“We can’t assume all leaders are 100% loyal to the government” - Buhari

In an interview with Al Jazeera Nigeria president Buhari stated that there are some people in his government who are not one-hundred percent loyal” to his administration.

Buhari defined the controversies surrounding the 2016 budget as unfortunate, saying those responsible for the shame will be punished.

When asked if he meant there were those sabotaging his administration, the president said: “Certainly!” The leader of the nation added that those who want to be fair to his administration will appreciate the effort made in reducing the cost of government. “I will like people to assess Nigeria, especially this government on where we found ourselves. When we came in, we found out that there were 42 ministries and we found out that the economy could not take 42, so we reduced it to 24. We also removed 21 permanent secretaries,” Buhari stated.

“People who want to be fair to us to sit and reflect, from the president to the ministers to the permanent secretaries were all taken over after eight successive governments of those who are now in the opposition. So, we cannot assume that all of them are 100 percent loyal to this government.”

President Buhari visited the Middle East for a week-long tour, with a focus on ending the global slump in oil prices that has hammered Nigeria’s crude-reliant economy. Nigeria, which is Africa’s number one oil producer, has been hit hard by the slump, which has squeezed government revenue and severely weakened the naira.