Presidency on Saturday said the alleged derogatory comments on Nigerian Leader, President Muhamamdu Buhari by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, doe not represent the true situation of things and how Nigerians view their President.
Trump had allegedly described Buhari as “ lifeless” in one of his engagements, a claim the American government is yet to confirm or deny.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity. Garba Shehu who is accompanying the President stated this on the sidelines as the President arrived Beijing, early on Saturday.
Shehu’s comments on the issue is coming on the heels of similar chiding of the Trump’s administration by One of Nigeria’s elder statesmen and former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s chieftain, Edwin Clerk.
According to Shehu, “You know that as a policy, we said that we are not going to answer the American President, however, the fact that the entire world and world leaders are cueing up to meet President Muhammadu Buhari, is an indication that there is something about President Buhari”
He continues adding that “there is something about the Nigeria he now leads, that the world likes. I think that Nigerians themselves should better look at this from this positive point of view, is a major development”
Shehu noted that this is a sharp departure from earlier “situations in the country in the past where key world leaders didn’t want to meet our own leaders, all of that has changed in the last three years.”
Shehu who also spoke on the purpose of the China visit, gave fresh indications “ on what to expect” saying “that Nigeria,s public transportation system, such as the the ongoing airports and railways projects will be major beneficiaries as President Muhammadu Buhari gets set for talks with the Chinese government officials and members of the private e the insight while speaking the expectation of Nigeria from this visit.
The President had departed for China on Friday to participate in the 7th Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled to hold September 3 – 4, 2018 in Beijing.
Garba Shehu had noted that since the last summit in South Africa, the Chinese financing of projects in Nigeria has more than doubled under President Muhammadu Buhari
“ we expect that if the same momentum is mentained, we hope that going forward, all of the projects that are outstanding like the Kaduna-Kano rail project, the coastal rail scheme, Mambilla power project, the second phase of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport expansion project, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja/ Kano and all of these projects, they will move more steadily and thankfully”
This may have informed the President’s decision to move virtually everyone who matters on Nigeria’s side to Beijing for the meeting.
“So, we hope that what ever is left, the doted lines will be signed, and we are hoping that we will take back with us, quite a number of schemes that will take Nigeria forward”
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
