President Muhammadu Buhari told Nigerians last night to expect more action from his second term administration.
He said that those calling him “Baba go slow will know if he is actually slow or fast during his second term.”
The President spoke during a 25-minute interview aired on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
According to him, he was going to make the police and the judiciary move faster.
Specifically, he said he was going to trace those responsible for the slowness of investigation and prosecution of criminals.
He said: “All those who call me Baba go slow will see whether I’m slow or fast. I will fast-forward the police and the judiciary to be hard.
“And where I discover they are not hard, I will try and trace who is responsible for the slowness in terms of command.”
Urging Nigerians to expose criminal elements withing their neighbourhoods, the President said he expects the police to embark on absolute community security.
He said that degrading the dreaded Boko Haram sect has given him the greatest happiness.
Besides, he expressed his administration’s satisfaction with the economy, where he said that much progress has been recorded, especially in the agriculture sector.
Asked his greatest frustration, he said that it has to with inability to move faster against corruption.
He said: “We cannot move faster in prosecution and punishing the really. We made some progress, we recovered a number of assets and money in banks including in Europe and America.
“But under this system, you can’t be too much in a hurry. Even if you see, including whistle-blowers, you to go to the police, and the police to go through the rigmarole of investigation before prosecution. That is my biggest frustration, really.”
The President also hit at the National Assembly, stressing that it was unjustifiable for the lawmakers to hold the budget for seven months.
He said that there is a problem when the National Assembly goes around to show that is the government and not the executive arm.
The President said: “I asked them how do they feel to hold the country to ransom for seven months without passing the budget. Were they thinking they were hurting me and not hurting the country? In terms of patriotism, I rated them very low.
“To hold a budget for seven months cannot be justified”, he stated.
Buhari promised that he would continue to do his best against insecurity.
Asked if he was satisfied with the performance of the service chiefs, he said that he still expect more from them.
He said that he did not feel betrayed by the actions of some elites that campaigned vigorous against him prior to the 2019 general elections.
“I understand that the elites are for themselves and this is why I wasn’t bothered with what they threatened they could do,” Buhari said.
On his message to Nigerians, he urged them to always expose the criminals living in their midst.
He said: “Their neighbours should know them. We also have traditional rulers who should assist in securing the people. The way to get out of it is for every Nigerian to continue to do their jobs.”
On the ministers that will be dropped and those that will be retained, he said Nigerians should trust him to take the right decision on that.
“People have to trust me on the ministers; I will retain those that have performed well,” he said.