Buhari meets Obasanjo, Anglican bishops at Aso Rock

 

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met separately with  former President Olusegun Obasanjo  and a team of bishops of the Church of Nigerian (Anglican Communion) led by the Primate of the church, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh on the state of the nation.

Buhari first met with Obasanjo who was accompanied to the Presidential Villa by his long standing friend, Chief Oyewole Fasawe.

Obasanjo declined to speak to reporters on his mission to the Villa, his third since Buhari assumed office a little over a year ago.

Shortly after his departure came the Anglican Bishops.

Archbishop Okoh told State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting that they discussed the herdsmen attacks across the country and oil pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region with their host.

 

“We told him many things. We are all looking for solution to issues of the herdsmen, issue of vandalism, security in one way or the other because the people are asking us and we want to have explanation for the people whom we lead,” he said.

Asked what the President’s disposition was on the issues, he said: “very favourable. He gave us detailed explanations of what he is doing to ensure that these things are solved.

“So we have hope, we have a message for our people.”

Okoh opined that the President spent his first year in office clearing the table and was optimistic that things will improve in the country over the next one year.

“We believe that so far it’s been okay because of the difficulties of the times and between now and the next one year we are looking forward to something more direct now, something that will get to the people easily.

“So far, for the first year he is trying to clear the table, prepare the place and make the work move forward.

“We look forward to a better 2016-2017 budget .You can see that with the long delay in budget, with the issue of padding, we were not able to begin easily.

“So the next one we know will be better.  That is why we are taking it that way. It’s okay for now but it could be better,” he added.