President Muhammadu Buhari has advised leaders who took the oath of office and swore with the Holy Book to be careful not to abuse the trust of leadership placed on them by the people and God.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the palace of the Emir of Lafia, retired Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad 1, the president, in company with the host governor, Abdullahi A. Sule, reaffirmed that he has no intention whatsoever to stay beyond the constitutionally recognised two terms of office as leader of Nigeria.
”The traditional ruler is on a terminal appointment. Constitutionally, we (elected public office holders) are not. I cannot go beyond two terms and I have sworn by the Holy Quran that I will uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
”Politics apart, whenever we are made to swear by the Holy Quran, we have to be very careful. We must make sure that we do not abuse the trust God has given us as leaders.
”I have seen former governors here and I am looking forward to also becoming a former president,” he said.
The president thanked the people of Nasarawa state for the rousing welcome accorded him, expressing delight that the North-Central state was wearing a new look since his last visit in 2019.
He congratulated the immediate past governor and lawmaker representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and his successor, Governor Sule for the laudable initiatives and accomplishments in the state.
Welcoming the president to the over 200-year old palace, the Emir of Lafia thanked him for ending the problem of insufficient power supply to the state with the provision of 330kVA sub-station.
The Emir, who is also the chairman or Nasarawa state council of chiefs, told the president that the provision of the electricity plant ”has taken out 80 percent of our problem.”
”Our people have never had it so good. Our people are back to their normal life as entrepreneurs, ” he said, adding that the federal government’s projects that were ”standing as ghosts” in the state in the past, have now become a reality.
The retired jurist listed the newly inaugurated CBN Building in Lafia, the Federal Secretariat, UBEC Smart School and completed ecological projects as some of those federal projects in the state under the Buhari administration.
On arrival in the capital for his two-day state visit to Nasarawa, President Buhari inaugurated the Lafia Airport, Vocational and Skills Acquisition Centre, Modern Bus Terminal and the Shinge-Barkini Abdullahi-Kilema road, executed by the state government.
He also inaugurated CBN Lafia Branch building and a 330kva Akurba Transmission Substation executed by the federal government through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to boost power supply in the state and its environs.
The president was accompanied by Kogi state Governor Yahaya Bello, his Plateau and Kebbi counterparts, Simon Lanong and Atiku Bagudu respectively.
Also on the entourage were Minister of Power Abubakar Aliyu, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN), Minister of Science and Technology Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of State for Science and technology Mohammed Abdullahi and other members of the National Assembly from the state as well as the state lawmakers.
Speaking to newsmen after the inauguration, Minister of Power Aliyu said the 330/132/33KV sub-station at Akurba community of Lafia was one of the legacy projects of the Buhari administration.
He said that the project which was started in 2017 had been completed and the people of the state were already benefiting from it.
The minister added that with the official inauguration by the president, Nasarawa state has now become a centre of electricity distribution.
