Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday described his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and others as mere distrations that would soon fizzle out.
Saraki spoke yesterday at a town hall meeting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, adding that those distractions have started giving way.
Said Saraki: “All the travails one is going through for those people who believe in God knows that all these are politics. All those are distractions not to allow us focus on issues. They always say that the truth will always prevail. We are beginning to see truth is already prevailing. The distrations 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 left office who can say either there is any uncompleted project or any contractor anywhere in Kwara State who 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 All Progressives Congress- (APC) led government has no excuse not to fix the economy.
He explained that no responsible leader would abandon his followers in time of distress.
He warned members of the National Economic Management team to buckle up and 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 urged 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-in-Nigeria goods.
Speaking on the renewed hostility in the Niger Delta, Saraki added 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”.
