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President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday restated his resolve to respect the maximum term limit in the Nigerian Constitution.
The president spoke during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Great Britain on the margins of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda.
Responding, the president said, “Another term for me? No! The first person who tried it didn’t end very well (general laughter).”
Buhari dispelled insinuation that the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was not being allowed to see his lawyers privately.
The president, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said the detained separatist was being given every opportunity under the law “to justify all the uncomplimentary things he had been saying against Nigeria in Britain.”
“He felt very safe in Britain and said awful things against Nigeria. We eventually got him when he stepped out of the United Kingdom, and we sent him to court. Let him defend all that he has said there. His lawyers have access to him. Remember he jumped bail before, how are we sure he won’t do it again if he’s admitted to bail?”
On the keenness expressed by the PM to help Nigeria in the area of security, the president said helping to stabilise Libya could be an initial good step because the fall of Muammar Gadaffi after 42 years in power unleashed his armed guards on countries in the Sahel.
“They are causing havoc everywhere, as the only thing they know how to do is to shoot guns,” he said.
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On the Boko Haram insurgency, Buhari said there was a serious effort to educate the people on the fact that only an unserious person could kill innocent people.
“You can’t take innocent souls, and ascribe it to God. And the education process is working, the people now understand Boko Haram as anti-God, and not about religion.”
PM Johnson said he was delighted about the good news on trade between the two countries, adding that the UK was further reducing tariffs on some goods going to Nigeria.
He described the relationship between the countries as a “very strong attachment,” adding, “I just want to be sure that we are doing enough. It’s a massive partnership for us, and we need to capitalize on it.”
The PM offered condolences on some recent attacks in Nigeria, particularly on churches.
