President Buhari has reacted to an article by American news agency Bloomberg which tagged him ”Baba Go Slow” for being slow to act concerning the economy since assuming office in 2015.
At a townhall meeting he had with Nigerians residing in Dubai yesterday, Buhari said he’s not bothered about being called “Baba go slow” as long as he did not loot the country’s treasury.
“I may be ‘Baba go slow’ but I didn’t loot,” President Buhari said when he was asked questions about his fight against corruption and on treasury looters.
He added that his slow movement is because he doesn’t want to make the mistake he made when he was a military head of state.
“So, whoever calls me ‘Baba go slow’, I’m very cautious of historical antecedent. Since I was in a hurry, I was locked up, I’m going slow so that I can survive,” Buhari said.
“I ‘bark but I cannot bite, Baba go slow,’ I have once ruled this country, some of you know that once upon a time I came in uniform and what I did was to arrest from the president downward. The president, Vice President, the governor’s and ministers, other than the president and the Vice President, the others, I put them in Kiri-Kiri, and I told them they are guilty until they can prove themselves innocent.
“And you know subsequently what happened- we put about six tribunals base on the geopolitical zones, and those who were ministers and governors were asked to justify what they have in the banks and physical on the ground relative to their legitimate earnings.
“There were only two Nigerians then to my knowledge who were found to be very Honourable, both of them are dead now: Biliaminu Usman, a junior minister, from Jigawa State, and Adamu Chiroma, a minister of finance and governor of central bank.
“They were incredible Nigerians. But you know what happened, eventually, I myself was arrested, I was put in detention for three and a quarter years, luckily for me, I was not stupid, I didn’t take anybody’s money, so there was no bad publicity for me because they couldn’t find anything against me.
“Eventually I was released, and that was why I made up my mine since the bulk is partisan politics, I joined the partisan politics. You also know what happened, I tried three times, and I managed to succeed the fourth time.” he said.
