President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Dubai, said that he was ‘going slow’ because of his experience during the military era.

The president said in his second term, he would be steadfast.

Buhari was responding to a question by one of the Nigerians in the UAE. The president was asked: “What are you doing to bring treasury looters to justice? Your boss, your subordinates and others. Many are saying the president can only bark, he can’t bite. When are you going to bite like lion?

“I have once ruled this country, some of you know that once upon a time I came in uniform and what I did was to arrest from the president downward. I put them in Kirikiri, and I told them they were guilty until they could prove themselves innocent.

“And you know subsequently what happened - we set up about six tribunals based on the geopolitical zones, and those who were ministers and governors were asked to justify what they had in the banks and physical on the ground, relative to their legitimate earnings.

“There were only two Nigerians then to my knowledge who were found to be very honourable, both of them are dead now: Bilyaminu Usman, a junior minister, from Jigawa State, and Adamu Ciroma, a minister of finance and governor of central bank. They were incredible Nigerians.

“I may be ‘Baba go slow’ but I didn’t loot.  People have to be proven guilty before they are locked up. All that I have to do is to tell the police, and SSS that somebody has so many houses, he has so many investment and his salary is this. Recently, EFCC placed an advert in some national newspapers and showed how much was recovered in term of fixed asset and money,” he said.

He said his administration embraced Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy to have a firm control of the country’s revenue.

Lamenting the money generated during previous administration, Buhari said he would look at the money expended on the power sector during the 16 years of PDP.

“I think one of the leaders of those administrations made a slip tongue by saying that they spent $16 billion, not naira on power. But, where is the power and where is the $16 billion. Maybe eventually by the end of this term, we will get at it,” he said.

Daily Trust