romance between some politicians and military officers, necessitating sharp reactions from Nigerians who denounced coup attempt and vowed to resist it.
But speaking Tuesday in Abuja, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity. Femi Adesina remarked that Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai’s comments was only “a routine warning from the army”.
“The Army has spoken and let us take that position. What the Chief of Army Staff said was a routine warning that goes to military officers, don’t hobnob with politicians and the army has explained the position. Let’s take that position and not stretch it beyond what the military has said because they are the ones that can give us the definitive position and they have spoken on it,” he said.
The presidential spokesman briefed State House journalists alongside the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu and Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Office of the Acting President, Laolu’ Akande, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on the mid-term achievements of the Buhari’s administration.
According to him, it would be unrealistic for Nigerians to expect the All Progressive Congress (APC) government led by President Muhammadu Buhari to solve Nigeria’s problem in two years.
Adding that it was premature and unfair the rating of the government as failed in its mid-term assessments by a cross-section of Nigerians.
“You cannot write the report card of this administration in two years. The mandate is four years and is too early in the day, you don’t reach definite term in the mid-term,” Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity said during a mid-term briefing to announce the achievements of the government.
“No scientific survey has been conducted that concludes that the Buhari’s administration has failed in delivering the dividends of democracy to the Nigerian people. We will have a lot more to fulfill. If anybody tells you APC has failed, tell them it’s too early in the day, we still have two years, it’s a four-year term,” he added.
On the disrespect for the rule of law by the Buhari administration, especially the continuous detention of former National Security Adviser, (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Shiite Movement) Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, Shehu, said Dasuki was still been detained because of the multiple allegations against which he needed to answer to.
He added that El-Zakzaky was being kept in protective custody for his own safety.
“He is held more for his own safety. When the incident occurred, you will recall what happened. There was violence by his supporters and as you know, government has a responsibility to keep peace. He is not in a prison. He has the company of his wife and his children and government is being as compassionate in dealing with this case,” Shehu said.
Akande on his part disclosed that the Federal Government was working on reforming the nation’s criminal justice system with the setting up of a Coordination Team to review all existing laws in the criminal justice system in the country.
“The truth of the matter is that our criminal justice system does need a profound and deep reform. The important thing is that this government is working on it. As a matter of fact now, the acting president has put together a national coordination prosecution team for all the prosecution trying to see how in the medium term we can bring some progress but also working on justice sector reforms on the long term on criminal justice system to strengthen both the investigation and prosecution at the courts. And I know it’s going to take a while for us to address it,” he added.
