President Muhammadu Buhari again on Monday tackled his predecessors in office for allegedly failing to invest in infrastructure despite the huge resources that accrued to the country under their watch.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving the outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari said with the humongous resources at the disposal of Nigeria between 1999 and 2014, it was sad that infrastructure went to rot completely within the same period.
Although he did not mention names, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan were in the saddle between 1999 and 2014.
Buhari was quoted as stating, “Our focus now is on infrastructure – roads, rail, power, and others. How I wish we had fixed all those when we had money.
“What we earned between 1999 and 2014 is on record, but nothing was done to infrastructure. Now, we are doing a lot more with a lot less resources. And we shall continue to do our best.”
The President commended the outgoing High Commissioner for his warm and pleasant disposition, which had seen him traversing almost the entire country.
“I always see you all over the place,” the President noted.
Arkwright, who spent over three years in Nigeria, said he visited 30 of the 36 states, and found the people quite enterprising and engaging.
He added that the British government would be glad to offer a helping hand as required in any part of the country.
He thanked Buhari for his support, adding that the relations between Britain and Nigeria had improved tremendously in the past three years.
