Speaking on Wednesday while addressing State House Staff who gathered at the forecourt of the presidential Villa, Abuja to formally welcome him back from his vacation from London, President Muhammadu Buhari, gave highlight of the journey so far and noted that agriculture which used to be the mainstay of the country was the only alternative now.Blaming the failure of the past administrations from saving during the boom time in prices of crude, the President decried the inability of many States to pay workers’ salaries, describing it as a national disgrace.
He said: “You know we have gone through a lot of changes over the past year. We met 42 ministries and we found out the economy cannot take it because of the ineptitude in place. We have turned ourselves to a mono economy depending only on oil.
“Most people threw away their farm and solid minerals equipment and rushed to the city to collect oil money and enjoy. What used to be an average of 100 dollars from 1999 to 2014 went down to 30 dollars. What should concern us and the rest of the Nigerian elites is how we can continue to sustain ourselves in terms of materials and security.
“27 out of the 36 states couldn’t pay salaries. This is a disgrace to Nigeria. It is a disgrace. Up till now, most states cannot pay salaries.
What happened to all we have gotten over the years?
We look up and down, left, right and centre, what have we saved?
There was nothing because we developed a consumption culture that we were not supposed to develop.
“Most of your colleagues that have left service, I doubt if they are getting benefits. That is the situation we find ourselves in.”
