Niger Republic Will Defend Me If Anyone Comes For Me After Handing Over–Buhari

…Explains Reason For Appointing Women As Finance Minister

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday boasted that with his good relationship with his kinsmen in the Niger Republic, he is confident that they would defend him should Nigerians make the country difficult to live in after the handover ceremony scheduled for May 29.

The President said this at the official inauguration of Nigeria Customs Service Corporate Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

His comment is coming just six days to his handing over to President-Elect Bola Tinubu.

Buhari said he had built a personal cordial relationship with neighbouring countries, stressing that should anyone disturb him in Nigeria, his Niger Republic neighbours will defend him.

He noted that he would relocate to his country home in Daura, which is far away from Abuja and closer to the Niger Republic, where he famously claimed that he had his cousins.

He said, “I said these few things about my personal belief because I have only six more days to go.

“And I try to plan to be as far away from Abuja as possible. I came from an area that is far away from Abuja.

“I said if anybody with force moves, I have good relationship with my neighbours. Niger people will defend me.”

According to him, if one did not secure the confidence of his neighbour, he or his grandchild would be in trouble.

Buhari also said he deliberately appointed women to be Ministers of Finance in his eight years in office to ward off disturbances from people looking for award of contracts and payment of contract sums.

The president said he knows very well that most men would not find it easy to go to a woman as Minister of Finance to look for contracts or get payment for jobs done because of ego and pride.

Buhari first finance minister was Mrs Kemi Adeosun who resigned her position after the NYSC scandal of 2017.

Following Adeosun’s resignation, the President appointed yet another woman in the person of Mrs Zainab Ahmed to head the finance ministry.

He said, “I deliberately appointed ladies so that it will give me a lot of peace.

“I made sure I gave the ministry of finance to a lady to exploit the cultural behaviour of all Nigerians: once ladies are in charge, people feel too big to go to ladies.

” So, I am sure peace will be allowed in the Ministry of Finance where people will go and lobby for their contracts to be paid and so on. So, they feel too big to go to ladies.

” So, I put a lady in charge. That gave me a lot of peace.”

ENDS