President Muhammadu Buhari has asked all submission of attention and meeting requests by ministers-designate to meet with him should be channelled through Abba Kyari, his chief of staff.
Buhari who was speaking on Tuesday at the close of the presidential retreat for ministers-designate in Abuja assaulted said that all federal executive council (FEC) matters should be channelled to him through Boss Mustapha, secretary of the government of the federation (SGF).
Abba Kyari was reappointed in July by Buhari despite streets protests believed to have been orchestrated against him.
The latest development may may effectively put a end to agitations against Kyari, who is regarded as the most powerful aide to the president.
He said “In terms of coordination, kindly ensure that all submissions for my attention or meeting requests be channeled through the chief of staff, while all federal executive council matters be coordinated through the secretary to the government of the federation,”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, majority of our people are poor and are anxiously hoping for a better life. A Nigeria in which they do not have to worry about what they will eat, where they will live or if they can afford to pay for their children’s education or healthcare,” the president said
“Our responsibility as leaders of this great country is to meet these basic needs for our people. As I mentioned yesterday, this Administration inherited many challenges from our predecessors to mention a few:
“A country in which 18 local governments in the Northeast were under the control of Boko Haram; Decayed infrastructure in which our rail lines and roads had severely deteriorated; A rent seeking economy that depended largely on oil revenues and imports; Significant unpaid pensions, subsidy debts, legacy contractor debts. I can go on and on.”
Buhari urged the ministers-designate to use this opportunity to serve Nigerians diligently and make the country prosperous.
“You will find that working collaboratively and purposefully will enable us to achieve quicker results, recognizing that four years is not a very long time,” he said.
“For the new ministers, make sure you engage and benefit from the experience of the older ministers and former governors in the cabinet.”