A visibly overwhelmed President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday appealed to Muslim clerics to help his administration calm Nigerians down, as growing complaints on the various challenges facing Nigerians are unsettling him.
He said his government was aware of challenges of life facing the average citizen, hence the need for the clerics to carry the message of hope to the people that things will improve.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President made the appeal during a meeting he had with the Council of Abuja Imams at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“Keep calming the people. The leadership at various levels is trying to solve problems of poverty, unemployment and insecurity bedeviling the country,” Buhari requested religious leaders throughout the country.
He explained to the clerics that the Federal Government chose to give priority to agriculture in order to create jobs for unemployed citizens and give the country food security.
He said although efforts had begun, there was a bigger plan for the provision of fertilizers, insecticides and land preparations starting from 2017.
The President requested state governments and community leaders across the country to organise the population into cooperative societies to key into the agriculture reforms programme, stressing that “extension services, not money will be provided.”
Buhari also intimated the religious leaders on the efforts being put in place to improve power supply in the country.
