Saraki: my trial, mere distraction

SENATE President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has described his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and others as mere distractions that will soon come to an end.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Ilorin on Sunday, Dr Saraki said that those distractions had started fizzling out.

“All the travails one is going through, those people who believe in God know that all these are politics. All those are distractions not to allow us focus on issues. They always say that the truth will always prevails the distractions are finding their ways.

“I want to assure you that since my eight years as governor of the state, the legacy that we left is there for people to see. There is nobody after I have left office can say either there is any uncompleted project or any contractor anywhere in Kwara State can stand up and say I demanded for any gratification from him.

“I want to say that my business in government is to improve the lives of the people. If it is for myself and family I don’t have to be in government,” he said.

The Senate President, who said that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government had no excuse not to fix the ailing nation’s economy, added that no responsible leader would abandon his followers in time of distress to allow them wallow in suffering as being experienced with the current economic recession in the country.

He warned that members of the national economy team must buckle up and be ready to proffer solutions to the challenges confronting the economy, saying any of them not willing to offer personal sacrifice would have scores to settle with the senate.

He, however, admonished Nigerians to exercise restraints with the ongoing efforts to find solution to the problems.

Saraki assured that the senate under his leadership would not rest until the solution was found, declaring that “It is a challenge to fix the problems and improve the nation’s economy.

“We have no excuse not to fix Nigeria economy, but we need to be more patient on our agitation. It is important and of necessity to bring about solution. There is no responsible leader that will allow his people to suffer just because the economy is not doing well.

“Until we find solution to Nigeria problems, we will not rest. It is a challenge to improve the nation’s economy, and that is the primary reason people voted us into power. We can no longer engage in blame game, we are here to fix the problems. By the special grace of Almighty, we shall succeed,” Saraki said.

He expressed concern that Nigerians were in the habit of aiding the economy of other nations with unbridled patronage for foreign goods at the expense of the locally made products.

The senate president said the National Assembly had provided requisite legal frameworks to strengthen the campaign for patronage of made Nigerian goods.

Speaking on the renewed hostility in the Niger Delta, Saraki stated that only dialogue would stem the rising militancy.
Explaining that the ruins in the region had grounded crude oil production from 2.2million barrels daily to 900,000 barrels, the senate president maintained that engaging the concerned people in the area in talks would arrest the situation, adding that “the same method was used during Yar’adua and it worked”.